 Committee
Charge:
The
Bylaws Committee is a standing committee of the SC/MLA. As
such the committee keeps the bylaws in accordance with MLA's
model bylaws and makes changes to the chapter's bylaws as
approved by the membership.
Timeline:
Reports
are due to the Chair at the Chair's discretion. Usually,
a mid-year report is due three weeks before the annual MLA
meeting. This report should contain any changes in the bylaws
so that the Executive Committee can discuss those changes
before the changes are presented to the membership.
If
changes are passed at the annual business meeting, ballots
must be mailed out to the membership within thirty (30) days
following the close of the annual meeting.
Criteria
for Membership:
Any
voting member of the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library
Association may be a Bylaws Committee member. The Chair
of the committee must also be a voting member of the Medical
Library Association.
Most
bylaws procedures are outlined in the bylaws themselves.
The following guidelines and tools may be helpful.
Bylaws
Notebook:
The
Bylaws Notebook is designed using the Avery Ready Indexing
System. This is a flexible system that can be changed to
fit the needs of the current year. At the end of the Chair's
term, the Notebook is given to the incoming Chair.
The
Bylaws Notebook should include the following standard documents:
- The
current Medical Library Association bylaws
- The
current Southern Chapter bylaws
- The
past two versions of the Southern Chapter bylaws
- Copies
of any correspondence concerning revisions to the current
bylaws.
- List
of Bylaws Committee members
- Copies
of the Executive Council minutes
- Copies
of the Executive Council Committee Reports
- The
current procedures document
Archives:
The following
documents should be sent to the Southern Chapter/Medical
Library Association Archives at Emory University.
- Copies
of past SC/MLA bylaws
- Copy
of current procedure manual
- Copy
of MLA Bylaws Committee's approval of SC/MLA bylaws revision
- Copy
of bylaws revision ballot
Membership
Balloting:
Designing
the Ballot:
Write a
cover memo explaining the changes that the membership is
being asked to approve. The actual ballot consists of the
instructions for marking the ballot and returning it. An
example of the cover memo and a ballot are included in the
Bylaws Notebook.
Mailing
the Ballot:
The bylaws
outline the procedures to be used in revising the bylaws.
After the membership has approved changes at the annual meeting,
ballots are mailed out not later than thirty (30) days after
the end of the meeting. This gives the entire membership
the opportunity to vote on the changes. Procedures are outlined
below:
- Request
mailing labels from the Database Manager.
- Write
cover memo to the membership explaining the proposed change.
Be sure to set a date by which the ballots must be returned.
Format for the memo is in the Bylaws Notebook.
- Create
a ballot with Yes or no blocks for the members to mark
and return.
- Make
sure that the Chair's return address is on the verso of
the ballot, so members can refold ballot and mail it back
to the Bylaws Chair.
- Purchase
the required number of stamps from the Post Office and
get an official receipt.
- Stamp
cover memo and ballot and mail.
- Copy
the postal receipts and send the original to the SC/MLA
Bookkeeper for reimbursement.
- Count
the ballots as they are returned. Ballots that are received
after the date are not counted. Remember you must have
twenty-five (25) percent of the mailed ballots returned
for the vote to be official. Of this twenty-five percent,
two-thirds must have voted in favor of the change.
- Results
of the vote are submitted to the editor of Southern
Expressions and included in the Bylaws Committee Report.
Revised:
March 5, 2002
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