Bylaws

By-laws

By-laws of Greater New York Chapter of The Music Library Association

Article I. Name

  • This organization shall be known as the Greater New York Chapter of the Music Library Association.

Article II. Purpose

  • In addition to promoting the purpose of the national Music Library Association, Inc., the purposes of this Chapter shall be:
    1. To stimulate professional activities among the members
    2. To encourage cooperation among the institutions in this area with music collections.

Article III. Membership

  • Section 1. Membership to this Chapter is open to:
    • All members of the national Music Library Association;
    • Students who are interested in music librarianship;
    • Persons interested in and sympathetic to the activities and objectives of this Chapter.
  • Section 2. Those persons eligible for membership shall be considered members upon payment of dues.

Article IV. Officers

  • Section 1. The officers of the Chapter shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer.
  • Section 2. Election of officers:
    • At least two (2) months before the spring meeting, the Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three members to nominate candidates for the offices in the Chapter.
    • At least two (2) weeks before the spring meeting, the Nominating Committee and the Secretary-Treasurer shall inform the members of the nominees presented in the form of a ballot. The ballot shall be marked and returned to the Secretary-Treasurer at any time up to the opening of the spring meeting.
    • The newly-elected officers shall take office at the end of the meeting at which they are elected.
  • Section 3. The terms of office shall be three years with a staggered election so that one officer is elected per year to replace an expiring full term. There is no limit to the number of times a person may be elected to the same office, but no one may serve two successive full terms.
  • Section 4. The duties of the officers shall consist of those stated in Robert’s Rules of Order, when applicable. In addition, the Vice-Chair shall be responsible for initiating and coordinating Chapter programs.

Article V. Meetings

  • Section 1. There shall be a minimum of one fall and one spring meeting per year. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair or at the request of a majority of the members present at any meeting.
  • Section 2. Ten (10) percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI. Dues and assessments

  • Section 1. The payment of dues shall be required of all voting members of this Chapter.
  • Section 2. The dues may be raised or lowered by a two-thirds majority of voting members. Proposed changes in dues must be submitted to all members by ballot.

Article VII. Standing Committees

  • Section 1. All Standing Committees shall have at least three members.
  • Section 2. The Chair of each Standing Committee shall be appointed by the Chapter Chair.
  • Section 3. The Chair of each Standing Committee shall select the members of his or her Committee.
  • Section 4. The Standing Committees and their duties shall be as follows:
    • Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of candidates to the Chapter Chair for approval in time to be submitted to the membership two weeks before the spring meeting.
    • Publications Committee. The Publications Committee shall encourage and take charge of publications of the Chapter. It shall also be a liaison with the national organization.
    • Membership Committee. The Membership Committee shall encourage non-members to join this Chapter by making the Chapter’s activities and objectives as widely known as possible.
  • Section 5. Special committees may be created by the Chapter Chair.
  • Section 6. The term of all committee members and chairs shall expire at the end of the term of office of the Chapter Chair.

Article VIII. Rules of Order:

  • Section 1. The Constitution, By-Laws, and decisions of the Executive Board of the national Music Library Association take precedence over the By-Laws and decisions of this Chapter.
  • Section 2. Procedure not provided for in these By-Laws shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.

October 1974; Revised 1981 by Barbara Hampton Renton and Walter Gerboth; Revised June 8, 2011 by Nick Patterson.

Change Log:

2011-06-08: Article IV, Section 3:  old language deleted: “The terms of office shall be two years. There is no limit on the number of times a person may be elected to the same office, but no one may serve two successive terms.”

Replaced with this text, approved at chapter meeting of June 8, 2011:

“The terms of office shall be three years with a staggered election so that one officer is elected per year to replace an expiring full term. There is no limit to the number of times a person may be elected to the same office, but no one may serve two successive full terms.”