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MLA President, Mark Funk
MLA Chicago 2008
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MEDICAL INFORMATICS SECTION BYLAWS


Approved: 1994 Annual Business Meeting, San Antonio, Texas
Approved: 2002 Annual Business Meeting, Dallas, Texas
Approved: 2007 Annual Business Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Medical Informatics Section, a Section of the Medical Library Association, Inc.


ARTICLE II. Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote the educational, scientific, and professional growth of its members by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information between health science librarians and medical informatics professionals.


ARTICLE III. Membership

Section 1. Members
All and only members of MLA may belong to this Section.

Section 2. Rights and Privileges

A. Voting members of this Section shall consist of all members, except that only Voting Members of the Medical Library Association shall be qualified to move or to vote on recommendations to the Section Council regarding MLA policies or actions, to vote on the selection of a candidate for the MLA Nominating Committee, or to vote on the selection of the Section's Representative and Representative-Elect to the Section Council.

B. Officers of this Section shall be Voting Members of the Medical Library Association.

C. Only Section members are eligible to vote on internal Section matters.

Section 3. Dues

A. Dues shall be determined by a majority vote of those present and eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting of the Section. Dues shall be assessed on an annual basis for the period of the calendar year. Section dues may not exceed MLA membership dues for Regular Members.

B. Section dues shall be payable on joining the Section and thereafter at the same time as are Medical Library Association dues.

C. If dues are unpaid by March 31, the dues shall be considered in arrears and without further notice the member shall be suspended from all rights and privileges.


ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section 1. Officers and Term of Office

A. Elective officers of the organization shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, an Immediate Past-Chair, a Secretary-Treasurer, a Representative to the Section Council, and a Representative-Elect to the Section Council.

B. The term of office of the Chair shall be one year as Chair-Elect, one year as Chair, and one year as Immediate Past-Chair. No one may serve more than two successive terms as Chair-Elect/Chair/Immediate Past-Chair.

C. The term of office of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be two years. An individual may not serve more than two successive terms as Secretary-Treasurer.

D. The term of office of the Representative to the Section Council shall be three years, a one-year term as Representative-Elect, and a two-year term as Representative, except that if the Representative's term be made shorter by action of the Council or the Bylaws of the Medical Library Association, the term will coincide with that action.

E. Elected officers shall take office at the close of the MLA Annual Meeting following their election and serve, unless they resign, die, become incapacitated, or are removed, until the close of the MLA Annual Meeting at the end of their terms of office or until their successors are elected and assume their duties.

Section 2. Duties

A. The duties of the Chair shall be to preside over all meetings and to represent the Section at all times and on all occasions not in conflict with any other officer's defined duties and responsibilities, to serve as Chair of the Section's Executive Board, to submit an Annual Report to MLA Headquarters by the date requested, as well as other reports of the Section and/or documents as required or requested by Association headquarters, to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section. A Parliamentarian may be appointed by the Chair to serve a term concurrent with that of the Chair. This person may be reappointed to serve additional terms.

B. The duties of the Chair-Elect shall be to serve as Chair whenever the Chair is not able to do so, to serve on the Section's Executive Board, to chair the Program Committee of the Section, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section.

C. The duties of the Immediate Past-Chair shall be to serve on the Section's Executive Board and to Chair the Section's Nominating Committee.

D. The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be to serve on the Section's Executive Board, to be responsible for incoming and outgoing correspondence, to prepare minutes of all meetings, to receive and account for all monies due to the organization, to maintain all Section records for archival purposes, and to perform all other duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Section.

E. The duties of the Representative to the Section Council shall be to represent the Section on the MLA Section Council by attending the meetings of the Council, to transmit to the Council recommendations that have been approved by the Section, to communicate Council business to the officers and membership of the Section, to serve on the Section's Executive Board, and to serve on the Program Committee of the Section.

F. The duties of the Representative-Elect to the Section Council shall be to attend meetings of the Section Council, to serve as Representative whenever the Representative is unable to do so, to assume the office of Representative and serve out the unexpired term should the Representative become unable to complete the term of office, and to serve on the Section's Executive Board.

Section 3. Nominations and Elections

A. The Immediate Past-Chair shall chair the Nominating Committee and appoint at least two section members to serve on the committee.

B. A slate of one or more nominee(s) shall be prepared annually for the offices to be filled.

C. Ballots shall be distributed by the Nominating Committee and returned to a member of the Nominating Committee in time for the results to be declared on or before February 15. A majority vote elects unless there are more than two candidates, then a plurality shall elect.

Section 4. Vacancies

A. A vacancy arising in the office of Chair shall be filled by the Chair-Elect, who shall cease to be Chair-Elect, shall serve out the unexpired term of the Chair, and shall continue as Chair for the full succeeding term to which he or she was elected.

B. A vacancy arising in the office of Representative to the Section Council shall be filled by the Representative-Elect, who shall cease to be Representative-Elect, and shall serve out the unexpired term of the Representative.

C. A vacancy arising in any other elected office shall be filled by the Executive Board.

Section 5. Candidate for the MLA Nominating Committee Membership

A. The name of one Voting Member of the Medical Library Association, chosen by the Executive Board of the Section, shall be submitted each year to the Section Council as a potential candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee; this submission shall be made to the Council before its final assembly at the MLA Annual Meeting. The potential candidate shall prepare a biographical statement and a signed statement of willingness-to-serve if elected as a member of the MLA Nominating Committee. This statement shall accompany the name submitted.

B. No person shall consent to being a potential candidate or a candidate for membership on the Nominating Committee who is already such a potential candidate or candidate from some other unit of the Medical Library Association; no candidate for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee shall also be a candidate for an elective office of the Medical Library Association, or vice versa.

C. No one shall serve on the Nominating Committee as a voting member more than one term during a period of five years.


ARTICLE V. Meetings

Section 1. Meetings

At least one meeting shall be held in each fiscal year. Additional meetings may be held. One meeting of the Section shall be called the "Annual Meeting." All meetings shall be held at a time and place convenient for members. Notice of all meetings shall be disseminated to the membership at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting date. The Section's Business Meeting shall be held during the same period and at the same location as the Association's Annual Meeting. No Section meetings shall be held at the same time that General Sessions or Business Sessions of the Association's Annual Meeting are conducted.

Section 2. Quorum

Fifteen (15) people shall constitute a quorum of this Section.


ARTICLE VI. Executive Board

Section 1. Executive Board

The elected officers and the Immediate Past-Chair of this Section shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 2. Duties

The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of this Section between its Business Meetings, fix the time and place of meetings, make recommendations to the membership, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the organization.


ARTICLE VII. Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees

A. The Executive Board shall establish standing committees to consider matters of the Section that require continuity of attention by the members. The Executive Board shall recommend the name and size of each committee.

B. The Chair in consultation with the Executive Board shall designate and announce committee members and chairs in advance of the beginning of his or her term of office and when these appointments shall take effect. Unless otherwise approved by the Executive Board, members of standing committees shall be appointed for terms of one year, and may be reappointed for a second term. The Chair shall have the discretion to terminate appointments. Neither the Chair nor the Chair-Elect shall serve on or appoint members to the Nominating Committee.

Section 2. Special Committees

A. The Section Chair may appoint such other special committees as are necessary with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.

Section 3. Committee Chairs

Chairs of committees shall be Voting Members of the Medical Library Association.

Section 4. Committee Reports

Each committee shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Section Chair prior to the compilation of the Annual Section Report for submission to MLA Headquarters.


ARTICLE VIII. Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of this Section, all liabilities and obligations shall be paid or adequate provision made for payment. Remaining assets shall revert to the MLA General Fund.


ARTICLE IX. Parliamentary Authority

Section 1. Rules

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern this Section in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Section may adopt.

Section 2. Parliamentarian

A parliamentarian may be appointed by the Chair to serve a term concurrent with that of the Chair. This person may be re-appointed to serve additional terms.


ARTICLE X. Amendment of Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended at any regular business meeting of the Section by a two-thirds vote of those attending, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be taken.