AAL Bylaws

Owned by Cynthia Schwarz
Last updated: May 16, 2023 by Rebecca Lloyd


Bylaws of the Academic Assembly of Librarians

Amended as of: 2023

I. PURPOSE

The Academic Assembly of Librarians is organized to foster the professional development and academic growth of librarians and to provide a means for broader professional staff participation in the development of the Temple University Libraries. By committee work, debate and resolution, it will express views on broad policy of library administration.

II. MEMBERSHIP

All library staff covered by the TAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement and any other full-time professional librarians shall be voting members. Other librarians serving Temple University who have advanced degrees in librarianship, as well as non-librarian professionals with advanced degrees whose positions are funded by Temple University Libraries, are invited to attend the General Assembly meetings as guests at the discretion of the AAL Steering Committee. Guests may not vote or serve on committees.

Any interested full-time staff member of the Temple University Libraries who is considered to have academic qualifications comparable to a librarian may be voted into membership. The Steering Committee shall receive names of persons interested, submitted by the person interested, or by a member of the Assembly. A rationale for membership shall accompany the submission. Approval of an individual’s qualifications may be accomplished by recommendation of the Steering Committee, an announcement of that person’s interest one week prior to a regular general assembly meeting, with opportunity for discussion during that meeting, and then by a majority online vote of AAL members, with a closing deadline three weeks after the general assembly meeting.

AAL membership shall not entitle the individual to vote on issues or in elections, nor to sit on committees which deal with issues included in the TAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement if the individual is not covered by that agreement. Such membership shall include all other rights, privileges, and responsibilities of AAL memberships, such as service on committees.

III. STRUCTURE

A) Academic Assembly/Steering Committee

1. The officers of the Academic Assembly of Librarians shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair Chair-Elect, and a Recorder. The officers, along with two members-at-large shall constitute the Steering Committee of the Academic Assembly. A Resident Librarian, when present, shall also be offered the opportunity to serve on the Steering Committee. The Dean of Libraries shall be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Steering Committee.

2. The Chair shall serve a one-year term, and shall have been a member of the Academic Assembly for TWO years prior to taking office. The Chair shall preside at meetings of the Assembly and of the Steering Committee; convene special meetings of the Steering Committee; and be a full voting member of the Steering Committee.

3. The Vice-Chair-Chair-Elect shall serve a one-year term and succeed to the office of Chair the following year. The Vice-Chair shall have been a member of the Assembly for two years prior to taking office. The Vice-Chair shall substitute for the Chair in his/her absence; assist the Chair in arranging times and locations for meetings of the Assembly and the Steering Committee; see that agenda are prepared and distributed in advance of Assembly meetings and that members are notified of meetings. The Vice-Chair-Chair-Elect shall contact new librarians and other staff eligible for membership in the Assembly within one month of their appointment to inform them about the AAL, and if applicable the AAL Process of Contract Renewal, Regular Appointment, and Promotion, and shall give each new member copies of the Bylaws.

4. The Recorder shall serve a two-year term. The Recorder shall keep the minutes of the Assembly, the Steering Committee, maintain the files of both, distribute the minutes to the membership, and be responsible for the correspondence and communications of the Assembly and the Steering Committee not handled by other members of the Steering Committee. The Recorder shall also maintain and update a current list of all AAL members that includes TAUP membership and department head status.

5. The Members-at-Large of the Steering Committee shall serve two-year terms, elected in alternate years.

6. A Resident Librarian, when present, shall be offered the opportunity by the Steering Committee to serve a one-year term.

7. Steering Committee meetings shall normally be open meetings and shall be held at least once a month. Closed meetings shall be held only when an issue scheduled for discussion is of a confidential nature, relating to one or more particular individuals. The Steering Committee may invite anyone to attend its meetings. Whenever the Dean of Libraries has not attended a Steering Committee meeting for three months, the Committee shall schedule a meeting with the Dean of Libraries at a mutually convenient time.

B) Standing Committees

1. Standing Committees of the Academic Assembly shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

a) Selection and Appointment Committee

b) Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee

c) Nominations and Elections Committee

d) Continuing Education Committee

2. Except for cases where the Assembly has approved a different procedure or modus operandi, standing committees shall report to the Steering Committee, which shall review, and approve or recommend changes in their reports, and transmit their reports to the Assembly for action.

3. All members of standing committees shall be elected by the Assembly with the exception of those who are members of committees because of their administrative positions. Further exceptions include the support staff representative on the Continuing Education Committee who is nominated by the Dean of Libraries and approved by the Steering Committee, in addition to a Resident Librarian, when present, who may be appointed by the Steering Committee. Temporary vacancies of 2-6 months shall be filled by appointment by the Steering Committee. Such appointments shall be only for the duration of the elected member’s absence.

4. The chair of an ad hoc committee may be elected by the Assembly membership at a particular meeting, with the remainder of the committee being chosen by the elected chairman from the volunteers; or if the Assembly chooses, the committee may be chosen in some other manner, such as having the entire committee elected by ballot.

5. New members of the Steering Committee and of the Standing Committees shall be elected at the regular May meeting, and take office July 1st. An individual shall not chair more than one standing committee, nor shall a member of the Steering Committee chair a standing committee.

6. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of two AAL members. The term of the members shall be two years. One member shall be elected each year at the May Assembly meeting. The Committee shall nominate candidates for all elective vacancies. The Committee shall nominate candidates for offices to be filled at the May meeting and distribute the report of its nominations to the members of the Assembly at least two weeks before each election. Additional candidates may be nominated by three members of the Assembly, with the approval of the nominee. Those nominations shall be posted. All elective positions shall be filled by plurality vote. The Committee shall be responsible for conducting all elections of candidates to elective office.

7. The Selection and Appointment Committee shall consist of four AAL members. The terms of the members will be two years with terms overlapping. Two members shall be elected each year at the May meeting.

8. The Continuing Education Committee shall consist of three AAL members, one library staff member, and the administrative staff member responsible for human resources. Committee members will be elected at the regular meeting of the Academic Assembly in May to serve for one year, except the person who receives the highest number of votes will serve two years. The library staff member shall be nominated by the Dean of Libraries. The administrative staff member responsible for human resources shall be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Committee. A Resident Librarian, when present, will be offered the opportunity to serve a one-year term by the Steering Committee.

9. The Committee on Promotion and Regular Appointment shall consist of four members elected for overlapping two year terms. Two members shall be elected each year at the May meeting. Eligibility is limited to Librarians who are covered by the current TAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement, who have regular appointment, and who have been members of the Assembly for at least three years. Any member of the Committee whose own promotion is under consideration shall recuse him/herself from the discussion.

10. Voting on the composition or membership of the Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee, on procedures and criteria of the Committee, and on any other motions directed substantially at the Committee, excepting changes of the Assembly’s Bylaws, shall be only by the librarians of the Assembly included in the TAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement .

C) Faculty Senate Representation

1. The Academic Assembly of Librarians shall elect the requisite number of librarians to the Faculty Representative Senate, according to the criteria specified in the Faculty Senate Constitution. (https://facultysenate.temple.edu/about/constitution)

2. The Academic Assembly of Librarians shall elect a member to represent the Assembly on the Faculty Senate Library Committee.

IV. MEETINGS

A) The Assembly shall meet at least five times each year. Regular meetings shall be held during the second full week of September, November, January, March, and May, unless otherwise rescheduled within the same month by the Assembly or by the Steering Committee.

B) Special meetings may be called by the Chair or the Steering Committee and when requested in writing by twenty-five percent of the membership.

C) Notices and agenda for each regular meeting shall be sent out to Assembly members one week in advance of the meeting date.

D) The parliamentary authority for the Assembly shall be Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 2000.

V. AMENDMENTS

This document can be amended at any regular meeting of the Assembly by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous meeting.

Bylaws: Ratified March 19, 1974: updated with amendments of 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023