The NHSLMA board reviewed our Constitution and Bylaws in the 2005-2006 year and made recommendations for updates and changes. These were posted for review, comment, and approval by membership. They were approved in the spring of 2009 by vote of the membership.
CONSTITUTION OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA ASSOCIATION, FORMERLY KNOWN AS NEW HAMPSHIRE EDUCATIONAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION PRIOR TO JUNE OF 2009.
Adopted: September 25, 1970 at Pembroke, New Hampshire
Revised: October 19, 1973 at Plymouth, New Hampshire
Revised: March 25, 1981 at Concord, New Hampshire
Revised: June 1, 1984 at Concord, New Hampshire
Revised: April 1986 at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Revised: March 12, 1993 at Concord, New Hampshire
Revised: March 15, 2006 via mail ballot
Proposed Revision: January 08, 2009 Board Meeting at Concord, New Hampshire; Presented at Annual Meeting May 08, 2009, North Conway, New Hampshire
ARTICLE I
Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be New Hampshire School Library Media Association, formerly known as New Hampshire Educational Media Association, an affiliate of the American Association of School Librarians. NHSLMA maintains liaisons with the New England Educational Media Association, the New Hampshire Society for Technology in Education and the New Hampshire Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
Section 1: The purpose of this organization shall be to broaden the professional knowledge, understanding and experience of its members, and to promote the improvement of instruction in the state of New Hampshire through the sound use of educational resources.
Section 2: This Association is organized exclusively for educational and charitable purposes, no part of the earnings of which shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall support any political campaigns or candidates for public office.
Section 3: Upon dissolution, all assets, after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the corporation, shall be distributed to an organization or organizations exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Code) as agreed upon by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1: All persons interested in educational media programs in New Hampshire are eligible for membership in this Association.
Section 2: Members shall be entitled to vote and participate in all activities of this Association.
ARTICLE IV
Officers and Governing Boards
Section 1: The officers of this organization shall be a President, Vice-President, Conference Chair, Recording Secretary and Treasurer. They shall constitute the Executive Board.
Section 2: The Governing Board shall consist of the officers listed above, the immediate Past-President, the Chairs of the Standing Committees, Ad Hoc Committee Chairs and two “at large members” appointed by the President. A representative of the State Department of Education and the State Library shall serve in an ex-officio member capacity.
Section 3: The election of officers shall be held annually.
Section 4: All meetings of the Governing Board shall be open to the membership. Voting privileges at the Governing Board meetings shall be restricted to Board members.
ARTICLE V
Meetings
Section1: Meetings of the Association shall be held as provided in the By-laws.
ARTICLE VI
Amendments
Section 1: Proposed amendments to the Constitution and By-laws may be submitted by any member to the Executive Board. Proposed amendments, approved by the Governing Board, shall be submitted in writing to the membership not less than thirty days prior to the date of a meeting to consider the amendment, or of the taking of a ballot to consider amendment. A two-thirds majority of those votes shall be required to carry the vote.
ARTICLE VII
Parliamentary Authority
Section 1: Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised) in the latest edition shall govern the Association in all cases to which it can be applied and in which it is not inconsistent with the Constitution, the By-laws, or special rules of the Association.
BY-LAWS OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA ASSOCIATION
Adopted: September 25, 1970 at Pembroke, New Hampshire
Revised: October 19, 1973 at Plymouth, New Hampshire
Revised: March 25, 1981 at Concord, New Hampshire
Revised: June 1, 1984 at Concord, New Hampshire
Revised: April 1986 at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Revised: March 12, 1993 at Concord, New Hampshire
Revised: April 12, 1996 at Conway, New Hampshire
Revised: March 15, 2006 via mail ballot
ARTICLE I
Dues
Section 1: Annual dues shall be determined by the Governing Board. The membership service and fiscal year shall be January 1 to December 31. Persons not renewing membership by January 31 shall be dropped from the mailing list.
ARTICLE II
Meetings
Section 1: There shall be an annual meeting at such place and time as determined by the Executive Board. Fifteen percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum and, except for amendments, a majority of those voting shall be required to carry the vote.
Section 2: Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board on the written request of not less than fifteen percent of the membership. At least thirty days notice shall be given, and only business specified in the call shall be transacted. Fifteen percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum, and, except for amendments, a majority of those voting shall be required to carry the vote.
Section 3: The Executive Board may also call additional meetings as needed. These meetings may not transact any legal business for the Association.
Section 4: Votes may be authorized by the Executive Board between membership meetings. The period during which the votes shall be recorded shall be not less than thirty days. Except for amendments, a majority of those voting shall be required to carry the vote.
Section 5: The Governing Board shall meet at the discretion of the President, but not less than six times annually. The proposed meeting time and place shall be announced to the membership at least ten days in advance. A Governing Board meeting must be convened upon written request to the President of one-third of the members of the Board.
ARTICLE III
Nominations, Elections, Succession
Section 1: The nominating committee shall consist of three members appointed by the president. The immediate Past-President shall serve as chairperson of the committee. In the absence of the past-president’s availability, an alternate designee will be appointed by the president to chair the committee. The Nominating Committee shall present to the governing board in March, a slate of officers as necessary for President, Vice-President, Conference Chair, Secretary and Treasurer with provisions for write-in candidates for each. No one shall be nominated who has not consented to stand for election and to serve if elected. The name of a member of the Nominating Committee may not appear on any slate of nominations.
Section 2: The election shall be held at the annual meeting. The slate of officers shall be published to the members a minimum of thirty days in advance of the election. Absentee ballots may be requested from the Nominating Committee Chair and must be received by the Chair no less than five days prior to the annual meeting.
Section 3: The candidate with the most votes will be elected. In the case of a tie vote, the Executive Board shall elect one from those who share the tie.
Section 4: Officers shall be elected to one year terms, to begin July 1st. The President and Vice-President shall serve no more than two terms in their respective offices.
Section 5: In the event that an elected office, other than the presidency needs to be filled, the President will nominate for the vote of the governing board, a candidate to complete the term.
Section 6: If the President’s office becomes vacant, the Vice-President will succeed to the office of the President.
ARTICLE IV
Duties of the Officers
Section 1: The President shall preside at all meetings and shall insure that the instructions of the Governing Board are carried out. It shall be the duty of the President to appoint committee chairpersons and to instruct them in their responsibilities, and to turn over to the incoming President all official files. If invited, the President shall serve, or shall appoint an alternate to serve, on the Boards of other professional organizations.
Section 2 : The Vice-President shall serve as the Assistant
Conference Chair and shall carry out other duties as assigned by the President. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President.
Section 3: The Conference Chair shall head the program committee that coordinates conferences, workshops and special events sponsored by the Association.
Section 4: The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of all the meetings of the Governing Board and of the Association. A copy of the minutes of each shall be distributed to the members of the Governing Board.
Section 5: The Treasurer shall keep a record of all receipts and disbursements, keep all funds in a depositary approved by the Governing Board, and prepare an annual financial statement as well as such additional reports as are requested by the President. The annual financial statement for the fiscal year ending the previous December 31, as well as the current financial status report, shall be presented at the annual meeting,
ARTICLE V
Standing Committees shall be headed by an appointed chairperson who serves on the NHSLMA Governing Board. It is expected that each committee will contribute to the professional development of our members via the Association newsletter, the NHSLMA website, or through a program at an Association sponsored conference. The Committees include:
Section 1: The NHSLMA Advocacy and Governmental Relations Committee shall assume a proactive role in communicating the importance of school library media programs and personnel to the educational and governmental communities and shall keep the membership informed regarding pertinent current and pending state and national legislation. The chairperson of this committee shall serve as a member on the Board of the (NEEMA) New England Educational Media Association and communicate focus issues to the board and the members.
. Section 2: The Intellectual Freedom Committee shall keep the membership informed regarding matters of intellectual freedom, monitoring regional and national challenges and keeping an historical record.
Section 3: The Conference Committee coordinates conferences, workshops and special events sponsored by the Association.
Section 4: The Membership Committee shall provide prospective members with appropriate information, issue annual membership notices, and maintain an accurate membership and mailing list.
Section 5 : The Scholarship/Awards Committee shall arrange for appropriate scholarships and awards and shall oversee the selection of recipients.
Section 6 : The Technology Committee shall provide information on technologies. The chairperson shall serve as liaison to NHSTE and communicate focus issues to the board and the members.
. Section 7 : The Standards and Certification Committee shall monitor rules and regulations within the state concerning certification for school library media personnel and minimum standards for public schools. In addition, the committee shall guide the educational community in New Hampshire towards the understanding of the commitment of the library program in the schools and the role of the library media professional as expressed in the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner. The chairperson shall serve as a member of the NHASCD and communicate focus issues to the board and the members.
Section 8: The Communications Committee shall ensure that news of the Association’s activities is made available to both the membership and the public at large through communication vehicles to include, but are not limited to, the Webmaster, the Newsletter Editor, and the Listserv Manager. The listserv is restricted to member communications of a non-commercial nature
ARTICLE VI
Ad-hoc Committees
Section 1: The President shall, with the approval of the Executive Board, appoint ad-hoc committees as needed to further the purposes of the Association. Chairpersons of ad-hoc committees shall serve as regular members of the Governing Board.
ARTICLE VII
Affiliations
Section 1: Affiliations with other organizations shall be determined by the Governing Board. All such affiliations shall be reviewed annually by the Governing Board for the purposes of re-affiliation or termination.
ARTICLE VIII
Continuity
Section 1: In order to assure the active continuation of NHSLMA as an Association of value to our members, we will invite two persons to serve as “at large members” in the hope that they will learn the procedures and policies of the board and potentially serve on the board in the future.
