MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Atlantic Chapter
CONSTITUTION October 1998
This organization shall be known as the Atlantic Chapter of the Music Library
Association.
The purposes of the Chapter shall be:
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To promote the establishment and growth of music libraries and collections
of music and musical materials in the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia
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To initiate and encourage activities aiming to improve the organization,
administration, contents, and services of such libraries and collections;
and in pursuance of these aims, to cooperate with each other, with others
in the music profession, as well as institutions, and organizations in
related fields.
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To bring together for exchange of ideas and discussions of problems all
persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections, and
to stimulate professional activities among the members.
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Membership in this chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library
Association, Inc., and to persons actively engaged in library work, or
who have an interest in the stated purposes of the Chapter.
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Persons eligible for membership shall be considered members upon payment
of annual dues.
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Only members in good standing shall be entitled to vote at business meetings
of the Chapter or on official ballots.
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Membership dues shall be specified in the By-laws.
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The officers of the Chapter shall be a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson/Chairperson
elect, and a Secretary-Treasurer.
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The officers shall be elected by the members of the Atlantic Chapter from
a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee.
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The officers shall be elected every second year at the fall meeting for
a term of two years and shall assume office immediately following the meeting.
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The elected officers and the retiring Chairperson shall constitute the
Executive Board and shall be the governing body. The Executive Board
shall be responsible for authorizing expenditures, effecting the stated
purposes of the Chapter and shall initiate such activities as are appropriate.
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The Chapter shall hold at least one meeting during the fall each year,
at a place which shall be determined by the Executive Board of the Chapter
in consultation with the Program Committee Chairperson and the host of
the meeting. When feasible, meetings shall be scheduled concurrently
with those of a state library or other professional association.
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Members shall be notified not less than thirty (30) days in advance of
regular meetings.
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One session of each regular Chapter meeting shall be devoted to a business
meeting at which the Chairperson shall preside.
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The members of the Chapter present shall constitute a quorum.
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The Executive Board shall be empowered to represent the Chapter at meetings
of organizations in related fields and at its discretion to call a general
meeting of the Chapter for the purpose of joint meetings with such organizations.
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Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board with at least one
month's notice.
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The Standing committees shall be the Nominating, Program, Membership and
Publications Committees
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Special committees may be created by the Executive Board. The terms
of office for such committees shall be fixed by the Executive Board.
In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter, any assets
remaining shall be turned over to the Board of Directors of the Music Library
Association, Inc.
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The Constitution may be amended at any regular business meeting by a vote
of two-thirds of the members voting. The text of the amendment and
a ballot shall be circulated to the membership at least thirty (30) days
before the voting takes place.
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The By-Laws may be amended by a majority of the members present at any
regular business meeting or by voting by mail by a majority of those voting.
The text of the amendment and a ballot shall be circulated to the membership
at least thirty (30) days before the voting takes place.
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When voting on Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws is to take place
at a regular business meeting, ballots may be presented at the time of
the voting at the meeting or they may be returned by mail to the Secretary-Treasurer
before the meeting.
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Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws may be proposed by the Executive
Board or any three members of the Chapter. Proposals originating
with groups of members shall be presented in writing to the Executive Board
at least thirty (30) days before the meeting at which the proposal is to
be considered
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The annual dues shall be Set by the Executive Board for all members.
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The dues shall be paid to the Secretary-Treasurer. All checks shall
be made payable to the Music Library Association, Atlantic Chapter, and
forwarded to the Secretary-Treasurer.
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The dues shall be payable at or before the fall meeting. New members
who join at mid-year (i.e., March 1 or thereafter) shall pay one-half the
full membership amount.
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Members in good standing, i.e., those with current dues paid, shall be
entitled to vote at Chapter meetings or by mailed ballot.
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If a member's dues remain unpaid for one year, the membership may be considered
terminated.
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Application for membership shall be addressed to the Secretary-Treasurer
of the Chapter.
A. Nomination and Election Procedures
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The Chairperson shall appoint a Nominating Committee of no fewer than three
members, only one of whom may be a member of the Executive Board.
The Chairperson shall designate one member to serve as chairperson of the
Nominating Committee.
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Not later than sixty (60) days before the Fall meeting every second year,
the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Chapter Chairperson the names
of nominees for each office, together with a written statement from each
nominee informing the committee that he/she will serve if elected..
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Candidates for Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect shall be members of the
national Association.
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Candidates for Secretary-Treasurer shall be members in good standing of
the Chapter.
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Not later than thirty (30) days before the fall meeting every second year,
the Chairperson will submit the names of all properly nominated candidates
to the Chapter members. Members may vote by mail if they so desire.
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At the fall business meeting every second year the candidate receiving
the majority of the total votes cast, both by mail and at the meeting,
will be considered elected to the office for which s/he is nominated.
If no majority is reached on the first ballot, balloting will be continued
among the members present at the meeting until the final decision is reached.
In the event that more than one ballot is required, the name of the candidate
receiving the smallest number of votes in one ballot shall be withdrawn
before the next ballot.
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Votes shall be counted by members of the Nominating Committee who shall
report the results to the Executive Board.
B. Terms of office and succession.
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Officers shall serve terms of two years.
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The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson (Chairperson-Elect), and Secretary-Treasurer
shall serve until their respective successors are elected.
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The Chairperson shall not be elected to successive terms.
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If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect
shall accede to the office of chairperson and shall serve out the unexpired
term of that office as well as the following term, and the Executive Board
shall appoint a Vice-Chairperson who shall serve out the unexpired term
of that office but shall not accede to the office of the Chairperson at
the beginning of the next term.
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Appointments of persons to fill vacancies occurring in Secretary-Treasurer
office may be made by the Executive Board to serve until the next election.
C. Duties of the Officers.
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The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings, appoint committee chairpersons;
call meetings of the Chapter or Executive Board as required, and perform
the duties customary to this office. She/He shall file a report annually
with the Executive Secretary of the National Association, outlining the
Chapter activities and listing the officers and members of the Chapter.
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The Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-elect shall act as chief executive officer
in the event of the Chairperson's inability to serve and shall be Program
Committee Chairperson.
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The Secretary-Treasurer shall record the minutes of the Business meetings
and Executive Board meetings and preserve all official records and reports
of the Chapter, collect dues and make authorized expenditures, prepare
the financial report for the annual business meetings, notify the members
of all meetings at least four weeks in advance, keep an up-to-date membership
list, conduct correspondence relating to membership and finances and other
correspondence as directed by the Chairperson.
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Committees shall consist of not fewer than three members.
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The Chapter Chairperson shall appoint chairpersons of all committees except
the Program Committee.
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The appointed chairpersons will choose their own committee members.
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The duty of the Program Committee shall be to prepare the program of the
meeting for which it is appointed. One member of the Committee shall
be from the locality where the meeting is to be held.
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The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be to nominate the officers
designated in Article IV in the manner specified in the by-laws to Article
IV. Preferably, the members of the Committee shall represent different
geographical areas within the Chapter.
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The duties of the Membership Committee shall be to initiate plans for attracting
new members to the Association and Chapter and it shall be responsible
for their implementation.
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The Publications Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive
Board for publication projects and will edit such publications as are authorized
by the Board and attend to all business connected with their manufacture.
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