ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Proposed Bylaws of Rare Books and Manuscripts Section

Editor’s Note: The following proposed bylaws will be voted on by RBMS members at the 1981 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. Although RBMS has been an official section of ACRL since 1958, these are the first bylaws to be presented to the membership.

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Article II. Object

The Section shall represent librarians and specialists concerned with the care, custody, and use of rare books, manuscripts, archives, and other special collections and shall provide its members with a means of communication via publications, programs, and meetings. The Section shall act for ACRL, in co-operation with other professional groups, in regard to those aspects of librarianship and related fields which require special knowledge of rare books, special collections, archives, and manuscripts.

Article III. Membership

Any member of ACRL may elect membership in the Section. Every personal member has the right to vote and is eligible to hold office.

Article IV. Meetings

Sec. 1. Annual Meetings. The Section shall hold an annual membership meeting at the time and place of the Annual Conference of the American Library Association.

Sec. 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Section may be called at the discretion of the Executive Committee. All members of the Section shall receive notification of a special meeting at least one month before the special meeting.

Sec. 3. Quorum. Ten members shall constitute a quorum for any meeting of the Section.

Article V. Officers

Sec. 1. Officers. Elected officers of the Section shall be chair, vice-chair/chair-elect, immediate past chair, three members-at-large, and secretary.

Sec. 2. Terms. All officers shall serve terms ending at the adjournment of the annual meeting. Those serving one year terms are chair, vice-chair, immediate past chair; two year term: secretary; three year term: members-at-large. One member-at-large is elected each year.

Sec. 3. Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy in the office of chair, the vice-chair/chair-elect shall succeed to the office of chair and shall continue in that office until the expiration of the term for which he/she was originally elected to serve as chair. A vacancy in other offices shall be filled by election, except for secretary, which shall be filled by an appointment made by the chair.

Article VI. Executive Committee

Sec. 1. Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers.

Sec. 2. Powers and Duties. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of the Section during the period between annual membership meetings.

Sec. 3. Meetings. Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at the times and places of the Annual Midwinter meetings of the American Library Association. Other or emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the chair. All Executive Committee meetings shall be open to all members of the Section; however, only members of the Executive Committee may vote at such meetings.

Sec. 4. Quorum. A majority of members constitutes a quorum at any meeting of the Executive Committee.

Article VII. Committees

Sec. 1. Standing Committees. Standing committees to consider matters of continuing concern to the section may be authorized by the Executive Committee. The name, purpose, and size of the committee shall be specified at the time of its authorization. The chair and other members of each committee will be named by the chair of the Section. A standing committee may be discontinued or declared inactive by the Executive Committee.

Sec. 2. Ad hoc committees. Special committees for the performance of particular assignments may be appointed at any time by the chair after consultation with other members of the Executive Committee.

Article VIII. Representatives to Other Bodies

The Executive Committee may appoint and charge a representative of the Section to other sections or bodies, as appropriate.

Article IX. Nominations and Elections

Sec. 1. Nominations. The Section chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least three members and designate one member as chair. The Nominating Committee shall choose a slate of two candidates for each elective office. All nominees must be members of the Section and must consent to candidacy in writing.

Sec. 2. Elections. Elections shall be conducted by mail ballot. For each office, the candidate receiving a plurality of the votes cast shall be elected. Ties will be determined by vote of the Executive Committee.

Article X. Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in writing to the Executive Committee by a member or members of the Section. To become effective amendments must be approved by a vote of the membership.

Article XI. General Provisions

Wherever these Bylaws make no specific provisions, the organization of and procedures in the Section shall correspond to those set forth in the ACRL Constitution and Bylaws.

Article XII. Temporary Provisions

These Bylaws shall take effect upon the adjournment of the meeting at which they are adopted.

ACRL VIDEOTAPE AVAILABLE

“Governance in the Academic Library,” a 40- minute videotape, is now available for loan from the ACRL office. The tape is a recording of the session held in the winter of 1980 when six academic librarians gathered in Chicago to review some of the issues relating to the status of the academic librarian. The discussion ranged widely and will stimulate further discussion among viewers.

C. James Schmidt, Brown University librarian and a former chair of ACRL’s Committee on Academic Status, led the conversation. Others participating were Lynn F. Marko, University of Michigan, a past chair of the Academic Status Committee; Richard E. Olsen, Rhode Island College, and Ralph E. Russell, Georgia State University, both former members of the committee; D. Kaye Gapen, Iowa State University; and Richard E. Chapin, Michigan State University.

Library governance is an ACRL Standard for Faculty Status for College and University Librarians, specifically: “College and university librarians should adopt an academic form of governance. The librarians should form as a library faculty whose role and authority is similar to that of the faculties of a college, or the faculty of a school or a department.”

The group’s examination of the library governance standard led to discussion of the role of the librarian as a faculty member, the participation of the support staff in governance, decision-making in academic libraries, and the education and training of the academic librarian.

The tapes are available in color and in two formats: Betamax (Beta 2) and 3/4" videotapes (U-matic) requiring a 3/4" videotape player and monitor for playback. Please specify the format desired. Tapes are available for $35 (a $25 rental fee and $10 handling fee), prepaid, from ACRL/ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611.

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