Constitution & Bylaws
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association.
Article II. Purposes
A. The purposes of the Chapter shall be to promote the establishment and growth of music libraries and collections of music and music materials in the Midwest; to promote and enhance activities aiming to improve the organization, administration, and contents of such libraries and collection; to foster cooperation among individuals, institutions, and other organizations in related fields; to bring together for exchange of ideas and discussions of problems all persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections; and to stimulate professional activities among the members.
B. The Chapter is a non-stock, non-profit organization operated exclusively for said purposes. No part of the net earnings of the Chapter shall inure to the benefit of any individual. No officer or member shall, as such, receive compensation for his/her services.
Article III. Membership
A. Eligibility. Membership in the Chapter is open to all persons or institutions interested in the stated purposes of the Chapter. Membership is drawn predominantly from the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin.
B. Membership Classes. 1. Regular: available to persons or institutions actively engaged in library work, or who have a serious interest in the stated purposes of the Chapter. 2. Student: available to students registered at colleges or universities who have an active and serious interest in the purposes of the Chapter.
C. Dues. 1. The dues of the membership classes shall be determined by a majority vote at the annual business meeting. Student members will be entitled to membership at half the rate for regular members. 2. The dues shall be paid to the Secretary-Treasurer. 3. The membership year shall be from 1 October to 30 September. 4. If a member’s dues remain unpaid for one membership year, the membership shall be considered inactive.
D. Privileges. All active members shall be entitled to a vote. 2. All members, regular and student, shall be entitled to receive the chapter newsletter. 3. Institutional members do not have a vote.
Article IV. Officers
A. The officers of the Chapter shall be: 1) a Chapter Chair; 2) a Chair-Elect, or Past Chair; 3) a Secretary-Treasurer, and 4) a Newsletter Editor; and 5) a Web Site Editor. The Newsletter Editor and Web Site Editor shall be appointed by the officers of the Chapter, and may also hold additional office within the chapter. The Chapter Chair, Chair-Elect or Past Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer shall be the elected officers of the Chapter. Elected and appointed officers of the Chapter as described in this section shall be appointed as the Executive Committee of the Chapter.
B. 1. Nominating Procedures. The officers shall be elected by the members of the Chapter from a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be comprised as specified in Article VI, section F, below. The nominees for each office, no fewer than sixty days before the annual meeting.
2. Qualifications for Office. Candidates for office must be members of the association and must file an acceptance of the nomination with the Nominating Committee.
C. Election Procedure. 1. Officers shall be elected by a plurality of the ballots cast by members of the Chapter. 2. Ballots shall be distributed no less than one month before the meeting. Ballots shall be returned by voting members to the Secretary-Treasurer no later than the date specified on the ballot. 3. A majority vote of the voting members of the Executive Committee shall break a tie.
D. Terms of Office. 1. The term of office of the Chapter Chair shall be one year as Chair-Elect, two years as Chapter Chair, and one year as Past Chair. An incumbent may not succeed him/herself. 2. The term of office for the Secretary-Treasurer shall be two years. An incumbent may succeed him/herself. 3. The term of office of the Newsletter and Web Site Editors shall be one year. An incumbent may be reappointed. 4. No elected officer shall serve on the Executive Committee for more than six consecutive years. 5. All officers shall serve until the adjournment of the final session of the meeting at which the names of the successors are made public.
E. Duties. The officers shall perform the duties prescribed by this Constitution and Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter (see Article IX, below). 1. The Chapter Chair shall act as the chief executive officer of the Chapter. This person shall act as liaison between the Midwest Chapter and the national organization. 2. The Chair-Elect shall act as chief executive officer in the event of the Chapter Chair’s inability to serve. The Chair-Elect shall serve as Chair of the Program Committee during the year of his/her term as Chair-Elect. 2a. The Past Chair shall act as chief executive officer in the event of the Chapter Chair’s inability to serve. The Past Chair shall act as Chair of the Program Committee during the year of his/her term as Past Chair. 3. The Secretary- Treasurer shall record the minutes of the business meeting of the Chapter and of the Executive Committee, handle all financial accounts of the Chapter and keep an accurate record of income and expenditures, prepare quarterly and annual reports for submission to the Executive Committee and to the membership, report applications for extraordinary disbursements to the Executive Committee for action, and distribute Chapter publications. This person shall be a voting member of the Membership Committee. 4. The Newsletter Editor shall publish the newsletter at least twice per year. 5. The Web Site Editor shall keep the site current and accurate.
Article V. Executive Committee
A. The three elected officers of the Chapter, the Newsletter Editor, and the Web Site Editor, if different from the other three, shall constitute the Executive Committee. Only the three elected officers shall be voting members of the Executive Committee.
B. Duties. The Executive Committee shall: 1. Act in the name of the Chapter between the annual meetings of the Chapter; 2. Appoint of reappoint the Newsletter Editor and the Web Site Editor at the annual meeting; 3. Fill by appointment any vacancy in office for unexpired term; 4. At its discretion provide the representation for the Chapter at meetings of organizations in related fields; 5. Submit an annual report of its activities at the regular annual meeting of the Chapter; 6. Authorize necessary disbursements through checks drawn on the account of the Chapter and signed by the Secretary-Treasurer; 7. Perform such other duties as are specified in this Constitution and Bylaws.
C. Meetings. 1. The regular meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Chapter. Special meetings may be called by the Chapter Chair and shall be called upon the written request of two voting or non-voting members of the Executive Committee. 2. The Chapter Chair shall give advance notice of meetings to the members of the Executive Committee. 3. Decisions shall be made by a majority of the voting members of the Executive Committee.
Article VI. Committees
A. The Standing Committees shall be the Program, Membership, Publications, Bylaws, and Nominating Committees.
B. The Program Committee, comprising the Chair-Elect or Past Chair, whichever office is appropriate, as chair of the committee, and at least two other voting members of the Chapter appointed by the Chapter Chair, shall be responsible for preparing the programs for regular meetings and for conducting all business concerning these programs. One member of the committee should be from the locality where the next regular meeting is to be held.
C. The Membership Committee, comprising no fewer than three voting members appointed by the Chapter Chair, shall be responsible for attracting new members to the Chapter. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve as a voting member of the Membership Committee.
D. The Publications Committee, comprising no fewer than three voting members appointed by the Chapter Chair, shall coordinate all publication activities of the Chapter. Its responsibilities shall include initiating new publication projects, acting upon manuscripts, and bringing to completion those manuscripts which are accepted for publication by the Executive Committee. The Chapter Chair shall designate one member to serve as chair of the Committee.
E. The Bylaws Committee, comprising no fewer than three voting members who shall be the Chair-Elect or Past Chair (as appropriate) and at least two other members appointed by the Chapter Chair, shall be responsible for reviewing this Constitution and Bylaws and for making recommendations for changes to the membership. The Chapter Chair shall designate one member to serve as chair of the Committee.
F. Nominating Committee. The Chapter Chair shall appoint a nominating committee comprising no fewer than three members, only one of whom may be a member of the Executive Committee. The Chapter Chair shall designate one member to serve as chair of the committee. Members of this committee may not serve for consecutive terms. The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be to nominate the officers designated in Article IV, above, in the manner specified in this Constitution and Bylaws. Preferably, the members of the committee shall represent different geographical areas within the Chapter.
G. The chair of each standing committee shall be responsible for carrying out the duties of his/her committee. He/she shall make certain that all committee meetings and activities are recorded. He/she shall submit to the Chapter Chair or the designated member of the Executive Committee an annual report to be distributed at the regular fall meeting.
H. Committee membership shall be open to all individual members of the Chapter. Appointments to all committees shall be made by the Chapter Chair, in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws. Members of the Program, Bylaws and Nominating Committees serve for one year terms; all other committee member appointments are for three year terms. With the exception of the Nominating Committee, if members remain interested and active, they should be considered for reappointment by the Chapter Chair. With the exception of the Program, Bylaws and Nominating Committees, committee chairs should be appointed by the Chapter Chair to 4-year terms in the following sequence: 1) first year, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect; 2) second and third years, Chair; 3) fourth year, Past Chair.
I. A quorum of a committee shall consist of a majority of its members provided the committee chair is present. Written approval by members of a committee shall constitute an affirmative vote.
J. Such other committees, standing or special, or interest groups or task forces, shall be appointed by the chapter chair in consultation with the executive committee as the chapter or the executive committee shall from time to time deem necessary to carry on the work of the chapter. The chapter chair shall appoint the head of special committees according to terms specified in Article VI, section H; at the discretion of the chapter chair and the executive committee other committee members may be appointed to terms as specified in Article VI, section H by the chapter chair. Chairs of special committees may recommend members for their committees.
Article VII. Meetings
A. Regular meetings. The Chapter shall hold at least one regular meeting during the fall each year, the time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee.
Note: When feasible, meetings could profit by taking place concurrently with those of a state library or other professional association.
B. Business meetings. A business meeting shall be held at each regular meeting of the Chapter. The members of the Chapter present shall constitute a quorum.
C. Special meetings. The Chapter Chair shall call a special meeting at the written request of either the Executive Committee or of twenty percent of the membership. At such a meeting no business may be transacted other than that stated in the notice of the meeting. A special meeting may be called for the purpose of a joint meeting with an organization in a related field.
D. Notice of meetings of the Chapter shall be mailed to all members by the Secretary-Treasurer no less than one month in advance of the meeting.
Article VIII. Amendments
A. The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by majority vote of all members voting, either at any business meeting or by a ballot vote which has been distributed by mail to the entire membership. The text of the amendment(s) must be circulated to all members at least one month before the vote.
B. Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws may be proposed in writing, to the Chairperson, by any three members at least two months before any business meeting.
Article IX. Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws and any special rules of order the Chapter may adopt.
Article X. Dissolution
In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter, any assets remaining shall be turned over to the Executive Board of the Music Library Association.