Article I
Name
The name of this Association shall be Western Pennsylvania Law Library Association, (WPLLA) a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries.
Article II
Objectives
The Association is established as a non-profit organization for professional and educational purposes. It shall be conducted to:
A. Advance the practice of law librarianship.
B. Develop and increase the usefulness and efficiency of law libraries.
C. Promote the interests of librarians and members of their staff.
D. Provide leadership in the field of legal information.
E. Encourage cooperation among the members of the profession.
Article III
Membership
Section 1. Any person interested in law libraries or law librarianship may become a member of the Association by qualifying under the provisions of one of the classes of membership specified in the Bylaws of the Association.
Section 2. Privileges, rights and dues of the various classes of membership shall be specified in the Bylaws of the Association.
Section 3. No one shall be discriminated against based upon age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability for membership in the Association.
Article IV
Meetings
Meetings shall be held as provided in the Bylaws.
Article V
Officers, Committees and Other Organizations
Section 1. Officers. The officers shall consist of a President, Vice President-President Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer. Elections shall be held annually by the Association. The Vice President-President Elect shall automatically become President after one year and shall so serve during the second year following the election. Membership in AALL is mandatory for the President of WPLLA.
Section 2. Vacancies. In the event that the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President-President Elect shall succeed to that office, completing the unexpired term. In the event that another office becomes vacant, the Executive Board shall appoint a member to complete the unexpired term.
Section 3: Duties and Powers of Officers and Executive Board Members
I. President. It shall be the duty of the President to coordinate all business and projects through the Executive Board of this Chapter; serve as the chair of the Executive Board; appoint members to the committees of the chapter; prepare a column for each issue of the chapter’s newsletter; prepare required reports for and correspondence with the AALL Executive Director, as appropriate; and other duties assigned by consensus of the Executive Board.
II. Vice President/President-Elect. It shall be the duty of the Vice President/President-Elect to serve as Chairperson of the Programming Committee; to work with the Treasurer concerning budgetary issues regarding programming; to serve on the Executive Board; and other duties assigned by consensus of the Executive Board.
III. Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to record the minutes of the Annual Meeting and Executive Board meetings; serve as a member of the Executive Board; and other duties assigned by consensus of the Executive Board.
IV. Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to issue membership forms to members; collect and deposit membership dues; collect and deposit sponsorships; prepare Treasurer’s Report containing a statement of accounts at the Annual Meeting and, as called upon, at Executive Board Meetings; maintain the list of active members; serve as a member of the Executive Board; and other duties assigned by consensus of the Executive Board. The Treasurer is granted the power to open non-debt-incurring accounts at banks, including checking accounts, savings account, and certificates of deposit.
V. Member-at-Large. A non-officer, it shall be the duty of each Member-at-Large to serve on the Executive Board; and other duties assigned by consensus of the Executive Board.
VI. Past-President. A non-officer, it shall be the duty of the Past-President to serve as Chairperson of the Nominations Committee, as per Article III of the by-laws; serve as a member of the Executive Board; and other duties assigned by consensus of the Executive Board.
Section 4. Committees and Other Organizations. There shall be such committees and other organizations as the Executive Board shall create or shall be created by a majority vote of those present and voting at any regular meeting of the Association.
Section 5. Appointments. The President shall designate the chairperson of each committee.
Section 6. Terms of Office. All officers and members of the committees and other organizations shall serve until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve two year terms with the Secretary elected during odd years and the Treasurer being elected during even years.
Article VI
Executive Board
Section 1. The property, business, and affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Executive Board which shall be composed of the officers of the Association, the retiring President, and two members of the Association who are not officers. The non-officer members shall be elected for a term of two years in alternate years. In the event a vacancy occurs on the Executive Board, the President shall be empowered to fill such vacancy until the next election.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet once each year at a place and time to be designated by the President of the Association, and at such other times and places as the President or a majority of the Executive Board may direct.
Article VII
Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by the Executive Board or by a petition signed by twenty (20) voting members of the Association. Proposed amendments shall become effective when approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting at any regular meeting or by two-thirds of the votes returned from an electronic ballot sent to voting members. At least twenty (20) ballots must be returned for the vote to be valid.
Article VIII
Bylaws
Any change to the Bylaws will be presented to the membership to give members an opportunity to submit comments. Comments to proposed Bylaws must be submitted to an Executive Board member. A vote will take place within thirty (30) days of the announcement.
A positive response of at least two-thirds of the returned ballots will enact a change.
Written NOVEMBER 1986 and revised June 2014
Western Pennsylvania Law Library Association 