SRRT Rules

The rules governing the activities of the Social Responsibilities Round Table

Approved March 2025

Contents

I. Name
II. Purpose
III. Membership and Dues
IV. Action Council
V. Task Forces, Committees, and Working Groups
VI. Meetings
VII. Nominations and Elections
VIII. Finances
IX. Parliamentary Authority
X. Amendment

I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT), an internal unit of the American Library Association (ALA).

The ALA Council may establish or discontinue a round table in accordance with ALA bylaws. An ALA staff member is assigned to each round table; their role is to help round table officers and members perform their work more effectively.


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II. Purpose

The purpose of the Social Responsibilities Round Table shall be:

  1. to provide a forum for discussion of the responsibilities and roles that librarians and libraries hold in relation to social justice issues and movements for social change which face institutions and librarians today;
  2. to provide a forum for discussion of the responsibilities and roles that librarians and libraries hold in relation to social justice issues and movements for social change which face institutions and librarians today;
  3. to facilitate the exchange of information about library activities among all ALA units with the goal of increasing understanding of current social issues;
  4. to act as a stimulus to ALA and its various units to encourage libraries to be more responsive to social justice issues and the information needs of marginalized populations;
  5. to present programs, arrange exhibits, compile resources, and carry out other mission-aligned activities.

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III. Membership and Dues

Membership will consist of personal members, students, and affiliate members. In addition, organizational members of ALA may choose to support SRRT and receive communications but shall not be entitled to membership privileges. No person or organization may join SRRT without an active ALA membership.

  1. Any personal member of ALA may become a personal member of SRRT upon payment of annual dues, thereby obtaining the right to vote and serve as an officer. A personal member may:
    1. Attend and participate in all SRRT membership meetings and volunteer for SRRT committees;
    2. Work with a Task Force, committee or project group;
    3. Organize and work with local affiliate member groups;
    4. Vote at membership meetings and on the annual ballot.
  2. Membership Categories for SRRT are set and defined by the ALA Bylaws.
  3. SRRT shall collect annual dues as determined by ALA Council and ALA Executive Board. Dues are subject to change and can be found on the 'membership' page in the SRRT section of the ALA website or by contacting the SRRT secretary.
  4. SRRT, by vote of its members, can impose additional fees to raise funds for programs and activities. No round table shall incur expenses on behalf of the Association except as authorized (Article XIII, Section 6 of the ALA Bylaws).
  5. Any local, regional, national, or international group working on problems of social responsibilities of libraries or librarians are welcome to associate with SRRT as a partner member. Partner membership status will be voted on by the Action Council after a written request for status has been made by the group requesting recognition and must be renewed every three years with consideration given to the group's representation at SRRT meetings and contributions to SRRT Newsletter. Partner membership shall entitle the group to receive SRRT publications and participate by reporting on activities for dissemination to SRRT membership. It shall not entitle members of the group who are not personal members of the Round Table to vote or hold office in the Round Table. A partner member group is free to use SRRT’s communication channels and can ask for counsel and support from the Round Table.

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IV. Action Council

  1. The coordinating body of the Social Responsibilities Round Table shall be an Action Council consisting of:
    1. 10 members-at-large (elected by the SRRT membership),
    2. one designated ALA Councilor (also elected by the SRRT membership),
    3. one member from each Task Force (appointed by the membership of that Task Force).
  2. Action Council shall have the responsibilities of:
    1. Determining the membership program at the annual conference;
    2. Submitting projects or endorsing projects of SRRT Task Forces;
    3. Soliciting volunteers and appointing SRRT members to ALA unit positions which accrue to the coordinator ex-officio and committees to help the Council meet its organizational responsibilities. Such liaisons will serve a 3-year term and may be reappointed;
    4. Coordinating the dissemination of information to the SRRT membership.
    5. Approving the budgets and expenditures of the Round Table and the Task Forces;
    6. Initiating and administering awards.
  3. Terms of office shall be for 3 years, with the right to run for re-election, for both at-large members and the Councilor.

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V. Task Forces, Committees, and Working Groups

  1. All SRRT members are encouraged to volunteer for SRRT committees, Task Forces, and other SRRT groups in which they have an interest. Members may choose to join groups or form their own for specific purposes with Action Council approval, in line with the purpose of the Social Responsibilities Round Table. These groups may be Task Forces (usually long-term) or project groups (usually for a very short duration).
  2. Organization of a Task Force requires a statement of goals, projected activities and programs, a proposed budget, and the names and contact information of 10 members of the Round Table interested in forming such a Task Force. This proposal will be presented at an Action Council meeting and may be reviewed by Action Council at two meetings at least six months apart but no more than one year apart. At the first meeting, the Task Force may be given probationary status or receive feedback to edit their proposal and resubmit it at the second meeting. After review, the Action Council must vote on approval of the new group.
  3. All Task Forces are expected to have some form of written regulations. All such regulations, and any changes in them, must be approved by the Action Council to ensure that there is no conflict between Task Force and Round Table policies. All Task Forces should submit reports to the SRRT Newsletter. All Task Force meetings should be advertised on ALA Connect with dates, times, locations, and a meeting link if the meeting is virtual. All Task Forces should take and publish minutes for any meeting where business is conducted.
  4. A task force may be discontinued by a vote of Action Council. If an established Task Force does not meet at least twice in any ALA fiscal year it will be discontinued. 5. Ad hoc project groups may be created for short-term actions to address specific tasks or issues by the Action Council at any time. A short statement of purpose, scope of work, budget, expected duration, and membership shall be submitted by the group to the Action Council for a vote of approval.
  5. Task Forces and project groups may include individuals who are not members of SRRT or of ALA but are asked to encourage their members who are not SRRT members to join SRRT. Only individuals who are members of SRRT may vote for a Task Force’s Action Council representative.
  6. All members of the SRRT Newsletter editorial staff shall be selected from current SRRT members. The editor of the SRRT Newsletter shall serve by appointment of Action Council through an application process. The editor shall be considered an ex-officio member of Action Council. An editorial board of 5 to 7 members shall serve by appointment of the Action Council. The editorial board may make recommendations to the Action Council for consideration. Both Action Council members and SRRT members-at-large shall be represented on the editorial board. The term of office for the newsletter editor and for members of the editorial board shall be 3 years, with the option of being reappointed for additional terms. Editorial board appointments will be staggered on a 3-year rotation, such that approximately one-third of appointees shall turn over annually. The editorial board shall have collective responsibility for the SRRT Newsletter.

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VI. Meetings

  1. SRRT will hold at least one all-member meeting per year. At the scheduled membership meeting at each Annual Conference, Action Council will present an annual report.
  2. The Action Council will meet at least twice a year but may meet more frequently. Meetings may be held in-person, virtually, or hybrid.
  3. Action Council members are responsible for attending all Action Council meetings. Council members are expected to provide explanation of their absences and/or inability to participate to the Coordinator before any meeting. Council members will be considered disqualified from office if they fail to attend two consecutive meetings without notifying the Action Council Coordinator. Any Action Council member may be removed from office for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance by vote of Action Council. The proceedings are to be held in executive session. The vote must have a two-thirds majority and be a recorded roll-call. Positions that become available on the Action Council shall be appointed by Action Council. .
  4. Action Council is responsible for the scheduling of its meetings. Task Forces, committees, and project groups are responsible for scheduling their own meetings. No SRRT meetings can be scheduled to conflict with Action Council meetings, SRRT membership meetings, or other meetings given this status by Action Council. The Action Council may hold one of its Annual Conference meetings virtually before or after the ALA Conference or conduct hybrid meetings.
  5. A voting quorum for both Action Council and membership meetings will be defined as the majority of voting members present at a meeting. Each Task Force shall receive only one vote on the Action Council regardless of the number of coordinators or co-coordinators or representatives which they choose to have present. Financial matters will be voted on only by at-large members, who are elected by the entire Round Table. All Action Council members may vote on non-financial-related matters. Special virtual membership meetings may be called by the Action Council. At least thirty (30) days’ notice shall be given, and only business specified in the call to meeting will be transacted.

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VII. Nominations and Elections

  1. All Action Council members must be members of ALA and SRRT.
  2. The ten elected (at-large) members of the Action Council and the Councilor shall be elected by ballot procedures and shall take office immediately following the Annual Conference.
  3. Elections will take place annually on the spring ballot in accordance with ALA procedure. All elections will be certified by the ALA Elections Committee.
  4. Midterm vacancies shall be shall be appointed by Action Council.
  5. The Action Council Coordinator will take responsibility for coordinating SRRT elections. The Coordinator or Nominations Committee Chair will publicize a call for nominees to run for open positions, including At-Large Action Council Member, SRRT Councilor, and other elected positions. The call for nominees will include job description(s), the link to the relevant ALA online nomination form, and deadline information. Individual members who wish to volunteer to serve will notify the Coordinator and submit the ALA Nomination form by the required date. The Coordinator will then be responsible for confirming nominees with the ODLOS Office to ensure accuracy of the SRRT ballot.
  6. At the final Action Council meeting of the Annual Conference, the voting members of Action Council will select a Coordinator-elect, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Nominations Committee Chair, and a Membership/Recruitment Committee Chair for a one-year term. These officers will preferably be elected from the at-large members of the Action Council but may be selected from the Task Force representatives. Except in extraordinary circumstances, no single person shall serve in more than one of the Action Council’s designated offices. Upon adjournment of the last ALA Annual Meeting, the Coordinator-Elect will be recognized as the new Coordinator and take office. The Coordinator, who has just completed their one year term, shall become Past Coordinator and remain on Action Council for the ensuing year. The Coordinator-Elect, Coordinator, and Past Coordinator shall receive appropriate communications and reports from the Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services (ODLOS) and the ALA Round Table Coordinating Assembly (RTCA) throughout their terms. The Coordinator may consult with the Coordinator-Elect and Past Coordinator on various issues, yet they maintain primary responsibility for coordinating the Round Table’s affairs.

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VIII. Finances

  1. Each Task Force will automatically receive a budget set by the SRRT Action Council each year for use that year. The funds do not carry over from year to year. Supplemental budget requests may also be submitted to the Coordinator at a later date if necessary. The Coordinator will then consult Action Council members concerning these supplemental requests.

  2. The Treasurer of Action Council will be responsible for SRRT financial records.

  3. Funding for SRRT activities will come from general membership dues and voluntary contributions to SRRT or individual groups under its supervision.

    1. The Treasurer is authorized to approve requests for reimbursement and payment of bills out of SRRT funds in the ALA accounts on receipt of proper invoices or records of payments by authorized persons.
    2. Task Forces may not keep funds in external accounts. All funds must be in the appropriate Task Force sub-fund in the SRRT account.

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IX. Parliamentary Authority

  1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the round table in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these rules and any special rules of order the round table may adopt.
  2. At the start of the first meeting of a new term, the Action Council shall vote to adopt rules for the running of meetings, which may be modified as needed at any future meeting.

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X. Amendment

  1. These rules may be amended by a majority vote of Round Table members on the annual ballot, provided notice of the proposed revision has been sent to members at least thirty days in advance.
  2. Proposals for revisions may be sent by any member to the Action Council Coordinator for consideration and will be published in the SRRT Newsletter for consideration at a membership meeting.
  3. Any personal member may send a proposal for revision to the editor of the newsletter for printing if accompanied by twenty-five SRRT member signatures. This proposed revision will then be published and subsequently voted on.
  4. Action Council may make such editorial changes in these rules so long as they do not change their substance and meaning. Those changes shall take effect upon such action, and the SRRT Rules shall be updated online and announced in the next SRRT Newsletter.

Revision history:

March 2020 Bylaws (PDF)