WPLLA CONSTITUTION
NOVEMBER 1986
(revised April 2006)
Article I
Name
The name of this Association shall be Western Pennsylvania Law Library Association, (WPLLA) a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries.
Article II
Objectives
The Association is established as
a non-profit organization for professional and educational purposes. It shall
be conducted to:
A. Advance the practice of law librarianship.
B. Develop and increase the usefulness and efficiency of law libraries.
C. Promote the interests of librarians and members of their staff.
D. Provide leadership in the field of legal information.
E. Encourage cooperation among the members of the profession.
Article III
Membership
Section 1. Any person interested in law libraries or law librarianship may become a member of the Association by qualifying under the provisions of one of the classes of membership specified in the Bylaws of the Association.Section 2. Privileges, rights and dues of the various classes of membership shall be specified in the Bylaws of the Association.Section 3. No one shall be discriminated against based upon age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation,or handicap for membership in the Association.
Article IV
Meetings
Meetings shall be held as provided in the Bylaws.
Article V
Officers, Committees and Other Organizations
Section 1. Officers.
The officers shall consist of a President, Vice President-President Elect,
Secretary, and Treasurer. Elections shall be held annually by the Association.
The Vice President-President Elect shall automatically become President after
one year and shall so serve during the second year following the election.
Membership in AALL is mandatory for the President of WPLLA.
Section 2. Vacancies. In the event that the office of President
becomes vacant, the Vice President-President Elect shall succeed to that office,
completing the unexpired term. In the event that another office becomes vacant,
the Executive Board shall appoint a member to complete the unexpired term.Section 3. Duties of Officers. The President, Vice President-President Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer shall
perform the duties usually pertaining to their respective offices. The Vice
President-President Elect during his/her term of office shall serve as Chairperson
of the Program Committee.Section 4. Committees and
Other Organizations. There shall be such committees and other organizations
as the Executive Board shall create or shall be created by a majority vote
of those present and voting at any regular meeting of the Association.Section 5. Appointments. The President shall designate the chairperson of each committee. Section 6. Terms of Office. All officers and members of the committees and other organizations shall
serve until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified. The Secretary
and Treasurer shall serve two year terms with the Secretary elected during
odd years and the Treasurer being elected during even years.
Article VI
Executive Board
Section 1. The property, business, and affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Executive Board which shall be composed of the officers of the Association, the retiring President, and two members of the Association who are not officers. The non-officer members shall be elected for a term of two years in alternate years. In the event a vacancy occurs on the Executive Board, the President shall be empowered to fill such vacancy until the next election. Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet once each year at a place and time to be designated by the President of the Association, and at such other times and places as the President or a majority of the Executive Board may direct.
Article VII
Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by the Executive Board or by a petition signed by twenty (20) voting members of the Association. Proposed amendments shall become effective when approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting at any regular meeting or by two-thirds of the votes returned from an electronic ballot sent to voting members. At least twenty (20) ballots must be returned for the vote to be valid.
Article VIII
Bylaws
Any change to the Bylaws will be presented to the membership to give members an opportunity to submit comments. Comments to proposed Bylaws must be submitted to an Executive Board member. A vote will take place within thirty (30) days of the announcement.
A positive response of at least two-thirds of the returned ballots will enact a change.