Health Association Libraries Section

The name of this organization shall be the Health Association Libraries Section, a Section of the Medical Library Association, Inc. The original name of this Section was the Medical Society Libraries Section. In 2001, this name was changed by the Section to Health Association Libraries Section, with approval by the Section Council and MLA Board of Directors.

The purpose of this Section shall be to represent within the Medical Library Association the interests of the librarians, staff, and clients of medical and health-related society and association libraries; and to serve as a forum for the interchange of ideas among these librarians.

All and only members of MLA may belong to this Section. Membership shall be open to all MLA members who are interested in medical and health-related society and association libraries.

A. Voting Members of this Section shall consist of all members. However, only Voting Members of the Medical Library Association shall be qualified to move or to vote on recommendations to the Section Council regarding MLA policies or actions, to vote on the selection of a candidate for the MLA Nominating Committee, or to vote on the selection of the Sectionā€™s officers.

A. Dues shall be determined by a majority vote of those present and eligible to vote at the Annual Business Meeting of the Section. Dues shall be assessed on an annual basis for the period of the calendar year. Section dues shall not exceed MLA membership dues for Regular Members.

C. If dues are unpaid by the end of the Annual Meeting, the dues shall be considered in arrears. Without further notice, the member shall be suspended from all rights and privileges.

B. The term of office of the Chair shall be one year as Chair-Elect, one year as Chair, and one year as Immediate Past Chair. No one may serve more than two successive terms as Chair-Elect/Chair/Immediate Past Chair.

D. The Immediate Past Chair and Chair shall represent the Section on Section Council. The Immediate Past Chair shall be the Voting Member of the Council. The term of office to the Section Council shall be two years, the first year in their role as Section Chair, and the second year in their role as Section Immediate Past Chair.

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 Section meetings and to represent the Section at all times and on all occasions not in conflict with any other officerā€™s defined duties and responsibilities, to serve as a member of Section Council, to submit an Annual Report to MLA Headquarters by the date requested, to ensure that all Section activities are in compliance with MLA Bylaws and regulations, 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 reappointed 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 organize Section Programming for the following year, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section.

C. The duties of the Immediate Past Chair shall be to represent the Section on the MLA Section Council by attending the meetings of the Council, to represent the Sectionā€™s interests during discussions, make motions, debate, and vote on Council issues on behalf of the Section, to transmit to the Council recommendations that have been approved by the Section, and to communicate Council business to the officers and membership of the Section. Additional duties of the Immediate Past Chair are to appoint a Nominating Committee to run the Section elections, to ensure that the election of new Section officers is run in compliance with Section and MLA Bylaws, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority 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 to the Section, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section.

C. Ballots shall be distributed by the Nominating Committee and returned to a member of the Nominating Committee in time for the results to be declared on or before February 15. A majority vote elects unless there are more than two candidates, then 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. When the Immediate Past Chair is unable to attend the Section Council meeting, the Section Chair may vote. When neither the Section Immediate Past Chair nor the Section Chair is able to attend the Section Council, a Section may appoint another Section officer as the proxy who will represent the Sectionā€™s interests during discussions, make motions, debate, and vote on Council issues on behalf of the Section. Appointment of a proxy must follow the guidelines developed by the Sectionā€™s Executive Board.

A. The name of one Voting Member of the Medical Library Association, chosen by the Nominating Committee, shall be submitted each year to the Section Council as a potential candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee by the date previously announced by the Council. 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 name 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. At least one meeting of the Section shall be called the ā€Annual Meeting.ā€¯ 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 Sectionā€™s Business Meeting shall be held during the same period and at the same location as the Associationā€™s Annual Meeting. No Section meetings shall be held at the same time that General Sessions or Business Sessions of the Associationā€™s Annual Meeting are conducted.

Five (5) of the Section members eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum of this Section.

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 all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section.

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 reappointed for a second term. The Chair shall have the discretion to terminate appointments.

The Section Chair may appoint such other special committees as are necessary with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.

Chairs of Committees shall be Voting Members of the Medical Library Association.

Each Committee shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Section Chair prior to the compilation of the Annual Section Report for submission to MLA Headquarters.

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.

The rules contained in the current edition of Robertā€™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 Business Meeting of the Section by a two-thirds vote of those attending, provided that the amendment has been submitted to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be taken.

Amended February 2002; Approved May 2002; Amended January 2006; Approved May 2006; Amended December 2008; Amended April 2009; Approved May 2009