Article I: NAME
SECTION 1. The name of this special interest section of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) shall be the Private Law Librarians & Information Professionals-Special Interest Section. It may also be known as the PLLIP-SIS and shall be referred to in these bylaws as the Section.
Article II: OBJECTIVES
SECTION 1. The objectives of the Private Law Librarians & Information Professionals-Special Interest Section shall be to promote the value of members and their professional expertise; to advocate for members’ professional growth and leadership opportunities; to provide professional development and continuing education (CE) opportunities for members; to enhance members’ awareness of trends in technology, knowledge management, and the business of law through timely maintenance of the Section’s websites, newsletters, and other available communication media; to represent members’ interests and concerns within the AALL and to collaborate with other special interest sections on issues of common interest.
SECTION 2. The Section shall conduct its affairs in conformity with the Bylaws of the American Association of Law Libraries.
Article III: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Membership shall be open to any AALL member requesting affiliation with the Special Interest Section as provided in the AALL Bylaws. Membership shall be renewable each year.
Article IV. ANTIDISCRIMINATION
Membership in the Section, or participation in any activity of the Section, 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. MEETINGS
SECTION 1. BUSINESS MEETINGS OF THE SECTION.
There shall be an annual business meeting of the Section, preferably held in connection with, or during, the annual meeting of the AALL.
SECTION 2. MODE AND QUORUM
Attendance at meetings may be by physical presence or by virtual attendance through electronic communication, when the Executive Committee has authorized the latter mode. Attendance by fifty (50) members of the Section shall be sufficient to constitute a quorum at any business meeting.
SECTION 3. SPECIAL MEETING
Special meetings can be called by the Executive Committee when it determines it appropriate to do so. As a business meeting, such meetings can be physical or virtual and must meet the same quorum.
Article VI: OFFICERS
SECTION 1. The officers shall consist of a Chair, a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Immediate Past-Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Officers shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for any approved or budgeted expenditures in the discharge of their duties.
SECTION 2. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
The Chair, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, the Immediate Past-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer shall perform the duties usually pertaining to their respective 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 three-year term, the first year as Vice-Chair, the second year as Chair, and the third as the Immediate Past-Chair. A new Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be elected each year. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall serve a two-year term and shall be elected every other year with the terms staggered so that either the Secretary or Treasurer assumes office each year. The Members-At-Large shall serve two-year terms, with the terms staggered so that one new Member-At-Large assumes office each year. Officers shall serve until the adjournment of the Section’s annual business meeting.
Article VII: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SECTION 1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of:
(a) the Chair,
(b) the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect,
(c) the Immediate Past Chair,
(d) the Secretary,
(e) the Treasurer, and
(f) two (2) Executive Board Members-At-Large
SECTION 2. All officers and members of the SIS Executive Board shall serve until the adjournment of the annual SIS Business Meeting.
SECTION 3. The Executive Committee shall meet during each AALL Annual meeting and may also hold additional meetings by electronic means or in-person.
Article VIII: COMMITTEES AND GROUPS
There shall be such standing or special committees as the Executive Committee, or the membership, shall create. Other groups such as task forces and working committees may be established by the Executive Committee as necessary. Unless otherwise provided, committee chairs shall be designated by the Chair of the Section.
Article VIX: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules of order mandated by AALL’s Bylaws shall govern all deliberations of this Section.
ARTICLE X: NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS
There shall be a nominating committee appointed by the Executive Committee consisting of three – six (3-6) members, none of whom shall be a member of the Executive Committee or a candidate for office at the succeeding election. Each member of the committee shall serve a term of one year. The Chair of the Nominations Committee shall be proposed by the Chair of the Executive Committee and approved by the Executive Committee.
(a) The nominating committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each office.
(b) All candidates must be members in good standing of the 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 electronically inform the members of the nominations; this may be done via an announcement in the Section’s eNewsletter, emailed to the members, posted on the Section website or via the ballot announcement, or through the then current and usual means of communication of the Section with members.
(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, who prepares an official ballot, including nominations by petition.
(e) The Secretary shall send an electronic ballot to each member of the Section. Marked ballots shall be returned to the secretary by a specified deadline. The candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected and shall be so reported at the Section’s annual business meeting. All candidates shall be notified of the results of the election at the earliest possible time.
(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 XI: AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1. These bylaws may be amended by a majority of votes cast by an electronic ballot conducted by the Secretary. Any amendment must be presented to the AALL Bylaws & Resolutions Committee prior to being sent to the members for review.
SECTION 2. Notice of proposed amendments shall be distributed electronically and posted on the website to the Section’s members, or be published in the Section’s e-newsletter or through the then current and usual means of communication of the Section with members, at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting, or of the distribution of ballots.
Amended: May 1, 2000
Amended: May 7, 2005
Amended: April 9, 2013
Amended: May 25, 2015
Amended: December 30, 2020
Amended: August 2, 2021