Western Pennsylvania Law LibraryAssociation
  
 
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Bylaws

November 1986 -Revised April 2006


Article I
Membership

 Section 1. Classification of Membership. There shall be four (4) classes of membership:

 a. Active Members:
1. Any person connected with a law library.
2. Any person connected with a non-law library or working as a consulting librarian, who is interested in law librarianship may become an active member of this Association upon the payment of annual dues.
b. Associate Members: Any person not directly connected with a law library or other library may become an Associate Member of this Association upon the payment of annual dues.
c. Student Members: Any person enrolled in a library school or a law school at a minimum of three (3) credit hours per semester upon the payment of annual dues.
d. Honorary Members: Any person not already a member of the Association shall become an Honorary Member upon recommendation in writing to the Secretary by one or more members and endorsed by either a full Executive Meeting (at least 5 must vote) or by ballot with the majority of the Board Members in agreement with the selection.

  
Section 2. Rights and Privileges.

a. Active Members: Active Members have the right to vote, hold elective office, serve on committees, receive Association publications, and have access to the email distribution list.
b. Associate Members: Associate Members are nonvoting members. They have the right to serve on committees, receive Association publications, and have access to the email distribution list.
c. Honorary Members: Honorary Members are nonvoting members. They have the rigth to serve on committees, receive Association publications, and have access to the email distribution list.

 

Section 3. Dues

a. The dues shall be as follows:
1. Active Members. The annual dues shall be $20.00.
2. Associate Members. The annual dues shall be $15.00.
3. Student Members. The first year of student membership is free. For each subsequent year, students shall pay half of the Active Member dues.
4. Honorary Members. No dues.
b. Good standing.
Those members who have paid the required dues in accordance with these Bylaws and are not suspended shall be members in good standing.
c. Upon thirty (30) days notice to the membership, the Executive Board shall have the authority to modify the amount of the annual dues for any category of membership. Any change of dues shall take effect in the following fiscal year.
d. The year for dues shall begin on June 1, and the fiscal year of the Association shall begin on June 1.

e. Members failing to pay dues after September 30 and after due notice by the Treasurer 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.

Article II
Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings. There shall be at least two (2) meetings of the Association held by the President per term of ofice each year. These meetings shall be scheduled by the President and held in October and May. The May meeting shall be the Annual Meeting.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Association may be held at such times as the President or Executive Board may elect or the Association directs. The procedure for holding a special meeting is to contact the Vice-President/President Elect and/or the President. At least ten (10) working days notice is required in order to call a meeting of the membership. Section 3 A quorum for a business meeting of the Association shall be ten (10) voting members. Section 4. Notice of meetings shall be sent to each member at least fourteen (14) days before a business meeting. Robert's Rules of Order, in the latest edition, shall govern all deliberations of the Association when not in conflict with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.


Article III
Nominations and Elections


Section 1. Nominations.
a. Nominations Committee. The Executive Board shall appoint a Nominations Committee, consisting of three members of the Association, none of whom shall be a candidate for office at the next scheduled election. One member will be the Past-President of the Association who will chair the Committee. In the event that the Past-President is unable to serve, the chair of the Nominating Committee will be appointed by the President of the Association.
b. Nominations by the Nominating Committee. The Nominations Committee shal compile and submit a list of candidates who have agreed to be nominated for office by March 15th for the positions of Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board Member. In the event that the current Vice President is unable to assume the Presidency and this known in time, the Committee shal nominate at least one person for the office of President.
c. Additional Nominations. Additional nominations may be made by any Active Member in good standing of the Association by communicating such nominations to the President in writing, endorsed by signatures of at least three active members of the Association in good standing, no later than April 1st.

Section 2. Elections.
a. The Membership Committee shal provide the Nominations Committee with a list of members entitled to vote by April 1st.
b. Elections. The election of officers of the Association shall be by secret electronic ballot to all Active Members in good standing no later than April 15th. Election ballots shall be received by the Nominations Committee chair no later than May 1. The Nominations Committee chair and other members of the committee shal then tabulate the results of the election and report these results to the persons eleted. The results will then be reported to the Association.
c. Tie Vote. In the case of a tie vote, the successful candidate will be determined by lot conducted within the Executive Board.
d. Installation of Elected Officers. Installation of elected officers shall take place at the Annual Meeting in May. Notice of the final meeting will be communicated to the membership by a separate mailing at least two (2) weeks prior to the date.



Article IV
Committees

The committees of the Association shall be of two classes: Standing Committees and Special Committees.

Section 1. Standing committees shall be those established for purposes requiring the continuous attention of the Assocation. Standing committees shall be as follows: Bylaws, Care, Directory, Historian, Membership, Mentoring, Newsletter, Nominations, Program/ Continuing Education, Public Relations, Scholarship, and Web. Chairpersons of Standing Committees shall be appointed by the President for a term of one year.
Section 2. Special Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Board for a stated purpose to accomplish a specific goal. At the end of that period the continuation of each Special Committee shall be decided upon by the Executive Board.

 

Article VI

Budget


Section 1. Chairpersons of all committees who require a budget shall submit a proposed budget to the Executive Board.
Section 2. The Executive Board will present a financial accounting prior to all business meetings.