Reference Association of South Suburban Libraries

To encourage the sharing of resources and information among member libraries.

Section 1.Membership is open to any library within MLS which is south of the Stevenson Expressway: Zones 5-9.

Section 2.Membership dues shall be $10.00 per year per library.

Section 3.The membership year begins September 1st and continues through August 31st.

Section 4.Voting privileges are restricted to one vote per member library.

Section 1.

Meetings shall be held in member libraries on a rotating basis.

Section 2.

The first meeting of the year shall be held on the first Thursday in October. Subsequent meetings shall be held on the first Thursday of February and April, and the second Thursday of December and June.

Section 1.

The election of officers shall be held at the June meeting. The officers shall be President, Vice-President/Program Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary/Membership Chair.

Section 2.

The term of office for all officers is one year, beginning at the close of the June meeting. All officers shall be limited to 3 consecutive terms in any one office.

Section 3.

In the event of the resignation of the President, the Vice-President/Program Chair shall preside at meetings and coordinate the activities of the organization. Other vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the President in consultation with the nominating committee.

Section 4. Duties:

a.	The President shall preside at meetings, appoint committees, fill vacancies and coordinate the activities of the organization in general.
b.	The Vice-President/Program Chair is responsible for planning and presenting programs at meetings. The Vice-President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President.
c.	The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records of the organization. An itemized list of income and expenses shall be available to the membership for inspection. An oral report to the members at meetings shall include only the income, expenses and account balance.
d.	The Secretary/Membership Chair shall be responsible for the correspondence and the minutes of the organization and the maintenance of the membership list.

Section 1.

The Nominating Committee shall be composed of three members and shall be appointed by the President at the February meeting, for a term of one year.

Section 2.

A slate of officers shall be prepared by the Nominating Committee and submitted to the members in April.

Section 3.

The Committee shall prepare the ballot to be submitted to the membership at the June meeting. At that time, further nominations may be made from the floor.

Section 4.

The ballots must be cast in person at the June meeting. As specified in Article III, Section 4, there shall be one vote per member library. The ballots shall be counted and the majority of ballots cast shall determine the winner.

Section 1.

The President may appoint special committees as needed. Committees are ongoing and do not need to be reappointed each term.

Section 2.

Each Committee Chairperson is responsible for submitting a brief written report to the President two weeks prior to each meeting.

Section 3.

Committee Chairpersons shall be responsible for reporting the membership at each meeting.

Section 1.

In the event the membership determines a change in the Bylaws is desirable, in whole or in part, the President shall appoint a Bylaw Committee to evaluate the Bylaws in question.

Section 2.

Amendments proposed by the Bylaws Committee shall be submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting at which a vote will be taken.

Section 3.

The vote shall be by written ballot; absentee ballots shall be provided upon request.

Section 4.

Ratification of proposed amendments shall require a two-thirds vote of the total voting membership.

Section 5.

Amended Bylaws will take effect immediately.

The latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern in any dispute.