Bylaws

Suncoast Information Specialists Bylaws

I. Name

The name of this association shall be Suncoast Information Specialists.

II. Purpose

The purpose of the association is to provide an open forum for the communication and discussion of mutual concerns and the exchange of ideas in information management and dissemination.

III. Goals and Objectives

The basic goals and objectives of the association are to:

Encourage information exchange;

Provide continuing education opportunities;

Encourage resource sharing; and,

Serve as liaison to other organizations.

IV. Membership

Section 1. Eligibility

Membership is open to individuals interested in furthering the association's purpose. Membership will be defined as those subscribing to the SIS-LIST, SIS’s email list-serv (SIS-LIST@listserv.usf.edu).

Section 2. Official Year

The official year for conduct of the business of the association shall be from January 1 through December 31.

V. Meetings

Section 1. Regular meetings

Regular meetings of the association will be bi-monthly beginning with the second month of the official year of the association. There will be a minimum of five meetings per year, at the discretion of the presiding officer.

Meetings shall be held at varying locations.

The Program Committee Chair, in consultation with the President, shall determine the date and the location.

Notice of the time and place of each meeting will be announced to the members at least 20 business days prior to the meeting date.

A quorum will be those members present at the meeting. To vote, a person must be present at the meeting or be represented by a written, signed proxy or by electronic communication.

For electronic voting, the Secretary shall notify the members and verify their participation before sending the official item(s) and specific timetable for the voting procedure.

Section 2. Special meetings

The presiding officer must authorize special meetings of the association.

VI. Executive Board

The Executive Board consists of Officers, Directors, and Ex-officio members. All board members must be association members in good standing. All Officers and Directors have full voting rights on the Executive Board. The President can call Executive Board meetings throughout the year to conduct association business. The results of Executive Board meetings will be reported in the next regular meeting.

Section 1. Officers

The Officers of the Association are President, Vice-President/President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary and Treasurer. Terms of office begin at the start of the calendar year.

Upon election the Vice President/President Elect agrees to serve for three years as follows: year One as Vice President/President Elect, year two as President, and year three as Immediate Past President.

The Secretary is elected for a one-year term.

The Treasurer is elected for a two-year term.

The Immediate Past President serves as a voting member of the Executive Board.

Section 2. Directors

There are two directors on the Executive Board who each serve two-year terms. The Term of office for one Director begins at start of the even numbered calendar year and the term for the other director starts on an odd numbered year. Each director will get a vote on the Executive Board.

Section 3. Ex-officio, Non-voting Members

The Executive Board will select, from volunteers, other positions of responsibility, such as Newsletter Editor, Web Master, and List Owner. They can participate in all aspects of Executive Board meetings with the exception of voting.

VII. Officers / Executive Board Duties and Elections

The following officers will be elected and will have these duties.

President: The President presides at all Executive Board and members meetings; performs all other duties pertaining to the office; and shall appoint the official representative of the association.

Vice President/President-Elect (VP/PE): The VP/PE will assist the President and in the absence of the President will perform all duties of the office. The VP/PE is the Chair of the Program Committee and coordinates arrangements and programs for meetings. The VP/PE will succeed the President.

Secretary: The Secretary writes the minutes of the meeting; conducts correspondence as needed; and coordinates membership mailings as necessary. The Secretary oversees the voting process and collects, tallies and reports votes. The Secretary shall maintain a file of all policies and procedures promulgated by the association.

Treasurer: The Treasurer pays bills authorized by the Executive Board, keeps an account of receipts and expenditures and submits a financial report at meetings.

Directors: Directors serve as voting members of the Executive Board and may be assigned to serve on specific committees. Directors are responsible for communicating with members about organization activities and issues related to library service of all types.

Section 2. Executive Board

The Executive Board manages the business affairs of the Organization.

The Executive Board contracts for such services as deemed necessary to support the organization. The Executive Board shall fix and approve any compensation to be paid.

The Executive Board conducts business in-person or via electronic communications in accordance with established procedures. Such actions must be verified by the Executive Board by viewing the draft minutes and then made part of the official minutes of the next regular or special meeting of the Board.

Section 3. Elections

The officers will be elected by a majority of the votes received before or at the general meeting held during the month of October and shall be invested at the December meeting of that year, to take office January 1. All officers will serve until their successors are invested.

A slate of officers will be prepared by the nominating committee and presented to the membership 15 days prior to the October election meeting. The Nominating Committee may accept additional nominations from the floor before the vote is taken.

In the event an elected office is vacated for any reason, the Executive Board will select a replacement until the next official election.

VIII. Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees

The three standing committees of the association are the Program Committee, Scholarship committee and Nominating Committee.

Program Committee: The Program Committee is chaired by the Vice President/President-Elect and others members at the discretion of the Executive Board. The Committee responsibilities are to coordinate arrangements for programs presented at each meeting and to establish the time and location of each meeting in consultation with the President. The terms of office are one year.

Scholarship Committee: The Committee is composed of members appointed by the Executive Board at the beginning of the year. The committee establishes the deadline for and publicizes opportunities to apply for scholarships.

Nominating Committee: The Committee is composed members appointed by the Executive Board during the month of June. The Committee will serve until completion of their duties inherent in the presentation of the slate of candidates. The Chairman of the Committee is to be appointed by the Executive Board and the Secretary shall serve as the official for certifying vote count. The nominating committee will count the votes for the election.

Section 2. Ad-hoc Committees

Ad-hoc committees may be appointed by the Executive Board at the suggestion of the membership for specific duties for specified periods of time.

IX. Dissolution

Section 1.

SIS will be dissolved for either of the following reasons:

(a) Failure to maintain at least 20 members for two consecutive years.


(b) Vote by the TBLC Board of Directors.

Section 2.

If dissolved, any unspent funds of SIS will be returned to the general fund of TBLC.

X. Amendments

The text of any proposed amendment to these By-laws must be announced to the membership at least 20 working days prior to the regular meeting at which it is to be considered. A vote of two-thirds majority of a quorum must be attained to amend the By-laws.

Original release: Approved April 7, 1986

1st revision: Approved October 6, 1999

2nd revision: Approved October 24, 2012

3rd revision: Approved October 15, 2021