LISP-SIS BYLAWS
(Revised May 16, 2019)
Article I. NAME
Section 1.The name of this special interest section of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) shall be the Legal Information Services to the Public SIS.
Article II. OBJECT
Section 1.
The object of the Legal Information Services to the Public SIS shall be:
To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on improving access to legal information and promoting legal information services to the public; and to represent its members’ interests and concerns within the AALL.
Section 2.
The special interest section shall conduct its affairs in conformity with the Bylaws of the American Association of Law Libraries.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be open to any AALL member requesting affiliation with the Section as provided in the AALL Bylaws. Membership shall be renewable each year.
ARTICLE IV. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION
Participation in any activity of the Legal Information Services to the Public SIS shall not be denied or abridged to any individual on account of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Article V. OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers.
The officers shall consist of a chair, vice chair/chair elect, and a secretary/treasurer.
Section 2. Duties of Officers.
The chair, vice-chair/chair-elect, and a secretary/treasurer shall perform the duties usually pertaining to their offices and such other duties as may be assigned by the executive committee or the membership.
Section 3. Terms of Office.
The vice chair/chair-elect shall serve a two-year term, the first year as vice chair, and the second year as chair. A new vice chair/chair-elect shall be elected each year. The secretary/treasurer shall serve a one-year term. The secretary/treasurer may be re-nominated to serve one additional term. Officers shall serve until the adjournment of the AALL Annual Meeting.
Section 4. Nominating Committee.
There shall be a nominating committee appointed by the executive committee, to consist of three (3) members, none of whom shall be a member of the executive committee, and none of whom shall be a candidate for office at the succeeding election. Each member of the committee shall serve for a term of one year. The chair of the committee shall be designated by the executive committee.
Section 5. Nominations and Elections.
(a) The nominating committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each office.
(b) All candidates must be members in good standing of the special interest section.
(c) Names of candidates, together with their written acceptances, shall be presented by the nominating committee to the chair in sufficient time to enable the chair to inform the members of the nominations. The chair shall provide the names of the candidates, by mail or electronically, to the special interest section’s members, or have them published in the special interest section’s newsletter.
(d) Further nominations may be made upon written petition of five (5) members. Such petitions, with the written consent of the nominees, should be filed with the secretary/treasurer, who prepares an official ballot, including nominations by petition.
(e) The secretary/treasurer shall oversee the distribution of the official ballot to each member of the special interest section. The election shall be conducted electronically but members may receive a mail ballot upon request to the secretary/treasurer. Ballots shall be marked and returned to the secretary/treasurer by a specified deadline. The candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected and shall be so reported at the special interest section’s annual meeting, at which time the ballots shall be destroyed. All candidates shall be notified of the results of the election at the earliest possible time. If the secretary/treasurer is a candidate for office, the executive committee shall appoint a person to act in place of the secretary/treasurer for all duties required of the secretary/treasurer under this section of the bylaws.
(f) All of the above procedures must be scheduled and executed so that elections are completed at least two (2) months prior to the date of the AALL annual meeting.
(g) In case of a tie vote, a run off election shall be held at the annual business meeting. Run off elections shall be by secret ballot. The ballots shall be immediately counted and the candidate with the largest number of votes declared elected.
(h) All vacancies in offices shall be filled by the executive committee for an interim term until the next regular election of officers, at which time said vacancies shall be filled by election, except that the vice chair/chair-elect shall automatically become chair upon a vacancy in such office and shall continue in that office until the expiration of the term for which that person was originally elected to serve as chair.
Article VI. MEETINGS
Section 1. Annual meeting.
There shall be an annual meeting of the Legal Information Services to the Public SIS, held 1) in connection with, or during the annual meeting of AAL or 2) virtually on a date determined and announced in advance by the executive committee. The scheduling of the annual meeting during the annual meeting of AALL shall be cleared with the annual meeting program chair, or as otherwise provided in the AALL Bylaws. Meetings shall be open to all members of the association (AALL), but no person may vote in any meeting who is not a special interest section member in good standing.
Section 2. Quorum.
A quorum shall consist of the members present at the meeting.
Article VII. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
There shall be an executive committee consisting of the officers named above and the immediate past chair.
Article VIII. COMMITTEES
There shall be such standing or special committees as the executive committee, or the membership, shall create.
Article IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The Legal Information Services to the Public Section SIS shall conduct its affairs in conformity with the Bylaws of the American Association of Law Libraries. The rules of order mandated by the Association’s bylaws shall govern all deliberations of the special interest section.
Article X. AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
These bylaws may be amended at the annual meeting of the special interest section by a majority of the members present and voting, or by majority of the votes cast by a mail or electronic ballot conducted by the secretary/treasurer.
Section 2.
Notice of proposed amendments shall be provided, by mail or electronically, to the special interest section’s members, or be published in the special interest section’s newsletter, 30 days in advance of the meeting, or of the distribution of ballots.