Texas Chapter of the Music Library Association

Constitution
(1976, rev. 2004)

Article I: Name

This organization shall be known as the Texas Chapter of the Music Library Association, Inc.

Article II: Purposes

A. The purposes of the chapter shall be:

1. To encourage the establishment, use, and growth of music libraries and collections of music and musical literature in libraries within the state of Texas.

2. To facilitate exchange of information regarding availability and diffusion of musical materials in Texas libraries; to foster the sharing of these resources; and in pursuance of these aims, to initiate projects for the publication of such information.

3. To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and discussion of problems regarding all aspects of work with music materials.

B. The chapter is a non-stock, non-profit organization operated exclusively for said purposes. No part of the net earnings of the chapter shall inure to the benefit of any individual. No officer or member shall, as such receive compensation for her/his services. All publication by the chapter shall be done in accordance with official MLA policy.

Article III: Membership

A. Eligibility.

1. Membership in this chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library Association, Inc. who reside in the state of Texas and other persons and institutions who reside in Texas and are interested in the objectives and activities of this chapter. Membership is effective upon payment of dues for the current year.

2. Classes of membership:

B. Dues.

1. The dues of all members shall be paid to the secretary- treasurer at each annual meeting.

2. The membership year shall be from October 1 to September 30

3. If a member's dues remain unpaid for one membership year, the membership shall be considered terminated.

4. To secure voting privileges members must have paid their dues for the current membership year.

C. Privileges.

1. Voting - each regular and student member shall be entitled to one vote at all business meetings or on official ballots.

2. Officers - any regular member may serve as an officer of the organization.

3. Committees - all regular and student members shall be eligible to serve on committees.

4. Publications - members in all classes shall be entitled to receive all publications of the chapter.

Article IV: Officers

A. Titles.

The elected officers shall be chair, vice- chair/chair-elect and a secretary-treasurer.

B. Duties of the officers.

1. The chair shall act as chief executive officer of the organization, shall conduct all its meetings, and represent its membership in an official capacity.

2. The vice-chair/chair-elect shall act as chief executive officer in the event that the chair is unable to serve. The secretary-treasurer shall record the minutes of the meetings of the chapter, conduct all its correspondence, and shall keep an accurate account of its incomes and expenditures. The secretary-treasurer shall present a yearly financial report to the chapter members at the annual meeting.

C. Eligibility.

1. Any regular member is eligible for election. Candidates must accept nomination before their names may appear on the ballot.

2. During their terms of service, the officers shall be members of the national Music Library Association.

D. Election and tenure.

1. At alternate annual meetings, the chair shall call upon a nominating committee to prepare a ballot of qualified candidates by the next meeting at which time nominations may be made from the floor.

2. Every two years, a new vice-chair/chair-elect and a secretary-treasurer shall be elected. The current vice-chair/chair-elect shall become the new chair.

3. The new chair and the newly elected officers shall take office at the end of the election meeting.

4. The term of office for all officers shall be two years. The vice-chair/chair-elect shall, by definition, succeed to the office of chair. The secretary-treasurer will serve for two years and may succeed herself/himself for one consecutive term.

E. Succession.

1. If any officer leaves office prior to the midpoint of her/his term, then the remaining officers shall make a temporary appointment until the next election. If any officer leaves office after the midpoint of her/his term, follow the rules stated below.

2. In the event that the chair is not able to serve her/his full term of office, the vice-chair/chair-elect will complete the term as chair. There will be no vice-chair/chair-elect until the next election.

3. If neither the chair nor the vice-chair can complete their terms, the member of the chapter who was most recently chair shall act as chief executive officer until the next election.

4. Should the secretary-treasurer be unable to complete her/his term of office, the chair shall make a temporary appointment until the next election.

Article V: Committees

A. The chapter chair may, in consultation with the chapter members, appoint committees as needed.

B. Membership on committees shall be open to all regular and student members of the chapter.

C. All committees shall have at least three members.

D. A quorum of a committee shall consist of a majority of its members provided the chair is present. Written approval by members of a committee shall constitute an affirmative vote.

E. The chapter chair may, in consultation with the committee chair, reappoint committee members as many times as necessary.

Article VI: Meetings

A. Regular meetings.

1. The place and time of each meeting shall be determined at the previous meeting.

2. Meetings shall be held if possible at the institution of one of the regular members.

3. A business meeting shall be held at each regular meeting of the chapter. The members of the chapter present shall constitute a quorum.

4. Notice of chapter meetings shall be mailed to all members by an officer at least 20 days in advance of the meeting.

B. Special meetings.

The chapter chair may call special meetings with at least thirty days notice. A special meeting may be called for the purposes of joint meetings with an organization in a related field.

Article VII: Amendments

A new constitution or amendments to this constitution and its by-laws may be proposed by any voting member and discussed at any regular meeting. A special committee may be appointed by the chairman to study the amendment or by-law. A copy of the proposed amendment or by-law must be submitted by mail to all of the regular voting members and is to be voted upon by mail ballot. A two-thirds majority of the membership is required to pass an amendment or a new constitution.

Article VIII: Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of this chapter, all of its assets and records shall be turned over to the Executive Board of the Music Library Association, Inc.

By-Laws

To Article III: Dues

Annual dues for all classes of membership shall be determined by the membership.

To Article VI: Meetings

The registration fee for each meeting shall be determined by, in consultation with the chapter chair, the local arrangements people for each annual meeting.

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Last Updated: August 12, 2004 11:49 PM