Article I. Name.
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Collection Development and Evaluation Section of the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association.
Article II. Objectives.
Section 1. The Collection Development and Evaluation Section is responsible for developing the professional skills and knowledge of reference and adult services librarians from all types of libraries who are involved in collection development and evaluation.
Section 2. The responsibilities of the section are:
- To gather and disseminate pertinent information to such librarians and to facilitate communication among them.
- To provide continuing education and training opportunities.
- To represent the interests of Reference and User Services Association members working in collection development and evaluation.
- To serve as an advisory body to the RUSA Board of Directors on collection development issues affecting reference and adult services librarians.
- To maintain liaison with existing ALA units which have related concerns.
Article III. Membership.
Section 1. Members of this Section shall be those members of the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association who designate the Collection Development and Evaluation Section according to the American Library Association Bylaws.
Article IV. Officers and Duties.
Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Section shall be a chairperson, a vice-chairperson who shall be chairperson-elect, an archivist, a secretary and four members-at-large (the senior member-at-large will serve as communications coordinator).
Section 2. Terms of Office. The terms of office for chairperson and vice-chairperson shall be one year; that for the secretary, archivist, and members-at-large shall be two years.
Section 3. Duties. The duties of the officers shall be those customarily performed by such officers, as specified in Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedures, unless otherwise specified by vote of the Section. The archivist shall maintain the documentary record of CODES, including all publications, official documents, minutes of CODES meetings, and committee reports. The member-at-large serving as communications coordinator will ensure that committee meeting times do not unnecessarily conflict and that no meetings are scheduled during no-conflict time, including the RUSA and CODES program times.
Section 4. Vacancies of Office. A vacancy in the office of chairperson shall be filled by the vice-chairperson, who will then complete both the terms of his/her predecessor and his/her own. In the case of a vacancy in both the offices of chairperson and vice-chairperson, or of a vacancy in the office of secretary, the Executive Committee shall appoint one of its members to serve until the next regular election.
Article V. Nominations and Elections.
Section 1. Nominating Committee. The chairperson shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoint a Nominating Committee of three members to present a slate of candidates for election to offices of the Section and for the four elected members-at-large of the Executive Committee. No member of the Executive Committee may serve on the Nominating Committee.
Section 2. Nominations.
a) Slate. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of two candidates for each office to be filled. The committee shall file the nominations and the written consent of the nominees with the Division's Executive Director who shall arrange for publication and distribution of the official ballot by the American Library Association.
b) Additional Nominations. Other nominations may be made by petition of 25 members of the Section, and submitted with the written consent of the nominee to the Executive Director of the Division at least four months before the annual conference of the American Library Association.
c) Eligibility. No person may be nominated who is not a personal member in good standing of the Section at the time of nomination.
Section 3. Elections. Elections shall be held by mail ballot in accordance with the procedures of the American Library Association. For each office, the candidate receiving the largest number of votes cast shall be elected. In the case of a tie vote, the successful candidate shall be determined by lot. At the first election following the adoption of these Bylaws, in order to establish staggered or overlapping terms of office, the candidate for member-at-large of the Executive Committee who receives the greatest number of votes shall be elected for a two year term, the candidate who receives the second greatest number of votes shall be elected to a one year term. Thereafter, two members-at-large shall be elected annually.
Article VI. Meetings.
Section 1. General Meetings. The Section shall hold an annual business meeting in connection with the annual conference of the American Library Association.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Other meetings may be called by the Executive Committee or by the chairperson upon request of twenty-five members of the Section. Notice of at least one month shall be given, and only the business specified in the call for the meeting shall be transacted.
Section 3. Quorum. Twenty-five members of the Section shall constitute a quorum.
Article VII. Executive Committee.
Section 1. Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, the immediate past Section chairperson, all current standing Section committee chairs and four members-at-large elected by and from the Section for two year terms, as provided in Article V, Section 3.
The editor of the Section news column, committee chairs, and the President and Executive Director of the Reference and User Services Association shall be ex officio, non-voting members of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Duties. The Executive Committee shall act for and by the authority of the Section during the period between meetings. It shall report on its work at the regular meetings of the Section, and publish a summary of its minutes in the news of the Section.
Section 3. Meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet at both the Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association.
Section 4. Quorum. A majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum of the Executive Committee.
Section 5. Vacancies of Office. In the case of a vacancy in the Executive Committee not provided for by Article IV, Section 4, the Executive Committee shall appoint a member of the Section to fill the vacancy until the next regular election.
Article VIII. Committees.
Section 1. Authorization and Discontinuance. The Executive Committee, or the membership of the Section by direction to the Executive Committee, may create or abolish standing, special and ad hoc committees. Special and ad hoc committees shall continue to exist until their purpose is accomplished or the committee is discharged by the Section or the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Duties. The duties, name and size of a committee shall be determined at the time of its creation, but the Section chairperson may temporarily add any pertinent and relevant duties necessary to carry out the work of the Section.
Section 3. Appointments.
a) Members. The Section vice-chairperson/chairperson-elect shall appoint those members of committees whose terms are to commence at the same time as he/she assumes the chair. The Section chairperson shall appoint members of committees formed during his/her term in office and shall make appointments to fill vacancies which may occur during his/her term of office. Each committee appointee shall be a member of the Section at the time of appointment or be appointed provisionally, contingent upon becoming a member at the next opportunity.
b) Committee Chairperson. The chairpersons of committees shall be appointed in the same manner as members.
Section 4. Terms of Appointment.
a) Members. Members of standing committees shall be appointed for a term of two years, and may be reappointed for one additional term. Members of special and ad hoc committees shall be appointed for a term of two years, or less, depending upon the Committee's charge. Appointments shall be made in such a manner as to provide continuity in membership.
b) Chairpersons. Chairpersons of committees shall be appointed for one-year terms and may be reappointed for three additional terms.
Article IX. Discussion Groups.
Section 1. Establishment. Any group of 25 or more members of the Section interested in discussing common problems which fall within the purposes of the Section may form a discussion group upon written petition for the group to the Executive Committee of the Section. Upon the approval of the Executive Committee of the Section and the Board of Directors of the Division, the discussion group will be established. The petition shall include the purpose of the group and the requirements for membership. Petition signatures must be gathered during one meeting of the Section (either Annual Conference or Midwinter Meeting). In order to continue, each discussion group shall petition for reestablishment every five years, following the procedure outlined in this Section.
Section 2. Membership. Membership is open to members of the Section who are interested in the purpose of the group and who fulfill the requirements for membership as determined by the group.
Section 3. Officers. Each group shall elect a chairperson annually at the Annual Conference of the American Library Association. The chairperson shall keep a roster of members of the group, be responsible for all communication with them, preside at meetings of the group during the next year, and make a report to the Executive Committee of the Section after each meeting.
Section 4. Activities. A discussion group may:
- Meet together to discuss common problems;
- Establish a means of communications among its members;
- Recommend action to the Executive Committee of the Section;
- Incur no expenses except as authorized and make no declaration of policy.
Section 5. Discontinuance. Each group shall continue in existence until the group fails to gain the needed signatures for reestablishment as outlined in Section 1, above, or until it is dissolved by action of the Executive Committee and RUSA Board of Directors.
Article X. Parliamentary Authority.
Section 1. The rules in the latest edition of Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedures shall govern the Section in all cases to which they are applicable provided they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws of the Division or of the American Library Association.
Article XI. Amendments.
Section 1. Proposals. Amendments to the Bylaws shall be proposed by the Executive Committee or by petition of 25 members of the Section to the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Notice. The complete text of any proposed amendment shall accompany the mail ballot.
Section 3. Voting. A vote to amend the bylaws shall be taken by mail. Bylaws amendments shall be passed by a majority of those voting.
Section 4. Effective. Unless otherwise specified, amendments to the Bylaws shall become effective upon their approval by the membership.
Article XII. Adoption and Review.
Section 1. These Bylaws shall be adopted and take effect immediately upon their approval by a two-thirds majority vote of those members present at an annual meeting of the Section. The Bylaws shall be reviewed every five years after adoption.
Article XIII. General Provisions.
Section 1. Whenever these Bylaws make no specific provisions, the organization of and procedures in the Section shall correspond to those set forth in the Bylaws of the Reference and User Services Association.
Adopted June, 1988, revised June, 1998, revised May, 2009