MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Atlantic Chapter CONSTITUTION
October 1998

Article I: NAME

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

Article II: PURPOSES

The purposes of the Chapter shall be:
1. To promote the establishment and growth of music libraries and collections of music and musical materials in the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
2. To initiate and encourage activities aiming to improve the organization, administration, contents, and services of such libraries and collections; and in pursuance of these aims, to cooperate with each other, with others in the music profession, as well as institutions and organizations in related fields.
3. To bring together for exchange of ideas and discussions of problems all persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections, and to stimulate professional activities among the members.

Article III: MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership in this chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library Association, Inc. and to persons actively engaged in library work or having an interest in the stated purposes of the Chapter.
2. Persons eligible for membership shall be considered members upon payment of annual dues.
3. Only members in good standing shall be entitled to vote at business meetings of the Chapter or on official ballots.
4. Membership dues shall be specified in the By-laws.

Article IV: OFFICERS

1. In any given term, the officers of the Chapter shall be a Chair, either a Chair Elect or Past Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer.
2. The officers shall be elected by the members of the Atlantic Chapter from a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee.
3. Elections will be held every second year at the fall meeting to fill the positions of Chair Elect and Secretary-Treasurer. The Chair Elect shall assume office immediately following the election. The Secretary-Treasurer shall assume office January 1 following the election or, in case of vacancy, as soon as is practicable. (The outgoing Secretary-Treasurer shall continue until December 31 and assist in preparing the Secretary-Treasurer Elect for office.)
4. The elected officers shall constitute the Executive Board and shall be the governing body. The Executive Board shall be responsible for authorizing expenditures, effecting the stated purposes of the Chapter and shall initiate such activities as are appropriate.

Article V: MEETINGS

1. The Chapter shall hold at least one meeting during the fall each year, at a place which shall be determined by the Executive Board of the Chapter in consultation with the Program Committee Chair and the host of the meeting. When feasible, meetings shall be scheduled concurrently with those of a state library or other professional association.
2. Members shall be notified not less than thirty (30) days in advance of regular meetings.
3. One session of each regular Chapter meeting shall be devoted to a business meeting at which the Chair shall preside.
4. The members of the Chapter present shall constitute a quorum.
5. The Executive Board shall be empowered to represent the Chapter at meetings of organizations in related fields and at its discretion to call a general meeting of the Chapter for the purpose of joint meetings with such organizations.
6. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board with at least one month’s notice.

Article VI: COMMITTEES

1. The Standing committees shall be the Nominating, Program, Membership, and Communications Committees.
2. Special committees may be created by the Executive Board. The terms of office for such committees shall be fixed by the
Executive Board.

Article VII: DISSOLUTION

In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter, any assets remaining shall be turned over to the Board of Directors of the Music Library Association, Inc.

Article VIII: AMENDMENTS
1. The Constitution may be amended at any regular business meeting by a vote of two-thirds of the members voting. The text of the amendment and a ballot shall be circulated to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the voting takes place.
2. The By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of the members voting. Voting may occur by online balloting, in person at any regular business meeting, by mail, or through any combination of the above. The text of the amendment and a ballot shall be circulated to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the voting takes place. The text and ballot will be distributed electronically, but any member may request paper copies.
3. When voting on Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws is to take place at a regular business meeting, ballots may be presented at the time of the voting at the meeting or they may be returned by mail to the Secretary-Treasurer before the meeting.
4. Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws may be proposed by the Executive Board or any three members of the Chapter. Proposals originating with groups of members shall be presented in writing to the Executive Board at least thirty (30) days before the meeting at which the proposal is to be considered.

BY-LAWS

By-law I: MEMBERSHIP
1. The annual dues shall be set by the Executive Board for all members.
2. The dues shall be paid to the Secretary-Treasurer. All checks shall be made payable to the Music Library Association, Atlantic Chapter, and forwarded to the Secretary-Treasurer.
3. The dues shall be payable at or before the fall meeting. New members who join at mid-year (i.e., March 1 or thereafter) shall pay one-half the full membership amount.
4. Members in good standing, i.e., those with current dues paid, shall be entitled to vote at Chapter meetings or by mailed ballot.
5. If a member’s dues remain unpaid for one year, the membership may be considered terminated.
6. Application for membership shall be addressed to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Chapter.

By-law II: OFFICERS

A. Nomination and Election Procedures

1. The Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of no fewer than three members, only one of whom may be a member of the Executive Board. The Chair shall designate one member to serve as chairperson of the Nominating Committee.
2. Not later than sixty (60) days before the fall meeting every second year, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Chapter Chair the names of nominees for each office, together with a written statement from each nominee informing the committee that he/she will serve if elected.
3. Candidates for Chair Elect shall be members of the national Association.
4. Candidates for Secretary-Treasurer shall be members in good standing of the Chapter.
5. Not later than thirty (30) days before the fall meeting every second year, the Nominating Committee will distribute to all Chapter members ballots containing the names of all properly nominated candidates. Ballots may be cast electronically if online balloting is provided by the Nominating Committee. Any member may request a paper ballot. Members may return paper ballots by mail to a designated member of the Nominating Committee if they so desire, or submit them to said designee at the start of the fall meeting. The voting process will be confidential.
6. At the fall business meeting every second year the candidate receiving the majority of the total votes cast will be considered elected to the office for which s/he is nominated. If no majority is reached on the first ballot, balloting will be continued among the members present at the meeting until the final decision is reached. In the event that more than one ballot is required, the name of the candidate receiving the smallest number of votes in one ballot shall be withdrawn before the next ballot.
7. Votes shall be counted by members of the Nominating Committee, who shall report the results to the Executive Board.

B. Terms of Office and Succession

1. The Chair Elect will serve for one year before assuming the office of Chair for two years and then serving for one year as Past Chair.
2. The Secretary-Treasurer will serve a term of two years.
3. The elected officers shall serve until their respective successors are elected.
4. The Chair Elect/Chair/Past Chair shall not be elected to successive terms; the Secretary-Treasurer shall not be elected to more than two successive terms of office.
5. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair Elect shall accede to the office of Chair and shall serve out the unexpired term of that office as well as the following term, and the Executive Board shall appoint a Vice-Chair who shall serve out the unexpired term of that office but shall not accede to the office of the Chair at the beginning of the next term.
6. Appointments of persons to fill vacancies occurring in the Secretary-Treasurer office may be made by the Executive Board to serve until the next election.

C. Duties of the Officers

1. The Chair shall preside at all meetings, appoint committee chairs, call meetings of the Chapter or Executive Board as required, and perform the duties customary to this office. She/He shall file a report annually with the Executive Secretary of the National Association, outlining the Chapter activities and listing the officers and members of the Chapter.
2. The Chair Elect shall act as chief executive officer in the event of the Chair’s inability to serve and shall be Program Committee Chair.
3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record the minutes of the Business meetings and Executive Board meetings and preserve all official records and reports of the Chapter, collect dues and make authorized expenditures, prepare the financial report for the annual business meetings, notify the members of all meetings at least four weeks in advance, keep an up-to-date membership list, conduct correspondence relating to membership and finances, and other correspondence as directed by the Chair.

By-law III: COMMITTEES

1. Committees shall consist of not fewer than three members.
2. The Chapter Chair shall appoint chairs of all committees except the Program Committee.
3. Except when otherwise specified, the appointed chairs will choose their own committee members.
4. Except when otherwise specified, committee chairs may serve no more than two consecutive years.
5. The duty of the Program Committee shall be to prepare the program of the meeting for which it is appointed. One member of the Committee shall be from the locality where the meeting is to be held.
6. The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be to nominate the officers designated in Article IV in the manner specified in the by-laws to Article IV. Preferably, the members of the Committee shall represent different geographical areas within the Chapter.
7. The duties of the Membership Committee shall be to initiate plans for attracting new members to the Association and Chapter and it shall be responsible for their implementation.
8. The Communications Committee shall facilitate communication among Chapter members through the Chapter website, e-mail distribution list, blog, or other appropriate channels.

Revised February 2020