About YALSA

Organization and Bylaws

Type: Standing

Date of Establishment: 1979

Date of Completion: Continuing

Membership: 9, including Chair. The Chair is an ex-officio member of the YALSA Board.

Qualifications: YALSA members who must be able to attend both the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference of ALA. They should be intimately acquainted with the YALSA Bylaws, the ALA Constitution and Bylaws, and pertinent sections of Sturgis' The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure dealing with bylaws and general parliamentary procedures and principles; they should also have basic knowledge of/interest in current organizational structure of YALSA.

Term of Office: 2 years

Function:

To revise the Bylaws in order to clarify them and, when necessary, to recommend revision and amendment to improve them for the effective management of the Division, for the achievement of its state objectives, and to keep them in harmony with the ALA Constitution and Bylaws.
To study and review committee functions, recommending changes in committee structure, to advise on the organization manual, and to make recommendations on other organizational matters.

Procedures:

Bylaws
1. Periodically review the Bylaws for inner consistency, consistency with current practice and conformity with the ALA Constitution and Bylaws.
2. Consider suggestions for Bylaws changes (from Executive Director, Board, Officers and/or membership) and submit recommended changes to the YALSA Board for approval.
Organization Manual
1. Revise the committee descriptions in the YALSA Handbook of Organization, as needed, after Board actions at Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference.
2. Periodically review and analyze the Bylaws for consistency with divisional goals in relation to current activities, practices and procedures; to suggest to the Board and YALSA staff areas in conflict and areas in need of expansion or revision.
3. To aid the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director, as requested, in manual revision.
Committee Structure
1. To consider, at the request of the Board or of any committee, recommendations for new organizational patterns (e.g. committee formation, committee dissolution, committee names or name changes, function statements and number of committee members needed to undertake the tasks assigned, the qualifications for committee members, if appropriate) in relation to the YALSA area of responsibility, goals and good management practices. To make specific recommendations for action to the YALSA Board in these areas. Whenever the establishment of a new committee is recommended, the committee prepares and copies for all Board members a sheet in the Organization Manual and Committee Handbook style giving name, establishment date, function statement, membership and qualifications for membership if appropriate.
2. To review annually at the Annual Conference the reports of YALSA committee chairs to the Board. To advise the Board when, in the committee's opinion, activities have grown too varied to be handled by one committee, or have decreased to a level that Board review of a committee's usefulness is needed; to assure the Board that all current activities are in line with the committee's function statement, YALSA's goals and field of responsibility.
3. To make other recommendations to the Board in regard to YALSA organization and structure as needed.
4. To update and revise committee information after the Annual Conference and the Midwinter Meeting and notify the YALSA Office of changes. A computerized record of all the committees and Bylaws is kept in the YALSA office.

History: The Bylaws Committee was the Constitution and Bylaws Committee of the Association for Young People's Librarians which then became the Bylaws Committee of YASD. Initially established, September, 1970 as a Special Committee, the Organization Committee, authorized by Article IX, Section 5; changed to a standing Committee by Board approval, January, 1974, ratified by membership, July, 1974.l