OK-ACRL Bylaws

Revised and adopted June 22, 2026.
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ARTICLE I. Name 

The name of this organization shall be Oklahoma Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Inc. (OK-ACRL).

ARTICLE II. Goals 

The Chapter shall provide opportunities for professional growth and communication among academic and research librarians, encourage the exchange of ideas and information relating to library development, and enhance library service to all users of academic and research libraries in the state.

ARTICLE III. Affiliation 

This organization is an affiliate of the American Library Association. It is subject to Article XIV: Chapters of the ACRL Bylaws and Chapter 5 of ACRL’s Guide to Policies and Procedures. 

ARTICLE IV. Membership Categories and Dues 

Sec. 1 Eligibility

Any student, librarian, institution, or individual residing in the state of Oklahoma with an interest in academic librarianship can become a member of OK-ACRL. 

Sec. 2 Membership Requirement

Any individual who is a member of the OK-ACRL email list is considered to be a member of OK-ACRL.

Sec. 3 Dues

There are no dues or fees associated with becoming a member of OK-ACRL. Membership is free of charge. 

ARTICLE V. Officers 

Sec. 1 Officers

The officers of the Chapter shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. In compliance with Chapter 5.7.1 of ACRL’s Guide to Policies and Procedures, at least one member of the OK-ACRL Board of Directors must be a member of ACRL.

Sec. 2 Terms

Officers serve their term or until their successors are elected. President and President-Elect serve for one year, Treasurer and Secretary serve for two years. All officers shall take office January 1 and shall serve through December 31 of the same year for President and President-Elect, and December 31st of the second year following election for Treasurer and Secretary. The terms of Treasurer and Secretary shall occur on alternating years. The term of the Treasurer begins on odd years and the term of the Secretary begins on even years.

Sec. 3 Duties

The duties of the officers shall be those which normally pertain to those officers and any other duties specified in the Bylaws. In addition, 

President:

  1. The President shall chair the Board meetings. 
  2. The President shall serve as Chapter program chair-person or shall appoint the President-Elect to serve as Chapter program chair. 
  3. The President shall function as the Chapter’s representative and participate in Chapter Council (5.7.1). 
  4. The President shall issue annual Chapter reports to ALA/ACRL. 
  5. The President shall facilitate communication among Board members.
  6. The President shall distribute the OK-ACRL bylaws to the incoming Board members at the first meeting of the new year for review. 
  7. In odd years, the current President shall appoint a committee to review and update the Policies and Procedures document, and recommend any relevant bylaw revisions. Should any amendments to the bylaws be approved, the Past President shall provide the new bylaws to the ACRL office.

President-Elect:

  1. The President-Elect shall preside over Board meetings in the absence of the President. 
  2. The President-Elect shall oversee the Chapter’s nominations and elections.

Treasurer:

  1. The Treasurer shall maintain the treasury, which includes balancing and reconciling the Chapter’s various bank accounts each month, and pay invoices approved by the Board or the President. 
  2. The Treasurer shall make financial reports to the Board at its monthly meetings, and prepare an annual financial report for general distribution to the Chapter members.

Secretary:

  1. The Secretary shall record minutes of all meetings, and shall make available copies of the minutes to the Web Manager for the Chapter website.
  2. The Secretary shall send an updated list of Board Members and Interest Group Chairs to the Web Manager at the beginning of the year.

Sec. 4 Vacancies

A vacancy in any office shall be filled by an appointment made by the Board of Directors.

Sec. 5 Resignations

  1. An officer may resign their membership on the OK-ACRL Board at any time by submitting a resignation in writing to the President. In the case of the resignation of the President, a resignation shall be submitted in writing to the President-Elect. A resignation shall become effective upon the date specified in such notice, or, if no date is specified, upon receipt of the resignation by the President.
  2. Three (3) consecutive absences from regularly scheduled meetings (either in person or online) of the OK-ACRL Board without an excuse approved by the President shall constitute a de facto resignation of the officer.

Sec. 6 Removal for Cause

  1. Any Officer may be removed with cause (as defined below) by vote of a majority of the members of the Board and such Officer’s successor shall be appointed at any regular meeting of the Board or any special meeting called for such purpose.
  2. “Cause” is defined as follows:
    • An Officer’s breach of any material duty or obligation under the Chapter’s Bylaws or policies
    • An Officer willfully or recklessly engages in misconduct that causes or will cause material harm to the Chapter, including the reputation of the Chapter;
    • An Officer willfully engages in an act that constitutes a conflict of interest with the Chapter without the express approval of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VI. Meetings 

Sec. 1 Business Meetings

A regular business meeting shall be held at least once a year.

Sec. 2 Special Meetings

Special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors or by petition of ten Chapter members.

Sec. 3 Quorum

One-tenth of the current membership shall constitute a quorum for a business meeting of the Chapter.

Sec. 4 Programs / Workshops

The Chapter shall sponsor at least one program each year. Programs shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VII. Board of Directors 

Sec. 1 Composition

The Board of Directors shall consist of the four officers, as well as the Past President, three Members elected At Large, a Web Manager, a Development Coordinator, an Archivist, and the chairpersons from each special interest section. All members of the Board shall be voting members with the exception of special interest section chairpersons and the Archivist, who are considered ex officio, non-voting members of the Board. All members of the Board shall perform other duties as specified in the OK-ACRL Guide to Policies and Procedures.

Past President:

  1. The Past President shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors, with those powers and duties. 
  2. The Past President shall serve as adviser to the current officers, and shall work closely with the President toward the organization’s goals for the year. 
  3. The Past President shall submit information about the incoming President, President-Elect and Past President, as well as changes to chapter bylaws, to national ACRL.

Web Manager:

  1. The Web Manager shall work with the interest group Web Managers to keep the websites for okacrl.org current. 
  2. The Web Manager shall maintain and administer the email list for the general membership.

Archivist:

  1. The Archivist, when notified by the Secretary that all documents are ready and final for the year, will print documents and store them in a secure place. 
  2. The Archivist will submit a report to the board detailing which documents were printed and where they are stored. 
  3. The Archivist will be appointed by the President, with approval by the majority of the Board, and will serve a three-year term, which can be renewed indefinitely by majority approval.

Development Coordinator:

  1. The Development Coordinator directs OK-ACRL fundraising activities and manages any endowments.
  2. The Development Coordinator performs other duties as specified in the OK-ACRL Guide to Policies and Procedures.

Members-At-Large:

  1. Each Member-At-Large shall attend scheduled meetings of the Board. 
  2. Each Member-At-Large shall participate in discussions of Board business conducted via e-mail or other means. 
  3. Each Member-At-Large shall vote on matters of Board business. 
  4. The President may request that a Member-At-Large take on additional duties in the manner of committees as described in Article VIII below.

Sec. 2 Terms

Officers shall serve the term of their office. The three Members-At-Large and the Web Manager shall serve for two years and shall be elected in alternate years. The Development Coordinator shall be elected and serve a renewable three year term, automatically renewable once.

Sec. 3 Powers and Duties

The Board of Directors shall have general oversight and direction of the affairs of the Chapter. It shall have authority to make decisions for the Chapter during the periods between meetings.

Sec. 4 Meetings

The Board of Directors shall hold at least two meetings a year. Other meetings may be called as necessary. A quorum for the Board shall be four members, at least three of whom are officers.

Sec. 5 Notification and Attendance

Except for emergency meetings, all meetings shall be announced at least fourteen (14) days in advance at a prior meeting or through email or other means. All members are expected to attend regularly. Emergency meetings may be called for good cause at any time by the President or President-Elect and may be held upon the attainment of a quorum with subsequent, immediate notification via email to all members not in attendance as to all actions taken. Generally the Board will meet monthly. Meetings may be in-person, electronic, or a combination.

Sec. 6 Vacancies

If any Board member cannot complete their term on the Board, the position shall be filled by an appointment made by the remaining members of the Board.

Sec. 7 Resignations

  1. A Board Member may resign their membership on the OK-ACRL Board at any time by submitting a resignation in writing to the President. A resignation shall become effective upon the date specified in such notice, or, if no date is specified, upon receipt of the resignation by the President. 
  2. Three (3) consecutive absences from regularly scheduled meetings (either in person or online) of the OK-ACRL Board without an excuse approved by the President shall constitute a de facto resignation of the Board member.

Sec. 8 Removal for Cause

Any Board Member may be removed with cause (as defined below) by vote of a majority of the members of the Board and such Board Member’s successor shall be appointed at any regular meeting of the Board or any special meeting called for such purpose. “Cause” is defined as follows:

  1. A Board Member’s breach of any material duty or obligation under the Chapter’s Bylaws or policies; 
  2. A Board Member willfully or recklessly engages in misconduct that causes or will cause material harm to the Chapter, including the reputation of the Chapter; 
  3. A Board Member willfully engages in an act that constitutes a conflict of interest with the Chapter without the express approval of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII. Committees and Sections 

Sec. 1

Standing Committees and Special Interest Sections may be authorized by the Board of Directors. The name, purpose, and size of the committee shall be specified at the time of its authorization. The Chairperson and other members of each committee shall be named by the President of the Chapter.

Sec. 2

Ad hoc committees may be authorized by the President of the Chapter as needed.

Sec. 3

Special Interest Sections may be formed within the structure of OK-ACRL, subject to the Bylaws of the Chapter. Any individual/entity who is a member of the Section email list is considered to be a member of that Section. Members of any Section must also be members of OK-ACRL. Each Special Interest Section may elect a Chairperson, a Chair-Elect, and, if needed, a Web Manager and Secretary. The Section Chairperson shall represent their group at OK-ACRL Board meetings in a non-voting capacity. Sections may create any other positions they feel are necessary but must notify the Board each year of new positions.

  1. Terms – A Section Chairperson shall serve a one year, elected term. No Section Chairperson may serve more than three consecutive terms. 
  2. Powers and duties – Each Chairperson shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the Board. A report summarizing the activities of the Special Interest Section shall be submitted to the OK-ACRL President at the end of each year. Each Special Interest Section shall assist in planning and implementing any programs or workshops sponsored by OK-ACRL. Each Chairperson shall administer the email list and any shared documents for that particular Section.

Sec. 4

Discontinuance. Any committee, standing committee, or special interest section may be discontinued or declared inactive by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX. Nominations and Elections 

Sec. 1 Nominations

The President-Elect will make a call for nominations for upcoming, vacant Board members.  The President-Elect shall utilize all available means to advertise available positions and make every effort to procure at least two candidates per vacancy. Members may submit the names of candidates of their choice during the open call for nominations and before the deadline set by the President-Elect in the call, and those names will be added, upon consent of the nominee to serve if elected is obtained. The President-Elect shall compose and present a slate of candidates to the members one week before election.

Sec. 2 Election

The election shall be held no later than November 30. All members shall receive a ballot. Candidates receiving a plurality of votes cast shall be elected. In the case of a tie vote, the successful candidate shall be determined by lot.

ARTICLE X. Adoption and Amendments 

Sec. 1 Adoption

Adoption of the Bylaws requires a majority vote by OK-ACRL members present and voting at a meeting at which they are to be considered.

Sec. 2 Amendments

The Bylaws may be amended by an affirmative majority of members provided such amendments are consistent with the ACRL Bylaws. Notification of changes which are substantive must be sent to all members a minimum of one week prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered.  Voting will take place at a Chapter meeting or by a digital ballot that will be shared with members.

Sec. 3 Board Review

The Board will conduct a review of bylaws to determine if bylaws amendments are necessary. The review will occur in odd years.

ARTICLE XI. Year 

The membership year shall be the calendar year.

ARTICLE XII. Dissolution 

Upon the dissolution of OK-ACRL, the Board shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the organization, dispose of all assets of the organization exclusively for the stated purposes of the organization.