Current version passed: Spring of 2007

PREAMBLE

The students of the School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS) of the University of Arizona hereby establish our Student Chapter of the American Library Association, which shall be called the Library Student Organization with LSO serving as the acronym for Library Student Organization, which shall serve as the local student chapter of the ALA.

PURPOSE

LSO shall encourage and facilitate participation in the American Library Association and work to promote scholarly achievement and professional awareness among its members.

In serving this purpose, the LSO shall pursue the following objectives:

To promote communication and interaction among all members of the SIRLS community (including students, faculty, staff, and alumni).

• To provide student representation on faculty policy making committees.
• To function as a problem solving forum and agent of change in the SIRLS community.

In order to help students better plan their study and career strategies and to uphold the goals stated above, LSO shall provide students with significant information on ALA resources in the areas of publication, scholarships, conferences and promotional material.

This chapter shall work to increase awareness of issues and trends in information resources and library science, to provide data on timely issues and concerns, and to act as a local forum for the exchange of ideas that benefit the entire SIRLS community.

STANDARDS

LSO supports the aims and standards of the Graduate College, University of Arizona, and the School of Information Resources and Library Science.

MEMBERSHIP

Students of the School of Information Resources and Library Science automatically become active Members when they begin their program at SIRLS. Non-students may act as Associate Members, entitled to all privileges with the exception of voting and holding office. Faculty and staff of SIRLS are automatically granted Associate Membership. Additional membership privileges shall be granted to Supporting Members. Supporting Members are those who pay membership dues and maintain the GPA required for continuation in the program.

LSO membership dues are payable once from each member for the tenure at their time at SIRLS, at a rate agreed upon by the Executive Council. Changes in dues amount will require a simple majority of the Executive Council.

While this is a Student Chapter of ALA, students do not have to be ALA members in order to be LSO members; similarly, students do not have to be LSO members in order to be ALA members. Students are encouraged to become ALA members; membership dues to ALA at a reduced student membership rate are payable at any time on an individual basis. Students are eligible for discounted membership for five years only, after which time they must pay the full membership dues.

RECRUITMENT

As part of each IRLS 504: Foundations of Library and Information Services course, LSO shall be given an opportunity to speak to the class about the organization. Students shall be strongly encouraged to join the UA-LSO listserv. Additionally, LSO shall sponsor a welcoming social event for all students.

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

This organization shall not discriminate on the basis of age, color, ethnicity, gender, national origin, disability or handicap, race, religion, sexual orientation, and/or Vietnam Era veteran status. This policy will include, but is not limited to, recruiting, membership, organization activities or opportunities to hold office.

STATEMENT OF NON-HAZING

This organization will not conspire to engage in hazing, participate in hazing, or commit any act that causes or is likely to cause bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm to any fellow student or person attending the institution.

COMPLIANCE WITH CAMPUS REGULATIONS

This organization shall comply with all University and campus policies and regulations and local, state, and federal laws.

MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES

LSO general membership meetings shall be held on a regular day and time, biweekly, or as necessary during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. All LSO members are invited to attend. All meeting dates, times, and locations shall be determined by the Executive Council.

Special meetings may be held as needed, and established with approval by the LSO President.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT STATEMENT

This is a not-for-profit organization.

OFFICERS

The officers of this organization shall be President/ALA Liaison, Vice President/Treasurer, Faculty/Student Liaison, Secretary, Program Coordinator, Social Activities Coordinator, Jobs Coordinator, Webmaster/Listserv Manager, Virtual Student Liaison, Fundraising Coordinator, and Alumni Liaison. All officers must be supporting members; officers that fail to pay their dues within their first month of office must pay or resign.

OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES

The President/ALA Liaison shall be executive authority on all matters concerning membership, functions of the organization, and LSO sponsored projects and activities. The President shall preside over all meetings. When appropriate, s/he will communicate the activities, needs, and suggestions of LSO members to the LSO Faculty Advisor and SIRLS Program Director.

The Vice President/Treasurer shall assume any function the President shall designate, and assume the responsibilities of the President when s/he is absent. S/he shall collect dues and other LSO funds, and maintain accurate financial records. These records will be available for the LSO President to view, and available upon request to any member of the Executive Council. The balance in LSO funds will be disclosed at all meetings. All financial transactions shall occur in a timely manner. The Vice President is responsible for any communication with the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC).

The Secretary shall record the minutes of all LSO executive, general, and special meetings when appropriate. S/he is also responsible for coordinating virtual attendance at meetings. S/he shall make all non-private meeting minutes available to all students no later than 72 hours after the respective meeting.

The Faculty/Student Liaison shall attend all regularly scheduled Faculty Meetings and represent the SIRLS student body. The liaison is responsible for communicating all gathered student feedback to the Faculty. The liaison shall make all non-private meeting minutes available to all students no later than 72 hours after the respective meeting.

The Program Coordinator shall coordinate and schedule programs and activities, with an emphasis on professional development. S/he accepts suggestions and requests for programs and speakers from all members and communicates with the SIRLS faculty and staff as necessary regarding upcoming events.

The Social Activities Coordinator shall coordinate social events in Tucson for LSO members. S/he will generate ideas for events and share them with other LSO officers. S/he should plan at least one social event per month during the regular semester. LSO social events must be open to all LSO members, and may be open to faculty and/or the greater library community when appropriate.

The Jobs Coordinator shall identify job opportunities in the field of library and information science and post them to the JOBOPS listserv. S/he should post at minimum one opportunity per week.

The Webmaster/Listserv Manager shall ensure that the information on the LSO website is current and accurate. This includes the calendar of events, meeting minutes that the Secretary has prepared, and other items as necessary. S/he will respond to updates from any member of the Executive Council in a timely manner. The Webmaster/Listserv Manager also acts as administrator for any other social software, such as blogs, wikis, messaging, etc., used by LSO. S/he is also responsible for maintaining the LSO listserv. S/he also serves as Election Supervisor.

The Fundraising Coordinator shall coordinate fundraising activities for the LSO. S/he seeks out fundraising opportunities and shares them with other officers. S/he should plan at least three fundraising activities per semester.

The Virtual Student Liaison shall identify the concerns of the virtual student community and communicate them with other LSO officers and the SIRLS faculty and staff. S/he seeks out opportunities for virtual students; this may include coordinating events in Phoenix or other distant locations and recording local events for viewing by virtual students. The candidate must have taken at least one virtual class or be currently enrolled in one at the time of election in order to hold office.

The BiblioTech Editor shall publish at least two issues of BiblioTech, the LSO webzine, per semester. This webzine will include content relevant to the mission of LSO. The editor will seek content input from LSO members and constituencies through channels provided by the organization and will publish content in an objective and fair manner honoring sensitivities toward ethnic origin, age, religion, political affiliation, nationality, gender, or sexual preference. Final selection of articles used will be at the sole discretion of the Editor. S/he reserves the right to edit submissions for content that may be unsuitable, irrelevant, or offensive to the LSO population, and for length. Current and archived issues of BiblioTech will remain available to the public at all times, through the LSO website, with the exception of occasions where routine maintenance or upgrading is required. Content coverage will comply with all laws and policies of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the University of Arizona, the city of Tucson, the state of Arizona, and the United States of America, governing copyright, privacy, and other issues related to content publication.

The Alumni Liaison shall foster and maintain relations between SIRLS and SIRLS alumni. S/he shall keep alumni informed of SIRLS activities through mailings and email, facilitate mentoring activities between alumni and current graduate students when possible, and other duties as appropriate.

Faculty Sponsor/Advisor will advise the chapter on questions of SIRLS policy and LSO operations. The Faculty Sponsor/Advisor has a right to be informed by the LSO President of all financial and other matters pertaining to the operation of the chapter.

ELECTIONS

Elections for Executive Officers shall take place during the final periods of the fall semester and the spring semester. Officers elected in the fall shall serve in the spring. Those elected in the spring shall serve in the summer and the fall, whenever possible. A supplemental election may be held at the start of the fall semester to fill any vacant positions. Additional elections may be held as necessary to fill vacancies remaining after the elections described above.

Re-elections are permitted. Nominations shall be submitted only to the President and any other person(s) supervising the election. Voting will take place electronically in a manner designated by the President and/or the Webmaster and any other person(s) supervising the election, who then tally the votes and announces the new office holders to the SIRLS body. The identities of voters and nominators shall be held in confidence throughout the election process by the person(s) supervising the election except as necessary to ascertain voter eligibility. If a recount becomes necessary, a neutral member of the executive council or the Faculty Advisor may assist under the same confidentiality stipulation. A simple majority of votes determines the winner among candidates running for the same position. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held.

VOTING

All students currently enrolled in the SIRLS shall be allowed to vote for LSO officer candidates. Only registered ALA members shall be allowed to vote on resolutions that pertain to American Library Association matters, including the election of the student delegate to the annual convention.

All Supporting Members currently enrolled in the SIRLS and actively participating in its programs shall be allowed to vote on matters pertaining to LSO.

REMOVAL OF OFFICERS

Elected officers may be removed from office by a vote consisting of three-quarters of supporting LSO members. A petition consisting of 25 percent of the number of votes cast in the previous election is necessary to call for a removal election. Two weeks shall elapse between completion of the petition and submission to the Executive Council and the removal election. During that time, a general meeting shall be held. Regular balloting procedure will follow.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The Executive Council shall consist of LSO officers, ad hoc representatives, and chairpersons of the standing committees.

The Faculty Sponsor/Advisor is a member of the Executive Council and shall automatically remain the same through continuing semesters. However, the President is able at anytime to nominate a new Faculty Sponsor/Advisor; this new Faculty Sponsor/Advisor shall enter office once the nomination is approved by the Executive Council, the incoming Faculty Sponsor/Advisor, and the Director of SIRLS.

AD HOC REPRESENTATIVES shall be proposed as needed by the Executive Council and elected according to normal election procedure.

AD HOC COMMITTEES shall be created and chairs elected by the Executive Council as the need arises.

LSO STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

The LSO Student Representative selected for the spring semester shall be the nominee for the Student-to-Staff Program at the ALA Annual Conference. Room and board are normally paid for the Student Representative by ALA, depending on funds, with SIRLS contributing travel funds as their budget permits. In the event that first choice for the ALA Student Representative cannot attend the annual conference a different student representative will be selected in a manner determined by LSO. Whoever works at the Student-to-Staff Program must be a personal member of ALA and enrolled full-time in the SIRLS program in the spring semester before the annual conference. The student shall report their experiences participating in the Student-to-Staff Program in the fall following the conference.

AMENDMENTS

Proposed amendments to the Constitution may be raised by any LSO member. This ought to be communicated to the President and will then be distributed to all LSO members for a vote.

Amendments to this Constitution shall be binding by a vote of two-thirds of the members that participate. Members ought to be given at least one week to deliver their vote.

In the event of changes, the most recent previous edition of the Constitution will be archived.

BY-LAWS

I. Requests from other organizations for financial support must be submitted to the Executive Council in writing at least one week in advance of the general membership meeting which precedes the date monies are required.

II. The LSO shall sponsor a welcoming activity for students.

III. General membership meetings shall be held at a regular day and time, bi-weekly or as necessary during fall and spring semesters.

IV. Executive Council meetings shall be held as necessary during the fall and spring semesters.

V. The summer session meeting dates shall be determined by the newly elected Executive Council.

VI. Dues shall be determined at the first meeting of each semester.

VII. Robert's Rules of Order (latest ed.) shall be regarded as authority for any procedure not described in the constitution and by-laws.

VIII. Amendments to the by-laws shall be binding by a vote of a simple majority of the members present after formal announcement at least two weeks in advance of the proposed change and date of vote.