Music Library Association Pacific Northwest Chapter

PNW MLA Chapter Constitution

Revised August 29, 2005
Prior Revisions: April 1993, April 1995

Article I. Name

 This organization shall be known as the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Music Library Association, Inc.

Article II. Purposes

 1. To encourage the establishment, use, and growth of music libraries and collections of music and musical literature in libraries within the Pacific Northwest.
2. To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and discussion of problems regarding all aspects of work with music materials.
3. To provide local programs in education and training in the areas of music cataloging, music reference and music electronic resources.
4. To encourage the value of membership in the organization.
5. The Chapter is a non-profit organization operated exclusively for the stated purposes. No part of the net earnings of the Chapter shall inure to the benefit of any individual. No officer or member shall receive compensation, as such, for services rendered.

Article III. Membership

 1. Eligibility.
Membership in the Chapter is open to all persons or institutions who are interested in the stated purposes of the Chapter. Membership is effective upon payment of dues for the current year. The Pacific Northwest is defined to include Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and peripheral areas not affiliated with other MLA chapters.

2. Classes of Membership.
The classes of membership shall be:
(1) Regular: persons actively engaged in and/or interested in library work,
(2) Institutional: any institution, organization, or corporation engaged in library work, and
(3) Student: students registered at a recognized college or university.

3. Dues.
The dues of the membership classes shall be determined by a majority vote at the annual meeting. Student members will be entitled to membership at half the rate for regular members. The dues shall be paid to the Secretary-Treasurer. The membership year shall correspond with the Chapter’s fiscal year, which shall be from annual meeting to annual meeting. If a member’s dues remain unpaid for one membership year, the membership shall be considered terminated. [Rev. 4/95]

4. Privileges.
A. Voting. Each regular and student member shall be entitled to one vote at all business meetings or on official ballots.
B. Officers. Any regular member may serve as an officer of the organization.
C. Committees. All regular and student members shall be eligible to serve on committees.
D. Publications. Members in all classes shall be entitled to receive all publications of the Chapter.

Article IV. Officers

 1. Titles.
The elected officers shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Past Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer. The position of Newsletter Editor shall be filled by appointment.

2. Duties.
A. The Chair shall act as Chief Executive Officer of the Chapter, shall conduct all of its meetings, and shall represent its membership in an official capacity.

B. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall serve as Program Chair in conjunction with the Local Arrangements Chair and shall act as Chief Executive Officer in the event that the Chair is unable to serve.

C. The Secretary-Treasurer shall conduct all the membership correspondence of the Chapter and shall mail out, or port on the chapter website, notices of meetings. If notice is posted on the website, the membership should be notified of this posting by email. [Rev. 8/05] The Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain the membership list and collect dues, and shall keep an accurate account of the Chapter’s income and expenditures. [Rev. 4/95, 8/05] The Secretary-Treasurer shall produce the directory as an attachment, sent individually on email to current members only by October 1st each year. On Sept. 1st a notice will go out to the membership listserv to remind all members to update their email address, by email to the Sec/Treas.[amended 5/03]

D. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for the content, preparation and distribution of the Chapter Newsletter.

3. Eligibility.
Any regular member is eligible for election or appointment. Candidates must accept nomination before their names may appear on the ballot.

4. Election and tenure.
A. At each annual meeting, the Chapter Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee to prepare a ballot for the following year. There shall be a minimum of one candidate for every office. A call for nominations will be published in the Fall Newsletter. The ballot may be mailed or posted on the Chapter website by the Secretary-Treasurer, with the announcement for the next annual meeting. If notice is posted on the website, the membership should be notified of this posting by email. [Rev. 8/05] Voting shall be done by mail. [Rev. 4/95]

B. A Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be elected annually. In each odd-numbered year, a Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected, and the new Chair shall appoint a Newsletter Editor.

C. Ballots shall be counted by the Chapter officers and the results announced at the annual business meeting. In the event of a tie, the ballot counters shall determine the winner by a coin toss. [Rev. 4/95]

D. The total term of service for the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be three years, the first year as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, the second year as Chair, and the third year as Past Chair. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for two years and may succeed him/herself. The Newsletter Editor shall serve for two years and may be reappointed.

5. Succession.
A. In the event that the Chair is not able to serve his/her full term of office, the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall complete the term as Chair. There shall be no Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect until the next election.

B. If neither the Chair nor the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect can complete his/her term, the Past Chair shall act as Chief Executive Officer until the next election.

C. Should the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, or Newsletter Editor be unable to complete his/her term of office, the Chair shall make a temporary appointment until the next election.

Article V. Committees

 1. The Chair may, in consultation with the Chapter members, designate standing and special committees.

2. Membership on committees shall be open to all members. [Rev. 4/95]

3. A quorum of a committee shall consist of a majority of its members, provided the chair of the committee is present. Written approval by members of a committee shall constitute an affirmative vote.

Article VI. Meetings

 1. Regular meetings.

A. The Chapter shall hold at least one regular meeting each year.
B. Meetings shall be held, if possible, at the institution of one of the regular members.
C. A business meeting shall be held at each regular meeting of the Chapter. The members of the Chapter present shall constitute a quorum.
2. Special meetings.

The Chair may call special meetings with at least thirty days’ notice. A special meeting may be called for the purposes of joint meetings wtih an organization in a related field.

Article VII. Amendments

 1. This constitution and its by-laws may be amended, or a new constitution and its by-laws proposed, by a majority of the regular and student members voting, provided written text of the amendment or by-law has been submitted by mail no less than thirty days prior to the voting.

2. Amendments and by-laws may be proposed by any voting member at any regular meeting, to be voted upon at or before the following regular meeting. A copy of the proposed amendment or by-law must be submitted by mail to all of the regular voting members no less than thirty days prior to the date the voting will take place.

Article VIII. Dissolution

 In the event of dissolution of this Chapter, all of its assets and records shall be turned over to the Executive Board of the Music Library Association, Inc.
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