CS-SIS Bylaws: Recommended Changes

The following are changes that the Bylaws Committee (Susan Boland, Tina Ching, Dominick Grillo (Chair), Sheri Lewis, and Jean Willis) propose for a vote by CS-SIS membership. An online vote will be conducted 30 days after posting this on the CS-SIS website. CS-SIS members shall receive Bylaws electronic vote instructions via email.

Complete CS-SIS Bylaws are available online at:http://www.aallnet.org/sis/cssis/bylaws/bylaws_current.asp Recommended changes are listed below. New text is in bold; text to be struck is in brackets:

Change #1a & 1b

Article I: NAME

The name of this special interest section of the American Association of Law Libraries (hereinafter referred to as the “Association” or “AALL”) shall be the Computing Services Special Interest Section (hereinafter referred to as the “Section”), abbreviated CS-SIS or CS SIS.

REASON – Later in the Bylaws we use the abbreviation AALL, so we might as well make it clear what we mean. In many of our publications we use the hyphenated form CS-SIS. These changes clarify our current practices.

Change #2

Article IV: GENERAL BUSINESS MEETINGS

Section 2. At each annual meeting [the budget ]a financial summary of the Section

will be submitted to the membership for approval.

REASON – To conform to current practice. We don’t plan a budget for the

following year but instead explain moneys coming in and going out.

Change #3

Article V: OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

Section 2. Election Procedures.

(b.) Nominations for office may be submitted in advance to a Nominating Committee appointed by the Chairperson as provided in Article VII. The [n]Nominating [c]Committee shall submit a slate of at least two candidates for each office and the slates shall appear on the ballot. Write-in votes will be permitted on the official ballot.

REASON – Adjust capitalization.

Change #4

Article V: OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

Section 2. Election Procedures.

(d.) In the event electronic ballots are used, the details of conducting the election shall first be approved by the Executive Committee. The Committee shall ensure that an election conducted by electronic balloting is fundamentally fair and preserves the right of secret ballot. The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected. In case of a tie vote, a run off election shall be held at the annual business meeting. Run off elections shall be by secret ballot. The ballots shall be immediately counted, and the candidate with the largest number of votes declared elected.

REASON – Right now we have no method to handle this (admittedly rare) event. The new language is similar to the AALL bylaws.

Change #5

Article VII: COMMITTEES

Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the officers named

above and the immediate past [chair ]Chairperson.

REASON – We use Chairperson and not Chair in the document.

Change #6

Article IX: PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, in the latest edition, shall govern all deliberations of the Section, except as otherwise specified in these bylaws. When used throughout this document, terms of gender (for example, pronouns) shall be considered to be gender-neutral in intent.

REASON – We often us his, her, etc. in the document, and for readability, this seems the simplest way to make explicit that in a line such as: “If a Chairperson leaves his office, the Vice-Chairperson will assume his duties.” does not require a male officer.