LAUNC-CH Bylaws

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE LIBRARIANS' ASSOCIATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

(Adopted 1-14-1980)(Amended 3-1986)
(Amended 3-1981)(Amended 6-1987)
(Amended 1-1983)(Amended 12-1991)
(Amended 1-1985)(Amended 11-1995)
(Amended 7-1997)(Amended 7-2012)

I. NAME.

The name of this organization shall be the Librarians' Association at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

II. OBJECTIVES.

This is a non-profit organization whose purpose shall be:

To provide for the professional growth and development of its members.
To promote effective library service within the academic community.
To foster a spirit of cooperation among members of the library profession.

III. MEMBERSHIP:

These shall be three classes of membership in the Association: Member, Associate Member, and Honorary Member.

The Member class of the Association shall be open to all professional librarians (i.e. holding the Masters in Library and/or Information Science degree, or to professionals holding comparable educational credentials and job classification, e.g. archivist, information specialist, etc.) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Members will have a vote on Association affairs and will be eligible to serve on both the Executive Board and on its committees.
The Associate Member class of the Association shall be open to all persons employed in libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but not holding the professional or comparable degree, and to all masters and doctoral students in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Associate Members will have no vote on Association affairs and will not be eligible to serve on the Executive Board, but will be eligible to serve on committees.
The Honorary Member class of the Association shall be open to all former members, retiring from the professional staffs of the libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Honorary Members will have no vote on Association affairs and will not be eligible to serve on the Executive Board or on committees.

IV. DUES.

To cover expenses of this Association, dues shall be collected. The amount shall be determined on a year to year basis by a majority vote of the membership present at the June meeting.
Dues shall not be collected from honorary members. Honorary members should advise the Association annually of their desire to continue their membership.
No part of any receipts or profits of this Association shall accrue to the benefit of any member or individual. In the event of dissolution of this Association, its assets shall be donated to the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be used at the discretion of the Dean, for the continuing education of professional librarians and library science students.

V. OFFICERS.

Designation:
1. President. This officer shall direct and coordinate all business, and shall act as spokesperson for the Association. The President of the Association, in consultation with the elected officers and the immediate past-president, shall appoint the chairs of the standing committees. The President or Vice-President/President-Elect shall be an ex-officio member of each standing committee.
2. Vice-President/President-Elect. This officer shall serve as President in the absence of the President. The President or Vice-President/President-Elect shall be an ex-officio member of each standing committee. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall serve on the Conference Committee, shall chair that committee in the absence of the Conference Chairperson.. The Chair and members of the Conference Committee shall be appointed by the Vice-President/President-Elect in consultation with the elected officers immediately after the conclusion of the annual conference. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall chair the Nominating Committee in the Spring. Upon completion of his/her one year term as Vice-President/President-Elect, this officer shall automatically assume the office of President for the following year.
3. Secretary. This officer shall be responsible for maintaining the official membership roster, recording proceedings of meetings, and collecting and disseminating all information necessary to conduct the Association business.
4. Treasurer. This officer shall be responsible for the collection and disbursement of Association funds and for fiduciary record-keeping and reporting. In conjunction with the executive board, the Treasurer shall develop and monitor the Association's annual budget. The Treasurer also assists the chair of the Conference Committee as needed in management of the conference budget.
Terms of Office. Officers of this Association shall be nominated by the membership in May. Election results will be announced at the annual June business meeting and officer shall serve for one year beginning at the adjournment of the June meeting. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall serve for one year after election in the capacity of Vice-President and shall automatically assume the office of President in the following year.
EXCEPTION: In order to ensure greater fiscal continuity, the Treasurer of this association shall serve a term of two years, and nominations for this office shall take place every other May. EXCEPTION: The Vice-President/President-Elect may assume the office of President prior to completion of one-year term as Vice-President/President-Elect if the President cannot fulfill his/her year as President. See section V.3.
Unexpired Terms:
1. President. In the event the President cannot fulfill his/her year as President of the Association, the Vice-President/President-Elect shall assume the office of President and shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term as well as serve his/her elected one-year term as President.
2. Vice-President/President-Elect. In the event the Vice-President/President-Elect cannot complete his/her year as Vice-President/President-Elect of the Association, the President shall call a special election for the purpose of electing a new Vice-President/President-Elect. The President of the Association, in consultation with the Executive Board, shall name a three-person ad hoc committee to locate and nominate a candidate for the vacant position. In the event the Vice-President/President-Elect assumes the office of President, the office of Vice-President/President-Elect shall remain vacant for that year.
3. Secretary. In the even the Secretary of the Association cannot complete his/her year as Secretary, the President shall name a replacement for the remainder of the year. The replacement shall be confirmed by the Executive Board.
4. Treasurer. In the event the Treasurer of the Association cannot complete his/her two-year term as Treasurer, the President shall name a replacement for the remainder of the term. The replacement shall be confirmed by the Executive Board.
5. Past-President. The unexpired term of the Past President of the Association on the Executive Board shall be filled at the discretion of the President. If the President chooses to fill this vacancy, he/she shall select the replacement from any of the Past Presidents of the Association who are currently eligible to be members of the Association.

VI. EXECUTIVE BOARD.

Composition. The elected officers, the immediate past-president, and current chairs of the standing committees of the Association, shall serve as voting members of the Executive Board. The Board shall meet at times designated by the President.
Duties. The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Association and shall coordinate its activities. The President of the Association, in consultation with the elected officers and the immediate past-president, shall appoint the chairs of standing committees. The voting members of the Board shall define the specific responsibilities of these committees. The Past-President shall be responsible for maintaining the bylaws of the Association.

VII. MEETINGS.

This Association shall hold an annual business meeting.
Special meetings of the Association may be called by the President at any time, provided due notification is given to the membership in advance of the meeting.
Quorum: Twenty (20) members of the Association shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of Association Business.

VIII. COMMITTEES.

Standing
1. Names and charges.
  1. Committee on Professional Welfare: To deal with issues relating to the clarification and improvement of the professional status and benefits of librarians at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. Committee on Professional Development: To sponsor opportunities for and to foster members’ professional growth and development through activities, such as: an annual forum to present the results of new library and information science research, and the ways in which it is being applied; ad hoc programs as needed or desired; cooperative endeavors with and outreach to other local professional and library groups and sister schools; and mentoring to library and information science students.
  3. Program Committee: To plan and coordinate programs including social events September through May.
  4. Conference Committee: To plan and coordinate an annual conference on a topic of general interest to the membership.
  5. Publications Committee: To maintain the official LAUNC-CH website.
Appointment of Chairs and Length of Terms. The Chair of the Conference Committee shall be appointed by the Vice-President/President-Elect in consultation with the elected officers immediately after the conclusion of the annual conference and shall serve until business relating to the next annual conference is complete. After the June meeting, chairs of other standing committees shall be appointed by the President of the Association in consultation with the elected officers and the immediate Past President and shall serve from the time of their appointment through the June meeting of the following year.
Nominating:
1. Membership. The Nominating Committee shall consist of four (4) members. The V-P/P-Elect will serve as Chair and, in consultation with the President, shall appoint 3 members to the committee
2. Duties. This Committee is charged with two responsibilities: 1) selection of at least one (1) candidate for each of the offices of Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Association; and 2) supervision of the election including preparation, distribution, and counting of ballots. The nomination committee’s slate shall be presented at the Research Forum in May, at which time additional nominations will be accepted from the floor. At least ten (10) days prior to the June meeting ballots will be mailed to all eligible members of the Association, either in paper form or by online voting. The online voting will be open for at least one (1) business week. The committee will receive paper ballots by return mail, or will view election results online. Results will be announced at the Association's June meeting.
Other:
1. Ad hoc committees and sub-committees may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.
2. Special Elections Ad Hoc Committee: The Special Elections Ad Hoc Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the President of the Association and approved by members of the Executive Board.
Duties: The committee is charged with two responsibilities: 1) selection of one candidate for the office of Vice-President/President-Elect, and 2)supervision of the special election, including preparation, distribution, and counting of ballots. The committee shall nominate the candidate at the next scheduled program meeting of the Association and shall accept nominations from the floor. Ballots will be mailed, either in paper form or by online voting, to all eligible members of the Association within five (5) days after the program meeting where the candidate's name and other nominations from the floor were submitted. The committee shall receive paper ballots by return mail, or view election results online, count them, and announce the results of the election. The elected Vice-President/President-Elect shall assume office immediately.

IX. AMENDMENTS.

After due notification in writing of proposed changes in this constitution, a meeting shall be held for the purpose of discussion of the proposed amendment(s) and changes thereto by the general membership. Subsequently, ballots shall be mailed to all members, to be returned by a specific deadline set by the Executive Board. An assenting vote by two-thirds of the membership voting shall be required to amend the constitution and bylaws.

X. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY.

The parliamentary authority for the Association shall be Robert's Rules of Order, latest edition.

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