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Bylaws of the St. Louis Medical Librarians (SLML)

Below is a copy of the SLML bylaws, which were updated by Cheryle Cann in July of 2015.

For a printable PDF version please click here.

Article I

Name

• Section 1: The name of this Organization shall be St. Louis Medical Librarians.
• Section 2: This Organization is not affiliated with any national or regional organization.

Article II

Mission

The mission of the St. Louis Medical Librarians is to:

• Promote excellence in the professional achievement and leadership of its members by offering appropriate educational and learning opportunities.
• Foster the exchange of ideas and information among and between its members and those of similar organizations.
• Promote the value of health sciences librarians, especially within our geographic area.

Article III

Membership

• Section 1: Membership is available to all individuals and institutions for which the mission, goals and objectives of the association are meaningful.
• Section 2: Membership in good standing may be obtained only by payment of dues and other assessments which may be levied by the Organization.
• Section 3: Only members in good standing may vote and serve as appointed or elected officials.

Article IV

Nomination and Election of Officers

• Section 1. Only members in good standing shall be eligible to serve as officers.
• Section 2. Each year the Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate consisting of one or more candidates for President-Elect, and any upcoming vacancies among the Secretary, Treasurer, and Members-at-Large positions. The Nominating Committee shall obtain the acceptance of each nominee before submitting the slate.
• Section 3. A slate of candidates will be sent to each member at least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The candidates who receive the majority of votes will be elected. In case of a tie, election shall be by a majority of the members present at the Annual Business Meeting.
• Section 4. The terms of office for President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President shall be one year, following consecutively and commencing immediately after the Annual Business Meeting.
• Section 5: The terms of office for Treasurer, Secretary and Members at Large shall be three years, elected in staggered years, commencing immediately after the Annual Business Meeting.
• Section 6: The President and President-Elect may not hold the same office more than one full three-year term in succession. The Secretary, Treasurer and Members-at-Large may serve more than one consecutive term.
• Section 7: In the event that the Secretary, Treasurer or Member-at-Large resigns, the Executive Committee shall elect a successor for the remainder of their term. In the event that the President-Elect resigns, a Nominating Committee shall conduct a new election. In the event the President resigns, the President Elect will become President. A special election will be held to elect a new President-Elect. Other vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the President.

Article V

Officers

• Section 1. Officers of the St. Louis Medical Librarians shall be President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two Members-at-Large.
• Section 2. The President shall:
  • Prepare an agenda for each meeting;
  • Be an ex-officio member of all committees and have the power to appoint a representative to serve in her/his place;
  • Appoint Chairs of Standing Committees;
  • Appoint Special (Ad Hoc) Committees;
  • Shall insure that the goals of the Strategic Plan are acted upon; and,
  • Shall prepare an annual written report to be submitted to the membership.
• Section 3. The President-Elect shall:
  • Assist the President in the duties and obligations of the Presidency;
  • Preside in the absence of the President; In the event of the resignation of the President, assume the office of the President for the unfulfilled term;
  • Submit an annual written evaluation of the current Strategic Plan;
  • Write a revised Strategic Plan for the coming year; and,
  • Submit this report to the President at least one week prior to the Annual Business Meeting.
• Section 4. The Immediate-Past-President shall:
  • Serve as a member of the Governance Committee and Chair of the Nominating Committees; and,
  • Prepare an annual written report to be submitted to the President.
• Section 5. The Secretary shall:
  • Record the minutes;
  • File committee reports;
  • Maintain the Organization's current records;
  • Conduct correspondence;
  • Serve as ex-officio member of the Communications Committee;
  • Preside in the absence of the President and the President-Elect, delegating secretarial duties to a member in good standing present at the meeting; and,
  • Prepare an annual written report to be submitted to the President.
• Section 6. The Treasurer shall:
  • Serve as a member, and may serve as its Chair, when a Finance Committee is active;
  • Serve as an ex-officio member of the Membership Committee,
  • Receive dues, and provide information to the Membership Committee regarding members’ payment of dues and current standing;
  • Prepare an annual written budget proposal;
  • Record all financial transactions of the Organization;
  • Give a Treasurer's report at each meeting;
  • Prepare and submit the Organization's annual tax documents; and,
  • Prepare an annual written report to be submitted to the President.
• Section 7. Each member-at-Large shall:
  • Be assigned duties which further the objectives of the Annual Plan
  • Split liaison duties for ad hoc committees as directed by the President;
  • Shall prepare an annual written report to be submitted to the President.

Article VI

Executive Committee

• Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, the Immediate Past President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Members-at-Large. The President of the Organization shall be the Chair of the Executive Committee; and the Secretary shall be the Secretary of the Executive Committee.
• Section 2. Within the limits of the Bylaws, the Executive Committee shall be responsible for general operations, planning, policy and procedures making and ensuring the financial integrity of the Organization.
• Section 3: The Executive Committee shall hold special meetings at the call of the President, or upon the request of any three members of the Executive Committee.
• Section 4. The presence of four (4) members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
• Section 5: Executive Committee meetings may coincide with Board of Directors meetings.

Article VII

Board of Directors

• Section 1. The Board of Directors shall include the Executive Committee and the chairs of all committees. The President of the Organization shall be the Chair of the Board of Directors; and the Secretary shall be the Secretary of the Board of Directors.
• Section 2. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for approving the budget and the Annual Plan implementation.
• Section 3. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for evaluation, update, approval and implementation of the Annual Plan.
• Section 4. The Board of Directors shall meet at least twice per year, once at the beginning of the year and once at the end.
• Section 5. The presence of a majority of members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.
• Section 6: Board of Directors meetings may coincide with Executive Committee meetings.

Article VIII

Standing Committees

The Saint Louis Medical Librarians have seven standing committees which carry out the ongoing activities of the Organization.

• Section 1: Standing Committees of the St. Louis Medical Librarians shall be the Nominating, Membership, Communications, Governance, Archives, Continuing Education and Programming, and Recognition and Awards.
• Section 2: The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for all elections. The Immediate Past President shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee and select at least two other members in good standing to serve on the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee reports directly to the Executive Committee.
• Section 3: The Membership Committee shall revise and publish the membership list and in cooperation with the Treasurer, collect and record the payment of dues by the membership. The Chair of the Membership Committee shall make a financial report to the Treasurer. The Chair shall also prepare an annual written report of the committee’s activities to be submitted to the President.
• Section 4: The Communication Committee shall be responsible for the dissemination of information of interest to the Organization's members through the Organization’s listserv, website and other social media. The Chair shall also submit an annual written report of the committee’s activities to the President.
• Section 5: The Governance Committee shall examine and make recommended changes to the Bylaws as necessary. The Chair shall submit an annual written report of the committee’s activities to the President. Section 6: The Archives Committee shall be responsible for gathering, monitoring, and insuring the appropriate housing for the papers constituting the archives of the Organization. The Chair shall report to the Immediate Past President. The Chair shall also submit an annual written report of the committee’s activities to the President.
• Section 7: The Continuing Education and Program Committee shall be responsible for the acquisition and scheduling of classes and programs which are of interest to the SLML membership. The Chair shall also submit an annual written report of the committee’s activities to the President.
• Section 8: The Recognition and Awards Committee shall be responsible for securing nominations for special and membership awards. The Chair shall also submit an annual written report of the committee’s activities to the President.
• Section 9: Each Chair of Standing Committees shall make a brief verbal report of activities at Board Meetings, or if unable to attend provide the President with a brief written report prior to the Board meeting, so that committee activities may be known.

Article IX

Ad Hoc Committees

Ad Hoc Committees shall be created by the Executive Committee to address issues and undertake projects which are not within the scope of existing committees. Ad Hoc Committees may be disbanded or created by a majority vote of the members of the Executive Committee. The Chairs of Ad Hoc Committees shall also submit an annual written report to the President.

Article X

Meetings

• Section 1. The organizational year shall run from July 1 - June 30. The last meeting of the year shall be the Annual Business Meeting.
• Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President or upon written request of ten members in good standing.
• Section 3. Fifteen (15) members in good standing or 10% of the membership shall constitute a quorum.
• Section 4. All meetings of the Organization and its committees are open to all members in good standing.

Article XI

Amendments

• Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two- thirds (2/3) vote of the members in good standing who are present.
• Section 2. This vote shall not take place until the Chair of the Governance Committee has submitted to the membership a text of both the current language and proposed changes posted to the SLML web site , SLML-L discussion list and social media at least two weeks in advance of the meeting at which the vote will take place.

Article XII

Rules of Order

Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority where it is not superseded by the Bylaws of the Organization.

Article XIII

Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Organization, tangible assets in possession of the Organization at the time of dissolution shall become the property of the Medical Library Association's Scholarship Committee, or another nonprofit library organization for educational purposes determined at the time of dissolution.

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