ACRL Instruction Section Bylaws
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.
Article II. Mission Statement
The mission of the Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is to foster the profession of academic and research librarianship and to enhance the ability of academic and research instruction librarians and their libraries to effectively serve the library and information needs of current and potential library users.
Article III. Membership
Any member of the Association of College and Research Libraries may elect membership in this Section.
Article IV. Meetings
Section 1. Regular Business Meetings. The regular business of the Section shall be conducted at the meetings of its Committees, which shall be held in conjunction with the midwinter and annual conferences of the American Library Association.
Section 2. Special meetings of the Section membership may be called by the Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee. Fifteen members of the Section being present shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a special membership meeting.
Section 3. All meetings of the Section shall be conducted in accordance with the parliamentary authority used by ALA and ACRL. The Chair of the Policy Committee shall act as parliamentarian for the Section.
Article V. Officers
The officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, and the immediate Past Chair, and a Secretary. The officers serve one-year terms.
Article VI. Executive Committee
Section 1. Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers and four Members-at-Large who shall serve two-year terms which will overlap so as to provide continuity of policy.
Section 2. Meetings. Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at the time and place of the annual conference and midwinter meeting of the American Library Association. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair.
Section 3. Powers and Duties. The main function of the Executive Committee shall be to provide direction for the attainment of the objectives of the Section. The Executive Committee has authority over the affairs of the Section during the period between meetings of the Section, subject to review by the members at a meeting of the Section.
Section 4. Quorum. A majority of the members constitutes a quorum at any meeting of the Executive Committee.
Article VII. Advisory Council
Section 1. Composition. The Advisory Council shall consist of the members of the Executive Committee plus the chairs of all standing and special committees of the Section.
Section 2. Meetings. The Advisory Council shall meet regularly at the time and place of the annual conference and midwinter meetings of the American Library Association. Whenever possible, the Advisory Council meeting shall be scheduled following the meetings of the standing and special committees of the Section. The Secretary of the Section will take minutes at the Advisory Council meetings.
Section 3. Function. The purpose of the Advisory Council is to provide a forum for reporting, discussing, and coordinating the work of the Section's various standing and special committees.
Section 4. Quorum. A majority of the members constitutes a quorum at any meeting of the Advisory Council. If the chair of a standing or special committee is unable to attend the Advisory Council meeting in person, he/she is responsible for sending a knowledgeable committee member to report on the activities of that committee.
Article VIII. Committees
Section 1. Authorization and Discontinuance. Committees of the Section may be authorized or discontinued by the chair with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Standing Committees. Standing Committees may be established to consider matters of the Section that require continuity of attention by the members. When such a committee is established, its function, name, and size will be determined. Unless otherwise approved by the Executive Committee, members of standing committees will be appointed for terms of two years and may be reappointed for a second but not a third consecutive term; in no case will a person serve on a committee for more than four consecutive years. Appointments will be made in such a manner as to provide continuity in membership.
Section 3. Special Committees. Special committees may be established at any time for the performance of a particular assignment. No such committee may be continued beyond two years without review and approval by the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Appointments. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall appoint committee members and chairs to fill vacancies due to occur during his/her term as Chair. Committee chairs are appointed for a one-year term from the end of one annual conference to the end of the next annual conference. Committee chairs who have served a one-year term may be re-appointed for an additional year.
Section 5. Reporting. Committee chairs will report to the Executive Committee at the Advisory Council meeting held at each annual conference and midwinter meeting of the American Library Association.
Article IX. Nominations and Elections.
Section 1. Nominating Committee. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect will appoint a Nominating Committee of at least three personal members of the Section, one of whom will serve as chair of the committee. This committee will prepare a slate of at least two nominees for each of the offices of Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Secretary, and for each open Member-at-Large position.
Section 2. Additional Nominations. Additional nominations may be made by petition signed by no fewer than twenty personal members of the Section and filed with the Executive Secretary of the Association of College and Research Libraries at least three months prior to the date on which ballots are to be distributed.
Section 3. Nominees. All nominees for office will be personal members of the Section and will have consented in writing to their candidacies.
Section 4. Elections. Elections will be held in accordance with ALA and ACRL bylaws and procedures. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes will be elected.
Article X. Vacancies
Section 1. Chair. A vacancy in the office of Chair shall be filled, for the remainder of the term, by the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect. This succession will not prevent a person who succeeds to the office of Chair because of a vacancy from serving his/her normal term as Chair the next year.
Section 2. Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, the Executive Committee shall elect as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, for the remainder of the term, one of the members of the Executive Committee. The office of Chair, which the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect would normally assume the succeeding year, will then be filled at the next regular election.
Section 3. Vacancies in both Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect. If vacancies occur in the offices of Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect in the same term, the Executive Committee shall elect as Chair, for the remainder of the term, one of its members. The offices of Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect will then be filled at the next regular election.
Section 4. Past Chair. If the Chair is not able to carry out the duties of Past Chair after completing his/her term as Chair, the Executive Committee shall elect one of its members to carry out the duties of Past Chair.
Section 5. Secretary. A vacancy in the office of Secretary shall be filled for the remainder of the term by an IS member appointed by the Chair, with the advice of the Executive Committee.
Section 6. Member-at-Large. A vacancy of one year or less in a Member-at-Large term shall be filled by an IS member appointed by the Chair, with the advice of the Executive Committee. A vacancy of more than one year shall be filled in the same manner until it is possible to fill the remainder of the term at the next regular election.
Section 7. Committees and Task Forces. A vacancy in any of the Standing Committees or Special Committees shall be filled by an IS member appointed by the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect.
Article XI. Amendments
Section 1. Proposals. Proposals for amending these bylaws may be made by any committee of the Section or by petition signed by twenty personal members of the Section and will be presented in writing to the Chair.
Section 2. Voting. A vote to amend the bylaws shall be held in accordance with ALA and ACRL bylaws and procedures. Amendments may also be presented for a vote at a special Section membership meeting if material about the proposed amendment(s) is distributed to the membership not less than one month prior to the meeting at which it is to be acted upon. Amendments to the bylaws shall be passed by a majority of those members voting.
First adopted: Chicago, June 27, 1978.
Revisions adopted, May, 1998.
Revisions adopted, May 1999.
Editorial changes approved by Executive, November 2004.
Revisions adopted, May 2008.
