LAUC BYLAWS

CONTENTS

Article I Name and Authority

The Librarians Association of the University of California is recognized as an official unit of the University as stated in the Presidential Statement on the Status of the Librarians Association of the University of California, APM 360, Appendix B.

Article II. Duties and Responsibilities

Section l. LAUC is authorized to serve in an advisory capacity to the University on professional and governance matters of concern to all librarians.

Section 2. LAUC shall advise the Office of the President*, the campus administration, and the library administration on the operations and policies of the libraries.

Section 3. LAUC shall advise the Office of the President, the campus administration, and the library administration on professional standards, rights, privileges, and obligations of members of the librarian series of the University.

Section 4. LAUC shall advise the Office of the President, the campus administration, and the library administration on the planning, evaluation, and implementation of programs, services, or technological changes in the libraries of the University.

Section 5. LAUC shall not advise the Office of the President, the campus administration, or the library administration with respect to matters which are covered by a Memorandum of Understanding or are otherwise subject to negotiation with an exclusive bargaining agent.

* Note: The term "President", except as used in Office of the President or President of the University, refers to the LAUC President.

Article III. Membership

Section 1. Membership in LAUC shall consist of all persons in the University holding appointments half-time or more in the librarian series, or in any one of the following titles: University Librarian, Associate University Librarian, Assistant University Librarian, Law Librarian, Associate Law Librarian, Assistant Law Librarian, or in the same series or titles in an acting capacity.

Section 2. LAUC has nine Divisions: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. Each Division includes those members whose duties lie primarily on the campus it represents, even if such members report administratively to another campus. Members who work at locations remote from one of the campuses shall belong to the Division of the campus to which they report administratively. Members with University-wide appointments shall belong to the Division of the campus nearest their office.

Section 3. All members shall be eligible to vote in Universitywide elections, to hold Universitywide office, to serve on Universitywide committees, and to serve as representatives to the Assembly.

Section 4. Persons employed as librarians in the University on less than half-time appointments and retired LAUC members shall have affiliate membership. Affiliate members may participate in general meetings of the Assembly, but may not make motions, nominate candidates, become officers, serve on committees, be eligible for research and professional development funds or vote.

Article IV. Officers

Section l. The officers of LAUC shall be President, Vice President (President-Elect), and Secretary.

Section 2. The terms of office shall be one year, commencing 1 September.

Section 3. Each officer shall be from a different Division. (See Article IX, Section 3.b.)

Section 4. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice President (President-Elect) shall serve as President for the remainder of the term under the following provisions:

a. If the vacancy in the office of the President occurs on or before 30 November, the Vice President (President-Elect) shall fill the presidential office until the expiration of the term on 31 August. For the next term commencing 1 September, special or regular elections shall be held for the positions of President, Vice President (President-Elect), and Secretary.

b. If the vacancy in the office of the President occurs on or after 1 December, the Vice President (President-Elect) shall fill the presidential office for the remainder of the term and shall succeed himself/herself for the next term commencing 1 September. Regular elections under these circumstances shall be held for the positions of Vice President (President-Elect) and Secretary only.

c. Regardless of when a vacancy occurs in the office of the President, a Vice President pro tem shall be appointed for the remainder of the term by the new President from the membership of LAUC. (See Article IV, Sections 3 and 6.)

Section 5. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice President (President-Elect) or Secretary, a Vice President pro tem or Secretary pro tem shall be appointed for the remainder of the term by the President from the membership of LAUC. (See Article IV, Sections 3 and 6.)

Section 6. The appointment of a Vice President pro tem or a Secretary pro tem becomes effective as soon as it has been confirmed by a minimum of two-thirds of the Executive Board and the new officers have been notified. Such confirmation may be oral but, if so, shall be followed by a written statement of confirmation.

a. The pro tem officer serves until the expiration of the term on 31 August.

b. In the case of a vacant office of the Vice President (President-Elect), a President shall be elected at the next regular election or at a special election, for the term commencing 1 September. (See Article IX, Sections 12, 13, and 14.)

Section 7. The duties of the president shall be as follows:

a. Represent LAUC in its relationship with the Office of the President and other organizations.

b. Determine the will of the membership and act in accordance with that will.

c. Expedite LAUC business in a manner consistent with the best interest of the membership.

d. Bring to the attention of the Assembly, the Executive Board, and the Divisions any matters which require a LAUC response or which may be of concern to LAUC.

e. Serve as the representative of LAUC on the Library Council.

f. Report to the membership regularly.

g. Preside over meetings of the Assembly, the Executive Board, and the general membership.

h. Appoint the parliamentarian and the editor of any regular LAUC publication.

i. Appoint the membership, standing committee Vice Chairs (Chair Designates), and chairpersons of ad hoc committees of LAUC from nominations submitted by the Executive Boards of the Divisions, direct charges to these committees, and see that the committee reports and recommendations are referred to the Assembly, Executive Board, and/or Divisions for appropriate consideration and action.

j. Nominate LAUC representatives to committees of the Library Council.

k. Nominate and/or appoint LAUC representatives to other committees or groups within and outside the University as the occasion arises.

l. Transfer to the LAUC Archives appropriate records. (See Article XII.)

m. Serve on the Library Council Advisory Committee on Library Studies.

a. Assume the duties of the president in the president's absence or incapacity.

b. Serve as a member of the Executive Board.

c. Serve as Chair, in a non-voting capacity except in cases of ties, of the Research and Professional Development Committee.

d. Perform such other duties as are assigned by the President.

a. Compile agendas and take minutes for meetings of the Executive Board, the Assembly, and the general membership. (See Article VII, 5ection 3.g.)

b. Compile and distribute the University-wide Roster.

c. Conduct the election of officers, as specified in Article IX; conduct referenda, as specified in Article VII, Section 6.

d. Maintain records of LAUC and handle correspondence and publicity for LAUC, as directed by the President.

a. A petition requesting removal of an officer, which is signed by at least 10 percent of the members of LAUC, shall be directed to a member of the Executive Board. The petition must specify the cause(s) justifying removal, and copies of the text must be distributed to all members of the Executive Board, including the officer in question.

b. The member of the Executive Board addressed in the petition shall call a meeting of the Executive Board within 45 days, at which the complainants and the accused officer are both given the opportunity to present their cases. This hearing shall be announced in a letter to the general membership and shall be open to any member who wishes to observe.

c. A two-thirds vote of the entire Executive Board (less the officer in question) shall be required in order to remove an officer. The vote shall be by secret written ballot of those members of the Executive Board present at the hearing.

Article V. Executive Board

Section l. The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, the immediate past President, and the Chairpersons of the Divisions. Chairs of standing and ad hoc committees may be invited by the President to attend an Executive Board meeting as nonvoting members.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall advise the President as to the will of the membership.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall perform the functions of the Assembly during the intervals between meetings of the Assembly. (See Article VII, Section 4.)

Section 4. Actions taken by the Executive Board shall be reported to the membership by the President as soon as possible. If the Executive Board action is taken within three weeks of a scheduled Assembly, it shall be reported to the Assembly by the President at the meeting along with a review of the actions taken by the Executive Board since the previous Assembly. All actions of the Executive Board taken on behalf of the Assembly are subject to review at the meeting of the Assembly following the action.

Section 5. The decisions of the Executive Board may be reached through a telephone poll conducted by the president, through votes at two separate (north and south) regional meetings, or through a meeting of the entire Executive Board.

Section 6. The Executive Board shall adopt special and/or standing rules to govern its procedures.

Article VI. Divisions

Section l. A Division shall be formed on each campus of the University. (See Article III, Section 2.)

Section 2. Each Division shall establish Bylaws governing the conduct of business and the nomination and election of representatives to the Assembly, subject to the following conditions:

a. The Divisions shall send information about meetings and agendas for meetings to members in advance.

b. Members shall have the opportunity to nominate candidates for elective offices and representatives to the Assembly.

c. Elections shall be by ballot, either at a polling place or by mail.

d. Whereas the LAUC Bylaws set certain restrictions on the organization of Divisions, Divisional Bylaws shall be subject to review by the Standing Committee on Committees, Rules, and Jurisdiction. (See Article VIII, Section 1.j.1.)

Section 3. Divisional Officers

a. Divisional officers shall be chosen from the full voting membership of the Division.

b. Divisional officers shall include the following:

1) A Chairperson who shall perform the usual functions of tie office and shall:

a) represent the Division in all deliberations of the Executive Board and, together with other Divisional delegates, in deliberations of the Assembly; and

b) report the deliberations of the Executive Board and the Assembly to the Division.

2) A Divisional Secretary who shall perform the usual functions of the office and who shall:

a) make available to members of the Division the minutes of any general membership meeting, with a copy to the Secretary; and

b) inform the Secretary of the results of Divisional elections and changes in officers or delegates during the year.

Section 4. Divisions shall determine committee organizations and structure, subject to the following conditions:

a. Members of any executive committee or council shall be elected by the membership of the Division.

b. Divisional committees concerned with matters of more than local interest shall send copies of all substantive reports to the chairperson of the related LAUC committee and to the President.

Article VII. Assembly

Section l. The officers of LAUC shall serve as officers of the Assembly. The officers of LAUC shall not be members of the Assembly, except that the presiding officer may vote to break a tie vote.

Section 2. Membership

a. The Chairperson of each Division, or his/her alternate, as elected by the Division, is automatically a member of the Assembly.

b. Additional members (i.e., Divisional representatives) shall be elected by each Division from its roster of voting members.

c. The number of representatives of a Division shall be the Chairperson, or his/her alternate, plus the following:

1) One delegate for each Division having up to and including thirty-five members of LAUC.

2) Two delegates for each Division having thirty-six to eighty-five members of LAUC.

3) Three delegates for each Division having eighty-six to one hundred and sixty members of LAUC.

4) Four delegates for each Division having one hundred and sixty-one or more members of LAUC.

Section 3. Meetings

a. There shall be at least two Assembly meetings per year:

1) One meeting shall be held in the Fall, at which the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee to select nominees for office for election in the Spring. (See Article IX, Section 2.)

2) One meeting shall be held in the Spring.

3) Special meetings of the Assembly may be called by request of a majority of the Assembly members or by two-thirds of the Executive Board.

4) Under special circumstances a scheduled meeting of the Assembly may be cancelled by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly members or by a three-fourths vote of the Executive Board.

5) Location of meetings shall be determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Board.

b. A quorum of the Assembly shall be at least fifty-one percent of its elected members or their alternates.

c. The Secretary shall send agendas of Assembly meetings to each Division at least three weeks in advance of all meetings.

d. Time, frequency, and location of regular Assembly meetings may be changed by a majority vote of LAUC members, in accordance with the provisions of Article XI.

e. LAUC members may attend meetings of the Assembly.

1) Only members of the Assembly may present motions, second motions, and vote.

2) Any member or affiliate of LAUC may introduce topics for discussion and participate in the discussion.

f. A general membership meeting shall be held after or in conjunction with the Spring Assembly meeting. Special general membership meetings may be called by a majority of the Assembly or by two-thirds of the Executive Board.

g. Minutes of Assembly and general membership meetings shall be prepared by the Secretary.

1) The Secretary shall distribute the minutes to all members of the Assembly within thirty days following a meeting.

2) The Secretary shall distribute the minutes to the University Librarian on each campus, to the Chancellor or other officer to whom a LAUC member reports, and to the Office of the President.

3) Each Division shall make minutes of meetings available to its members.

Section 4. Functions

a. The Assembly represents the will of the general membership.

b. The Assembly serves as a forum for the discussion of issues consistent with the duties and responsibilities prescribed to LAUC.

c. The Assembly recommends specific actions, consistent with duties and responsibilities prescribed to LAUC, to the Office of the President and to the Library Council.

d. The Assembly adopts general positions on issues for the guidance of the officers, Executive Board, and Divisions.

e. The Assembly directs the officers of LAUC to take specific actions on behalf of LAUC, including the establishment of committees.

Section 5. Authority and jurisdiction

a. The Assembly shall be concerned with matters of import to more than one Division, and with those issues which are best addressed by a universitywide approach.

b. Divisions shall have autonomy and freedom of action in local matters, consistent with the duties and responsibilities prescribed to LAUC.

Section 6. Petition for Reconsideration and Referendum

a. Upon petition of ten members of LAUC or by a Division, the Assembly and/or Executive Board shall reconsider any specific action or decision. Such petitions must be submitted to the President not later than 30 days after the members have been notified of the action or decision.

b. The Secretary shall conduct a referendum by mail ballot of the entire LAUC membership on any specific action of the Assembly, if such a referendum is requested 1) by a Division, or 2) following reconsideration and confirmation of an action upon petition under Article VII, Section 5.a. above, by a petition signed by 25 members of LAUC. The results of such a mail ballot referendum shall be deemed conclusive. The Assembly may not reconsider such action for a period of two years unless authorized to do so by a subsequent referendum on the same subject. Such a second referendum may be initiated by a Division or by petition of 25 members of LAUC. The same time interval shall apply for submitting requests or petitions for referenda as for requests or petitions for reconsideration. The Secretary shall circulate with the mail ballot a statement of the reasons for reaffirming the Assembly's action, to be furnished by the President, and a statement of the reasons for reversing the Assembly's action, to be furnished by the initiator of the petition or by the chairperson of the Division requesting the referendum.

c. A referendum shall be considered carried if approved by: a majority of the valid votes cast.

Article VIII. Committees

Section l. Standing Committees

a. The Executive Board of each Division shall nominate one member of the Division to serve on each standing committee. Nominations shall be submitted to the President by 1 September for a term commencing 1 October.

b. The President shall appoint members of each standing committee to serve two-year staggered terms, except for the Vice President (President-Elect) who serves as Chair of the Research and Professional Development Committee for a one-year term.

c. The Divisions shall be alphabetically divided into two groups, with Divisions in one of the two groups nominating new members each year.

d. The President, in consultation with the Vice President (President-Elect), shall appoint the Vice Chair (Chair Designate) of each committee. This appointee shall serve one year as Vice Chair and one year as Chair of the Committee. For the Research and Professional Development Committee, the Vice President (President-Elect) serves as chair for one year only; there is no Vice Chair (Chair Designate).

e. If a vacancy occurs on any standing committee, the appropriate Division shall submit a nominee to the President to serve the remainder of the term.

f. The President may accept or request a liaison from the Office of the President to any standing committee.

g. A committee quorum shall consist of fifty-one percent of the members of the committee.

h. All committees shall report at each meeting of the Assembly. Disposition of the report shall be in accordance with the Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure chapter on committee reports and recommendations.

i. Each committee shall submit a written annual report to the President by 1 September.

j. Duties of the Standing Committees

1) Committee on Committees, Rules, and Jurisdiction

a) Review annually, or at the special request of the President, the LAUC Bylaws and submit recommendations to the President.

b) Review the Divisions' Bylaws to assure that they are consistent with the LAUC Bylaws. (See Article VI, Section 2.d..)

c) Address other subjects at the request of the President and consider and develop recommendations on matters concerning LAUC's committees, rules, and jurisdiction.

2) Committee on Professional Governance

a) Advise the President and the Executive Board on issues concerning APM revisions that affect librarians, peer review, and other professional governance issues not covered by the other standing committees.

b) Serve as a review body for Divisions who may request evaluation of local peer review procedures.

c) Create and maintain a LAUC manual which contains, among other items, a definition of terms used in the peer review process; a model call for personnel actions; and explications of criteria for review in APM 21O4e.(3)(a)(d); categories to be included in the Biographical Bibliographical Form; guidelines for preparing confidential summaries; and guidelines for types of documents required for merit reviews and promotions. The appropriate LAUC position papers shall be incorporated into this manual.

d) Address other subjects at the request of the President and consider and develop recommendations on matters of librarian professional governance.

3) Research and Professional Development Committee

a) Serve as the review body for research proposals submitted to the Universitywide Research Grants for Librarians Program by LAUC members and recommend funding of proposals to the Office of the President.

b) Develop, monitor, and revise, as needed, procedures for carrying out the review of research proposals.

c) Develop guidelines for application to the Universitywide Research Grants for Librarians Program and recommend revisions as needed.

d) Advise the President and the Executive Board on issues related to research and professional development for librarians and address other subjects at the request of the President.

4) Library Plans and Policies Committee

a) Advise the President and the Executive Board on issues related to university-wide library plans and policies, consider and develop recommendations on these matters, and address other subjects at the request of the President.

5) Committee on Cultural Diversity

a) Advise the President and the Executive Board, and serve as a resource for other committees and LAUC Divisions on issues and initiatives concerning cultural diversity in University libraries.

b) Consider and develop recommendations and implementation strategies on matters and initiatives of cultural diversity in University libraries.

c) Address other subjects at the request of the President on matters and initiatives of cultural diversity in University libraries.

Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees

a. Ad hoc committees shall be established as determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Board or by the Assembly.

b. The composition of each ad hoc committee shall be determined by the Executive Board or by the Assembly.

c. In the case of ad hoc committees containing a member from each Division, appointment procedures in Article VIII, Section l.a. shall be followed.

d. Each ad hoc committee and its chair shall be appointed by the President.

e. The charge to each ad hoc committee shall be drafted by the President, in consultation with the Executive Board, and contain a final reporting date.

f. Provisions of Article VIII, Section l.g. and h. shall apply to ad hoc committees.

Section 3. Library Council Committees

a. The President shall recommend for appointment for three-year terms one representative, from nominees submitted by the Executive Boards of the Divisions, to serve on each of the following Library Council Committees:

1) Bibliographic Projects Advisory Committee

2) Collection Development Committee

3) Personnel Committee

4) Other committees as requested by the Library Council

b. The President shall serve on the Advisory Committee on Library Studies.

c. Representatives to the Regional Library Facilities Boards shall be recommended for appointment by the President for three-year terms from names submitted by the Executive Boards of the Divisions.

d. LAUC representatives to ad hoc committees and task forces of the Library Council shall be recommended for appointment by the President from names submitted by the Executive Boards of the Divisions.

Article IX. Elections

Section 1. Election of officers of LAUC shall be held annually in the Spring on days determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Executive Board.

a. The election date shall be the one by which all ballots must be deposited with the chairpersons of the Divisional Election Committees.

b. The election date shall be during the month of June.

c. Those officers elected shall take office 1 September.

Section 2. At the Fall Assembly meeting, the president shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three members, each from a different Division. He or she shall designate one to be the chairperson.

Section 3. The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for Vice President (president-Elect) and Secretary.

a. If a vacancy occurs in the office of the President earlier than 1 December, or if a vacancy occurs in the office of the Vice President (President-Elect), the Nominating Committee also shall nominate candidates for President. (See Articles IV and IX, Sections 12, 13, and 14.)

b. Candidates for office shall not be from the same Division, or from the same Division as the current Vice President (President-Elect). Candidates for office shall not be from a Division which has had one of its members serve in the same office during either of the two previous years.

c. Before the Nominating Committee submits its slate, the consent and a biography of each nominee shall be obtained in writing.

Section 4. The chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall submit the slate of nominees in writing, with their written consent and biographies, to the Secretary at least sixty-five days prior to the date of the election.

Section 5. The Secretary shall submit the slate of nominees in writing to each Divisional Chairperson at least fifty-five days prior to the date of the election.

a. The Secretary shall include with the slate of nominees a notice of the election date and notice that additional nominations may be submitted by members.

b. Such additional nominations, accompanied by the written consent and biographies of nominees, must be submitted to the Secretary at least forty days prior to the date of the election.

Section 6. Each Division shall appoint an Election Committee before May 1.

Section 7. At least thirty days prior to the date of the election, the Secretary shall send one sample ballot and biographies of nominees to each Divisional Secretary. The ballot shall state the election date, which is the date by which the ballots must be returned to the Divisional Election Committee chairperson.

Section 8. At least fourteen days prior to the date of the election, each Division shall send to each eligible voter in its Division a ballot and biographies of the nominees.

Section 9. Not more than ten days following the date of the election, each Divisional Secretary shall submit the results of the election in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall compile the results of the election from the divisional reports. The Secretary shall notify the President, the Vice President (president-Elect), the Divisional Chairpersons, and all nominees of the results of the election not later than twenty days after the date of the election or runoff election in the case of a tie.

Section 10. The election of an eligible nominee for the office of Vice President (President-Elect) shall be by a plurality of the valid votes cast for that office. In the case of a tie vote, those nominees must be presented on a second ballot. (See Article IX, Section 14.)

Section 11. The election of an eligible nominee for the office of Secretary shall be by a plurality of valid votes cast for that office. In the case of a tie vote, those nominees must be presented on a second ballot. (See Article IX, Section 12).

Section 12. If there are two or more candidates for President (see Article IV, Section 4.a and Article IX, Section 3.a), the election of a nominee shall be by a plurality of the valid votes cast for that office. In the case of a tie vote, those nominees must be presented on a second ballot. (See Article IX, Section 14.

Section 13. If a vacancy in the office of the Vice President (President-Elect) occurs after the regular nominating and election sequence has begun, there shall be a special election for the office of President for the term commencing the next 1 September. (See Article IX, Section 14 and Article IV, Section 5.)

a. This shall not preclude the appointment of a Vice President pro tem. (See Article IV, Section 4.)

b. The procedure for carrying out the special election shall be the same as specified in Article IX, Sections 4 through 11. Should the results of this special election not be known until after the new term commences (1 September), the newly elected Vice President (President-Elect) shall serve as President pro tem until the new President takes office. The new President takes office as soon as he or she is notified of his or her election.

Section 14. The dates for special or tie-breaking elections shall be determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Board, and shall be as soon as practicable following the event that necessitates such an election.

Article X. Parliamentary Authority

The current edition of the Sturgis Standard Code of parliamentary procedure governs LAUC in all parliamentary situations that are not provided for in its Bylaws or adopted rules.

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Article XI. Amendments

Section l. The Committee on Committees, Rules, and jurisdiction shall review the Bylaws annually, or by special request of the president, to determine whether or not amendments are appropriate. This committee shall submit its recommendations to the President and, at the recommendation of the President, to the Assembly.

Section 2. Any member of the Assembly may propose amendments.

Section 3. If the Assembly passes a proposed amendment by a majority of those voting, the proposed amendment shall be submitted to a vote of the general membership on the annual ballot or on a special mail ballot.

Section 4. A petition signed by at least fifty members of LAUC shall be sufficient to place an amendment either on the annual ballot or on a special mail ballot.

Section 5. An amendment shall be considered ratified if approved by a majority of the valid votes cast.

Section 6. These Bylaws and all amendments thereto shall be subject to the approval of the President of the University, to assure that they are in accord with the Standing Orders of The Regents and with the rules and regulations of the University.

Article XII. LAUC Archives

Section l. The LAUC Archives shall be maintained at the University Archives in the Bancroft Library, Berkeley campus.

Section 2. Each Division shall make a provision for the maintenance of Divisional archives.

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