Current version passed: Fall 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
Special Libraries Association, which shall be called the University
of Arizona Special Libraries Association with SLA serving as the
acronym for Special Libraries Association, which shall serve as the
local student chapter of the SLA.
PURPOSE
SLA shall encourage and facilitate participation in the Special Libraries Association parent organization and work to promote scholarly achievement and professional awareness among its members.
Our goal is to serve students interested in careers relating to special libraries and the information profession. SLA provides a forum for sharing information and promoting interaction between the special libraries community and students!
Our goal for the
future is to include more virtual students in our organization. To
this end, we shall continue to utilize social networking technologies
to help bridge the gap between virtual students and on-campus
students. SLA shall encourage virtual members to hold office and
attend meetings online.
STANDARDS
SLA 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 may choose to become Members by paying their dues. Non-students may act as Associate Members, entitled to all privileges with the exception of voting and holding office.
SLA membership dues are payable from each member at a rate agreed upon by the Executive Council. Changes in dues amount will require a simple majority of the Executive Council. Current rates are $10 per year or $15 for entire tenure at SIRLS.
While this is a Student Chapter of SLA, students do not have to be members of the parent organization in order to be University of Arizona SLA members; similarly, students do not have to be University of Arizona Special Library Association members in order to be SLA parent organization members.
RECRUITMENT
Officers will work to
promote the University of Arizona Special Libraries Association
throughout each semester, and encourage membership among the SIRLS
student population.
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
SLA general
membership meetings shall be held at regularly scheduled intervals as
determined by the Executive Council during the fall, spring, and
summer semesters. General meetings should be held at a minimum of
once a month. All SLA members and potential members are invited
to attend. All meeting dates, times, and locations shall be
determined by the Executive Council. Executive Council should
meet regularly throughout the semester as determined by the Executive
Council. These meetings are generally referred to as Officer
Meetings. Officer meeting minutes will be posted to the
Executive SLA listserv, not to the website. Special meetings may be
held as needed, and established with approval by the SLA President.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT STATEMENT
This is a
not-for-profit organization.
OFFICERS
The officers of this
organization shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer,
Secretary, Events Coordinator, SLA Jobs Coordinator,
Webmaster/Listserv Manager, and Fundraising Coordinator. All officers
must be supporting members; officers that fail to pay their dues
within their first month of office must pay or resign. Offices
can be shared with approval of the Executive Council. All
officers serve on the Executive Council. All offices can be held by
virtual students, with the exception of the office of Vice
President/Treasurer. The office of Vice President/Treasurer must be
held by a student attending the Tucson campus due to the
responsibilities of that office to handle banking and signing of
documents authorizing official business of the organization.
OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES
The President shall be executive authority on all matters concerning membership, functions of the organization, and SLA sponsored projects and activities. The President shall preside over all meetings. When appropriate, s/he will communicate the activities, needs, and suggestions of SLA members to the SLA Faculty Advisor and SIRLS Program Director.
The Vice President shall assume any function the President shall designate, and assume the responsibilities of the President when s/he is absent. The Vice President shall also serve as the SLA Liaison. The Vice President shall be responsible for coordinating the calendar events to prevent conflict. This requires awareness of LSO, SIRLS, and other applicable events to be taken into account when scheduling SLA events.
Treasurer shall collect dues and other SLA funds, and maintain accurate financial records. These records will be available for the SLA President to view, and available upon request to any member of the Executive Council. The balance in SLA funds will be disclosed at all meetings. All financial transactions shall occur in a timely manner. The Treasurer is responsible for any communication with the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC).
The Secretary shall record the minutes of all SLA 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 one week after the respective meeting.
The Events 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. S/he shall coordinate events in Tucson, Phoenix, and/or virtually, for SLA members. S/he will generate ideas for events and share them with other SLA officers. SLA events must be open to all SLA members, and may be open to faculty and/or the greater library community when appropriate.
The SLA Jobs Coordinator shall identify job opportunities in the field of library and information science for special libraries and post them to the appropriate SLA listserv. S/he should post at minimum one opportunity per week.
The Webmaster/Listserv Manager shall ensure that the information on the SLA 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 SLA. S/he is also responsible for maintaining the SLA listservs. S/he also serves as Election Supervisor.
The Fundraising Coordinator shall coordinate fundraising activities for SLA. S/he seeks out fundraising opportunities and shares them with other officers. S/he should plan at least three fundraising activities per semester. S/he will maintain a contact list and a grant history.
Faculty Sponsor/Advisor will advise the chapter on questions of SIRLS policy and SLA operations. The Faculty Sponsor/Advisor has a right to be informed by the SLA 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 SLA members and 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 maintaining membership in University of Arizona SLA shall be allowed to vote for SLA officer candidates.
REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
Elected officers may be removed from office by a vote consisting of three-quarters of supporting SLA 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 SLA 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.
AMENDMENTS
Proposed amendments to the Constitution may be raised by any SLA member. This ought to be communicated to the President and will then be distributed to all SLA 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. SLA shall work toward welcoming virtual students and encouraging membership in SLA.
III. General membership meetings shall be held at a minimum of once a month 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. This organization shall adopt the consensus building approach rather than following Robert’s Rules of Order. The consensus building approach is detailed in the book by Lawrence E. Susskind and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank entitled “Breaking Robert’s Rules: The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build Concensus, and Get Results.†(Oxford Univerisity Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-530836-0.)
VIII. Amendments to the by-laws shall be binding by a vote of a super majority (2/3) of the members present after formal announcement at least one week in advance of the proposed change and date of vote.