Proposed Feb. 5, 2016

ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this Corporation shall be the Law Library Association of Maryland, Inc. (LLAM), a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).

ARTICLE II. Object

The Corporation is established for educational, informational and scientific purposes. It shall be conducted to promote library and information services, to develop and increase the usefulness of law libraries, to cultivate the science of law librarianship, to provide leadership in the field of legal information, and to foster a spirit of cooperation among the members of the profession.

ARTICLE III. Membership

1. Any person who is interested in the objectives of the Corporation may become a member of the Corporation by qualifying under the provisions of one of the classes of membership. There shall be five classes of membership:

A. Active member. Any person who is interested in the objectives of the Corporation may become a member upon payment of annual dues.

B. Institutional member. Any library or information center with a legal and/or government publications collection may become an institutional member upon payment of annual dues. Persons designated under an institutional membership shall be in all respects the equivalent of active members. The Membership Committee is empowered to determine whether the institution applying for membership is a library or information center with a legal and/or government publications collection. The denial of membership applications by the Membership Committee may be appealed to the Board of Trustees.

C. Honorary member. The Corporation may, at any regular meeting, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, of those present and voting, elect members or nonmembers as honorary members. Honorary members shall not pay dues.

D. Student member. Any person who is enrolled in any degree program related to law librarianship may become a student member upon approval by the Membership Committee and payment of annual dues. The dues for student members shall be set at 50% of the dues for active individual members.

E. Retired member. Any person who has retired from at least five years of active membership in a law library association may become a retired member upon approval by the Membership Committee and payment of dues equal to 50 % of active member dues.

2. Dues, rights and privileges.

A. The right to vote, to hold office, and to serve as committee chairpersons shall be restricted to active members, institutional designees, student members and retired members.

B. Subject to the provisions of Article III, Section 1, dues for each class of membership shall be determined by the Board of Trustees, subject to approval by a majority of the members present and voting at any regular meeting provided that a written notice and all explanations of the proposed dues change shall have been communicated to the members at least 21 days in advance of the meeting. The notice and explanations may be communicated by e-mail. Electronic balloting is an acceptable method of conducting the vote.

C. Membership dues paid by an institution can be transferred or assigned by the institution. Membership dues paid by an individual cannot be transferred or assigned. Dues are not refundable.

D. The membership year and the fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on June 1. If a member fails to pay dues by October 1, the rights of membership are suspended until dues are paid. The Board of Trustees may authorize prorated dues.

ARTICLE IV. Meetings

1. An annual business meeting of the Corporation shall be held in May at such time and place as the Board of Trustees shall designate. Additional meeting dates may be fixed by the Board of Trustees as necessary.

2. Members shall be notified of all meetings by publication on the Corporation’s website, or by print or electronic mail, at least ten (10) days in advance of the meeting.

3. Quorum requirements. A quorum for a business meeting of the Corporation shall consist of ten members at that meeting. For purposes of a quorum, members attending the business meeting remotely (for example, by conference call) will be counted toward the total required for a quorum.

4. Voting. The affairs of the Corporation shall be conducted by the majority vote of members present and voting, including those members attending remotely, unless otherwise provided in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE V. Parliamentary Authority

The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all deliberations of the Corporation when not in conflict with its Bylaws and any special rules of order the Corporation may adopt.

ARTICLE VI. Officers
1. The officers shall consist of a President, a Vice-President/President-Elect, Treasurer, and a Secretary. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall be elected annually by the Corporation and shall duly succeed to the office of the President. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected in alternating two-year terms, with the exception that in the election immediately following the adoption of this Bylaw Amendment, the Treasurer shall be elected for two years and the Secretary for a one year term.
2. Duties of Officers. The duties of the officers shall be those assigned to them by these Bylaws, the Board of Trustees, and by the parliamentary authority referenced in Article V.
3. In accordance with the Bylaws of the American Association of Law Libraries, any President of the Corporation must also be a member of AALL.
4. Elected officers shall assume office on June 1.
5. If the Vice-President/President-Elect resigns or succeeds to the office of President before March 1, a special election for the office of Vice-President/President-Elect shall be held according to Article IX, with the exceptions that the nominating committee shall submit to the Secretary at least one candidate no later than twenty-one (21) days after the succession of the President or the resignation of the Vice- President/President-Elect and that the special election ballot shall be distributed to members no later than thirty (30) days after the succession of the President or the resignation of the Vice- President/President-Elect.

ARTICLE VII. Board of Trustees

1. There shall be a Board of Trustees consisting of the officers named in Article VI, Section 1, the immediate past President, and two (2) elected Directors. The term of office for Directors shall be for two years beginning June 1. Each Director shall be elected in alternate years, with the exception that in the election immediately following the adoption of these Bylaws there shall be two Directors elected, one of whom shall serve for a term of one year.

2. Duties. The Board of Trustees shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Corporation between its meetings, fix the time and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Corporation and perform other duties as specified by these Bylaws or the parliamentary authority.

3. The Board of Trustees shall have the power to fill any vacancy in an elected office except that of President and Vice-President/President-Elect. Any person so elected by the Board is to serve the unexpired term. In the case of the departure or resignation of the President of the Corporation before March 1, the Vice-President/President-Elect shall become President and shall serve as President until the end of the unexpired term of the departing or resigning President. In the case of the departure or resignation of the President of the Corporation after March 1, the Vice-President/President-Elect shall become President and serve until the end of his/her elected term.

4. The Board of Trustees shall meet as deemed necessary by the President to run the business of the Corporation.

5. The act of a majority of the Board of Trustees shall be the act of the Board of Trustees. Four members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. Members of the Board who are attending remotely shall be counted toward the total required for a quorum.

6. The Board of Trustees shall establish an annual budget.

ARTICLE VIII. Committees

The committees of the Corporation shall be of two classes:

1. Standing Committees and Special Committees. Standing Committees shall be those established for purposes requiring the continuous attention of the Corporation. Special Committees shall be established for a stated period to accomplish a specific purpose. At the end of the stated period, the continuation of each Special Committee shall be decided upon by the Board of Trustees.

2. Standing Committees may be created at any regular meeting of the Corporation by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting. There shall be such Special Committees as the Board of Trustees shall create. Special Committees may also be created by a majority vote of those present and voting at any meeting of the Corporation.

3. The President, with the advice and counsel of the Board of Trustees, shall appoint all Committee Chairpersons during his/her term of office.

4. Chairpersons of Standing Committees shall be appointed for terms of one year beginning June 1.

5. Each committee chairperson shall jointly with the President appoint the members of his/her committee to serve during his/her chairmanship. Committee chairpersons shall be active members, institutional designees, or student members. Any member of the Corporation may serve on a committee.

6. Terms of Office: All officers and members of the committees shall serve one year terms, with the option of reappointment.

7. Each committee shall maintain a file of its activities and submit a written annual report to the Board of Trustees.

8. No committee shall incur expenses on behalf of the Corporation except as authorized by the Board of Trustees, nor shall any committee commit the Corporation by any declaration of policy.

ARTICLE IX. Nominations and Elections

1. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least three members, one of whom shall be a past President of the Corporation, and designate one member as Chairperson.

2. The Nominating Committee shall submit to the Secretary at least 30 days prior to the annual business meeting at least one candidate each for the offices. Members of the Nominating Committee shall not submit themselves as candidates. Additional nominations may be made by any member in good standing of the Corporation by communicating such nomination to the Secretary in writing, endorsed by the signatures of at least three members of the Corporation in good standing, at least 30 days prior to the annual business meeting. The Committee shall obtain the written acceptance of each candidate prior to the election. Names of candidates, together with their biographies shall be presented to the membership with the official ballot prepared by the Secretary.

3. Election shall be held by secret ballot. Electronic balloting is an acceptable method of conducting the election. At least twenty-one (21) days prior to the annual business meeting, the Secretary shall send a copy of the ballot to each voting member of the Corporation. All completed ballots must be returned to the Secretary at least 7 days prior to the annual business meeting in order to be counted. The Secretary shall verify and count the ballots. The candidates receiving a plurality of votes shall be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote for any office, the winner shall be determined by lot conducted by the Secretary.

4. Election results shall be reported at the annual business meeting and shall be published on the LLAM Blog following the elections.

ARTICLE X. Amendment of Bylaws

1. Amendments or changes to the Bylaws shall be proposed by the Board of Trustees or by petition signed by no fewer than ten percent (10%) of members of the Corporation. The number of members shall be based on the total members at the start of the Corporation’s current fiscal year.

2. These Bylaws may be changed by a simple majority of the votes cast by mail or electronic ballot conducted by the Secretary. In case of a tie, a majority vote by the Board of Trustees will break the tie.

3. Notice of proposed amendments or changes to the bylaws shall be provided to members or published on the LLAM Blog at least 30 days prior to the mailing of ballots.

4. Amendments of the bylaws shall be submitted to the AALL Bylaws and Resolutions Committee by the Secretary after approval by members.

ARTICLE XI. Anti-Discrimination

Membership in the Corporation or participation in any activity of the Corporation shall not be denied or abridged to any individual on account of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

STATEMENT REGARDING VENDOR SUPPORT

To assist with the expenses of carrying out its professional mission, the Law Library Association of Maryland (LLAM) accepts and appreciates donations from vendors, with the understanding that acceptance of such support neither serves as an endorsement by LLAM of said vendors’ products or services nor creates an obligation for LLAM members to purchase or use said vendors’ products or services.