Organizational By-Laws

Iowa OCLC Users Group

By-Laws

Article I: Name.

The name of this organization shall be the Iowa OCLC Users Group.

Article II: Purpose.

The Group shall have the following purpose: To enhance the use of OCLC by libraries and educational institutions in the state of Iowa.

To this end, the Group shall:

1) Serve as a means of organized input from Iowa OCLC users to OCLC, OCLC Business Partners and the Iowa OCLC programs supported by the State Library of Iowa.

2) Ensure participation by Iowa OCLC users in planning and implementing programs connected with OCLC in Iowa.

3) Hold an annual conference in the spring to provide a forum for continuing education and the exchange of information and best practices.

Article III: Membership and dues.

Section 1. Membership.

There shall be two categories of membership:

a) Institutional. Institutions currently using OCLC. Each institution shall have one vote, which shall be cast by a designated representative appointed by that institution. Membership covers all personnel at an institution. Any personnel from such institution may hold office.

b) Individual. Anyone interested in the organization and its objectives who is not affiliated with an institution which holds membership. Individual members may vote and hold office.

Section 2. Dues.

Each membership category shall be assessed dues as established by the Members. The membership year shall be July 1 through June 30. Dues will not be prorated.

Article IV: Membership Meetings.

Section 1. Business meetings.

An annual business meeting shall be held in conjunction with the annual conference. To vote on any issue, a quorum of designated representatives must be present; otherwise a mail ballot will be required at a later date. A quorum will consist of a majority of designated representatives.

Section 2. Other meetings.

Other meetings may be called by the President, the Executive Council, or a petition signed on behalf of ten Members.

Article V: Executive Council.

Section 1. Members.

The Executive Council shall consist of:

Elected Officers: President; Vice-President/President-Elect; Immediate Past President; Chairpersons of the Sections designated in Article VII.

Appointed members: A secretary, treasurer and webmaster appointed by the elected officers. Appointed members are voting members.

Ex-officio member(s): A representative from the State Library of Iowa. Ex-officio members shall not vote.

Section 2. Tenure of Officers.

Officers will serve a term of one year. The President in the first year of enactment of these By-Laws will serve until the end of that fiscal year.

Section 3. Meetings.

The Executive Council shall meet no less than twice a year. Other meetings may be called by the President or by two members of the Executive Council. Meetings may be face-to-face, by teleconference or the internet.

Section 4. Replacement of Executive Council Members.

In the event of a vacancy occurring, the Executive Council shall select a replacement to serve until the next scheduled election.

Article VI: Duties of Executive Council.

Section 1. General duties.

The Executive Council shall: (a) supervise the affairs of the Group between Membership meetings; (b) fix the hour and place of Membership meetings; (c) make recommendations to the Users; (d) appoint task forces or ad hoc committees as needed; (e) perform such other duties as specified in the By-Laws. The Executive Council shall be subject to the orders of the Membership, and none of its acts shall conflict with the action taken by the Membership.

Section 2. Duties of the President.

The President shall: (a) preside at all meetings of the Group and of the Executive Council; (b) conduct the business of the Council; and (c) make appointments.

Section 3. Duties of the Vice-President/President-Elect.

The Vice-President/President-Elect shall: (a) preside in the absence of the President; and (b) serve as a member of the Executive Council.

Section 4. Duties of the Secretary.

The Secretary shall: (a) keep a record of the proceedings of all Membership meetings; (b) keep a record of the proceedings of the Executive Council; (c) communicate business of the Users Group to the membership; and (d) maintain the membership roll.

Section 5. Duties of the Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall (a) present a financial report at each meeting of the Executive Council; (b) prepare an annual budget; (c) report annually to the membership concerning the financial condition of the Group; and (d) collect dues from the membership.

Section 6. Duties of the Chairpersons of the Sections. (See Article VIII, Section 2)

Section 7. Duties of the Webmaster.

The Webmaster shall (a) maintain website to ensure information is current and relevant; (b) maintain communication with website host; (c) respond to update requests from Executive Council members and information requests submitted to the site.

Article VII: Nominations and Elections of President and Vice-President/President-Elect.

Section 1. Nomination Committee.

The Nomination Committee shall consist of members appointed by the President.

Section 2. Nominees from the Committee.

The Nomination Committee shall nominate at least one candidate for the position of Vice-President/President-Elect. All candidates shall be Members.

Section 3. Write-in Candidates.

Other Member candidates may be elected by write-in nomination. All ballots must be received by the deadline identified on the Committee nominees' ballot. Only designated representatives may submit write-in votes.

Section 4. Ballot.

The Chairperson on the Nomination Committee shall report to the Executive Council the names of the candidates to be placed on the ballot. The Secretary shall distribute ballots electronically or by mail to the designated representatives. Introduction of the candidates, in the form of brief vita, will accompany the ballot.

Section 5. Annual Election.

The Annual Election shall be held electronically or by mail during the month of April. In the first year of enactment of these By-Laws, the election process will begin immediately following acceptance of these By-Laws.

Section 6. Vote Count.

The Executive Council shall appoint two or more members of the Council to count the ballots. A plurality of votes cast shall be necessary for election. Tie votes shall be broken by the toss of a coin.

Section 7. Business and Fiscal Year.

New officers shall assume office July 1 through June 30, which shall be the business and fiscal year of the Group. In the first year of enactment of these By-Laws, the new officers will assume office from the time of election through June 30.

Article VIII: Sections.

Section 1. Purpose.

The purpose of the Section is to represent an individual OCLC subsystem to the Group and to exchange information among interested OCLC users.

Section 2. Establishment/Dissolution of Sections.

There may be Sections established within the Users Group. There shall be the following Sections: Cataloging, Interlibrary Loan, Digital Initiatives and Reference. Additional sections that would represent other OCLC subsystems may be established by petition to the Executive Council signed by 10 Members. A Section may be dissolved by a majority vote of the Section present and voting.

Section 3. Membership.

Membership in each Section shall be open to all Members.

Section 4. Meetings.

Meetings of each Section shall be held at least once a year following the annual business meeting.

Section 5. Officers.

Each Section shall have a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson elected for a one-year term.

Section 6. Duties of the Officers.

The Officers of each Section will be responsible for: (a) planning the activities and programs of the Section; (b) calling the annual meeting; and (c) other duties as directed by the membership of the Section.

Section 7. Duties of the Chairperson.

The Chairperson shall: (a) preside over the meetings of the Section; (b) call meetings of the Section officers as needed; (c) appoint task forces or ad hoc committees as needed; and (d) serve on the Executive Council.

Section 8. Duties of the Vice-Chairperson.

The Vice-Chairperson shall: (a) assist the Chairperson in carrying out the business of the Section; (b) make a record of the proceedings of all Section meetings; (c) in the absence of the Chairperson attend Executive Committee meetings in an official capacity and vote when necessary.

Section 9. Nominations and Elections.

Election of Section officers shall be conducted electronically or by mail concurrently with the election of the VicePresident/President-Elect. Nominations will be made by the Nominations Committee appointed by the Chairperson of the Section, and additional nominations may be accepted as write-in candidates. All institutional designated representatives and Individual members shall be eligible to vote.

Article IX: Annual Report.

The Officers shall prepare an annual report of the activities and financial situation of the Group during each fiscal year. This annual report shall be made available to the members each fall along with the annual membership materials.

Article X: Amendments to the By-Laws.

Section 1.

Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Council, or a petition signed on behalf of not less than ten Members.

Section 2.

Proposed amendments shall be distributed to the membership by the Executive Council.

Section 3.

The By-Laws may be amended or revoked by a simple majority of Members voting electronically or by a mail ballot distributed by the Secretary and counted by two or more members of the Executive Council appointed by the Executive Council.

Article XI: Dissolution.

Section 1.

Dissolution of the Iowa OCLC Users Group will require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members with paid membership. In the event dissolution is contemplated, at least thirty (30) days prior written notice setting forth a proposed action and time and place of meeting shall be given to all members.

Section 2.

In the event of dissolution of the Iowa OCLC Users Group, the Executive Council, shall after payment of all liabilities of the group, dispose of the remaining assets of the group at their discretion for the benefit of Iowa librarians.

(As revised May 2011 per membership vote.)

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