History and Preservation Bylaws
New Jersey Library Association History & Preservation Section
Bylaws (as of 06/01/2023)
ARTICLE I. MEMBERSHIP
Section A. Qualification of Membership.
Any member in good standing of the New Jersey Library Association may become a member of the History & Preservation Section.
Membership is on an annual basis, concurrent with membership in the NJLA.
Membership year shall coincide with the fiscal year, July 1 - June 30.
Section B. Rights and Privileges.
Any member of the History & Preservation Section shall have the right to vote, petition, hold office, and participate in membership meetings.
ARTICLE II. OFFICERS AND DUTIES
Section A. President.
The President:
- serves one (1) one-year (1) term, no consecutive terms are permitted unless the Vice-President/President-Elect is unable to become President the following year, in which case the current President becomes eligible to remain in office for that following year;
- presides at all meetings and programs of the Section;
- attends orientation sessions for officers presented by NJLA;
- assures that all NJLA deadlines are met in a timely manner;
- maintains effective communications with the NJLA President and the NJLA Executive Director;
- submits articles and information to The Chronicle;
- is the official representative of the Section in dealing with the NJLA Executive Board or other organizations with similar interests;
- Appoints the History & Preservation Section Delegate assigned to the NJLA Archives and History Subcommittee;
- serves as ex-officio member of the H&P Section Awards Committee;
- appoints and dissolves committees as necessary;
- appoints members of the Nominating Committee and Awards Committee;
- appoints Newsletter Editor, Professional Development Coordinator, Section Archivist, and Web Presence Coordinator; and
- performs any other duties pertaining to the office, including Treasury duties, as they arise.
Section B. Vice-President/President-Elect.
The Vice-President / President-Elect:
- serves one (1) one-year (1) term and becomes the Section President the following year;
- If appointed, the Vice-President becomes President at the start of the next term;
- If the President is unable to serve, the Vice-President (President-elect) shall become President and shall serve the term as President for which duly elected;
- presides at meetings in the absence of the President;
- attends orientation sessions for officers presented by NJLA;
- serves as a member of the NJLA Archives and History Committee; and
- serves as chair of the Program Committee, proposes conference programming ideas to the Executive Board and members, and coordinates all plans including contacting speakers, obtaining information and descriptions of suggested programs and participants under the direction of the Executive Board.
Section C. Secretary
The Secretary:
- serves one (1) one-year (1) term;
- records minutes of each Section meeting and Executive Board meeting, and sends an electronic copy of the minutes to all Section members one (1) week prior to the next meeting;
- develops a contact list of communication addresses for all members in good standing as needed by the President or Executive Board;
- distributes copies of all annual reports, minutes, and documents to the NJLA Archivist; and
- appoints an alternate if she/he cannot attend a Section meeting.
Section D. Past-President
The immediate Past-President:
- serves one (1) one-year (1) term;
- serves as an advisor to the Executive Board in order to ensure continuity of purpose; and
- serves as chair of Awards Committee.
Section E. Executive Board
The Executive Board:
- Shall comprise the Section Officers and up to four (4) Members-at-Large. Each individual on the Executive Board is entitled to one vote only.
- Shall have the power to act for the Section during the intervals between meetings of the Section.
- Shall have the power to fill all vacancies in office. Any person appointed by the Executive Board shall serve only until the close of the next annual Section meeting.
- If the Vice-President (President-elect) is unable to ascend to President the following year, the Executive Board will select a President by majority vote, in which case the current sitting President, if selected, will become eligible to serve for a consecutive term.
- Shall invite the following individuals (via the President) to serve as ex-officio members of the Executive Board: Editor of “The Chronicle” and the New Jersey Caucus Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. Ex-officio members may assist in Executive Board decisions but shall have no vote.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Section A. Functions.
Up to four (4) Members-at-Large will serve one (1) one-year (1) term. Members-at-Large shall participate in the decisions of the Executive Board. Each Member-at-Large is entitled to one vote only.
ARTICLE IV. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section A. Nominating Committee.
A four (4)-member Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President at an Executive Board meeting in the fall. The Committee will nominate a slate for Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary, and up to four (4) Members-at-Large. Only Section members who have attended two (2) Section meetings may be considered for nomination. The slate, in ballot form, shall be forwarded to the NJLA Elections Committee for distribution to each Section member in good standing by late winter.
Nominated candidates must provide their consent in either written or electronic form to the Section Secretary.
Note: If a Section member wishes to be nominated or to self-nominate for an officer position, she/he may petition the members present at a regular Section meeting at least two weeks prior to the deadline for submitting the ballot to the NJLA elections committee. This member must receive at least two-thirds (2/3) of a spontaneous floor vote at the meeting prior to the ballot submission date.
Section B. Elections.
Elections for History and Preservation Section Executive Board positions will be held by the NJLA Nominations and Elections Subcommittee of the Member Services Committee. Election results will be announced via email to the Section members, in The Chronicle newsletter, and via the Section’s website. Officers will take office July 1st.
Only qualified members (i.e., members in good standing) of the History & Preservation Section may participate in elections, and hold office.
ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
Meetings should be held on a regular basis. NJLA guidelines recommend a minimum of two meetings per year (executive board and/or membership) for all viable sections. Notice of all meetings and programs shall be provided at least thirty days prior to the meeting. Agendas and minutes shall be distributed at least one week prior to the meeting.
The Executive Board may meet whenever necessary at a time, place, and date determined by the President. Membership meetings, tours, workshops, and programs shall be held at the discretion of the Executive Board. NJLA guidelines recommend a minimum of two programs, focused meetings, or special products per year for all viable sections. The Professional Development Coordinator will consult with the Executive Board to recommend and develop tours, workshops, and programs of interest to the Section. Membership meetings should offer members a variety of access options with virtual meeting technologies and/or changing locations for in-person meetings. Quorum will be 10 members of the Section.
ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES
Section A. Standing Committees.
The standing committees of the Section shall be:
- Nominating,
- Program,
- Awards, and
- Constitution and Bylaws.
The President and Executive Board may designate ad hoc committees as needed.
Section A.1. Nominating Committee.
See Article IV, Section A.
Section A.2. Program Committee.
This committee’s purpose is to develop the programs for the annual meeting, as well as coordinate the workshops given by the Section. The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-President/President-Elect, and shall comprise at least three (3) other Section members, one of whom shall be the Professional Development Coordinator.
Section A.3. Awards Committee.
This committee shall exist to coordinate a program that recognizes NJLA members’ accomplishments in the fields of history, conservation and preservation. The program shall consist of the Susan G. Swartzburg Preservation Award and a procedure to nominate New Jersey libraries and librarians to state and national awards presented by other agencies. These awards include the Roger McDonough Librarianship Award, presented by the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, New Jersey Historical Commission, Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference New Jersey Caucus, and the New Jersey Library Association History and Preservation Section, for excellence in service to the New Jersey history research community and/or the general public.
The Awards Committee shall be made up of three (3) members of the History & Preservation Section who are familiar with types of preservation work being accomplished statewide, including the Past President of the Section who shall serve as chair. If the Past President cannot serve as Committee Chair, then the current President shall appoint a Section member to fill the position. The two other Section members appointed to the committee should have knowledge of preservation work in the field. The President makes all committee appointments unless otherwise indicated.
The current President of the History & Preservation Section shall serve as an ex-officio member of the committee. The committee shall read all submissions and determine the award recipients each year. The decision of the committee will be final. In the absence of a qualified candidate for the Susan G. Swartzburg Award, it will not be given.
The Section presents the Susan G. Swartzburg Preservation Award at the NJLA Annual Meeting. The award is conferred on an individual NJLA member in recognition of his/her leadership and dedication to the preservation or interpretation of archival, library, or historical materials. Additionally, the Section helps confer other awards with other co-sponsoring organizations.
Nominations for all awards shall be solicited by the committee in the Fall of each year via email announcements, regular Section meetings, The Chronicle, and through other NJLA channels.
Section A.4. Constitution & Bylaws Committee.
The purpose of this committee is to develop, and later maintain the Bylaws and Constitution of this Section. The committee shall comprise a chairperson, and at least two (2) other Section members. In any year ending in an odd number, starting in 2017, the committee shall review the Bylaws and Constitution to determine if they still adequately describe and serve the Section.
Any changes to the Bylaws and Constitution must be approved by majority vote at a Section meeting, and submitted to NJLA (See Article VIII, Section A).
ARTICLE VII. PUBLICATIONS AND ARCHIVES
Section A. Newsletter.
The Chronicle is the official publication of the Section. The newsletter shall be published at least twice a year and sent to the entire membership of the Section. The Chronicle Editor shall be appointed by the President for a term of one year beginning July 1st. The Editor may appoint a committee to assist in the publication of the newsletter.
Section B. Web Site.
The History and Preservation Section will maintain its web site through the NJLA Members site. The Web Presence Coordinator shall be appointed by the President for a term of one year beginning July 1st and update the site as necessary. The Web Presence Coordinator may appoint a committee to assist in the maintenance of the web site. The Web Presence Coordinator will also be responsible for updating the Section’s social media channels as necessary and serve as a liaison between the Section and NJLA with regard to section-wide communications tools.
Section C. Archives.
The History and Preservation Section will maintain its section archives. The Section Archivist shall be appointed by the President for a term of one year beginning on July 1st and will be responsible for collecting section related materials and updating the Section Archive finding aid. The Section Archivist may appoint a committee to assist with any major changes regarding the Section Archive.
ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENT
Section A. Procedures.
The Constitution and/or Bylaws may be amended:
- By a vote of majority of qualified Section members present at a Section meeting, provided that specific notice of the proposed change has been given at least 30 days prior to the date of that meeting. Notice will be given via e-mail announcement to members registered with the NJLA-HP LISTSERVE and posted on the History & Preservation Section website at http://njlamembers.org/hpsection.
Revised June 2023. Revisions approved by Section members on 6/1/2023 at History & Preservation Section meeting.
