Adopted December 2019
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
Article II. Mission
The American Association of School Librarians empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.
Article III. Membership
Any member of the ALA may become a member of the AASL by designating this membership upon payment of dues. Any member of the AASL is eligible for membership in any one or more of the sections and may designate such membership.
Article IV. Meetings (of Members)
Section 1. Annual Virtual Membership Meeting
The Annual Virtual Membership Meeting of the AASL shall be held prior to the Annual Conference of the ALA.
Section 2. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the AASL may be called at other times by the AASL President and the AASL Board of Directors. Member-initiated meetings may be requested by a petition of one hundred (100) AASL members to the AASL Board of Directors. At least a fourteen (14) day notice shall be given to the AASL membership for a member-initiated meeting. Only the business specified in the notice shall be transacted.
Section 3. Quorum
One hundred (100) AASL members shall constitute a quorum.
Article V. Board of Directors
Section 1. Members
Each member of the Board of Directors is a personal member of the AASL. The Board of Directors of the Association is competency-based and constituency-based to ensure a balanced board. The Board of Directors is composed of the following elected and voting members: the Association’s president, president-elect, immediate past president, secretary/treasurer, division councilor to the ALA Council, three (3) directors-at-large and director-at-large, chapters. The AASL Executive Director shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Terms of Office
The president, the president-elect and the immediate past president shall serve in their respective positions for a one-year term. Upon completion of term of office, the president-elect shall become the president and the president shall become the immediate past president. The secretary/treasurer, directors-at-large, and director-at large, chapters shall serve a two-year term. The division councilor shall serve a three-year term.
Section 3. Responsibility and Authority
The board members shall perform the duties pertaining to their respective offices as defined in the AASL Policies and other such duties as may be defined by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Duties
The AASL Board of Directors shall set annually the AASL priorities, goals and budget.
Section 5. Vacancies
If the office of president becomes vacant, the president-elect shall become president completing that term of office prior to serving the following term as president. All other vacancies shall be interim appointments made by the president with the approval of the AASL Board of Directors until the next election when the unexpired term(s) will be filled.
Section 6. Reports
The AASL Board of Directors shall summarize annually the work of the association at the virtual membership meeting.
Section 7. Quorum
A majority of the voting members of the AASL Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.
Article VI. Nominations and Elections
Section 1. Eligibility of Candidates
All candidates for the AASL offices must be personal members of the AASL.
Section 2. Leadership Development Committee
A committee of seven (7) or more members shall be appointed by the AASL President-Elect. The AASL Immediate Past President shall serve as Chair and be the only board member on the committee. The composition of the committee shall reflect the constituency of the AASL membership.
Section 3. Nominations by Committee
The Leadership Development Committee shall present the slate of candidates for approval by the AASL Board of Directors.
Section 4. Nominations by Petitions
A candidate may be nominated by a petition signed by fifty (50) AASL members. This petition, together with the written consent of the nominee, shall be filed with the AASL Executive Director by February 1. The names of candidates so nominated by petition shall be added to the official ballot.
Section 5. Elections
Elections shall be conducted annually. Ballots shall be placed before each AASL member with the official ALA ballot. A plurality of all legal votes cast shall be necessary to elect a candidate. Votes shall be counted and certified by the ALA Election Committee. In the case of a tie vote, the successful candidate shall be determined by lot conducted by the ALA Election Committee.
Article VII. Committees
Section 1. Establishment
The AASL Board of Directors is empowered to establish and disband the AASL committees. Additional committees may be established at any time by the president with the approval of the Board.
Section 2. Members
All members of the AASL committees and the AASL representative to joint committees shall be personal members of the AASL. Committee members are appointed by the AASL president or president-elect as appropriate.
Section 3. Standing Committees
Standing Committees shall be established to carry on the continuing work of the AASL.
Section 4. Task Forces
Task Forces, with specific charges to be completed by designated times, may be established at any time by the AASL president with the approval of the AASL Board of Directors or by request of the AASL membership. The life of each task force shall be limited to two (2) years unless the Board designates otherwise at the time the task force is established or in response to the committee's written petition for extension.
Section 5. Responsibilities and Duties
The responsibilities and duties of each committee shall be defined in written form, approved by the AASL Board of Directors and recorded in the office of the AASL.
Article VIII. Finance
The Executive Director, in consultation with the AASL Board of Directors acting as the Budget Committee, shall be responsible for preparing and presenting the budget for approval by the AASL Board of Directors. The AASL financial report shall be presented to the AASL members at the Annual Membership Meeting.
Article IX. AASL Chapters
Section 1. Chapter
Any state-wide, territorial, District of Columbia, or multi-state regional organization whose purposes are compatible with those of AASL as verified by the organization's Constitution or Bylaws, which hold regular conferences or meetings and has a systematic channel of communication with its members and whose membership includes twenty-five (25) personal members of the AASL or with ten (10) percent of the organization's membership, whichever is smaller; may, on request and upon approval of the AASL Board of Directors, become affiliated with the AASL. The president and representatives of the AASL Chapter must be personal members of the AASL.
Section 2. AASL Chapter Meetings
AASL Chapter Meetings shall be composed of two (2) voting representatives from each chapter.
The purposes of the AASL Chapters are to provide a channel of communication for reporting concerns of the affiliated organizations and their membership to the AASL Board of Directors; to facilitate discussion of activities and concerns of the AASL as reported by the AASL president, Executive Director and Board of Directors; and to report the actions of the AASL to the chapters.
All AASL Chapter policies or procedures are considered AASL policies and therefore are submitted to, and approved by, the AASL Board of Directors.
Article X. Sections
Section 1. Establishment
Any group of at least twenty-five (25) members of the AASL, who represent a special field of activity clearly distinct from that of any existing section, may organize a section upon recommendation of the AASL Board of Directors.
Section 2. Organization
All policies or procedures of sections are considered AASL policies and therefore are submitted to, and approved by, the AASL Board of Directors.
Section 3. Membership
Membership in a section shall be open to members of the AASL who are interested in the activities of the section.
Section 4. Dissolution
Sections may be dissolved upon recommendation of the AASL Board of Directors.
Article XI. Interest Groups
Section 1. Establishment
Any group of ten (10) or more members of the AASL interested in discussing common concerns which fall within the purpose of the AASL, but which are not the responsibility of a single AASL section or committee, may form an interest group upon written petition from the interest group and approval by the AASL Board of Directors.
Section 2. Dissolution
An interest group may be dissolved at its request by the AASL Board of Directors.
Article XII. Amendments
Section 1. Notice
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by the AASL Board of Directors, by the AASL Bylaws Committee, by the governing bodies of the AASL Sections, or by petition signed by twenty-five (25) AASL members. Proposed amendments shall be presented in writing to the AASL Executive Director. They shall then be referred to the Bylaws committee.
The text of any proposed amendment shall be published in an official AASL publication thirty (30) days or more prior to the date of the mailing of the ballot to each AASL member or forty-five (45) days prior to the closing of the balloting.
Section 2. Adoption and Amendment
These Bylaws may be adopted or amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the AASL members voting by ballot. Amendments become effective immediately following a favorable ballot, unless otherwise specified.