Bylaws of FLAG

Fairfield County Library Administrators Group

ARTICLE I — NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1

Name: The name of the organization shall be Fairfield County Library Administrators Group (FLAG). It shall be a membership organization.

Section 2

Purpose: FLAG is organized exclusively for charitable, social, and professional education purposes.

The purpose of this organization is:

• to provide opportunities for administrators of member libraries to meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual professional concern
• to present programs and speakers of on topics of general interest to librarians and library administrators
• to provide scholarships to employees of member libraries who are pursuing degrees in Library Science
• to create a welcoming and supportive social network for and among members

ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP

Section 1

Eligibility for membership: Application for membership shall be open to administrators (defined as directors and assistant directors, or equivalent) of public, academic, school, and special libraries in the State of CT. Additionally, member administrators who have retired, relocated, or have become temporarily unemployed may apply to (1) become Lifetime Members, (2) for 12 months only, to retain their membership based upon individual payment of annual dues or (3) remain on the active membership list for three months following separation by providing the secretary with personal contact information. Removal from the active member list will take place after three months if choices 1 or 2 have not been optioned during that period. Membership is granted after receipt of payment of annual dues (or in the case of Lifetime Members, payment of a single lifetime membership fee).

Section 2

Annual dues: The amount required for annual dues shall be designated each year by a majority vote of the members at an Annual Meeting of members. If no vote is taken, the amount shall remain the same as the previous year. Continued membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues.

Section 3

Rights of members: Administrators of each member library and lifetime members shall be eligible to cast a vote in organization elections.

Section 4

Resignation and termination: Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the Secretary. Resignation shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues, or other charges previously accrued. A member can have his or her membership terminated by a two-thirds vote of the membership.

Section 5

Non-voting membership: The board shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership.

ARTICLE III — MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

Section 1

Regular meetings: Regular meetings of the members shall be held monthly, at a time and place designated by the membership in September, based upon the recommendation of the Program Committee presented in the month of August.

Section 2

Annual Meeting: An Annual Meeting of the members shall take place in the month of June, the specific date, time and location of which will be designated in September by the membership, based upon the recommendation of the Program Committee. At the Annual Meeting the members shall elect officers based upon a slate presented by the Nominating Committee in May, receive reports on the activities of the organization, and determine the direction and goals of the organization for the coming year.

Section 3

Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the President, the Executive Committee, or a simple majority of the members. A petition signed by five percent of voting members may also call a special meeting.

Section 4

Notice of meetings: Notice of each meeting shall be given to each voting member, by mail or email, not less than one week prior to the meeting.

Section 5

Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Section 6

Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those member libraries present at the meeting in which the vote takes place. If two or more staff members from the same library are present, only one vote shall be cast for that library.

Section 7

Guests: Members may invite guests from staff to attend individual programs as appropriate. In addition, for annual social functions, the membership will make an effort to invite former FLAG members.

ARTICLE IV — OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section 1

Officer responsibilities: The four officers of the organization shall fulfill the following tasks among other responsibilities that may be requested by the members.

• President
  • shall convene regularly scheduled meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the Executive Committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer
  • shall set the agenda for upcoming meetings
  • shall name the chairs of standing committees (Nominating, Program, Scholarship)

• Vice President
  • shall chair committees on special subjects as designated by the members
• Secretary
  • shall be responsible for keeping records of organization actions
  • shall be responsible for the taking of minutes at all meetings
  • shall correspond for the organization when necessary
  • shall send out monthly meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each member
  • shall keep a current email list of members and assure that a permanent set of the organization’s non-financial records are maintained
• Treasurer
  • shall make a financial report at each board meeting that includes revenue and expense recognized during the previous month and a statement of cash balance
  • shall present a budget at the September meeting of members and a reconciliation of actual to budget at the Annual Meeting in June
  • shall maintain in good order the financial records and accounts of the organization
  • shall be responsible for the timely collection of dues and fees and payment of all bills, honoraria, and scholarships
  • shall file all applications and reports that shall be required by government entities

Section 2

Terms: All officers shall serve one-year terms, but are eligible for re-election for up to two consecutive terms.

Section 3

Officer elections: Officers shall be elected or re-elected by the voting members at the Annual Meeting of the members in June. Officers will be elected by a simple majority of members present at the Annual Meeting.

Section 4

Election procedures: A Nominating Committee shall be responsible for nominating a slate of officers. In addition, any member can nominate a candidate to the slate of nominees. All voting members will be eligible to vote for each candidate for office.

Section 5

Officer vacancies: When a vacancy on the Executive Committee occurs mid-term, the Secretary must receive nominations for new members from present members two weeks in advance of the next meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to members with the regular meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next meeting. These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular officer’s term.

Section 6

Officer resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from an officer’s position must be tendered in writing and received by the Secretary. Officers may be terminated from their position due to excess absences or non-performance of responsibilities upon a three-fourths vote of members.

ARTICLE V — COMMITTEES

Section 1

Committee formation: The President shall appoint all committee chairs. Committee chairs can then name committee members and preside over committee meetings. Standing Committees include the Executive, Nominating, Program, and Scholarship committees. Other committees may be convened and disbanded by the members on an Ad Hoc basis.

Section 2

Standing committees:

• Executive Committee: The four officers plus the immediate past President serve as the members of the Executive Committee. In the event that the immediate past President is no longer employed by a member library then the previous past President will serve. Except for the power to amend the bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have all the powers and authority of the members in the intervals between meetings of the board of directors, and is subject to the direction and control of the membership.
• Nominating Committee: Three members who are not officers shall serve as members of the Nominating Committee to select and nominate a slate of officers at the May meeting of the organization. These nominations will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting of the organization in June.
• Program Committee: Several (an unspecified number of) members of the organization who are interested in planning the meeting places and professional development programs for the coming year shall serve as members of the Program Committee. They convene in August to put together a draft schedule for the year to be presented at the September meeting for membership approval. Included in the draft will be names of members responsible for securing the meeting/luncheon sites and speakers.
• Scholarship Committee: Several (an unspecified number of) members of the organization who are interested in awarding FLAG scholarships at the spring Connecticut Library Conference shall serve as members of the Scholarship Committee. The Committee Chair is responsible for updating the FLAG scholarship application and making it available specifically for action to member libraries and generally for the information of the Connecticut library community at large. Applications distributed to all committee members will be considered and voted upon prior to the March meeting and then nominated by the membership so that successful candidates may be notified and registered for the Conference in a timely fashion.

ARTICLE VI — AMENDMENTS

Section 1

Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds majority vote of the member libraries (only 1 vote per member library). Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular meeting announcements.

Revised and approved: October 12, 2016, Margaret Borchers, Secretary

A copy of these Bylaws will be maintained in the official record of the organization by the Secretary.