Relevant Issues Section: A Section of the Medical Library Association, Inc.
(Revised 2002)
The name of this organization shall be the Relevant Issues Section, a Section of the Medical Library Association, Inc.
The purpose of this Section shall be to promote the educational, scientific, and professional growth of its members with emphasis on social issues.
All and only members of Medical Library Association (hereafter known as MLA) may belong to this Section.
A. Voting Members of this Section shall consist of all members, with only Voting Members of the Medical Library Association shall be qualified to move or to vote on the selection of the Section's Representative and Representative-Elect to the Section Council.
B. Officers of this Section shall be Voting Members of the Medical Library Association.
A. Dues shall be determined by a majority vote of those present and eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting of the Section. Section dues shall not exceed MLA membership dues for Regular Members.
B. Section dues shall be payable on joining the Section and thereafter at the same time as are Medical Library Association dues.
C. Dues shall be assessed on an annual basis for the period of the calendar year.
D. If dues are unpaid by March 1, the dues shall be considered in arrears and without further notice the member shall be suspended from all rights and privileges.
A. Elective Elected officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Chair-Designate, a Secretary-Treasurer, a Representative to Section Council, and a Alternate Representative-Elect to Section Council.
B. The terms of office of the Chair shall be 1 year as Chair-Elect, 1 year as Chair and 1 year as Immediate Past-Chair. No one may serve more than 1 successive term as Chair-Elect / Chair / Immediate Past-Chair.
C. The term of office of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be 2 years. An individual may not serve more than 2 successive terms as Secretary-Treasurer.
D. The terms of office of the Representative to the Section Council shall be three years: the first as Representative-Elect, the second and third as Representative, except that if the Representative's term be made shorter by action of the Council or the Bylaws of the Medical Library Association, the term will coincide with that action.
E. Elected officers shall take office at the close of the MLA Annual Meeting following their election and serve, unless they resign, die, become incapacitated, or are removed, until the close of the MLA Annual Meeting at the end of their terms of office or until their successors are elected and assume their duties.
A. The duties of the Chair shall be to preside over all meetings and to represent the Section at all times and on all occasions not in conflict with any other officer's defined duties and responsibilities, to develop annual objectives, and to submit and Annual Report to MLA Headquarters by the date requested, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section. A Parliamentarian may be appointed by the Chair to serve a term concurrent with that of the Chair. This person may be re-appointed to serve additional terms.
B. The duties of the Chair-Elect shall be to serve as Chair whenever the Chair is not able to do so, to plan the program at the annual meeting for that year, and to perform all other duties as prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section.
C. The duties of the Immediate Past-Chair shall be to serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee, and to perform all other duties as prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority of adopted by the Section.
D. The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be to be responsible for incoming and outgoing correspondence, to prepare minutes of all meetings, to receive and account for all monies due to the organization, to serve as chair of the Membership Committee and maintain the membership list for the Section and to perform all other duties as prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority of adopted by the Section.
E. The duties of the Representative to the Section Council shall be to represent the Section on the MLA Section Council by attending the meetings of the Council, to transmit to the Council recommendations that have been approved by the Section, to communicate Council business to the officers and membership of the Section.
F. The duties of the Alternate Representative-Elect to the Section Council shall be to attend the meetings of the Section Council, to serve as Representative whenever the Representative is unable to do so, to assume the office of Representative and serve out the unexpired term should the Representative become unable to complete the term of office.
A. The Nominating Committee shall prepare annually a slate of at least one nominee for each elective office whose term expires.
B. Ballots shall be distributed to the voting membership by the Nominating Committee at least 30 days prior to the Section's Annual Meeting and shall be received by the Nominating Committee by the date previously announced for counting ballots. Candidates shall be declared elected upon receiving a majority of the votes cast. Where there are more than two candidates, a plurality shall elect.
A. A vacancy arising in the office of Chair shall be filled by the Chair-Elect, who shall cease to be Chair-Elect, shall serve out the unexpired term of the Chair, and shall continue as Chair for the full succeeding term to which he or she was elected.
B. A vacancy arising in the office of Representative to the Section Council shall be filled by the Representative-Elect, who shall cease to be Representative-Elect, and shall serve out the unexpired term of the Representative.
C. A vacancy arising in any other elected office shall be filled by the Executive Board.
A. The name of one Voting Member of the Medical Library Association, chosen by the Executive Board, shall be submitted each year to the Section Council as a potential candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee; this submission shall be made to the Council before its final assembly at the MLA Annual Meeting. The potential candidate shall prepare a biographical statement and a signed statement of willingness-to-serve if elected as a member of the MLA Nominating Committee. This statement shall accompany the same submitted.
B. No person shall consent to being a potential candidate or a candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee who is already such a potential candidate or candidate from some other unit of the Medical Library Association; no candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee shall also be a candidate for an elective office of the Medical Library Association, or vice versa.
C. No one shall serve on the MLA Nominating Committee as a voting member for more than one term during a period of five years.
At least one meeting shall be held in each fiscal year. Additional meetings may be held. All meetings shall be held at a time and place convenient for members. Notice of all meetings shall be disseminated to the membership at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting date. The Section's Business Meeting shall be held during the same period and at the same location as the MLA's Annual Meeting. No Section meeting shall be held at the same time that General Sessions or Business Sessions of the Association's Annual Meeting are conducted.
Ten percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum of this Section.
The elected officers of this Section shall constitute the Executive Board.
The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of this Section between its business Meetings, fix the time and place of meetings, make recommendations to the membership, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the organization.
A. The Executive Board shall establish standing committees to consider matters of the Section that require continuity of attention by the members. The Executive Board shall recommend the name and size of each committee.
B. The Chair, in consultation with the Executive Board, shall designate and announce committee members and chairs in advance of the beginning of his or her term of office and when these appointments shall take effect. Unless otherwise approved by the Executive Board, members of standing committees shall be appointed for terms of two years, and may be re-appointed for a second term. The Chair shall have the discretion to terminate appointments.
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern this Section in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Section may adopt.
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Section by a two-thirds vote of those attending, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be taken.
In the event of dissolution of this Section, all liabilities and obligations shall be paid or adequate provision made for payment. Remaining assets shall revert to the MLA General Fund.
Relevant Issues Section
Last updated November 11, 2004