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AVL Council Bylaws

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Council. In the text of the by-laws, the acronym AVL shall refer to the Alabama Virtual Library project, while the governing body of the AVL shall be referred to as the Council.

Article II. Purpose

The Council is responsible for implementation and management of the AVL that provides all Alabama citizens with access to an electronic library of essential information resources, ensuring equity of access to excellent information regardless of geography. The AVL common core of resources is made available to every citizen of the state through the constituents of the participating state agencies.

The Council shall facilitate advocacy efforts to assure sustainable means of providing economical, equitable, and excellent digital learning resources that transcend time and space.

Article III. Membership

Section I.

The state agencies participating in the AVL Council are the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, the Alabama Public Library Service, the Alabama State Department of Education, and the Alabama Supercomputer Authority.

Section II.

The director of a participating state agency shall appoint three Council members to serve as representatives and advocates for the agency's constituency. Each appointment is made for a three-year term. Initial appointments to the Council may have varying lengths of service to allow staggered rotation and terms of service. Members whose term has expired will serve until a new appointment is made by the participating agency.

Section III.

The membership year shall correspond with the fiscal year, beginning October 1 and ending on September 30 of the subsequent year.

Article IV. Officers

Section I.

The officers of the Council shall be Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by the bylaws and by the parliamentary authority as specified in Article VIII. To maintain continuity in leadership, it is intended that the Chairperson-Elect shall assume the Chairperson position in the following year.

Section II.

The presiding chairperson of the Council shall appoint the nominating committee no later than April. The slate of officers shall be presented to the Council in June. Nominations may be taken from the floor at this time. The Council will vote on the nominated slate of officers in August.

Section III.

All officers shall be elected to serve for one year or until their successors are elected, with a maximum of two consecutive terms. The term of office shall begin October 1.

Section IV.

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Chairperson, the Chairperson-Elect shall assume the office of the Chairperson for the remainder of the term. Vacancies in the office of Chairperson-Elect or Secretary shall be filled by a special election.

Section V.

The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings/actions taken at the meetings of the Council. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of the AVL, including but not limited to, files, papers, letters, copies of letters, books, minutes, budgets, and any other materials related to the actions of the Council, establishing a quorum for meetings and notifying members of scheduled meetings. These records will be filed at the offices of the fiscal agent, protected and preserved against loss or destruction, and made available to the public.

Section VI.

Alabama State Department of Education is the fiscal agent for the AVL. The Treasurer shall serve as a primary point of contact for financial information with the fiscal agent. This includes any and all budgetary matters, including purchasing, licensing, etc.

Article V. Meetings

Section I.

The Council shall meet bimonthly beginning in October of each year, preferably on the third Wednesday of each month, and at such place and time of day as the Council shall determine.

Section II.

The Chairperson of the Council may call special meetings; and said meetings may be called upon the request of three representatives of three different agencies of AVL. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except in emergencies, a minimum of ten calendar days' notice shall be given.

Section III.

A simple majority of the Council members shall be eight with at least one Council member representing each participating agency. Said majority shall constitute a quorum. Only appointed Council members may cast votes. Proxy votes will not be recognized. Alternates may attend Council meetings to represent an agency, but shall not have voting privileges. Council members must be present at meetings to vote. Council members shall abstain from voting on matters that could be considered a conflict of interest. In the absence of a quorum, voting will be delayed until the next regular meeting when a quorum is present.

Article VI. Committees

Section I.

The Chairperson may appoint AVL special (select or ad hoc) committees and task forces as needed with charges developed and/or approved by the Council. Standing committees are as follows:

Budget, Training, Publicity, Database Review/Selection, By-Laws, Strategic/Vision, Nominating, License Negotiating. The Chairperson shall be an ex officio member of all committees except the nominating committee and shall appoint members to each committee. The Chairperson shall appoint one Council member to chair each standing committee. Committee chairpersons will call meetings and report findings to the Council. Other members of standing or special committees may be appointed from Council or from outside the Council and should constitute an equal representation of the AVL participating agencies to the extent possible.

Section II.

Standing committees.

Standing committees shall be appointed, as deemed necessary to carry out the objectives of the AVL. The Chairperson, with the advice and consent of the Council, shall appoint the chairman of such committees, and with the advice and consent of the Council, shall appoint such members as are deemed necessary to carry out the charge to the committee. All committees should constitute an equal representation of the AVL participating agencies to the extent possible. The Chairperson shall be an ex officio member of all committees except the nominating committee.

Budget
A budget committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson from Council members with one member representing the fiscal agent. It shall be the duty of this committee to prepare a budget for the fiscal year and present it to Council, and to oversee and recommend expenditures to Council.

Nominating
A nominating committee of three members shall be appointed by the Chairperson from Council members. This committee shall secure candidates for the slate of officers and present the slate to Council as referred to in Article IV Section II.

Training
The training committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson and composed of two members from each constituency of the participating agencies. The committee may include Council members or members recommended by Council from their constituents. The training committee shall coordinate and implement training initiatives for the AVL with the approval of the Council. Other duties may include, but not be limited to, identifying training needs, resources for training, and update and track available trainers.

Publicity
The publicity committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson and composed of two members from each constituency of the participating agencies. The committee may include Council members or members recommended by Council from their constituents. The publicity committee shall develop a strategic yearly marketing plan and plan and implement public relations and advertising campaigns for the AVL with the approval of Council. Other duties may include, but not be limited to, the development of media or print which will advance public awareness and education of AVL users.

Database Review/Selection
The Database Review committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson and shall be composed of at least five members or more broadly representative of the participating agencies. The committee may include Council members or members recommended by Council from their constituents. The Database Review committee shall review, compare, and make recommendations to Council about new products, subscriptions, and services to add to the AVL. The committee may also make recommendation to Council on content and relevance of resources as it suits the needs of users.

By-Laws
The By-Laws committee will be composed of four members from the Council and appointed by Chairperson. The committee shall review by-laws for revisions or additions as referred to in Article VIII. By Laws will be fully reviewed at least every three years and presented to Council. Necessary revisions may made as needed and adopted by a quorum vote.

Strategic Planning/Vision
The Chairperson shall appoint the Strategic/Vision committee from Council members. The committee will be composed of at least one representative from each participating agency. The Strategic Planning/Vision committee shall plan and oversee policies and set the direction of the AVL. Other duties will include, but not be limited to, developing and reviewing policies and criteria for the AVL website. Strategic Plans will be submitted to Council every three years with revisions being made each year as needed and adopted by a quorum vote.

License Negotiating
The license negotiating committee shall be appointed by the chairperson. The committee shall consist of a representative from the fiscal agency and at least one representative from each participating agency. The committee will review all licenses and pricing for database subscriptions and will be the sole voice for negotiating licenses for the AVL. The committee will bring all recommendations to the Council for vote and approval before licenses are signed.

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