Library History Round Table Bylaws

library history round table

Revised July 2010 (incorporates 2010 Ballot Changes)

Article I — Membership and Dues

Members of the American Library Association in good standing may become members of the Round Table. Annual dues for members shall be $20 to be collected by the American Library Association through its regular membership channels. Annual dues for ALA members classified as student members shall be $5. Organization or corporate membership dues shall be $100.

Article II — Officers

Section 1 Chair

The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the Library History Round Table and shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the organization. The duties of the Chair include the following.

  1. Prepare the agenda and chair meetings of the Executive Committee.
  2. Appoint all committees and inform Staff Liaison of appointments in due time.
  3. Serve as program chair, or delegate that responsibility.
  4. Work with the ALA Staff Liaison to complete forms and make conference arrangements as needed.
  5. Discuss financial arrangements for Round Table expenses with Staff Liaison and LHRT Secretary-Treasurer and authorize expenditures as needed.
  6. Work with the editor of the LHRT Newsletter in preparation of copy for forthcoming issues.
  7. In years during which the Library History Seminar is held, assure that the Executive Committee shall issue a “Request for Proposals” (RFP) for the location of the next Library History Seminar. The Executive Committee shall select a site for the Library History Seminar no later than four years in advance of the scheduled seminar.

Section 2 Chair-elect/Vice-chair

The Chair-elect/Vice-chair shall assume the duties of the Chair in the event of the Chair’s absence or inability to fulfill his or her term of office. In addition, the duties of the Chair-elect include the following:

  1. Work with the Chair to appoint committee members.
  2. Chair the Research Committee, overseeing and coordinating the Research Forum and the work of the award committees

Section 3 Secretary-Treasurer

The Secretary-Treasurer shall perform the duties of Secretary-Treasurer as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order, the latest edition, and shall serve as a member of the Program Committee. In addition, the duties of the Secretary-Treasurer include the following:

  1. Take minutes at meetings of the Executive Committee at ALA Midwinter and Annual Conferences and forward them to the Staff Liaison for distribution at the next meeting
  2. Work with the Staff Liaison to monitor financial resources of the Round Table and authorizes the Staff Liaison to make expenditures as needed
  3. Report on Round Table finances at the meetings of the Executive Committee at ALA Midwinter and Annual Conferences

Section 4 Secretary/Treasurer-elect

The Secretary-Treasurer-elect shall assist the Secretary-Treasurer and assume the responsibilities and perform the duties of Secretary-Treasurer in the event of absence, death, disability, or resignation of the Secretary-Treasurer and shall serve as Secretary-Treasurer in the year following his or her term as Secretary-Treasurer-elect.

Section 5 Member-at-Large

The Members-at-Large shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Round Table, contribute to its deliberations and discussions, and work with the Chair and Chair-elect on the Program Committee and Research Forum as assigned. One new Member-at-Large shall be elected each year, and will serve a two-year term.

Section 6 LHRT Newsletter Editor

The LHRT Newsletter Editor is appointed by the LHRT Chair in even-numbered years for a term of two years in the same manner and time as committee chairs. The Editor may be reappointed. The responsibilities of the Editor include the following:

  1. Work with the Executive Committee to assemble news and information to be published in the LHRT Newsletter.
  2. Prepare camera-ready copy of the Fall and Spring issues of the Newsletter and send to Staff Liaison for reproduction and distribution.

Section 7 Past-Chair

The immediate Past-Chair shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Round Table, the Membership and Outreach Committee, and as an ex-officio member of the Nominating Committee. In addition, the Past-Chair shall update the Round Table's Bylaws and Handbook as needed.

Section 8 Past-Secretary/Treasurer

The immediate Past-Secretary/Treasurer shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Round Table. In addition, the Past Secretary/Treasurer shall ensure that copies of important Round Table documents are passed to incoming officers and archived at the ALA Archives.

Section 9 LHRT Webmaster

The LHRT Webmaster is appointed by the LHRT Chair in odd-numbered years for a term of two years. The Webmaster may be reappointed. The responsibilities of the Webmaster include the following:

  1. Maintain and update LHRT's web pages and other electronic forums, particularly for time-sensitive information such as officer/committee rosters and conference information.
  2. Initiate improvements to LHRT's web pages and other electronic publications.
  3. Work with the Executive Committee to assemble materials to be published on the Round Table's web site and other electronic venues.
  4. Before leaving office, train Executive Committee members and/or the new LHRT Webmaster on necessary protocols and technologies.
  5. Consult with ALA staff as needed.

Article III — Committees

Members of Standing Committees shall be members in good standing of the Round Table. The Chair of the Round Table shall appoint committee members and shall designate one member as committee chair. The Chair of the Round Table shall create and discontinue ad hoc committees when needed and shall appoint a chair to each such committee. The Standing Committees of the Round Table are as follows:

Section 1 Executive Committee

The Executive Committee includes Round Table elected officers, Chair, Chair-elect/Vice Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Secretary-Treasurer-elect, Past Chair and Past Secretary-Treasurer, Members-at-Large. All meetings of the Executive Committee are open, except as specifically provided in ALA policy, and are conducted according to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order. The Executive Committee shall

  1. Function as the governing board of the Round Table with responsibility for its overall program and well being
  2. Issue a “Request for Proposals” (RFP) for the location of the next Library History Seminar in the year during which the Library History Seminar is held and shall select a site no later than four years in advance of the scheduled seminar.

Section 2 Research Committee

The Research Committee shall be chaired by the Chair-elect/Vice-chair. The Justin Winsor Essay Prize Committee, the Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award Committee, the Donald G. Davis Article Award Committee, and the Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award Committee shall be considered subcommittees of the Research Committee. The Research Committee Chair will appoint new awards committee members for the next terms in the year each award is given. Terms will begin immediately after ALA's Annual conference and end when the next award is granted. Thus, members of the Justin Winsor Committee will serve one-year terms; members of the Dain Committee will serve two-year terms (beginning in odd-numbered years); members of the Davis Committee will serve two-year terms (beginning in even-numbered years); and members of the Gleason Committee will serve three-year terms (beginning every third year). Chairs of the award committees shall constitute the membership of the Research Committee. The responsibilities of the Research Committee include the following:

  1. Coordinate and oversee Round Table awards, including the formulation of guidelines, conferral of prizes, and publicity concerning the award competition and winners.
  2. Encourage research in library history, serve as liaison with other ALA units engaged in performing or promoting research and with similar units in other professional organizations and institutions, and assist in establishing and communicating an agenda for research in library history.
  3. The Research Forum shall be organized each year by a subcommittee of the Research Committee chaired by the Chair-elect/Vice-chair, and include as members the Chair, and one Member-at-Large.

Section 3 Program Committee

The Program Committee shall organize the Annual Conference each year. It shall by chaired by the Round Table Chair and include as members the Chair-Elect/Vice-Chair and one Member-at-Large.

Section 4 Publications Committee

The Publications Committee membership includes a Chair and at least two additional members, who are members in good standing of the Round Table, appointed for staggered terms of two years. The editor of the Library History Round Table Newsletter, the LHRT Webmaster, and the LHRT Representative to Libraries & Cultural Record are members ex-officio. The responsibilities of the Publications Committee include the following:

  1. Coordinate and oversee all publications issued by the Round Table.
  2. Serve as liaison with publishing units of ALA and encourage appropriate incorporation of historical issues in their publications

Section 5 Library History Seminar Planning

The Library History Seminar Planning Committee plans and develops a quinquennial informal meeting that promotes the history of libraries and librarianship and provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of such research. The Committee Chair is appointed by the LHRT Chair. Its members include the Chair, the editor of Libraries & Culture, and other members as the Committee Chair deems necessary. The LHRT Executive Committee oversees the selection of the seminar site (see Article III Section 1 )

Section 6 Membership and Outreach Committee

The Membership and Outreach Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary-Treasurer-elect. The Committee shall consist of at least three additional members, including the immediate Past-Chair of LHRT, one Member-at-Large, and others appointed by the LHRT Executive Committee. The responsibilities of the Membership and Outreach Committee include:

  1. Reporting membership statistics at each annual and midwinter meeting
  2. Recruiting and retaining members for the Round Table

The Committee may undertake additional activities with the approval of the LHRT Executive Committee.

Article IV — Nomination and Election

Section 1

The Chair of the Library History Round Table at the conclusion of each annual meeting shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least three members of whom one will be designated Chair. The immediate Past Chair of the Nominating Committee, and the immediate Past Cahir of LHRT shall serve as ex-officio members. Members of the Nominating Committee shall serve a one-year term.

Section 2

The Nominating Committee shall confer and nominate a slate of candidates for the offices of Chair-elect, Secretary-Treasurer-elect, and Member-at-Large.

Section 3

All nominees shall be members in good standing at the time of nomination. For the offices of Chair-elect and Secretary-Treasurer-elect, nominees shall have a prior record of active service to the round table, such as LHRT member-at-large, newsletter editor, web site administrator, awards committee chair, or other equivalent service. The Nominating Committee shall determine the sufficiency of a candidate's record before adding his or her name to the ballot.

Section 4

The Nominating Committee shall report a slate of at least two candidates for each position to be filled.

Section 5

Elections will be my mail or electronic ballots sent to personal members in good standing in accordance with the regular American Library Association election procedures.

Section 6

Candidates-elect assume office at the close of the first annual meeting after election and serve until the close of the next annual meeting.

Article V — Finances

Dues collected from Round Table members are in the custody of the ALA Executive Board and are handled by the ALA Accounting Office. A portion of these dues is assigned by ALA annually to defer the cost of handing Round Table matters. This assessment and other Round Table expenditures, such as membership print-outs, the printing and mailing of publications, and telephone calls, will be paid by the Accounting Office on Authorization by the Round Table Chair or Secretary-Treasurer and the ALA Staff Liaison.