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Law Librarians of New England
a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries
Procedures
LLNE Procedures Manual
for
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Executive
Committee Procedures
- Education Committee
- Newsletter Committee
- Nominating Committee
- Placement Committee
- Scholarship Committee
The Law Librarians of New England Procedures Manual is designed primarily as a guide to Chapter officers, chairpersons and committee members. The manual provides a listing of both the general procedures governing chapter affairs and the specific responsibilities of both officers and committees. It should prove particularly useful in easing the transition of new officeholders and facilitating the uninterrupted flow of chapter activities.
I. Introduction
Law Librarians of New England (LLNE) is a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries created under Article VIII of the AALL Constitution and subject to the provisions of Article VIII of the AALL Bylaws.
The affairs of Law Libraries of New England shall be managed by responsible individuals who will:
A. Perform their respective duties as specified in the LLNE Constitution, Bylaws and Procedures Manual.
B. Attend to office and committee communications promptly and thoroughly during the term of their office.
C. Keep current financial records of income and expenditures involving chapter activities.
D. Maintain well organized files of chapter business which may be passed on to succeeding officers or succeeding officers or committee chairpersons.
E. Coordinate activities and plans with the members of the Executive Committees, committees with common interests, and with related AALL Committees, Chapters, or Special Interest Sections.
II. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PROCEDURES
A. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, two Directors and the Retiring President.
B. The Executive Committee shall meet four times annually on the occasion of each chapter meeting. Additional meetings may be called as needed.
C. The Executive Committee shall receive, consider and approve recommendations from the officers and Committee Chairpersons.
D. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the relations between the Chapter and the American Association of Law Libraries.
E. The Executive Committee shall perform such additional responsibilities as specified in the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws.
III. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The President shall perform such duties as are specified in the LLNE Constitution and Bylaws or assigned by the Executive Committee.
2. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and at all meetings of the general membership.
3. The President prepares the agenda for Executive Committee meetings and distributes copies to Committee members prior to the meeting.
4. The President prepares agenda for business meetings of the general membership.
5. The President, in consultation with the members of the Executive Committee, sets goals for the year and outlines the means of attaining those goals.
6. The President, in consultation with the members of the Executive Committee, appoints the chairpersons and members of all committees with due consideration for geographical distribution, type of library, experience, and level of skill required.
7. The President, with a majority of the Executive Committee, appoints the members of the Nominating Committee and sees to the timely publication of the names of committee members.
8. The President coordinates the activities of both standing and ad-hoc committees and monitors the progress of committee projects.
9. The President maintains close contact with the chairperson of the Education Committee and/or local arrangement committees and is available for advice in connection with the planning of chapter meetings.
10. The President appoints the editor of LLNE News and provides necessary administrative support for chapter publications.
11. The President writes a letter for each issue of LLNE News.
12. The President provides the names of chapter officers and committee chairpersons and members to the editor for publication in LLNE News.
13. The President maintains contact with the chapter Secretary and Treasurer, particularly with regard to deadlines for such items as the annual report to AALL (May 1st), by Secretary.
14. The President maintains current LLNE files and is responsible for the storage of unsold stocks of chapter publications (ex. cookbook).
15. The President, with advice from the Executive Committee, decides on the form of the meeting at the AALL annual meeting (usually breakfast), date and time (usually early morning), and choice of menu. The President is also responsible for mailing notices of the breakfast meeting to the LLNE membership, collecting responses and money, and responding to AALL regarding arrangements.
16. The President serves as the chapter liaison to the Council of Chapter Presidents, fills out chapter biography and attends the annual meeting of the Council.
17. The President serves as the chapter liaison to AALL and responds in a timely fashion to all communications and questionnaires from the parent body.
18. The President receives and reads newsletters from other chapters and consults with the editor of LLNE News regarding interesting materials which may be reprinted with permission.
B. VICE-PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT-ELECT
1. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall serve as a member of the LLNE Executive Committee and perform such duties as are assigned by the President.
2. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside at all meetings of the general membership and the Executive Committee.
3. In the event that the President resigns prior to the completion of the regular term of office or, in the judgment of the Executive Committee is unable to perform the duties of the office, the Vice-President/President-Elect shall assume the role of President for the remainder of the term.
4. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall join the chapter President in attending the annual meeting of the Council of Chapter Presidents at the AALL annual meeting.
1. The Secretary serves as a member of the Executive Committee and keeps minutes of all Committee meetings. The Secretary shall provide all committee members with a copy of the minutes soon after the meeting.
2. The Secretary shall notify the AALL Newsletter and New England area legal newspapers of upcoming meetings.
3. The Secretary shall keep minutes of general business meetings and send a copy to the editor of the LLNE News for publication.
4. The Secretary shall prepare the annual report of chapter activities in consultation with the other officers and submit a copy to AALL headquarters and to LLNE News.
5. The Secretary shall maintain the LLNE archives which include folders for each meeting, materials relating to the LLNE Constitution and chapter correspondence and shall make copies of all substantive material for preservation.
6. The Secretary shall maintain contact with the editor of LLNE News regarding general notices to the membership.
7. The Secretary shall keep track of all mistakes and omissions in the LLNE Directory.
8. The Secretary shall prepare such letters of invitation, notification and appreciation as are deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee. In the event that such letters are drafted by another officer or member of the chapter, a copy should be sent to the Secretary for inclusion in the chapter files.
9. In the event that the Secretary cannot attend a meeting of the Executive Committee or Chapter, arrangements shall be made in advance for an acting Secretary to perform the Secretary's functions.
10 The Secretary shall notify the membership of proposed changes in the LLNE Constitution or Bylaws at least thirty days prior to the meeting at which a vote is to be taken.
1. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining an accurate and current record of the all financial transactions of the chapter.
2. The Treasurer shall collect all monies for the chapter and shall deposit the monies in special LLNE Chapter accounts.
3. The Treasurer shall disburse monies as authorized by the Executive Committee and shall keep receipts and/or documentation of all checks issued.
4. The Treasurer shall send out annual membership renewal notices at least thirty days prior to the end of the membership year. (i.e. by June 11th) Those members failing to pay dues after the expiration of six months shall be suspended from membership by the Treasurer. Suspended members may be reinstated at any time upon payment of the full current year's dues.
5. The Treasurer shall maintain a current record of LLNE Membership and shall provide an accurate list of members to the mailing list coordinator for transmission to the editor of the LLNE News.
6. The Treasurer shall prepare a formal written report of all financial transactions to date during the current financial year for presentation at every LLNE meeting. A formal written annual report shall be presented at the annual meeting with copies provided to each member of the Executive committee. The Treasurer shall also submit these reports to the editor of LLNE News for publication.
7. On a periodic basis, older financial records shall be transferred to the Chapter archives.
1. The Directors shall serve on the Executive committee and participate in its discussions and deliberations.
2. The Directors shall serve as members of the Education Committee. The senior of the two Directors shall serve as chairperson, while the junior Director shall assume the position upon the expiration of the other's term.
3. The Director shall also perform such assignments as are designated by the Executive Committee or general membership.
1. The Retiring President shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee and participate in its discussions and deliberations.
2. The Retiring President shall provide appropriate assistance to the incoming President to ensure a smooth transaction of power and an effective continuation of chapter activities.
3. The Retiring President shall turn over his or files to the incoming President.
A. There shall be such permanent and ad-hoc committees as determined by a majority of the Executive Committee or by a vote of the general membership, including the following: Education, Newsletter, Nominating, Placement and Scholarship.
B. The President shall make all appointments, and reappointments of committee chairpersons and committee members.
C. The President may, with the approval of the majority of the Executive Committee, terminate the appointment of any committee chairperson and committee member.
D. All committee appointments are for the term of one year, unless otherwise specified.
E. Committees should usually have 3 - 5 members, unless special circumstances dictate a larger membership. Some committees may require unique representation from each state, e.g. Newsletter.
F. Each committee chairperson should submit a written report to the chapter Secretary prior to the annual meeting.
1. The Education Committee shall consist of the two chapter Directors and such additional members as the President shall designate. Selection of the additional members should be based on such factors as geographical distribution and type of library to ensure broad representation. The senior Director shall serve as Committee Chairperson.
2. The Education Committee shall set long range program goals, arrange for host libraries, and provide assistance in program planning and local arrangements as requested. Host, tentative dates, and suggested topics should be scheduled two to three years in advance. Six months to one year prior to the meeting, the host librarian and chairperson of the Education Committee shall reconfirm the location, date and subject of the program.
3. The Education Committee shall solicit program ideas from the general membership and attempt to arrange for programs of greatest interest to the current membership.
4. The Education Committee shall plan three programs annually, at the Fall, Midwinter and Spring meetings. The Committee shall attempt to alternate programs on substantive legal subjects with those on various aspects of law librarianship. The one-day Midwinter meeting is usually held joint with ABLL in the Boston area, while the Fall and Spring meetings may be held at any agreed upon location.
5. The Education Committee shall coordinate its planning with that of other nearby chapters in order to arrange joint meeting when feasible.
6. The Committee chairperson shall provide the Executive Committee and editor of LLNE News with a list of forthcoming programs.
1. The Newsletter Committee is responsible for publishing the quarterly LLNE News. The President shall appoint the editor of the LLNE News who shall serve as Chairperson of the Committee. The President shall appoint a representative of each New England state to the Newsletter Committee for the purpose of gathering local items for the LLNE News.
2. The Chairperson shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee regarding the LLNE News.
3. The Chairperson shall serve as Chapter liaison to the Council of Chapter Newsletter Editors of AALL.
4. The Chairperson shall be provided with a current mailing list from the Treasurer for the purpose of mailing subscriptions to the LLNE News.
1. Members of the Nominating Committee are appointed by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee at least ninety days prior to the annual meeting. Three in number, the members should represent a cross-section of library types and states in the Chapter. The Chairperson should be a previous member of the Committee. Members hold office for a term of one year.
2. Committee members shall develop a list of candidates who are knowledgeable, dedicated to improving the profession, have an interest in the chapter and its goals, and have a willingness to serve. In developing the slate of candidates, the Committee shall attempt to give representation to each state and library type when possible.
3. The Committee develops a priority list of candidates for each office and approaches each candidate about his/her willingness to serve.
4. Once the slate of candidates has been finalized, the Chairperson notifies the President at least sixty days prior to the annual meeting. Although additional nominations may be made directly to the President (see Article IV of the LLNE Constitution), the slate generally includes one candidate for each office.
5. After the President has been notified, the Committee Chairperson sends a copy of the Committee Report to the editor of LLNE News for publication at least thirty days prior to the annual meeting.
1. The Placement Committee serves as a clearinghouse of available law library positions in New England and individuals who are actively seeking employment in a New England law library.
2. The Placement Committee consists of of a Chairperson and such other members as shall be necessary to assemble the most complete file of job openings and applicants.
3. The Chairperson maintains a current file of job descriptions and resumes and is available to talk with persons either seeking employment or potential employees. The Chairperson also provides some minimum advice to persons regarding available employment, salaries and contacts.
4. The Committee provides assistance for jobs which are predominantly in the professional category, although support level positions are occasionally listed.
1. The Scholarship Committee is responsible for the administration of a program to provide financial assistance to deserving members of the Chapter.
2. The Committee consists of a Chairperson and two members appointed by the President.
3. The Committee is responsible for developing a scholarship application form, distributing the forms to the membership and selecting recipients on the basis of the scholarship guidelines.
4. The Chairperson should contact the Treasurer at the beginning of each fiscal year to determine if the amount designated for scholarships has been set aside.
5. The Committee shall determine the amount and number of scholarships available for each meeting after discussion with the local arrangements committee. Deadlines for scholarship applications must be early enough to allow committee members to process the applications and notify the recipients.
6. The Committee should review the scholarship guidelines at the end of each fiscal year and recommend any changes to the Executive Board. Such changes shall be published in the LLNE Newsletter by the Committee Chairperson and sent to individuals upon request.
1. A Local Arrangements Committee shall plan, coordinate and run each Chapter meeting. Selection of the lost library shall be made by the Education Committee in consultation with the Executive Committee.
2. The Local Arrangements Committee shall use the LLNE Meeting and Conference Planning Manual as a guide for planning and coordinating chapter meeting arrangements.
3. The Local Arrangements Committee shall consult with the Education Committee in making plans for chapter meetings.
4. At the conclusion of the chapter meetings, the Local Arrangements Committee shall complete a meeting report form for transmission to the Chairperson of the Education Committee and provide a program packet to the LLNE Secretary for inclusion in the Chapter archives.
B. CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE
1. A Constitution and Bylaws Committee may be appointed by the President for the purpose of making recommendations for amendments to the Constitution and/or Bylaws.
2. The Committee shall make its recommendations to the Executive Committee prior to submission to the general membership for a vote in accordance with Article VII of the LLNE Constitution.
Last updated: 6/24/02
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