Bylaws

Updated January 2005

Proposed Bylaw Changes, Fall 2007

ARTICLE I Name and Affiliation	ARTICLE II Purpose	ARTICLE III Membership
ARTICLE IV Officers	ARTICLE V Duties of the Officers	ARTICLE VI Meetings
ARTICLE VII Steering Committee	ARTICLE VIII Executive Committee	ARTICLE IX Task Forces
ARTICLE X Standing Committees	ARTICLE XI Special Committees	ARTICLE XII Policies & Procedures
ARTICLE XIII Finances	ARTICLE XIV Parliamentary Authority	ARTICLE XV Amendments

Article I NAME AND AFFILIATION

Section 1. Name.: The name of the Organization shall be the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association.
Section 2. Relationship to the American Library Association.: The Government Documents Round Table is a unit of the American Library Association. The constitution and bylaws of that organization, to the extent they are applicable, take precedence over the bylaws of this Round Table.

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The purposes of the Government Documents Round Table are: (a) to provide a forum for discussion of problems and concerns, and for the exchange of ideas by librarians working with government documents; (b) to provide a force for initiating and supporting programs to increase availability, use and bibliographic control of documents; (c) to increase communication between documents librarians and other librarians; (d) to contribute to the extension and improvement of education and training of documents librarians.

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Article III MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.: Any member of ALA may elect to become a personal member of the Round Table upon payment of Round Table annual dues. Only Round Table members who are personal members of ALA receive the right to vote and hold office.
Section 2.: Any organization concerned with issues relating to government information shall be welcome to associate with the Round Table as an affiliate member upon submission of a statement of membership and purpose. Affiliate membership shall entitle the group to receive publications of the Round Table and to participate by reporting on activities for dissemination to all the membership; it shall not entitle members of the group who are not personal members of ALA and members of the Round Table to vote or hold office in the Round Table. The functions and responsibilities of affiliates shall be defined in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual.

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Article IV OFFICERS

Section 1.: Officers of the Round Table are elected and shall be Chair, Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect, Immediate Past Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, GODORT Councilor, and Publications Committee Chair. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws (Article V), the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual, and by the parliamentary authority as adopted by the Round Table (Article XIV).
Section 2.: Officers of the task forces and standing committees shall be designated in these Bylaws; they will be elected or appointed as provided in these Bylaws (Articles IX and X).
Section 3.: Officers shall be elected by mail ballot as provided for in the ALA Bylaws, Article III, Section 4.
Section 4.: Terms of all elected officers shall be one year, unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws. Term of office shall begin at the start of new business at the second Steering Committee meeting of the annual conference. As an exception, the Treasurer shall take office September 1, following the annual conference and shall serve a two year term.
Section 5.: No member shall hold more than one office at a time at the level of standing committee Chair or Task Force Coordinator or higher. No member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. No member of the Executive Committee, except for the past Chair, shall be eligible to hold an additional elective or appointive position with GODORT, at the level of work group Chair or higher, except as specified in these Bylaws. This restriction shall not apply to appointment to special committees.
Section 6.: The following special officers shall serve the Chair and the Steering Committee:
a. Archivist. An Archivist shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair and serve until either party terminates the term of office. The Archivist receives all materials being submitted to the GODORT archives, reviews the materials to ensure that they conform to the retention period and list of appropriate materials as described in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual, and requests additional materials as necessary, and transfers materials to the GODORT archives as appropriate.

b. Parliamentarian. A parliamentarian shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair to serve until either party terminates the service. The parliamentarian shall give advice to the Chair on matters of parliamentary procedure. The Chair may consult with the parliamentarian prior to meetings to anticipate problems and determine proper procedure. During meetings the parliamentarian shall give advice when called upon by the Chair. The Chair retains the right to make a final ruling and may accept or reject the advice of the parliamentarian.

c. GODORT Website Administrator. The GODORT Website Administrator is responsible for developing and maintaining the GODORT web site, under the direction of the GODORT Publications Committee and the GODORT Steering Committee. The Website Administrator is a member of the Publications Committee and the Schedule Committee.

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Article V DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

Section 1. Chair.: The Chair shall have the customary duties of the office of Chair and shall preside over all meetings of the Government Documents Round Table and of the Executive Committee and the Steering Committee for fulfilling the purposes of this organization.
Section 2. Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect.: The Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect shall serve as a member of the Nominating Committee, the Schedule Committee, the Executive Committee, the Steering Committee, and as Chair of the Program Committee.
Section 3. Immediate Past Chair.: The Immediate Past Chair shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee, the Steering Committee, the Membership Committee and the Schedule Committee and shall perform such duties as assigned by the GODORT Chair.
Section 4. Secretary.: The Secretary shall perform the customary duties of this office. The Secretary is a member of the Executive Committee and the Steering Committee. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings of the Round Table and the Steering Committee and have these records available at or before the next regularly called meeting of the Round Table or Steering Committee; shall make a report of the proceedings of each annual meeting to ALA.
Section 5. Treasurer.: The Treasurer shall perform the customary duties of this office and serve on the Development Committee, the Publications Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Steering Committee.
Section 6. Chair of the Publications Committee.: The Chair shall have the responsibility for performing, with the aid of the entire committee, the duties outlined in Article X of the Bylaws. The Chair of the Publications Committee is a member of the steering Committee and serves on its Executive Committee.
Section 7. GODORT Councilor: The GODORT Councilor shall be elected to a term of office as determined by the ALA Bylaws and shall represent the interests of the Government Documents Round Table on the ALA Council. The GODORT Councilor is a member of the Steering Committee and serves on its Executive Committee. The Councilor serves as an ex-officio member of the GODORT Legislation Committee.
The Councilor reports to the GODORT Steering Committee and to the membership on ALA Council Activities, and presents those ALA issues and Council documents upon which the Steering Committee may wish to act. The Councilor receives direction from the Steering Committee regarding positions to be taken on ALA Council issues, and sponsors Council resolutions as requested by the Steering Committee.

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Article VI MEETINGS

Section 1.: All GODORT meetings will be open to anyone who wants to attend, unless otherwise indicated on the schedule, but only GODORT members have voting privileges.
Section 2.: The meetings of the Government Documents Round Table are held as follows:
a. Membership meetings shall be held at Midwinter and Annual ALA Conferences.

b. The Steering Committee and Task Forces will meet at Midwinter and Annual ALA Conferences.

c. The Nominating Committee will meet at least once prior to submitting a slate of candidates to ALA for inclusion in the election Packet.

d. Other committees will meet as necessary.
Section 3.: Prior notice shall be given the membership of all meetings.
Section 4.: A quorum is constituted as follows:
a. Twenty-five members shall constitute a quorum at any GODORT membership meeting.
b. Fifteen members constitute a quorum at task force meetings.

c. For committees and other bodies with designated specified membership, the presence of a majority of the members constitutes a quorum.

d. For work groups and other bodies with unspecified membership a quorum is the number of people attending the meeting.

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Article VII STEERING COMMITTEE

This committee is composed of the elected officers of the Round Table as defined in Article IV, task force coordinators, the Chairs of standing committees, and the Immediate Past Chair of the Round Table.

Section 1.: The Steering Committee shall perform the following duties:
a. Approve subject of the program(s) for the annual conference;
b. Submit projects or endorse projects submitted by Task Forces or committees of the Round Table;

c. Approve by majority vote appointments and designations of Chairs made by the GODORT Chair to standing and special committees as specified in Article X, Section 2 and Article XI;

d. Appoint members to ALA unit positions which accrue to the Chair ex officio;

e. Solicit volunteers for recommendations to ALA committees;

f. Report all action of the Steering Committee at the annual and Midwinter Meetings.
Section 2.: Vacancies on the Steering Committee and vacancies in other task force offices and committees caused by an incumbent's resignation, disability, etc. shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by appointment by the Chair with concurrence of a majority of the Steering Committee either by mail vote or at the Midwinter Meeting.
Section 3.: Invitations to name a representative to serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Steering Committee shall be extended by the committee to organizations sharing common interest and purposes with GODORT.
Section 4.: Ex-officio memberships on the Steering Committee shall be reviewed periodically.

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Article VIII EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

This committee is composed of the Chair, the Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, GODORT Councilor, Publications Committee Chair, and the Immediate Past Chair.

This committee shall act for GODORT when time constraints prevent convening or canvassing the Steering Committee. It shall also assist the Treasurer in the preparation of the budget, ensure that the budget is based on complete and accurate information provided by all GODORT units, and conduct budget reviews as requested by the GODORT chair. No action taken by this committee shall conflict with action taken by the Steering Committee. All action taken will be reported to the Steering Committee.

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Article IX TASK FORCES

Section 1.: Task forces are action-oriented groups related to levels of government which are created to perform ongoing work of the Round Table. Task forces can be created or changed only by amending these Bylaws as provided in Article XV. Officers of task forces shall be Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator and Secretary and shall be elected as provided in these Bylaws, Article IV, Section 3. Membership in a task force is not specified or limited. Any GODORT member is a member of a task force in which he or she has an interest. All GODORT members attending a task force meeting may vote.
Section 2.: A statement of the purpose, goals, and structure of a task force shall be submitted to the Steering Committee for approval and included in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual. It shall be the responsibility of each task force to revise these statements as necessary and to submit the revised statement to the Steering Committee. Work groups and committees of a task force are also required to prepare a statement of membership, purpose, goals, structure and duration of operation which shall be approved by the task force and forwarded to the Steering Committee for approval and inclusion in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual.
Section 3.: The following level of government task forces are established: Federal Documents Task Force, State and Local Documents Task Force and International Documents Task Force.

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Article X STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1.

Standing committee shall be created to perform ongoing work of the Round Table. Standing committees can be created only by amending these Bylaws as provided in Article XV. A statement of the functions and membership of the standing committee shall be written into these Bylaws at the committee's creation. Committees can appoint subunits for specific tasks. No member of a standing committee shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms on the same committee. Policies and procedures of standing committees shall be submitted to the Steering Committee for approval and included in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual.

Section 2.

The GODORT Chair shall seek the advice of the Standing Committee Chair when filling appointed positions on that committee.

Section 3.

The Round Table shall have the following standing committees:

a. Awards Committee. This committee is composed of six members elected to staggered two-year terms. Three members will be elected each year. The Chair is appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee from among the elected members.

The Awards Committee shall select the recipients of Round Table awards and report the selection to the Steering Committee.

b. Bylaws and Organization Committee. This committee is composed of four members elected to staggered two-year terms. Two members will be elected each year. The Chair shall be appointed from among the committee members by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee. The Committee chair shall appoint ad hoc members (non-voting) with the approval of the Steering Committee, as needed to complete the work of the committee. The Committee shall be concerned with the structure and organization of GODORT.

The Committee will revise these Bylaws as necessary or upon the request of membership. Such revisions shall be submitted to the membership according to procedures outlined in these Bylaws, Article XV.
The committee will compile and update the Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM) and review the manual for editorial consistency.
The Committee will conduct a periodic organizational review of GODORT and its units.

c. Legislation Committee. This committee is composed of nine members appointed to staggered two-year terms terms, and the GODORT Councilor (ex-officio). Four members shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee, two members to be appointed each year. Three members, two in even years and one in odd years, shall be appointed by the coordinator of the Federal Documents Task Force and one each by the coordinators of the State and Local Documents (even years) and International Documents (odd years) Task Forces. The Chair of this committee shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee.
(1) The Legislation Committee shall identify issues requiring action; prepare or advise on resolutions for the membership, Steering Committee, task forces and committees; assist the ALA Washington Office on issues affecting federal government legislation; and assist and coordinate legislative action with other ALA bodies.
(2) The Legislation Committee shall maintain the National Action Alert Network to elicit responses on issues requiring immediate attention between meetings.

d. Membership Committee.
This committee is composed of four members appointed by the GODORT Chair to staggered two-year terms, and the immediate Past GODORT Chair. Two members shall be appointed in even years and two in odd years. The Chair of this committee shall be appointed from among the committee members by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee.

The Membership Committee shall actively promote membership in ALA and the Round Table and shall promote participation of Round Table members in ALA and Round Table activities. The Committee shall also maintain communication with state and local affiliates, assisting and/or advising with projects, interests and activities groups. The Chair of the Committee shall designate one member of the committee as coordinator of these activities.

e. Nominating Committee. This committee is composed of four members elected to staggered two-year terms with the Chair appointed from among the committee members by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee. The Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect of GODORT shall serve as ex-officio member. This committee shall use information contained in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual and information furnished by the Steering Committee to determine the offices for which vacancies exist, and the requirements for these offices.

This committee shall coordinate the nominating process, nominate and recruit candidates and prepare for the election to be held by mail ballot. The committee shall maintain a full record of the election results in order to have a record of eligibility for vacancies.

f. Publications Committee. This committee is composed of nine members, including a Chair, a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect elected annually, the GODORT Treasurer, the Editor of Documents to the People (DttP) (non-voting), the GODORT Website Administrator (non-voting), the Chair of the Notable Documents Panel, and one representative from each of the Task Forces appointed to staggered two-year terms. The Publications Committee shall have the responsibility of:
(1) Coordinating the dissemination of information by issuing DttP and/or other GODORT publications or through correspondence to member affiliates;
(2) Approving any publications produced under the auspices of ALA/GODORT;

(3) Compiling information with the assistance of the Editorial Review Board on publication options and procedures, reviewing all publications projects and making recommendations on publishing to the GODORT Steering Committee;

(4) Maintaining a Notable Documents Panel responsible for the compilation and publication of an annual list of significant government documents;

(5) Directing the maintenance of the GODORT Web site; recommending and submitting for endorsement to the GODORT Steering Committee the GODORT Web Administrator;

(6) Functioning as publisher of DttP, recommending and submitting for endorsement to the GODORT Steering Committee the DttP editor, and endorsing the members of the DttP Editorial Board upon recommendation of the DttP editor.

g. Cataloging Committee. This committee is composed of eight members appointed to staggered two-year terms. Four members will be appointed each year. Five members shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee, two members to be appointed during even years and three members to be appointed during odd years. The Federal Documents Task Force Coordinator and the International Documents Task Force Coordinator shall each appoint one member during even years and the State and Local Documents Task Force Coordinator shall appoint one member during odd years. The Chair is appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee. Representatives from other groups may be invited by the committee to serve on the committee ex- officio.

The Cataloging Committee shall identify needs and projects to resolve these needs and issues. It shall act as a liaison with similar groups in the American Library Association and with government agencies, other library associations and bibliographic networks.

h. Education Committee. This committee is composed of 12 members appointed to staggered two-year terms. Nine members shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair with approval of the Steering Committee, four members to be appointed during even years and five members to be appointed during odd years. Three members shall be appointed by the Task Force Coordinators with the approval of the Steering Committee. The Federal Documents Task Force Coordinator and the International Documents Task Force Coordinator shall each appoint one member during even years and the State and Local Documents Task Force Coordinator shall appoint one member during odd years. The Chair is appointed from among the committee members by the GODORT Chair with approval of the Steering Committee.

The Education Committee shall identify needs and issues concerning the education of users of government documents and propose projects to resolve these needs and issues.

i. Rare & Endangered Government Publications Committee. This committee is composed of nine GODORT members appointed to staggered two year terms. One member per term shall be appointed by each Coordinator of the Federal Documents Task Force, the State and Local Documents Task Force, and the International Documents Task Force with the approval of the GODORT Steering Committee. Six members-at-large shall be appointed in staggered terms by the GODORT Chair. The Committee Chair shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair from among the committee members, with the approval of the Steering Committee.

The committee shall identify rare and endangered government publications; evaluate materials for preservation and conservation; and plan programs or workshops on the preservation of these materials. Two liaisons from each of the following organizations shall be invited to participate as voting members: Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT), Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Library Information Technology Association (LITA), and Preservation, Archives and Restoration Section (PARS) of the Association of Library Collection and Technical Services (ALCTS).

j. Program Committee. This committee is composed of five members. The GODORT Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect shall serve as the committee Chair, but will have only one vote on the Steering Committee. The other four members are appointed to staggered two year terms. One member shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee in odd years. One member shall be appointed by each Task Force Coordinator. The Federal Documents Task Force member shall be appointed in odd years and the members of the International and State and Local Documents Task Forces in even years.

The Program Committee shall (a) propose the annual program(s); (b) plan the annual program(s); and (c) implement the program plans.

k. Government Information Technology Committee. This committee is composed of 12 members appointed to staggered two- year terms. Nine members shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee, four members to be appointed during even years and five members during odd years. Three members shall be appointed by the Task Force Coordinators with the approval of the Steering Committee. The Federal Documents Task Force Coordinator and the International Documents Task Force Coordinator shall each appoint one member to the committee during even years and the State and Local Documents Task Force Coordinator shall appoint one member during odd years. The Chair of the committee shall be appointed from among the committee members by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee.

The Government Information Technology Committee shall serve as a forum for information relating to automated access and distribution of government information. Its role will include (a) conducting surveys, (b) providing for the exchange of information, and (c) developing strategies for using automated technology.

l. Development Committee.
This Committee is composed of the GODORT Treasurer and four members appointed by the Chair of GODORT to staggered two year terms. The Chair is appointed by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee from among the appointed members. The Committee chair shall appoint ad hoc, non-voting members with the approval of the Steering Committee, as needed to complete the committee task.

The Development Committee, working with other entities within GODORT, oversees creation and implementation of the Development Plan, with functions to include:

Identifying and soliciting funds from external sources of support;
Developing a list of potential individual and corporate donors, and private foundations;
Researching and developing various fundraising projects for the purpose of support to the scholarship endowment and subsidizing group events, speakers and programs;
Planning and implementing fund raisers for GODORT activities;
Aiding the Chair with solicitations and contacts as needed;
Coordinating with the ALA Development Office, as necessary.

m. Schedule Committee. This committee is composed of three members. The GODORT Past Chair shall serve as the committee Chair, but will have only one vote on the Steering Committee. The other two members are the GODORT Website Administrator and the GODORT Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect.

The Schedule Committee shall communicate with the committee chairs and task force coordinators and coordinate meeting plans with GODORT ALA staff liaison and with ALA Conference Services.

n. Conference Committee.This committee is composed of 5 members appointed to staggered two-year terms. Three members shall be appointed by the GODORT Chair in consultation with the GODORT Steering Committee during even years and two members during odd years. Chair of the committee shall be appointed from among the committee members by the GODORT Chair with the approval of the Steering Committee. The Committee chair may appoint ex-officio member(s), as needed, for local arrangements.

The Conference Committee plans and coordinates local arrangements for GODORT including relations with ALA and host city information. The Committee coordinates with the GODORT Immediate Past-Chair to ensure equipment is delivered as requested for meetings and programs.

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Article XI SPECIAL COMMITTEES

The Steering Committee may establish special committees for any particular or specific purpose within the purview of the Round Table. Special committees shall be of limited and specified duration. In creating a special committee, the Steering Committee must approve a statement of its purpose, organization, membership and duration. This statement will be included in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual.

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Article XII POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Operating policies and procedures of GODORT and its subunits are contained in the GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual. The PPM will be maintained by the Bylaws and Organization Committee in consultation with other GODORT units, and is published on the GODORT web site.

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Article XIII FINANCES

Section 1.: Funds to support Round Table activities will come from the dues of the general membership, contributions, and monies from workshops and publications.
Section 2.: Dues for personal members, affiliate groups, and others shall be proposed by the Steering Committee and presented to the membership for approval or revision at its annual meeting.
Section 3.: The Steering Committee shall prepare a budget for the next fiscal year and present it to the membership at its annual meeting.
Section 4.: Elected and appointed officers may request funds as necessary to implement approved programs of the organization.
Section 5.: The Steering Committee shall allocate funds to each task force based upon budgets submitted by the task forces and funds available.
Section 6.: The Steering Committee shall have control of all monies earned or expended by the Round Table.
Section 7.: The Treasurer is authorized to approve requests for reimbursement and payment of bills from funds in the custody of the ALA Executive Board.

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Article XIV PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the parliamentary authority designated by the American Library Association shall govern the Round Table in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or any special rules or order the Round Table may adopt, or with the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Library Association.

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Article XV AMENDMENTS

Section 1.: These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members of the Round Table in attendance and voting at any Annual or Midwinter Conference, provided that notice of the proposed version has been sent to members or published in DttP at least thirty days prior to the meeting. These Bylaws may also be amended by a majority vote of those responding in a mail referendum to personal members, provided that notice of the proposed revision has been sent to members or published in DttP at least thirty days prior to the vote.
Section 2.: Proposals for revision may be sent by any member of the Steering Committee to the Chair of the Bylaws Committee which will review and report on the proposed revision to the Steering Committee. Upon approval by the Steering Committee, the proposed revision shall be disseminated to the membership as provided for in this article.
Section 3.: Any personal member(s) may propose amendments with twenty-five supporting signatures. In order to obtain the supporting signature a proposed amendment may be published in DttP with an accompanying form which supporters may sign and return to the Bylaws Committee Chair. Upon receipt of a proposal with twenty-five supporting signatures from personal members, the Bylaws Committee will review and report on the language and compatibility of the proposal with other provisions in these Bylaws to the GODORT membership. The proposed amendment will be republished in DttP, discussed and voted on as provided in this Article, Section 1.

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Related Files

Proposed Bylaw Changes, Fall 2007

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