Chapter Bylaws

Chapter Bylaws
Approved 2015; amended 2017; amended in 2021.

ARTICLE I. Name.
ARTICLE II. Purpose.
ARTICLE III. Membership.
ARTICLE IV. Elected Officers.
ARTICLE V. Standing Committees.
ARTICLE VI. Meetings.
ARTICLE VII. Reports.
ARTICLE VIII. Appointments and Special Project Committees.
ARTICLE IX. Amendments
ARTICLE X. Charitable Activity Restrictions.
ARTICLE XI. Dissolution.
ARTICLE XII. Updating of Bylaws.

ARTICLE I. Name.
The name of the organization shall be ARLIS/NA Southeast (Art Libraries Society of North America Southeast Chapter), hereafter referred to as the Chapter.
This is a chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA), hereafter referred to as the Society.
ARTICLE II. Purpose.
The Chapter shall promote the purposes of the Society within the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and the American Virgin Islands.
The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, in order to advance the cause of art librarianship and to promote the development, good management, and enlightened use of all art libraries and visual resources collections. In furtherance of such purposes, the Chapter is authorized:

  1. To promote the continuing professional education of its members and the general knowledge of the public by sponsoring conferences, seminars, lectures, workshops, and other exchanges of information and materials concerning all aspects of art librarianship and visual resources curatorship, both virtually and in person;
  2. To stimulate greater use of art libraries and visual resources collections by sponsoring, supporting, or publishing resource directories, bibliographies, inventories, periodical journals, occasional papers, reports and related materials concerning the Chapter, and retrieval and dissemination of art information;
  3. To foster excellence in art librarianship and the visual arts by establishing standards for art libraries and visual resources collections, by promoting improvements in the academic education of art librarians and visual resources curators, by sponsoring awards for outstanding achievement, and by other means to that end;
  4. To engage in any activities conducive to furthering the Chapter’s purposes, provided that such activities may lawfully be carried on by an organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (or the corresponding provision of any future United States internal-revenue law).

ARTICLE III. Membership.
Eligibility

  1. Membership in the Chapter is open to any art professional living or working in the region defined in Article II, including but not limited to librarians, visual resources specialists, curators, archivists, library science students, and retirees.
  2. Individual membership in the Chapter is open, but not limited, to all members of the Society.

Lifetime and other Honorary Memberships

  1. On occasion, by majority vote of the Chapter membership, individuals may be granted honorary or lifetime membership in the Chapter. This honor is granted as a token of appreciation and/or acknowledgment of a distinguished career and sustained leadership and service to the Chapter.
  2. Honorary and/or lifetime members of the Chapter are eligible to vote and may hold elected office so long as they are concurrently active, due-paying members of the Society.

Dues

  1. Dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee and shall be ratified by majority vote at the annual Chapter conference.
  2. The membership year is January 1 to December 31. Dues shall be paid to the Treasurer. If a member’s dues are unpaid for one year, said membership will be terminated.

Privileges

  1. Any individual member of the Chapter is eligible to vote and hold elected office so long as they are concurrently active, dues-paying members of the Society.
  2. All members are entitled to receive announcements of Chapter meetings and other notices of general interest to the membership.

Voting

  1. As a general rule, unless specified differently elsewhere in the bylaws, motions brought before the membership for a vote shall carry with a simple majority of those present at a biannual business meeting.

ARTICLE IV. Elected Officers
The elected officers of the Chapter shall be the President, Vice-President/President-Elect/Past-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Nominating Committee

  1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least two members appointed by the Executive Committee.
  2. The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of qualified candidates no later than two weeks prior to the annual conference

Qualifications for Office

  1. Any individual member may hold office so long as they are concurrently active, dues-paying members of the Society.
  2. A candidate must file in writing an acceptance of the nomination with the Nominating Committee

Elections

  1. Officers shall be elected by a majority of ballots cast by the individual members attending the Chapter conference annual business meeting.

Terms of office

  1. The term for each office begins January 1 and ends December 31.
  2. The term of office for the incoming Vice President/President Elect shall be three years (one year as Vice-President, and subsequent one-year terms as President and Past-President]).
  3. The terms of office of the Secretary and the Treasurer, shall be two years.
    • Treasurers may seek re-election on an annual basis, given that all of the following conditions are met:
      1. the Treasurer has successfully completed a two-year, elected term of service;
      2. the Treasurer voluntarily submits a self-nomination for re-election to the Nominating Committee;
      3. the Nominating Committee accepts the Treasurer’s self-nomination; and
      4. the Treasurer runs for re-election unopposed.
  • In the event that the Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer is unable to serve, the President shall appoint a member to serve out the remainder of the term. A vacated Past-President position shall not be appointed.

Duties of officers
President

  1. Shall act as chief executive officer of the Chapter.
  2. Shall draft the annual report, and other reports required by the Society’s Executive Board.
  3. Shall plan the Chapter’s activities and agenda for the annual conference in consultation with the Executive Committee.
  4. Shall appoint voluntary, non-elected positions.
  5. Shall remain on Chapter Executive Board as Past-President for third year of term. Duties include supporting Chapter leadership as necessary and writing the Society midyear report during the year of the Past-President term.

Vice-President/President- Elect

  1. Shall act as chief executive officer in the event the President is unable to serve.
  2. Shall serve as Conference Planning Committee Chair for the annual Chapter meeting.
  3. Shall serve on behalf of the Conference Planning Committee on Chapter Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Board.

Secretary

  1. Shall be responsible for keeping and distributing minutes of the Chapter’s meetings, distributing election ballots, and recording and communicating election results.
  2. Shall distribute reports to appropriate groups and individuals within the Chapter and the Society.
  3. Shall serve as the central contact person for collecting chapter documentation, such as meeting minutes, reports, and committee records.
  4. Shall serve on behalf of the Chapter Executive Board on the Chapter Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Board.
  5. Shall ensure that documentation of the Chapter’s history is kept updated and available.

Treasurer

  1. Shall be responsible for handling all financial accounts of the Chapter.
  2. Shall maintain the membership roster.
  3. Shall chair the Registration Committee for the Chapter’s annual conference.

ARTICLE V. Standing Committees
Executive Committee
Charge: To plan the program for the chapter’s annual meeting.

  1. The elected officers and the immediate past President shall constitute the Executive Committee.

Nominating Committee
Charge: to identify and recommend a slate of candidates for elections, to provide the Executive Committee with completed forms and statements from the candidates.

  1. The committee shall consist of at least two members appointed by the Executive Committee.
  2. The committee shall submit a slate of qualified candidates no later than two weeks prior to the annual conference

Professional Development Award Committee
Charge: To select the recipient of the annual professional development award. The award is a cash sum to be used to defray expenses associated with professional development activities at an annual ARLIS/NA conference, ARLIS regional meeting, or other ARLIS-sponsored professional development activity.

  1. The committee shall be comprised of the two most recent winners of the award, with the most recent winner becoming the junior member of the committee at the annual chapter meeting.
  2. Appointment to the committee is for two years, with chairmanship conferred in the second year.
  3. Committee members and the committee chair will be announced at the annual meeting.
  4. Committee members must be chapter members for the duration of their committee service.
  5. In the event that a recent award winner is unwilling or unable to serve, the President will appoint a substitute at the annual chapter meeting.
  6. Substitute committee members are not eligible to apply for the award during their period of service.

LoPresti Award Committee
Charge: To select the best publications of the year issued in the southeastern United States.

  1. The committee shall be composed of at least two members from the chapter.
  2. Appointment to this committee is for one year, renewable.
  3. All members of the chapter are eligible so long as they are concurrently active, dues-paying members of the Society.
  4. The Chair of the LoPresti Awards Selection Committee shall be appointed by the President each year. The Chair will recruit volunteers from their region for the committee.
  5. Awards recipients shall be announced during the annual business meeting.

Mentoring Committee
Charge: To oversee the Chapter’s mentoring program and other activities relating to recruitment and professional development of arts librarians in the southeastern United States.

  1. The committee shall consist of a Chair and other members appointed by the Executive Committee.
  2. The committee shall manage the Chapter’s mentoring program.
  3. The Chair shall serve on behalf of the Mentoring Committee on Chapter Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Board.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Board
Charge: To foster a culture of understanding and to create a positive attitude toward diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Chapter.

  1. The Advisory Board shall be composed of the Vice President, the Secretary, and the Chair of the Mentoring Committee. In order to better integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into the Chapter program, these positions will act as delegates from the bodies they represent: the Conference Planning Committee, the Executive Board, and the Mentoring Committee, respectively.
  2. The Advisory Board members shall select a Chair amongst themselves annually.
  3. The Advisory Board reports to the President and will give a report back at each biannual Chapter business meeting.
  4. Both short- and long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives will be selected by and led by the Advisory Board. At its members’ discretion, a call for volunteers may be issued to the Chapter membership for participation.
  5. The Advisory Board may create ad hoc “special projects” subcommittees to delegate initiatives to Chapter volunteers.
  6. To regularly and transparently communicate its work, the Advisory Board will send monthly update emails to the Chapter listserv and will contribute a written report to each issue of the ARTifacts Newsletter.

 
ARTICLE VI. Meetings.

  1. Meetings of the Chapter shall be called by the Executive Committee.
  2. A meeting shall be held at least once a year. Business meetings other than the annual meeting shall be called by the Executive Committee, as it deems necessary.
  3. Announcements of meetings shall be sent to the membership by the Vice-President/President-Elect at least 15 days in advance of the meeting date.
  4. The President of the Chapter shall organize the meeting agenda in consultation with the Executive Committee, with due consideration of suggestions from the membership. The President shall also host the meeting.
  5. The following Chapter leadership and committees shall offer reports at each Chapter business meeting: Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, Editor of ARTifacts Newsletter, Professional Development Award Committee, LoPresti Awards Committee, Mentoring Committee, and the DEI Advisory Board. The Society Chapters Liaison is also invited to offer updates from the ARLIS/NA Executive Board either in person or in writing.
  6. Minutes of Chapter meetings shall be distributed to the membership at large within 30 days after the meeting. Revisions to the minutes shall be noted by the Secretary and included in the final record. A final version of the minutes shall be submitted to the Editor of ARTifacts Newsletter for twice yearly publication.

ARTICLE VII. Reports.

  1. The Annual Report shall be drafted by the President with financial statements from the Treasurer and shall be approved by the other members of the Executive Committee.
  2. The Midyear Report shall be drafted by the Past-President in reflection of the latter part of their term as President and shall be approved by the other members of the Executive Committee.
  3. The Annual Report and the Midyear Report shall each follow the guidelines set up by the Executive Board of the Society.
  4. The Secretary shall send reports of all meetings of the Chapter to the editor of the appropriate Society publication, the Chapter Liaison, and the Society headquarters.

ARTICLE VIII. Appointments and Special Project Committees.

  1. The positions of webmaster, listserv manager, and editor of ARTifacts Newsletter will be appointed by the Executive Committee.Special project committees shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IX. Charitable Activity Restrictions.

  1. No part of the net income of the Chapter shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services actually rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes and objects of this Chapter.
  2. No substantial part of the activities of the Chapter shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the organization shall not participate in or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
  3. Notwithstanding any other provisions set forth in these Bylaws, at any time during which it is deemed a private foundation:
    1. The Chapter shall not engage in any act of self-dealing as defined in Section 4941(d) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent U.S. federal tax laws;
    2. The Chapter shall distribute its income for each taxable year at such time and in such manner as not to become subject to the tax on undistributed income imposed by Section 4942 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent U.S. federal tax laws;
    3. The Chapter shall not own any excess business holdings that would subject it to tax under Section 4943 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any manner as to subject the organization to the tax imposed by Section 4944 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent U.S. federal tax laws;
    4. The Chapter shall not make any taxable expenditures as defined in Section 4945 (d) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent U.S. federal tax laws. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Bylaws, the organization shall not conduct or carry on any activities not permitted to be conducted or carried on by an organization exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or corresponding provisions of any subsequent U.S. federal tax laws, or by an organization contributions to which are to be deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of such U.S. Code or corresponding provisions of any subsequent U.S. federal tax laws.

ARTICLE X. Amendments.

  1. Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by any voting members and shall be submitted to the Chapter Executive Committee in writing.
  2. Amendments to the Chapter bylaws must be approved by the Society Executive Board before coming to a vote by the Chapter membership.
  3. The approved text of the proposed amendment shall be distributed to the voting Chapter membership at least two weeks prior to a business meeting.
  4. Approval of a simple majority of those voting members attending the business meeting in addition to the prior approval of the Executive Board of ARLIS/NA shall be necessary to amend the bylaws.

ARTICLE XI. Dissolution.
Upon the dissolution of the Chapter or the winding up of its affairs, the assets of the Chapter shall be distributed exclusively for charitable or educational purposes or to organizations which are then exempt from federal tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws and to which contributions are then deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of such code or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws. Organizations having purposes similar to those of this organization shall be preferred.
ARTICLE XII. Updating of Bylaws.

  1. Bylaws shall be reviewed every five years, and updated and revised as necessary.
  2. The Bylaws Review Committee shall be comprised of three Chapter members appointed by the President. Committee members shall elect one of their number as Chair.
  3. Revisions will be sent by the Bylaws Review Committee to the Chapter Executive Committee for approval, and then to the National Executive Board. Once the National Executive Board has approved the revisions, the updated bylaws will be presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.
  4. Proposed revisions must be presented at least two weeks prior to the annual Chapter conference business meeting, as well as at the meeting itself. Attendees shall discuss and vote on each proposed amendment.
  5. Changes in the bylaws shall take effect upon the close of the annual conference at which they were approved.
  6. Business meeting minutes must report changes in the bylaws