Indiana Health Sciences Librarians Association: Bylaws

Adopted: May 14, 1981, Evansville, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 23, 1982, West Lafayette, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 20, 1984, Indianapolis, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 22, 1988, Lafayette, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 7, 1994, Indianapolis, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 6, 1995, Terre Haute, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 16, 1999, Greencastle, IN
Revised and Adopted: April 28, 2006, Muncie, IN
Revised and Aptopted: October 8, 2011, Indianapolis, IN

ARTICLE I. Name

ARTICLE II. Affiliation

ARTICLE III.Mission

ARTICLE IV. Membership

Section 1 Eligibility

Section 2 Requirements

Section 3 Dues

Section 4 Rights and Privileges

ARTICLE V. Officers

Section 1 Designation

Section 2 Term of Office

Section 3 Duties

3.1 President

3.2 President-Elect

3.3 Secretary

3.4 Treasurer

3.5 Membership Officer

ARTICLE VI. Nomination and Election

Section 1 Nomination

Section 2 Election

ARTICLE VII. Meetings

Section 1 Number of Meetings

Section 2 Notice

Section 3 Location

Section 4 Quorum

Section 5 Order of Business

Section 6 Financial Assistance

Section 7 Profit/Loss Agreement

Section 8 Stipends

ARTICLE VIII. Executive Board

Section 1 Members

Section 2 Duties

Section 3 Meetings

Section 4 Quorum

ARTICLE IX. Committees

Section 1 Standing Committees

Section 2. Committees

2.1 Membership Committee

2.2 Communications Committee

2.3 Nominating Committee

2.4 Program Committee

Section 3 Special Committees

Section 4 Committee Reports

ARTICLE X. Dissolution

ARTICLE XI. Parliamentary Authority

ARTICLE XII. Amendment of Bylaws

ARTICLE I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Indiana Health Sciences Librarians Association (IHSLA), hereinafter referred to as the Association.

ARTICLE II: Affiliation

The Association shall be affiliated with the Greater Midwest Region, National Network/Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), also known as Region 3, and hereinafter referred to as GMR. The Association shall also be affiliated with the Indiana Hospital & Health Association.

ARTICLE III: Mission

The mission of the Indiana Health Sciences Librarians Association is to connect health information providers in Indiana in order to enhance service, networking and professional development. Building upon a tradition of professional excellence, the Indiana Health Sciences Librarians Association will strive to:

provide value-added access to health information;
promote improvement of community health education;
provide on-going continuing education opportunities for members;
provide a vehicle for affiliation/communication/collaboration with other professional organizations;
and, promote excellence in Health Science librarianship.

ARTICLE IV: Membership

Section 1 Eligibility.

Membership in the Association is open to individuals interested in or associated with health science libraries or library-related functions within the state of Indiana.

Section 2 Requirements.

Membership shall become effective when dues, accompanied by a membership application or letter of intent, have been received by the Chair of the Membership Committee.

Section 3 Dues.

3.1 Dues rates shall be determined by a majority vote of those present and eligible to vote at the annual business meeting of the Association or by a majority of electronic ballot votes cast by members eligible to vote.

3.2 Dues shall be payable on joining the Association and due thereafter on January 1.

3.3 Dues shall be assessed on an annual basis for the period of one (1) calendar year.

3.4 A current member whose dues are unpaid as of April 1, shall be considered in arrears and shall be ineligible to participate as a voting member in the annual meeting and election of officers.

Section 4 Rights and Privileges.

Each member whose dues are paid shall enjoy all the usual privileges of membership, including having one vote in the affairs of the organization; and shall be eligible to serve on a committee or to hold office in the Association.

ARTICLE V: Officers

Section 1 Designation.

Elective officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Membership Officer.

Section 2 Term of Office.

All elective officers shall serve for one (1) year. Elected officers shall take office at the close of the Association's annual meeting or following their election and serve, unless they resign, die, become incapacitated, or are removed, until the close of the Association annual meeting at the end of their terms of office or until their successors are elected and assume their duties. Officers may be re-elected for consecutive terms. No officer shall hold more than one office or committee membership concurrently except as provided in these bylaws.

Section 3 Duties.

3.1 All officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Association.

3.2 President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association; shall serve as Chair of the Executive Board; shall appoint the Webmaster; shall collaborate with members of the archival repository to designate an archives liaison; shall appoint members of Special Committees; and shall appoint members to fill all vacancies except for the Presidency. All such appointments shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Board. The President shall oversee the Program Committee of the annual Conference. The President shall serve as an ex-officio member of all the Standing Committees except the Nominating Committee.

3.3 President-Elect. The President-Elect shall preside over meetings of the Association and/or the Executive Board in the absence of the President; shall succeed immediately to the Presidency should that office become vacant; and shall fill the designated full term to which elected upon completion of the assumed unexpired term. The President-Elect may also chair or be a member of a Special Committee.

3.4 Secretary. The Secretary shall record the minutes of all Association and Executive Board meetings; shall read and/or distribute Association meeting minutes as instructed by the President; shall distribute Executve Board meeting minutes to Executive Board members within one month following such meetings; shall serve as Association Archivist; shall be responsible for collecting and maintaining the archival materials throughout the Association's business year and at the conclusion of the business year depositing the archival materials with the designated representative of the repository of record. and shall succeed to the Presidency if the President-Elect is unable to fill the unexpired term of the President. The archival repository of record is designated as the Indiana University School of Medicine Ruth Lilly Medical Library.

3.5 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive, record, and deposit all monies due to the Association; shall sign all checks for deposit and/or payment in the name of the Association; shall maintain all financial records of the Association; and shall present financial statements at the annual business meeting and at all Executive Board Meetings.

3.6 Membership Officer. The Membership Officer serves as Chair of the Membership Committee; maintains the Association's membership roster; distributes dues notices; and forwards dues payments received to the Treasurer.

ARTICLE VI: Nominations and Elections

Section 1 Nomination

1.1 Nomination. The Immediate Past-President as Chair shall appoint two (2) members to serve on the Nominating Committee. The Committee shall prepare annually a slate of nominees for each Association elective office. The slate shall be presented to the Executive Board at its meeting preceding the annual business meeting.

1.2 Nominations may also be made from the floor providing such nominations are submitted in writing to the Chair of the Nominating Committee, and the candidate has agreed to serve if elected.

Section 2 Election

2.1 The election shall be carried out at the duly called annual business meeting of the Association. The membership present shall constitute a quorum. Candidates shall be declared elected upon receiving a majority of the votes cast.

2.2 In the event there is more than one candidate per position, voting shall be by written ballot, collected and tallied by the Chair of the Nominating Committee and two other members of the Association appointed by the President should the Nominating Committee members not be present.

Section 3. Vacancies.

3.1 President. A vacancy arising in the office of President shall be filled by the President-Elect, who shall cease to be President-Elect, shall serve out the unexpired term of the President, and continue as President for the full succeeding term to which he or she was elected.

3.2 Other Officers. A vacancy arising in any other elected office shall be filled by the President with Executive Board approval.

ARTICLE VII: Meetings

Section 1 Number of Meetings.

There shall be at least one (1) meeting of the Association per year. The annual business meeting shall be held in the Spring. Optionally, the Association Executive Board may decide to hold joint meetings with other professional library or healthcare related organizations (e.g. Medical Library Association, Midwest Chapter/MLA, Indiana Library Federation, Special Library Association, Indiana Health & Hospital Association, Indiana State Medical Association, etc). Joint meetings may be scheduled at anytime. Any joint meetings must be held within the state of Indiana, or states bordering on Indiana.

Section 2 Notice

Notice of all business and/or program meetings shall be disseminated to the membership at least forty-five (45) days before the scheduled meeting date.

Section 3 Location

Any library, consortium, institution, or group interested in hosting the annual meeting should submit for the Executive Board's consideration a letter of invitation to the President at least one (1) year in advance of the proposed meeting. If no local group submits an invitation to host the annual meeting, the meeting planning responsibilities are assumed by the Executive Board.

Section 4 Quorum

The members present at the annual business meeting shall constitute a quorum. A majority of the votes cast shall constitute a final decision unless otherwise stated in these bylaws.

Section 5 Order of Business

The conduct of the business meeting shall follow the prescribed order of business according to the parliamentary authority adopted by the Association.

Section 6 Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance. The following shall be available to any group for which the Executive Board has accepted a written invitation to host the annual business meeting:

An outright grant not to exceed $100, plus a loan to be repaid in full, for a total not to exceed $500. The actual dollar amount shall be determined by the Executive Board, based upon available funds.
These amounts may be requested of the Association Treasurer at any time during the year preceding the meeting for which the Executive Board has confirmed the invitation.
The host group shall present the Executive Board with a financial accounting within six months following the close of the annual meeting. The loan shall be due at this time, and any subsequent gains or losses shall be shared equally by the host group and the Association.

Section 7 Profit/Loss Agreement

If the Program Committee, comprised only of the Association Executive Board, plans the entire meeting, the Association shall retain all (100%) profit. Profit shall be determined by the Program Committee financial report.
If a library, consortium, institution, or group, assisted by the Program Committee Chair, plans the entire meeting the Association and the planning group will share equally (50% to the Association ; 50% to the planning group) in annual meeting profits. Profit shall be determined by the Program Committee financial report.
If a library, consortium, institution, or group plans local arrangements (lodging, meeting rooms, meals) only, the group shall receive twenty-five percent (25%) of all profit with seventy-five percent (75%) going to the Association. Profit shall be determined by the Program Committee financial report.
Monetary losses associated with the annual meeting will be shared by the Association and any planning group. If the Program Committee, comprised only of the Association Executive Board, plans the entire meeting, the Association shall be responsible for 100% of losses incurred by the annual meeting.
If a library, consortium, institution, or group, assisted by the Program Committee Chair, plan the entire meeting, the Association and the planning group shall each be responsible for 50% of any losses incurred by the annual meeting.
If a library, consortium, institution, or group plans local arrangements only, the planning group will be responsible for 25% and the Association will be responsible for 75% of any losses incurred by the annual meeting.

Section 8 Stipends.

A Stipend may be awarded each year to any current Association member who wishes to attend the Association's annual meeting if the member has a financial need and completes the application. The application and procedure will be posted on the Association website. The stipend(s) will be for up to, but not to exceed, per the discretion of the Executive Board, $200.00 and will cover conference registration and as determined bhy the Executive Board eligible travel expenses. Selection of recipients and number of awards will be decided by the Executive Board. The recipient(s) will be notified by the President at least one month prior to the Association's annual meeting . Recipient(s) will then contact the Treasurer to make necessary arrangements. All applicants will be notified by the President of the final selection. The President will announce the recipient(s) on the Association's discussion list.

ARTICLE VIII: Executive Board

Section 1 Members.

The officers of the Association, the Immediate Past President of the Association, the Representative to the GMR Regional Council, and the Representative to the State Liaisons Committee of the Midwest Chapter MLA shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 2 Duties.

The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Association between any duly called meetings; shall make recommendations to the full membership of the Association; shall receive and act upon any invitations to host the annual meeting or any other meeting; shall conduct the annual meeting if no library, consortium, institution, or group volunteers to host the meeting; shall review, for eligibility only, the slate of nominees prepared by the Nominating Committee; and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Association.

The Executive Board shall act as a communication link among the Association, its constituents, the GMR Regional Advisory Council (RAC), and the GMR management office. The Executive Board shall also appoint, for a two year term in odd numbered years, a representative, from the Association membership, to the GMR Regional Advisory Council (RAC). Travel to Chicago for annual RAC meetings and participation in RAC committees or programs is expected of the representative. The Executive Board shall also appoint for a two (2) year term in even numbered years, a representative from the Association membership to serve as Representative to the State Liaisons Committee of the Midwest Chapter MLA.

All Executive Board members should attend the annual meeting of the Association.

Section 3 Meetings.

There shall be at least two (2) meetings per year, one (1) preceding the annual meeting of the Association, and one (1) immediately following the annual business meeting. All Executive Board meetings shall be open to any Association members.

Section 4 Quorum.

A majority of the Executive Board members shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.

ARTICLE IX: Committees

Section 1 Standing Committees

1.1 The Executive Board shall establish standing committees to consider matters of the Association. The Executive Board shall recommend the name and size of each committee.

1.2 The Association's committees shall be a Membership Committee, a Communications Committee, a Nominating Committee, and a Program Committee.

1.3 The standing committee chairs in consultation with the President shall appoint committee members to their respective committees.

Section 2. Committees

2.1 Membership Committee. The Membership Officer shall serve as Chair of the Membership Committee. The Chair shall maintain a complete and accurate membership roster, including a list of the Executive Board; shall distribute dues notices, and shall forward to the Treasurer any dues received. The members of the Committee shall be responsible for actively seeking out individuals who are eligible for membership in the Association.

2.2 Communications Committee. The Webmaster shall serve as the Chair of the Communications Committee. The Communications Committee, using social media and other forms of electronic communication, shall establish and maintain a statewide communications system; and shall be responsible for any other intra-organizational public relations activities and in consultation with the President for external public relations activities.

2.3 Nominating Committee. The Immediate Past President of the Association serves as the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Chair shall appoint two (2) members to serve on the Committee. The Nominating Committee shall not exceed three (3) members.

2.4 Program Committee. If the Executive Board assumes program planning responsibility, the President of the Association shall serve as the Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall then be composed of all the members of the Executive Board.

If a library, consortium, institution, or group hosts the annual meeting, the members of the hosting library, consortium, institution, or group shall comprise the Program Committee. The Chair may also designate other Association members to serve on the Program Committee. The committee shall not exceed fifteen (15) members.

The duties of the Program Committee include:

develop a program budget
designate the meeting site
plan the meeting program
make arrangements for all speakers
make local arrangements (lodging, meeting rooms, meals)
solicit exhibitors, collect payments, make arrangements for exhibits (Any individual member of the Association, and not a member of the planning group, may choose to be responsible for annual meeting exhibits.
obtain Continuing Education credits, as necessary, from accrediting organizations
disseminate registration forms and collect registration fees
prepare a detailed financial report for submission to the Treasurer

Section 3 Special Committees.

The President may , with the approval of the Executive Board, appoint Special Committees for specific purposes as needed by the Association. Committee Chairs shall be designated by the President. The President may serve as an ex-officio member of any Special Committee, or may appoint another member of the Executive Board to serve in that capacity.

Section 4 Committee Reports

Each committee shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Association President for compilation into an Association annual report.

ARTICLE X: Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of this Association, all liabilities and obligations shall be paid or adequate provision for payment made. Any assets not so dispersed shall be disposed of by the Executive Board following a majority vote by the membership.

No funds shall benefit any individual member of the Association.

ARTICLE XI : Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Association 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 Association may adopt.

ARTICLE XII : Amendment to Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of those present at a duly called meeting and eligible to vote, or by a majority of electronic ballot votes cast by members eligible vote. The proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the vote being taken.