MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Atlantic Chapter
CONSTITUTION October 1998

Article I: NAME

This organization shall be known as the Atlantic Chapter of the Music Library Association.

Article II: PURPOSES

The purposes of the Chapter shall be:

1. To promote the establishment and growth of music libraries and collections of music and musical materials in the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

2. To initiate and encourage activities aiming to improve the organization, administration, contents, and services of such libraries and collections; and in pursuance of these aims, to cooperate with each other, with others in the music profession, as well as institutions and organizations in related fields.

3. To bring together for exchange of ideas and discussions of problems all persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections, and to stimulate professional activities among the members.

Article III: MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership in this chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library Association, Inc. and to persons actively engaged in library work or having an interest in the stated purposes of the Chapter.

2. Persons eligible for membership shall be considered members upon payment of annual dues.

3. Only members in good standing shall be entitled to vote at business meetings of the Chapter or on official ballots.

4. Membership dues shall be specified in the By-laws.

Article IV: OFFICERS

1. The officers of the Chapter shall be a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson/Chairperson Elect, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

2. The officers shall be elected by the members of the Atlantic Chapter from a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee.

3. The officers shall be elected every second year at the fall meeting for a term of two years and shall assume office immediately following the meeting.

4. The elected officers and the retiring Chairperson shall constitute the Executive Board and shall be the governing body. The Executive Board shall be responsible for authorizing expenditures, effecting the stated purposes of the Chapter and shall initiate such activities as are appropriate.

Article V: MEETINGS

1. The Chapter shall hold at least one meeting during the fall each year, at a place which shall be determined by the Executive Board of the Chapter in consultation with the Program Committee Chairperson and the host of the meeting. When feasible, meetings shall be scheduled concurrently with those of a state library or other professional association.

2. Members shall be notified not less than thirty (30) days in advance of regular meetings.

3. One session of each regular Chapter meeting shall be devoted to a business meeting at which the Chairperson shall preside.

4. The members of the Chapter present shall constitute and quorum.

5. The Executive Board shall be empowered to represent the Chapter at meetings of organizations in related fields and at its discretion to call a general meeting of the Chapter for the purpose of joint meetings with such organizations.

6. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board with at least one month’s notice.

Article VI: COMMITTEES

1. The Standing committees shall be the Nominating, Program, Membership and Publications Committees.

2. Special committees may be created by the Executive Board. The terms of office for such committees shall be fixed by the Executive Board.

Article VII: DISSOLUTION

In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter, any assets remaining shall be turned over to the Board of Directors of the Music Library Association, Inc.

Article VIII: AMENDMENTS

1. The Constitution may be amended at any regular business meeting by a vote of two-thirds of the members voting. The text of the amendment and a ballot shall be circulated to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the voting takes place.

2. The By-Laws may be amended by a majority of the members present at any regular business meeting or by voting by mail by a majority of those voting. The text of the amendment and a ballot shall be circulated to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the voting takes place.

3. When voting on Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws is to take place at a regular business meeting, ballots may be presented at the time of the voting at the meeting or they may be returned by mail to the Secretary-Treasurer before the meeting.

4. Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws may be proposed by the Executive Board or any three members of the Chapter. Proposals originating with groups of members shall be presented in writing to the Executive Board at least thirty (30) days before the meeting at which the proposal is to be considered.

BY-LAWS

By-law I: MEMBERSHIP

1. The annual dues shall be set by the Executive Board for all members.

2. The dues shall be paid to the Secretary-Treasurer. All checks shall be made payable to the Music Library Association, Atlantic Chapter, and forwarded to the Secretary-Treasurer.

3. The dues shall be payable at or before the fall meeting. New members who join at mid-year (i.e., March 1 or thereafter) shall pay one-half the full membership amount.

4. Members in good standing, i.e., those with current dues paid, shall be entitled to vote at Chapter meetings or by mailed ballot.

5. If a member’s dues remain unpaid for one year, the membership may be considered terminated.

6. Application for membership shall be addressed to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Chapter.

By-law II: OFFICERS

A. Nomination and Election Procedures

1. The Chairperson shall appoint a Nominating Committee of no fewer than three members, only one of whom may be a member of the Executive Board. The Chairperson shall designate one member to serve as chairperson of the Nominating Committee.

2. Not later than sixty (60) days before the Fall meeting every second year, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Chapter Chairperson the names of nominees for each office, together with a written statement from each nominee informing the committee that he/she will serve if elected.

3. Candidates for Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect shall be members of the national Association.

4. Candidates for Secretary-Treasurer shall be members in good standing of the Chapter.

5. Not later than thirty (30) days before the fall meeting every second year, the Chairperson will submit the names of all properly nominated candidates to the Chapter members. members may vote by mail if they so desire.

6. At the fall business meeting every second year the candidate receiving the majority of the total votes cast, both by mail and at the meeting, will be considered elected to the office for which s/he is nominated. If no majority is reached on the first ballot, balloting will be continued among the members present at the meeting until the final decision is reached. In the event that more than one ballot is required, the name of the candidate receiving the smallest number of votes in one ballot shall be withdrawn before the next ballot.

7. Votes shall be counted by members of the Nominating Committee, who shall report the results to the Executive Board.

B. Terms of Office and Succession

1. Officers shall serve terms of two year.

2. The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson (Chairperson-Elect), and Secretary-Treasurer shall serve until their respective successors are elected.

3. The Chairperson shall not be elected to successive terms.

4. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect shall accede to the office of Chairperson and shall serve out the unexpired term of that office as well as the following term, and the Executive Board shall appoint a Vice-Chairperson who shall serve out the unexpired term of that office but shall not accede to the office of the Chairperson at the beginning of the next term.

5. Appointments of persons to fill vacancies occurring in the Secretary-Treasurer office may be made by the Executive Board to serve until the next election.

C. Duties of the Officers

1. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings, appoint committee chairpersons, call meetings of the Chapter or Executive Board as required, and perform the duties customary to this office. She/He shall file a report annually with the Executive Secretary of the National Association, outlining the Chapter activities and listing the officers and members of the Chapter.

2. The Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-elect shall act as chief executive officer in the event of the Chairperson’s inability to serve and shall be Program Committee Chairperson.

3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record the minutes of the Business meetings and Executive Board meetings and preserve all official records and reports of the Chapter, collect dues and make authorized expenditures, prepare the financial report for the annual business meetings, notify the members of all meetings at least four weeks in advance, keep an up-to-date membership list, conduct correspondence relating to membership and finances and other correspondence as directed by the Chairperson.

By-law III: COMMITTEES

1. Committees shall consist of not fewer than three members.

2. The Chapter Chairperson shall appoint chairpersons of all committees except the Program Committee.

3. The appointed chairpersons will choose their own committee members.

4. The duty of the Program Committee shall be to prepare the program of the meeting for which it is appointed. One member of the Committee shall be from the locality where the meeting is to be held.

5. The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be to nominate the officers designated in Article IV in the manner specified in the by-laws to Article IV. Preferably, the members of the Committee shall represent different geographical areas within the Chapter.

6. The duties of the Membership Committee shall be to initiate plans for attracting new members to the Association and Chapter and it shall be responsible for their implementation.

7. The Publications Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive Board for publication projects and will edit such publications as are authorized by the Board and attend to all business connected with their manufacture.