By-Laws

Revised March 1, 2008

 

Article I. Membership

Section 1. Current SWRASL and MASL membership entitles an individual to hold an elective or appointive position.

Section 2. Current SWRASL membership entitles an individual to exercise voting power in organization matters.

Section 3. Each member in the organization is encouraged to become a member of the SWRASL state affiliate, Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) and other educational organizations.

Article II. Dues

Section 1. Membership dues shall be set by a majority vote of the members present and voting at a duly called general business meeting of the organization.

Section 2. The membership year shall run from July 1 to June 30.

Section 3. Failure to pay dues by October 31 shall result in the loss of membership. Payment of dues shall reinstate membership for the remainder of the current membership year.

Article III. Elections

Section 1. The president, with the approval of the Executive Council, shall appoint a nominating committee of three members. Each member shall be from different school districts.

Section 2. The SWRASL nominating committee shall present a recommended slate of officers for vice-president/president-elect annually, secretary, and historian on odd numbered years and the treasurer on even numbered years. Legislative committee liaison every two years(unless a vacancy needs to be filled).

Section 3. Nomination by petition may also be made from the general membership. A petition, signed by a minimum of ten current members of  the organization, accompanied by written consent from the nominee, and received by the president by February 1, shall qualify member for nomination to office.

Section 4. The official ballot shall include the slate of nominees and nominations by petition.

Section 5. In years where there is only one candidate for each office, the election will be held during the spring meeting.

Section 6. In years where there is more than one candidate for any office, ballots will be mailed to all organization members. Ballots are to be mailed by January 10.

Section 7. When ballots are mailed, an envelope marked “Official Ballot” and addressed to the chair of the nominating committee, shall be enclosed with each ballot. Only ballots received by February 1 in the official envelope will be counted.

Article IV. Duties of the Executive Council

The Executive Council shall

• Act as the governing body of the organization, receiving reports and taking official action as needed
• Handle the administrative affairs of the organization
• Approve the budget of the organization and monitor that expenditure of funds in order to meet budget goals
• Make decisions and resolve matters of policy in order to fulfill the purposes of the organization
• Approve standing committees and liaisons to related organizations appointed by the president
• Approve proposed amendments to the Constitution and the By-Laws, the calling of special general business meetings of the organization
• Approve the goals and objectives and the budget prepared by the president
• Meet at least once a year, as called by the president, with other meetings called at the direction of the president or by the majority of the Board, provided announcement of such meetings are given no less than fourteen days prior to the meeting date.
• Hold meetings which shall be open to the membership, to which non-members may be invited at the direction of the president
• Publish the SWRASL annual report, which shall include a written report of the year’s activities

Article V. Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

The president shall:

• Preside at all meetings of the organization and the Executive Council
• Plan and sponsor at least one general business meeting per year
• Prepare a budget for approval by the Executive Council
• Serve as ex-officio member of all standing committees
• Approve all contracts made in the name of the organization and all requisitions for expenditure of organization funds
• Appoint temporary committees as needed
• Be a member of the Missouri Association of School Librarians
• Officially represent SWRASL at all meetings of the MASL Board of Director Meetings and submit report of region activities
• Inform the MASL president of the names, addresses, phone numbers, and terms of all officers of SWRASL
• Host a MASL council member for at least organization meeting per year
• Cooperate with various MASL chairs as MASL liaison in promoting MASL activities
• Provide the MASL president and MASL second-vice-president with a calendar of the organization’s meeting dates
• Verify that the MASL president and MASL Constitution/Handbook chair have a current copy of the organization’s constitution and by-laws
• Submit announcements of programs, activities, etc. to the MASL newsletter editor.
• Provide the MASL president and MASL treasurer with copies of annual budgets by November 15 to receive MASL stipend.

Section 2. Vice-President

The Vice-President shall:

• Attend meetings of the Executive Council as called by the president
• Act for the president during his/her absence or at the request of the president
• Solicit names for committee chairs, standing committees
• Represent the organization at meetings as requested by the president
• Become knowledgeable about the fiscal operation of the organization
• Be a member of MASL

Section 3. Secretary

The secretary shall:

• Attend all business meetings of SWRASL and the Executive Council
• Record the minutes of all businesses conducted at the general business meetings of the Executive Council and the organization. Prepare minutes for the next general business meeting
• Prepare minutes of all meetings and submit them to the president for approval
• Mail copies of the minutes of the Executive Council to the members of the Executive Council within one month after the meeting
• Distribute minutes of the general business meeting of the organization for approval at the next general business meeting
• Conduct official correspondence of SWRASL as directed by the president
• Maintain a computer database of the membership
• Bring to all Executive Council meetings minutes and Board reports for the current year and the immediate past year. At the end of the term, give the older year’s records to the Historian
• Be a member of MASL

Section 4. Treasurer

The treasurer shall:

• Attend all business meetings of SWRASL and the Executive Council
• Serve as registration chair for all SWRASL conferences/seminars
• Oversee the collection of dues and the keeping of all accounts
• Pay all bills of the association by SWRASL check upon receipt of a voucher signed by the president
• Keep an accurate account of all deposits, expenditures, and funds in the checking account
• Provide the historian with the treasurer’s annual report no later than June 1
• Arrange for the printing and distribution of expense vouchers
• Transfer the checking account along with any necessary materials to the incoming treasurer by June 1
• Be a member of MASL

Section 5. Historian

The Historian shall:

• Collect reports, records, correspondence, etc. of archival merit for the proceeding year from all members of the Executive Council at or before the concluding Executive Council meeting:

1.minutes of all business meetings

2.reports of officers and committees which have been presented to the Executive Council

3.records of officers and committees

4.significant correspondence

5.appropriate photographs

6.news articles about SWRASL

7.the membership directory

8.new and revised policies, handbook, constitution, by-laws, etc.

9.official SWRASL publications

10.official financial records and reports

• Collect the treasurer’s annual report
• Collect financial records from the treasurer(including tax records, journals, ledgers, cancelled checks, and other materials required by an auditor) at the end of the fiscal year.
• Collect and organize photographs from SWRASL publications and events
• Be a member of MASL

Section 6. MASL Legislative Liaison

The Legislative Liaison shall:

• Contact the MASL legislative chair
• Develop a relationship with southwest region representatives and senators, both state and federal. Contact them via phone, letter, email, fax, or personal visits regarding legislative issues of interest to SWRASL and MASL
• Monitor proposed state legislation during the session of the General Assembly, weekly updates from MASL Legislative Advocate
• Monitor federal legislative initiatives. Subscribing to ALA ALAWON( the free new ALA legislative newsletter) will help with this
• Monitor Missouri Board of Education meetings
• Prepare an article for the MASL newsletter on a legislative topic
• Identify members who would be willing to make legislative contacts when needed
• Attend MASL legislative committee meetings as needed
• Assist the MASL legislative chair as needed
• Present legislative information/updates at organization meetings
• Be a member of MASL

 

Article VI. Appointive Positions and Committees

Section 1. Appointive positions shall be filled by the president, and shall include chairs of standing committees, chairs and members of temporary committees. Appointments to chairs of standing committees shall be approved by the Executive Council.

Article VII. Vacancies

Section 1. A vacancy in the office of president shall be filled by the vice-president.

Section 2. A vacancy in the office of the vice-president shall be filled with a ballot vote of the organization.

Section 3. A vacancy in the office of the secretary shall be filled by presidential appointment.

Section 4. A vacancy in the office of the treasurer shall be filled by presidential appointment.

Section 5. A vacancy in the office of the historian shall be filled by presidential appointment.

Section 6. A vacancy in the office of the MASL Legislative Liaison shall be filled by presidential appointment.

Article VIII. SWRASL Newsletter

Section 1. The SWRASL Newsletter shall be the official voice of the organization and shall be sent to each current member of the organization without charge.

Article IX. Parliamentary Authority

The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority of the organization.