South Central Chapter

A Chapter of the Medical Library Association, Inc.
Bylaws

ARTICLE I. Name and Boundaries

Section 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the South Central Chapter, a Chapter of the Medical Library Association, Inc., hereinafter designated the Chapter.

Section 2. Boundaries

The boundaries of this Chapter shall be Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

ARTICLE II. Purpose

The purpose of this Chapter shall be exclusively for scientific and educational purposes; to be dedicated to the support of health sciences research, education, and patient care within the South Central region; to foster the art and science of health sciences library service; to advance opportunities for continuing education of health science librarians; and to promote cooperation and communication among its members.

ARTICLE III. Membership

Section 1. Members

1. Membership shall be open to all who are interested in the purposes of the Chapter. Both members and nonmembers of the Medical Library Association (MLA) may belong to this Chapter. Applicants shall become members and be entitled to all of the rights and benefits thereof upon receipt of their dues by the Treasurer. Membership shall be based on the calendar year.
2. Chapter members who are elected Fellows of the Medical Library Association shall be likewise recognized as Fellows of the Chapter. Chapter Fellows shall be exempt from dues.

Section 2. Rights and Benefits

1. A member may vote on any matter affecting the Chapter, including the election of officers, except as excluded by these Bylaws.
2. Voting members of the Chapter and of the Medical Library Association who reside or work within the Chapter boundaries as defined in these Bylaws may: vote for Chapter Council Representative, Chapter Council Alternate, Medical Library Association Nominating Committee candidates, or on Medical Library Association business.
3. Voting members of this Chapter shall consist of all members, except that only Voting Members of the Medical Library Association shall be qualified to move or to vote on recommendations to the Chapter Council regarding MLA policies or actions, to vote on the selection of a candidate for the MLA Nominating Committee, or to vote on the selection of the Chapter's Representative and Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council.

Section 3. Dues

1. Dues changes shall be proposed by the Executive Board and presented to the Chapter membership 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting at which they are to be discussed. Proposed changes must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Annual Meeting attendees before submission to the membership via a distributed ballot.  Chapter dues may not exceed MLA membership dues for Regular Members.
2. Dues shall be approved by a ballot distributed to the membership containing the proposed dues, along with a transcript or summary of the Annual Meeting discussion. Changes in dues shall become effective the calendar year following the acceptance by distributed ballot.
3. The fiscal year of this Chapter shall be the calendar year.
4. Dues notices for the calendar year shall be distributed prior to the Annual Meeting. If dues are unpaid by February 28th following the annual meeting, the dues shall be considered in arrears and without further notice the member shall be suspended from all rights and benefits. Reinstatement shall be achieved upon payment of dues for the current calendar year in which reinstatement is requested if received before the beginning of the annual meeting.

ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section 1. Officers and Term of Office

1. Elective officers of the Chapter shall be a President, a President-Elect, an Immediate Past-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Representative to the Chapter Council, and an Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council.
2. The term of office of the President shall be one year as President-Elect, one year as President and one year as Immediate Past-President. No one may serve more than one term as President-Elect/President/Immediate Past-President. A member must wait three years from the completion of a term as Immediate Past-President before again being eligible to serve as President-Elect.
3. The term of office of the Secretary shall be one year. An individual may not serve more than one successive term as Secretary.
4. The term of office of the Treasurer shall be three years beginning with the fiscal year following election. An individual may not serve more than one successive term as Treasurer.
5. The term of office of the Representative to the Chapter Council shall be three years, except that if the Representative’s term be made shorter by action of the Council or by the Bylaws of the Medical Library Association, the term will coincide with that action.
6. The term of office of the Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council shall be the same as that of the Representative.
7. Elected officers, except Representative to the Chapter Council and Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council, shall take office at the close of the Chapter Annual Meeting following their election and serve, unless they resign, die, become incapacitated, or are removed, until the close of the Chapter Annual Meeting at the end of their terms of office or until their successors are elected and assume their duties. The Representative to the Chapter Council and the Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council shall take office at the close of the MLA Annual Meeting.
8. Chapter President, Chapter President-Elect, and Chapter Liaisons shall be voting members of the Medical Library Association.

Section 2. Duties

1. The duties of the President shall be to preside over all meetings of the Chapter and the Executive Board and to represent the Chapter at all times and on all occasions not in conflict with any other officer’s defined duties and responsibilities, to be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter. A Parliamentarian may be appointed annually by the President to serve a term concurrent with that of the President. This person may be reappointed to serve additional terms. The Parliamentarian will be an ex-officio member of the Bylaws Committee.
2. The duties of the President-Elect shall be to serve as President whenever the President is not able to do so, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter. The President Elect shall appoint committees and committee chairs for the year in which he/she will serve as President, shall appoint a Local Arrangements Committee and a Program Committee to arrange the annual meeting at which he/she will preside as President, and shall perform such other duties as the President or Executive Board may assign.
3. The duties of the Immediate Past-President shall be to serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee, to serve as Chair of the Finance Committee, to serve on the Executive Board of the Chapter, to review and revise the Procedure Manual, to submit an Annual Report to MLA Headquarters by the date requested, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter.
4. The duties of the Secretary shall be to be responsible for incoming and outgoing correspondence, to prepare minutes of all meetings of the Chapter and the Executive Board, to maintain all records of the Chapter excluding the membership roll, to be responsible for notification of members of all regular and special meetings and announcements, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter. The Secretary shall turn over all records to the successor to this office no later than one month following the end of the Secretary’s term of office.
5. The duties of the Treasurer shall be to receive and account for all monies due to, received, held, and disbursed by the organization, to maintain the membership roll, to make available to the membership copies of the annual budget, to sign and distribute printed copies of the Treasurer’s report to the membership at the Chapter Annual Meeting, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter. All records must be turned over to the incoming Treasurer no later than one month following the end of the term of office.
6. The duties of the Representative to the Chapter Council shall be to represent the Chapter on the MLA Chapter Council by attending the meetings of the Council, to transmit to the Council recommendations that have been approved by the Chapter, and to communicate Council business to the officers and membership of the Chapter.
7. The duties of the Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council shall be to attend the meetings of the Chapter Council, to serve as Representative whenever the Representative is unable to do so, and to assume the office of Representative and serve out the unexpired term should the Representative become unable to complete the term of office.

Section 3. Nominations and Elections

1. The Nominating Committee shall prepare annually a slate of two or more eligible nominees for President-Elect and for each elective officer whose term expires. Four or more eligible candidates for MLA Chapter Council shall be proposed by the Nominating Committee for expiring terms of Chapter Council members. The Nominating Committee shall also propose two or more eligible candidates for election as the Chapter candidate for the Medical Library Association Nominating committee. Candidates for any elective office may be nominated by petition signed by a minimum of ten (10) Chapter members, accompanied by the items required below, and presented to the Chair of the Nominating Committee no later than twenty (20) weeks prior to the annual meeting. The Nominating Committee shall submit a copy of the slate and a ballot that includes all the candidates and accompaniments required by these Bylaws to the Executive Board no later than fifteen (15) weeks prior to the Annual meeting. The slate of candidates shall be accompanied by a biographical statement about each candidate. Also, a written statement of the nominee’s consent to serve if elected must be on file with the Chair of the Nominating Committee.
2. The election shall be by a distributed ballot to the membership. Ballots accompanied by the biographical statements about each candidate shall be distributed to the membership no later than nine weeks prior to the Annual meeting. The deadline for returning ballots shall be at least three weeks after ballots are distributed. Ballots received after the deadline shall be destroyed without opening. Candidates for Chapter elective office and MLA Nominating Committee candidate shall be declared elected upon receiving a majority of the votes cast. Results shall be announced at the Annual Meeting. In cases where there are more than two candidates, a plurality shall elect. If a tie occurs for any office, selection by the Nominating Committee from among the tied candidates shall be by lot. Candidates for Chapter Council receiving the highest and the second highest number of votes cast shall be declared elected Chapter Council Representative and Alternate, respectively.

Section 4. Vacancies

1. A vacancy arising in the office of President shall be filled by the President-Elect, who shall cease to be President-Elect, and shall serve out the unexpired one-year term of the President and shall continue as President for the full succeeding one-year term to which he or she was elected.
2. A vacancy arising in the office of Representative to the Chapter Council shall be filled by the Alternate Representative, who shall cease to be Alternative Representative, and shall serve out the unexpired term of the Representative.
3. A vacancy arising in the office of President-Elect shall be filled by Presidential appointment. This appointed President-Elect shall serve only until the next election, at which time both a President and President-Elect shall be elected.
4. A vacancy arising in any other elected office shall be filled by the Executive Board.

Section 5. Candidate for the MLA Nominating Committee Membership

1. The name of one Voting Member of the Medical Library Association, chosen by distributed ballot shall be submitted each year to the Chapter Council as a potential candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee; this submission shall be made to the Council before its final assembly at the MLA Annual Meeting. The potential candidate shall prepare a biographical statement and a signed statement of willingness-to-serve if elected as a member of the Nominating Committee. This statement shall accompany the name submitted.
2. The potential candidate may not be a candidate or potential candidate for the MLA Nominating Committee from any other unit of the Medical Library Association. No candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee shall also be a candidate for an elective office of the MLA or vice versa.
3. No one shall serve on the MLA Nominating Committee as a voting member for more than one term during a period of five years.

ARTICLE V. Meetings

Section 1. Meetings

At least one meeting shall be held in each fiscal year. Additional meetings may be held. One meeting of the Chapter should be called the “Annual Meeting.” All meetings shall be held at a time and place convenient for members. Notice of all meetings shall be disseminated to the membership at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting date. Special Meetings may be called by the President or by written request to the President of thirty (30) or more members of the Chapter. This meeting shall take place within sixty (60) days of receipt of the written request or notification that a Special Meeting be called.

Section 2. Quorum

Thirty (30) members shall constitute a quorum of this Chapter.

ARTICLE VI. Executive Board

Section 1. Executive Board

The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past-President, Chapter Council Representative, and the Alternate Representative to the Chapter Council. Current Presidents of Chapter Sections shall be ex-officio members. The Board shall be chaired by the President.

Section 2. Duties

The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of this Chapter between its business meetings, fix the time and place of meetings, make recommendations to the membership, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the organization.

ARTICLE VII. Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees

1. The Executive Board shall establish standing committees to consider matters of the Chapter that require continuity of attention by the members. The Executive Board shall recommend the name and size of each committee and delegate powers and functions to them necessary to perform their duties.
2. The President shall appoint members of the committees and designate committee chairs while serving his/her term as President-Elect and notify them when these appointments shall take effect. Appointments shall not take effect before the beginning of his/her term as President, except for the Program and Local Arrangements Committees. Appointments to these two committees take effect as soon as the Executive Board has confirmed them. The President shall have the discretion to terminate appointments. The current President shall not serve on or appoint members to the Nominating Committee.
3. If the President-Elect has been appointed to fill an unexpired term and not elected by the membership, any committee appointments made by that outgoing President shall be subject to review and confirmation by the newly elected President.

Section 2. Special Committees

The Chapter President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, may appoint such other special committees as are necessary.

Section 3. Committee Reports

Each committee shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Chapter President prior to the compilation of the Annual Chapter Report for submission to MLA Headquarters. Additionally, committees will submit a written report of their activities to the President prior to each regularly scheduled meeting of the SCC Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII. Sections

Section 1. Provision

The Chapter may form Sections reflecting the special interests of its members.

Section 2. Formation

At least ten voting members of the Chapter must petition the Executive Board to form a special interest Section. The petition must state the purposes and projected activities of the proposed Section. The Executive Board shall have the authority to approve or disapprove the formation of a new Section. An Executive Board decision to disapprove formation of a new Section may be overruled by a majority vote of the Chapter membership.

Section 3. Bylaws

All Sections must submit their Bylaws to the Chapter Bylaws Committee for approval, with a copy to the Executive Board, before final adoption or amendment to ensure they are consistent with the Bylaws of the Chapter.

Section 4. Meetings

Any Section approved by the Executive Board shall meet yearly in conjunction with the Chapter Annual meeting. No Section meetings shall be held at the same time that Business meetings of the Chapter are conducted.

Section 5. Dissolution

Any Section which continues to function according to its stated purposes shall maintain full status. The Executive Board may propose the dissolution of an existing Section if the Section fails to conduct programs or activities for three consecutive years or, if the Section fails to maintain a membership of at least ten (10) Chapter members; or if the Section so requests; or if, in the opinion of the Executive Board, the Section no longer fulfills the purposes stated in its petition for formation. An Executive Board proposal to dissolve an existing Section may be overruled by a majority vote of the Chapter membership. The Board will notify the President of the affected Section and the membership as a whole of its proposal to dissolve the Section at least sixty (60) days prior to the vote. In the event of dissolution of a section, all liabilities and obligations shall be paid, or adequate provision made for payment. Remaining assets shall revert to the Chapter’s general fund.

Section 6. Dues

Sections may establish such dues as they may determine for their activities provided that such dues shall not exceed Chapter membership dues.

Section 7. Members

Only members of the Chapter may be members of Chapter Sections.

Section 8. Officers

Only voting members of the Chapter may hold elective office in the Chapter Sections.

ARTICLE IX. Chapter Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of this Chapter, all liabilities and obligations shall be paid or adequate provision made for payment. Any assets not so disposed shall be disposed of by consensus of the Executive Board of the Chapter to one or more organizations that at the time qualify under Section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any United States internal revenue law). No funds shall benefit any individual member of the Chapter. If no consensus is met, remaining assets shall be distributed to the Medical Library Association, Inc., within six months as long as the Medical Library Association, Inc. shall qualify as an organization described in Section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Chapter charters shall be returned to MLA Headquarters.

ARTICLE X. Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Chapter may adopt.

ARTICLE XI. Amendment of Bylaws

Section 1. Notification and Vote

The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the vote being taken.

Section 2. Effective Date

The bylaws and any amendments shall become effective immediately following their acceptance by ballot.

Section 3. Grammatical Corrections

The Executive Board may correct grammatical errors within the Bylaws without the participation of the general members. The SCC Board must report grammatical corrections at the next member meeting.

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(Approved SCRG/MLA Meeting, October 23, 1981)

(Amended SCRG/MLA Meeting October 22, 1982; October 21, 1983; October 5, 1984; October 31, 1986; October 6, 1987, and October 24, 1989)

(Amended SCC/MLA Meeting October 15, 1991; October 27, 1992; October 24, 1994; October 22, 1996; October 6, 1997; December 13, 1999; January 9, 2002; October 25, 2004; October 23, 2006; October 20, 2009; and October 16, 2012)

Revised effective December 4, 2012