Music Library Association
New England Chapter By-laws

last amended October 6, 1979
last revised July 8, 2002

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ARTICLE I. NAME

This organization shall be known as the New England Chapter of the Music Library Association.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

The purpose of this chapter shall be:

1. To bring together for exchange of ideas and discussion of problems all persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections, and to stimulate professional activities among the members.
2. To initiate and encourage studies aiming to improve the organization, administration, and contents of such libraries and collections.
3. To endeavor to establish communication with libraries not affiliated with the Music Library Association to determine how the Chapter may be meaningful to the individual library.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

1. Membership in this Chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library Association and persons and institutions interested in the activities and objectives of this Chapter.
2. Full membership is granted upon payment of annual dues to the Secretary/Treasurer. The membership year shall be from September 1 to August 31.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

1. There shall be a Chair who shall preside at all meetings, appoint committees (see Article VIII for exception), and perform the duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be one year, after which the Chair shall succeed to the office of Past-Chair.
2. There shall be a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect who shall be responsible for programs and perform the duties of the Chair in the latter's absence. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall also serve as an ex-officio member of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be one year, after which the Vice-Chair shall succeed to the office of Chair.
3. There shall be a Past-Chair who shall appoint and chair the Nominating Committee and perform other duties as necessary. The term of office shall be one year.
4. There shall be a Secretary/Treasurer who shall record the minutes of all meetings and preserve all official records and reports of the Chapter; notify the members of all meetings at least two weeks in advance; keep an up-to-date membership list; conduct any correspondence of the Chapter as may be required; collect dues; make authorized expenditures; prepare with the Fiscal Officer an annual budget; and perform duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be two years.
5. There shall be a Member-at-Large who shall act as liaison to the New England chapters of the American Musicological Society, College Music Society, American Library Association, and other such relevant organizations, primarily to promote information exchange. The Member-at-Large shall also serve as Chair of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be two years.
6. 1. All officers shall be members in good standing of the Chapter.
   2. The Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be members of the national association.
7. Terms of office shall commence immediately following the Spring meeting.
8. No officer shall be eligible for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS

1. Officers shall be elected by a plurality of the ballots cast.
2. Ballots shall be distributed to members at least four weeks before the Spring business meeting. Ballots shall be returned by mail to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.
3. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall break a tie.

ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS

1. There shall be a minimum of two meetings a year.
2. There shall be a business meeting in the Spring of each year.
3. Meetings shall be called by the Executive Board with at least two weeks' notice.
4. A quorum shall consist of a majority of members present at any meeting.

ARTICLE VII. EXECUTIVE BOARD

There shall be an Executive Board consisting of the elected officers and the retiring Chair. All are voting members of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES AND ROUNDTABLES

ARTICLE VIII.A. COMMITTEES

1. The Standing Committees shall be the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Membership Committee, the Publications Committee, and the Education & Outreach Committee.
1. Nominating Committee
   1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least three members, appointed and chaired by the Past-Chair, and shall present to the Executive Board a slate of candidates for office at least six weeks before the Spring business meeting.
   2. Members of this Committee may not serve for consecutive terms.
   3. All candidates for office shall be members in good standing of the Chapter and shall fulfill all other eligibility requirements as set forth in Article IV.
2. The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-Chair. The committee shall consist of three additional members who are appointed by the Chair on a rotating basis each serving a 1 1/2 year (i.e., three-meeting) term. The composition of the committee must reflect the interests of both technical and public services for both public and academic library sectors.
3. The Membership Committee shall be appointed by the Chair and shall work toward the expansion of the Chapter. Its activities should involve close coordination with other chapter functions such as programming and publications and should utilize the diverse membership of NEMLA. Its membership shall consist of a representative from each of the following areas:
   • a public library
   • an academic library
   • a radio or TV station or other special library
   • the student body of a library science program offering the MLS
   • the Chair appointed by the Chapter Chair, for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of reappointment to no more than one succeeding term.
4. The Publications Committee shall be appointed by the Chair and shall oversee all publications activities in accordance with the Chapter Publications Policy of the national association. The Chair shall be appointed for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of reappointment of no more than one succeeding term.
5. The purpose of the Education & Outreach Committee shall be to devise and coordinate activities related to professional and continuing education for music librarianship within the New England region, by:
   • Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs which generally deal with topics in greater depth or with a stronger emphasis on practicality than in the general sessions of the semi-annual meetings.
   • Investigating, developing, and providing education initiatives to groups which fall outside of, but which are related to, NEMLA by presenting workshops on the basic precepts of music librarianship through the sponsorship of library schools or other regional library associations and councils. Target groups might include professional librarians working with music materials who are not members of NEMLA, library paraprofessionals working with music materials, and other groups not presently identified. The committee should determine how NEMLA's mission can be promoted within the region through representation at regional library meetings (e.g. NELA, ACRL New England), career fairs (e.g. Simmons, Berklee College of Music), NELINET meetings, or state library association meetings in the region.
   • Working with the Chair of the Membership Committee to ensure that NEMLA membership options are promoted at outreach events. The Education & Outreach Committee shall be chaired by the Member-at-Large. The Chair of the Membership Committee and Program Chair shall be ex-officio members of the committee. Two additional committee members shall be appointed by the NEMLA Chair. Members should represent a broad spectrum of library professional and paraprofessional staff from public, academic, and special libraries, from as many of the New England states as possible.
2. Other committees may be appointed by the Chair as deemed necessary.

ARTICLE VIII.B. ROUNDTABLES

1. Definition: Roundtables are assemblies of members of the chapter that convene at the chapter's semi-annual meetings to exchange ideas on topics not specifically addressed by the standing committees of the chapter. Each roundtable is led by a Coordinator appointed by the NEMLA Chair, in consultation with the Board. Coordinators shall be appointed for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of reappointment for no more than one succeeding term. Normally there are no other officers and no specified membership.
2. Authorization: the NEMLA Chair may authorize the establishment of a roundtable for a period of four years after receiving letters of support from three members of the chapter identifying a common area of concern. Renewal of the authorization for additional four-year periods requires two letters of support. The letters are due to the Chair by Aug. 31 of the year of expiration. Roundtable authorizations expire Dec. 31. A roundtable may be dissolved by the Chair if it appears that it no longer serves a need or that its work could be carried on more effectively by a committee of the chapter. If a roundtable fails to have a minimum attendance of four participants for two consecutive years, that roundtable shall be retired.
3. Activities: All roundtables hold two meetings a year convened by the Coordinator during the semi-annual meetings of the chapter. Roundtable meetings and other roundtable activities may be announced in the NEMLA newsletter and listed in the programs of the semi-annual meeting. Roundtables are encouraged to participate in developing programs for NEMLA meetings.

ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern this Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable.

ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION

In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter the records of its activities and its assets, if any, shall become the property of the national organization of the Music Library Association.

ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote according to the following procedures and conditions:

1. Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration at least eight weeks before the meeting of the Chapter at which it is requested that the proposal be presented.
2. Upon approval by the Executive Board texts of the proposed amendments shall be distributed to Chapter members at least four weeks before presentation for discussion at the meeting.
3. Ballots and texts as revised at the meeting shall be distributed to chapter members in a timely manner, generally in the next issue of the chapter newsletter. Ballots shall be returned by mail to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.

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