Proposal 1: Regulation of Officer/Committee Chair Terms

This change will standardize the length of terms for officers and committee chairs. Terms will start on July 1st, decoupling the start of terms from the spring meeting date. Proposed additions are in red. Strikethrough text will be excluded from the new version of the by-laws.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

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.

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.

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.

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; maintain Chapter accounts and report on status of these accounts at each board meeting; prepare an annual budget; and perform duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be two years.

There shall be a Member-at-Large who shall act as liaison to relevant professional organizations in New England (such as the New England Library Association (NELA),the six state library associations, the New England chapter of ACRL (ACRL/NEC), and the New England chapter of the American Musicological Society) primarily to promote information exchange and outreach. The Member-at-Large shall also serve as Chair of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be two years.

There shall be a Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Officer who shall be responsible for leading the chapter’s EDIJ efforts. The EDIJ Officer shall also serve as Chair of the EDIJ Committee. The term of office shall be two years.

The Board may appoint non-voting, special officers for a two year term of service renewable at the board’s discretion.  Except when otherwise specified, special officers may serve no more than four consecutive years.

 A) All officers shall be members in good standing of the Chapter. B) The Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be members of the national association.

Terms of office shall commence immediately following the Spring meeting on July 1st.

No officer shall be eligible for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

ARTICLE VIII. A. COMMITTEES

1. The Standing Committees shall be the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Instruction Committee, the Publications Committee, the Technical Services Committee, the Education & Outreach Committee, and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Committee. Except when otherwise specified, committee chairs and members may serve no more than two consecutive terms. Service as a member does not preclude subsequent service as chair for two additional terms. Members may be reappointed after being off a committee for one year. The start of term for incoming committee chairs is July 1st.

Reason for changes:

The amount of time that the Vice Chair/Chair Elect (de facto Program Committee Chair) has to plan for the fall meeting varies from year to year, depending on the date of the spring meeting. This ranges from 3-9 months. 

Proposal 2:  Fall Meeting Location

This addition to the by-laws will require NEMLA to hold at least one virtual meeting per year. Proposed additions in red:

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. The fall meeting shall be virtual. The spring meeting may be virtual, hybrid, or in-person. 
4. Meetings shall be called by the Executive Board with at least two weeks’ notice.
5. A quorum shall consist of a majority of members present at any meeting.
6. The Executive Board shall determine appropriate honoraria for guest presenters at the meetings; NEMLA members do not receive honoraria for presenting.

Reasons for changes:

Virtual meetings align with our organization’s purpose to “bring together […] all persons in the region interested in music libraries…”

A majority of members indicated a preference for an online option at NEMLA meetings in a recent survey. 

Virtual meetings allow for a greater number of attendees from the New England area, in particular students and library staff who would not be able to attend in person due to geographical distance or financial constraints. Mandating that at least one meeting occur virtually is a step toward equitable representation and inclusion of these members. This would differ from mandating a hybrid meeting, because remote attendees would not be able to engage equally with in-person meeting activities.

Planning for a virtual meeting requires considerably less lead time. The planning of a virtual meeting for the fall will allow for much more flexibility in the choosing of a date for the meeting and will ease the workload of the incoming Vice Chair/Chair Elect. 

Proposal 3: Virtual Voting Procedure

This addition to the by-laws will require that elections and voting for changes to the by-laws occur virtually, rather than in person. 

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 submitted returned by mail to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.
3. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall break a tie.
4. Voting for officers shall take place virtually.

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 fordiscussion 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 submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.
4. Voting for changes to by-laws shall take place by virtual ballot.

Reasons for changes:

It is already common practice for voting to occur virtually, but this convention is not stated in the by-laws. 

A virtual ballot allows for greater participation of members who are unable to attend in-person meetings.