Adopted January 28, 1958. Revised June 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, July 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023.
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
ARTICLE II: Object
The Association for Library Service to Children develops and supports the profession of children’s librarianship by enabling and encouraging its practitioners to provide the best library service to our nation’s children.
The Association for Library Service to Children is interested in the improvement and extension of library services to children in all types of libraries. It is responsible for the evaluation and selection of book and non-book library materials and for the improvement of techniques of library service to children from birth through the eighth grade of junior high school age, when such materials and techniques are intended for use in more than one type of library. ALSC has specific responsibility for:
1. Continuous study and critical review of activities assigned to the division.
2. Conduct of activities and carrying on of projects within its area of responsibility.
3. Cooperation with all units of ALA whose interests and activities have a relationship to library service to children.
4. Interpretation of library materials for children and of methods of using such materials with children, to parents, teachers, and other adults, and representation of librarians’ concern for the production and effective use of good children’s books to groups outside the profession.
5. Stimulation of the professional growth of its members and encouragement of participation in appropriate type-of-library divisions.
6. Planning and development of programs of study and research in the area of selection and use of library materials for children for the total profession.
7. Development, evaluation, and promotion of professional materials in its area of responsibility.
ARTICLE III: Membership and Dues
Sec. 1. Members of the Association shall be those persons who, in accordance with ALA Bylaws Article I, have paid dues to ALA and to ALSC.
Sec. 2. The amount of personal member dues shall be determined by the ALSC Board of Directors. Annually, the Board of Directors will review and may authorize a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the most current Consumer Price Index (CPI) rounded to the nearest dollar. Increases in excess of an annual CPI adjustment are subject to the approval of the membership in a mail or electronic vote. Organizational and corporate member dues shall be determined by the ALSC Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV: Board of Directors
Sec. 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers of the Association: the president, the vice-president (president-elect), the immediate past-president, the ALSC/ALA Councilor, the fiscal officer, and the executive director (ex-officio); and eight additional directors, which will include a "New to ALSC" director, three to be elected each year for a term of three years each, except beginning in 1977 and every third year thereafter when two shall be elected for a term of three years each.
Sec. 2. The Board of Directors shall manage the affairs of this Association under the policies adopted by the Association and within the fields of its responsibility as approved by the Council of the American Library Association as described in Article II of these Bylaws.
It shall conduct or review all business pertaining to ALSC between membership meetings.
It shall assemble for the presentation to the ALA Committee on Program Evaluation and Support all budget requests for projects and activities planned by ALSC, its committees, or the other subordinate units.
Sec. 3. A vacancy in the membership of the directors-at-large and New to ALSC director of the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment of the president with approval of the Board of Directors. The appointee shall hold office until the next annual election, when at least one nominee shall be presented to the membership for election to complete the unexpired term as provided in Article X, Sec. 2.
ARTICLE V: Officers and Duties
Sec. 1. The officers shall be president, a vice-president who shall also be president-elect, the immediate past-president, an ALSC/ALA Councilor, a fiscal officer, and an executive director (ex-officio). The vice-president (president-elect) shall be elected annually. The ALSC/ALA Councilor shall be elected every third year for a term of three years. The fiscal officer shall be elected beginning in 2006 and every third year thereafter for a term of three years. The executive director shall be appointed by the Executive Director of the American Library Association with the approval of the ALA Executive Board and the concurrence of the Board of Directors of ALSC.
Sec. 2. The president, vice-president (president-elect), the immediate past-president, the ALSC/ALA Councilor, fiscal officer, and executive director (ex-officio) shall perform the duties pertaining to their offices and such other duties as may be approved by the Board of Directors.
a) The president shall preside at all meetings of the ALSC, the Board of Directors, and of the Executive Committee; shall be an ex-officio member of all standing and special committees except the Nominating Committee; and shall be responsible for the Association program at the annual conference of the American Library Association.
b) The executive director shall carry out the policies of the Association under the direction of the Board of Directors; shall be responsible for the operation of the Association Office; and shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors without vote.
Sec. 3. In the event that the office of president becomes vacant, the vice-president shall become president and shall continue to fulfill the duties of the vice-president until the results of the next election are certified. In the event that the office of vice-president becomes vacant, the Board of Directors shall elect from among its members in the second or third year of service a person to assume the responsibilities of vice-president and succeed to the presidency. In the event that the office of fiscal officer becomes vacant, the Board of Directors shall elect from among its members in the second or third year of service a person to assume the responsibilities of fiscal officer for the remaining of the three-year term. In the event that the office of ALA/ALSC councilor becomes vacant, the Board of Directors shall elect from among its members in the second or third year of service a person to assume the responsibilities of ALA/ALSC councilor for the remaining three year-term. Due to the unique nature of the position, the New-to-ALSC director shall be excluded from eligibility for interim appointments.
ARTICLE VI: Executive Committee
Sec. 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the president who serves as chairperson, the vice-president (president-elect), the past-president, the ALSC/ALA councilor, a fiscal officer, and the executive director of ALSC.
Sec. 2. The Executive Committee shall be constituted to facilitate the actions of the Board of Directors between Board meetings and to consider such items that require interim decisions for the Association. It shall review agendas for the meetings of the Board of Directors, and for the annual Business meeting of the Association, and may make recommendations to the Board regarding items reviewed and under consideration.
Sec. 3. The Chairperson of the Executive Committee shall be responsible for reporting all business transacted by the committee at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors.
Sec. 4. All actions of the Executive Committee shall be subject to the review of the Board of Directors.
Sec. 5. The fiscal officer shall oversee and track the budget, attend BARC/PBA meetings, and serve as a liaison between ALSC and ALA on financial matters.
ARTICLE VII: Meetings
Sec. 1. Annual Meetings. A program meeting shall be held during the Annual Conference of the American Library Association. A business session of the membership shall be convened during the Annual Conference of the American Library Association. Fifty members shall constitute a quorum.
Sec. 2. Board of Directors Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held in connection with the Annual Conference and a Midwinter Meeting at the time of the midwinter meeting of the Council of the American Library Association and at other times at the call of the president. A majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. Vacant positions shall not be included in establishing a quorum.
Sec. 3. Executive Committee Meetings. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at the call of the chairperson. A majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum.
Sec. 4. Votes by Mail. Votes by mail of the membership may be authorized by the Board of Directors. Such authorization must be accompanied by the assurance from the ALA Executive Board that funds are allocated to pay the cost of such mail vote. A majority of votes cast shall be required to carry.
Sec. 5. When mail votes of members of the Board of Directors or of committees are taken between meetings, a majority of votes cast shall be necessary to carry.
ARTICLE VIII: Committees
Sec. 1. Standing, Special, and Ad Hoc Committees shall be authorized by the Board of Directors and may be discontinued by the Board. All members of ALSC Committees and ALSC representatives to Joint Committees shall be members of the Association for Library Service to Children.
Sec. 2. The Newbery Award Committee, the Caldecott Award Committee, the Batchelder Award Committee, the Geisel Award Committee, the Sibert Award Committee, the Legacy Award Committee, and the Notable Children's Books Committee:
a) No individual may serve on either Batchelder Award, Caldecott Award, Geisel Award, Newbery Award, Sibert Award, Legacy Award or Notable Children's Books Committees more often than once every four years. The four year period shall begin from the last year of the term of service regardless of length of term. This guideline will apply to Batchelder Award, Caldecott Award, Geisel Award, Newbery Award, Sibert Award, Legacy Award or Notable Children's Books Committees only. This guideline will not apply to the selection of nominees for Chair. This guideline will not apply to other ALSC committees.
Sec. 3. Special Committees for which the Board of Directors has designated no termination date shall automatically expire at the end of two years (at the time of the adjournment of the ALA Annual Conference) unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Directors.
Sec. 4. Appointments.
a) Appointments of all committee members whose terms begin at the end of Annual Conference shall be made by the vice-president (president-elect) for a period not to exceed two years. Members may be appointed for a second but not a third consecutive term.
b) Appointments of all committee members whose terms begin at the end of the Midwinter Meeting shall be made by the president for a period not to exceed two years. Members may be appointed for a second but not a third consecutive term.
c) Members of Standing Committees, except Newbery Award, Caldecott Award, Legacy Award, Batchelder Award, Geisel Award, and Sibert Award, shall be appointed for overlapping terms.
d) Designation of co-chairs of Standing Committees shall be made annually. A lead co-chair and a “learner” co-chair are appointed in alternating years to each committee; co-chairs serve a staggered, two-year term. This does not apply to the Newbery Award, Caldecott Award, Legacy Award, Batchelder Award, Geisel Award, and Sibert Award committees whose chairpersons are appointed annually.
e) Chairpersons of Special Committees shall serve for the life of the committee.
f) The members and chairpersons of any new committee authorized during the year shall be appointed by the president.
g) Any vacancy occurring on a committee shall be filled by the president.
Sec. 5. Priority Groups.
a) Each ALSC committee shall be assigned to a Priority Group.
b) Each Priority Group shall have a consultant appointed from the membership by the president.
ARTICLE IX: Discussion Groups
Sec. 1. Establishment. When 15 or more members are interested in discussing a common problem which falls within the scope of the Association but which is not the responsibility of a single committee, they may form a discussion group after approval of a signed petition presented to the Board of Directors. The petition shall include the purpose of the group and the requirements for membership.
Sec. 2. Discontinuance. The Board, upon the recommendation of the Organizational Effectiveness Committee, or upon recommendation of the Group itself, may discontinue a discussion group when in its opinion the usefulness of the group has ceased.
Sec. 3. Membership. Membership is limited to ALSC members who have direct contact with the problems and concerns that relate to the group.
Sec. 4. Functions. The group shall elect a chairperson annually at its meeting during the Annual Conference. The chairperson shall keep the president, president-elect, and the executive director fully informed of all meetings and activities of the group. With Board approval, a discussion group may disseminate information, recommendations, and conclusions arrived at in its discussions; and the Board and all committees of ALSC may call upon the group at any time for its advice and counsel in the areas of its expertise. The discussion group may make recommendations to the Board within its areas of concern, and the Board may call upon the group at any time for its advice and counsel.
ARTICLE X: Nominations and Elections
Sec. 1. No later than the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association, the ALSC Vice President/President-Elect appoints a Nominating Committee of four members plus the chair to select candidates for election the following year. No member of the Board of Directors shall be appointed to this committee. Members may serve more than once on the Nominating Committee, but not more than three times, and not more than once in five years, except for chairs, who may serve a chair term within five years of a term as a member of this committee.
Sec. 2. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate to consist of at least one (1) candidate for every anticipated Board vacancy (The Board shall consist of thirteen voting members: president, vice-president (president-elect),; immediate past-president, division councilor, fiscal officer, new to ALSC director and seven directors-at-large. The ALSC Executive Director serves as ex-officio on the Executive Committee and the Board.). In years when multiple director-at-large vacancies are anticipated the slate shall include at least as many candidates as there are slots; and candidates to fill vacancies as approved in Article V, Sec. 3 of these Bylaws. The Nominating Committee will report the slate of candidates to the ALSC Executive Committee in writing by October 1, for the Fall Division Leadership Meeting in the year of the Nominating Committee’s appointment.
Sec. 3. Each nominee named by the Committee must be a member of ALSC and the written consent of the nominee must be filed with the Nominating Committee.
Sec. 4. A candidate may be nominated by a petition signed by twenty-five personal members of ALSC. The nominee shall be a member in good standing of the Association. The petition and the written consent of the nominee shall be filed with the ALSC Executive Director for at least four months before the annual meeting, and the names of the candidates so nominated shall be listed on the official ballot.
Sec. 5. The election shall be carried on in accordance with the ALA Bylaws, Article III, Sec. 4, and with ALA procedures.
ARTICLE XI: Amendments
Sec. 1. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present and voting at a regularly scheduled business session, provided the amendment has been proposed by the Board of Directors, by a committee authorized to do so by ALSC, or by a majority vote of the members present at a business meeting.
Sec. 2. These Bylaws may be amended by a mail or electronic vote of the membership when a two-thirds majority of the votes returned are affirmative.
Sec. 3. The proposed amendment must be sent to the membership not less than one month before the vote on it shall be taken. It may be sent to the membership by inclusion in an official publication of ALSC, the American Libraries, or by direct mail (print or electronic).
ARTICLE XII: Parliamentary Authority
The parliamentary authority used by this Association shall be the same as that used by the American Library Association and shall govern in all cases in which it is not inconsistent with the Bylaws of this Association or with the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Library Association.
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