Thursday, July 1, 2021

Chapter Bylaws

The ARLIS/NA Northern California Chapter revised its bylaws in 2021. The ARLIS/NA Executive Board approved the revisions on June 24, 2021. The approved, revised bylaws are as follows: 

ARLIS/NA Northern California Chapter

Chapter Bylaws

Approved June 24, 1988; Revised December 28, 1988; Revised September 21, 1999; Revised May 18, 2007; Revised March 3, 2014; Revised April 16, 2021

Society Mission

            The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) was founded in 1972 by a group of art librarians attending the America Library Association annual conference in Chicago. This group realized that to fulfill the need among art librarians for better communication and cooperation, and to provide a forum for ideas, projects, and programs, an entirely new and separate organization was required. Inspired by the model of the Art Libraries Society established in 1969 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, ARLIS/NA was created.
            The members include architecture and art librarians, visual resources professionals, artists, curators, educators, publishers, and others interested in visual arts. The Northern California chapter is one of its regional chapters.

Chapter Bylaws
Approved June 24, 1988; Revised December 28, 1988; Revised September 21, 1999: Revised May 18, 2007; Revised March 3, 2014; Revised April 16, 2021

Article I. Name
The name of the organization shall be ARLIS/NA Northern California Chapter, hereafter referred to as "the Chapter".

Article II. Purposes
A. The organization shall promote the purposes of Art Libraries Society of North America, hereinafter referred to as "the Society," within the Northern California area.
B. The organization is organized and will be operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, in order to advance the cause of librarianship and to promote the development, good management, and enlightened use of all art libraries and visual resources collections. In the furtherance of such purpose, the organization is authorized:
            1.          To promote the continuing professional education of its members and the general knowledge of the public by sponsoring conferences, seminars, lectures, workshops, and other exchanges of information and materials concerning all aspects of art librarianship and visual resources curatorship;
            2.         To stimulate greater use of art libraries and visual resources collections by sponsoring, supporting, or publishing resources directories, bibliographies, inventories, periodical journals, occasional papers, reports, and related materials concerning the organization and retrieval of art information;
            3.         To foster excellence in art librarianship and the visual arts by establishing standards for art libraries and visual resources collections, by promoting improvements in the academic education, of art librarians and visual resources curators, by sponsoring awards for outstanding achievement, and by other means to that end;
            4.         To engage in any activities conducive to furthering the organizations purposes, providing that such activities may be lawfully carried on by an organization exempt from federal income tax under sections 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (of the corresponding provision of any future United States internal revenue law).

Article III. Charitable Activity Restrictions
A. No part of the net income of the organization shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services actually rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes and objectives of this organization.

B. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

C. Notwithstanding any other provisions set forth in these Articles of Incorporation (or constitution), at any time during which it is deemed a private foundation, the organization:
            1.          shall not engage in any act of self-dealing as defined in Section 4941(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws;
            2.         shall distribute its income for each taxable year at such time and in such manner as not to become subject to the tax on undistributed income imposed by Section 4942 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws;
            3.         shall not own any excess business holdings that would subject it to tax under section 4943 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws;
            4.         shall not make any investments in such manner as to subject the organization to the tax imposed by Section 4944 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent tax laws;
            5.         shall not make any taxable expenditures as defined in Section 4945(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws.

D. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles (or constitution) the organization shall not conduct or carry on any activities not permitted to be conducted or carry on by an organization exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or corresponding provisions of any subsequent tax laws, or any an organization contributions to which are to be deductible under section 170(c)(2) of such code or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws.

Article IV. Membership
A. Eligibility
            1.          Membership is open to all members of the Society.
            2.         Society and Chapter bylaws require that Chapter members join ARLIS/NA.
            3.         The Chapters Liaison of ARLIS/NA is a non-voting, ex-officio member of the Chapter.

B. Dues
            1.          Dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee and shall be ratified by member vote.
            2.         Dues shall be paid to the Secretary/Treasurer.
            3.         The membership year shall be from January 1 through December 31. All dues received after October 1st will be applied to the following year.
            4.         The Chapter shall have the right to impose additional fees upon the membership for specified projects subject to the approval of membership.

C. Privileges
            1.          All Local Chapter members are eligible to vote.
            2.         All Local Chapter members are eligible to hold elected office.
            3.         All Local Chapter members shall be entitled to receive announcements of meetings of the Chapter and other notices of general interest to the membership.

Article V. Officers
A. The elected officers of the Chapter shall be:
            1.          the Chairperson;
            2.         the Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect;
            3.         and the Secretary/Treasurer.

B. Nominating Committee
            1.          The Chairperson shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least two persons.
            2.         The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of qualified candidates to be voted upon by the membership.

C. Qualifications
Any Local Chapter member may hold office and must file in writing an acceptance of the nomination with the Nominating Committee.

D. Elections
Officers shall be selected by a plurality of ballots cast by the voting members (See Article IV for definition of member).

E. Terms of Office:
            1.  for the Chairperson shall be one calendar year;
            2.  the Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect shall be one calendar year;
            3.  and the Secretary/Treasurer shall be two calendar years.

F. Duties of Officers
            1.          The Chairperson shall:
                        a. act as executive officer of the Chapter;
                        b. assist the Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect in the planning of the activities             of the Chapter;
                        c. draft and send to ARLIS/NA required reports;
                        d. shall serve ex-officio on all committees of the Chapter.
            2.         Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson-Elect shall:
                        a. act as executive officer in the event the Chairperson is unable to serve;
                        b. act as the program chairperson;
                        c. be responsible for all announcements of meetings to the membership.
            3.         Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for:          
                        a. maintaining current membership rosters;
                        b. the keeping of minutes of the meetings of the Chapter;
                        c. the handling of all financial accounts of the Chapter;
                        d. sending reports of meetings of the Chapter to the Chapters Liaison within         thirty (30) days of the meeting;
                        e. maintaining the online accounts of the Chapter.

G. The above elected officers shall form the Executive Committee.

Article VI. Meetings
A. Meetings of the Chapter shall be called by the elected officers.
B. An annual business meeting shall be held in the fall of the year for the purpose of electing officers.
C. There will be a fall and spring meeting with additional meetings called by the officers as deemed appropriate.
D. Announcements of meetings shall be sent to the membership at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting. Announcements shall also be sent to the Chapters Liaison at this time.

Article VII. Special Committees
Special project committees shall be voted on by the membership of the Chapter or by written petition submitted to the Executive Committee by no fewer than five personal members.

Article VIII. Affiliation
Affiliation with other organizations in the Northern California area shall be at the discretion of the Executive Board of the Society and shall be in accordance with guidelines supplied by the Executive Board.

Article IX. Amendments
A. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any voting member and shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee.
B. The text of a proposed amendment shall be distributed to the voting membership at least two (2) weeks prior to a business meeting.
C. Approval of a two-thirds majority of those members voting attending the business meeting and the approval of the Executive Board of the Society shall be necessary to amend the bylaws.

Article X. Dissolution
Upon the dissolution of the organization or the winding up of its affairs, the assets of the organization shall be distributed exclusively for charitable or educational purposes or to organizations which are then exempt from federal tax under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws and to which contribution are then deductible under Section 170 (c)(2) of such code or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws. Organizations having proposals similar to those of this organization shall be preferred.