Nevada Library Association Handbook

Board of Trustees
Delegates

American Library Association Councilor

HISTORY
Since the first year of the Nevada Library Association, it has been affiliated with the American Library Association. Many NLA members have been very active in ALA, and ALA has contributed to Nevada librarianship as well. For example, ALA President Pat Schuman came and spoke at the 1991 NLA conference in Reno.

OFFICERS

• 1959-1962, Joseph Shubert
• 1962-1963, David Heron
• 1963-1966, Lydia Malcom
• 1966-1967, David Heron
• 1967-1971, Barbara J. Mauseth
• 1971-1972, Harold H.J. Erickson
• 1972-1974, Noreen Gilb
• 1974-1988, Noreen Gilb, Thomasine Kleffen, Joan Chambers
• 1978-1982, Nancy Hudson, Clark County Library District
• 1983, Jean Goodrich, Nevada State Library
• 1983-1986, Martha Gould, Washoe County Library
• 1986-1988, Dean Covington, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• 1989-1990, Wendy Starkweather, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Elected to fill unexpired term)
• 1991-1997, Juanita Karr, Northern Nevada Community College
• 1999, Sally Kinsey, Washoe County Library
• 2001, Cindy Delanty, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
• 2003, Cindy DeLanty, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
• 2004-2006, Vicki Nozero, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• 2008-2009, Art Cabrales, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
• 2010, Denise Gerdes, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
• 2010-2013, Sara Jones, Carson City Library
• 2014-2016, Steve T. Dimoulas, Las Vegas Clark County Library District
• 2017, vacant
• 2018-present, Amy Geddes, Lyon County Library System

CONDITIONS OF OFFICE
Affiliation

1. The Nevada Library Association is affiliated with the American Library Association as a chapter.
2. Affiliation and NLA representation on the ALA Council is governed by the ALA Constitution and Bylaws.
   

NLA Bylaws specify:

ARTICLE V. ORGANIZATION Section 1. Affiliation with National and Regional Organizations. Upon a majority vote of their members and with the approval of the board of trustees, NLA and its constituent groups and committees may affiliate or disaffiliate with national and regional organizations....

ALA Constitution states:

Article X. Affiliated Organizations and Chapters. Sec. 3. By action of the Council, state, provincial, territorial, and regional library associations and other library groups and organizations may be associated with the American Library Association and receive recognition in such a manner and under such conditions as may be provided in the Bylaws.

The ALA Bylaws discuss chapter representation:

Article V. Chapters.
Section 1.
a. ...
b. The Council may establish a chapter of the American Library Association in any state, province, territory or region in which a majority of the ALA members residing within the area involved and voting on the issue favors such action; provided, however, that the total number of persons voting on the issue shall not be less than ten percent of the total number of ALA members residing within the area. A regional chapter may consist of any area composed of three or more contiguous states or provinces.

c. Any state, provincial, territorial or regional library association may, at its request, be designated a chapter of the American Library Association provided a majority of the ALA members residing in the area involved voting on the issue is in favor of such action; provided, however, that the total number of persons voting on the issue shall not be less than ten percent of the total number of ALA members residing within the area involved, and provided further that there is no conflict in principle between the constitution and bylaws of the association involved and the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Library Association, and that copies of the chapter constitution and bylaws, and subsequent amendments to them, are filed with the American Library Association and dues are paid in accordance with Article I of the Bylaws.

d. A member of the American Library Association who is also a member of more than one state or territorial chapter shall be accredited only to the chapter in the state in which he works.

e. No more than one chapter of the American Library Association shall exist in any state, province or territory.

f. In establishing regional chapters, no state, provincial or territorial association may be included in more than one such region.

Section 2. A chapter may admit members who are not members of the American Library Association.

Section 3. Each state, provincial, territorial, or regional chapter shall be the final authority within the American Library Association in respect to all programs and policies which concern only the area for which the chapter is responsible provided they are not inconsistent with any programs and policies established by the ALA Council. Any chapter may establish committees and boards which parallel national committees and boards in order to carry out over-all programs within its own area and to maintain liaison between its members and the national committees and boards. State, provincial and territorial chapters may establish local chapters within the respective areas involved.

Section 4. a. Any chapter may withdraw from chapter status provided the issue has been submitted to a vote of the chapter membership and is favored by a majority of the members voting; and provided further that notice of withdrawal is sent to the executive director of the American Library Association.

b. A chapter may be dissolved by the Council and shall be dissolved if it becomes inactive or fails to comply with the provisions of this Article.

Further comments are in the ALA Policy Manual:

6.1.1. ALA Responsibilities to Chapters. A statement of summary of conditions governing Chapter affiliation as stated in various ALA policies and the Constitution and Bylaws shall be sent to each Chapter for its acceptance as a certified statement of agreement between the Chapter and ALA.

QUALIFICATIONS AND PROCEDURES
ALA Bylaws

Article IV. Council.
Section 1. (a) Council membership requirement. No person, including a representative of a state, provincial or territorial chapter, may serve on the Council unless he is a personal member of the American Library Association.

Section 2. (a) Each state, provincial, and territorial chapter shall be entitled to one councilor to be elected for a term of four years by the ALA members of the chapter.

1. NLA's councilor to ALA serves as an ALA Councilor.
2. The ALA councilor must be a member of ALA and NLA.
3. Election of ALA Councilor will be held in conjunction with the annual NLA elections.
4. Election certificates must be submitted to ALA by the executive secretary.
5. The ALA councilor's three-year term of office begins upon the adjournment of the ALA annual conference.
6. The ALA councilor may not hold any other office in NLA.
7. In the case of a vacancy in the office of ALA councilor, a special election is held to elect a councilor to complete the unexpired term.
   

Dues

ALA Bylaws Article I. Membership. Section 2. Dues, Rights, and Privileges. B. Chapter Members. American Libraries,

Handbook of Organization, Membership Directory, appropriate Headquarters services, and a 10% discount on any ALA Monographs ordered from Publishing Services. Annual dues: $50.

ALA Policy Manual

6.1.2. Effect of Unpaid Dues on Chapter Status. A Chapter which has not paid its dues as of March 1 of each year, and which continues such delinquency for one month after notice has been sent, is no longer a member and no longer entitled to have a Councilor, until such time as the Chapter resumes payment of dues.

NLA Bylaws

ARTICLE VII. FINANCES. Section 6. Dues to National and Regional Organizations. Unless authorized by the membership to withhold dues the board of trustees shall provide in the annual budget that annual dues be paid to any national or regional organization with which NLA or its constituent groups or committees are affiliated.

1. The treasurer is responsible for the annual budget request for payment of ALA chapter dues to be provided to the ALA councilor to take to ALA annual meeting.
2. The ALA councilor pays his own dues to both ALA and NLA.

PURPOSE AND DUTIES

ALA Bylaws

Article V. Chapters. Section 1. (a) The purpose of a chapter is to promote general library service and librarianship within its geographic area and to cooperate in the promotion of general and joint enterprises with the American Library Association and other library groups.

1. The purpose of the ALA councilor is to represent the Nevada chapter at ALA Council meetings, and to report to NLA on the activities of ALA.
2. The ALA councilor is an advisory, nonvoting member of the board of trustees.
3. In his/her capacity as a member of the ALA Council, the ALA councilor considers questions before the ALA Council in light of the best interests of NLA, seeking guidance, if necessary, from officers of NLA and from the NLA board of trustees on controversial matters, whenever time allows such consultation.
4. ALA Policy Manual
   6.1.3. Library Issue Caucuses. Chapter Councilors and Councilors-at-Large should work together to establish library issue caucuses at state and regional library association and type-of-library association meetings with the goal of identifying, developing information, and communication recommendations on library issues to ALA Council and/or other appropriate bodies.
5. The ALA councilor submits reports to the Nevada Libraries for publication on ALA matters of interest to NLA members, in particular after attending each meeting of ALA.
6. The ALA councilor keeps and makes available to all NLA members all Council minutes, resolutions, or reports that come into his or her keeping.
7. The ALA councilor attends all meetings of the ALA Council at both the midwinter and the Annual Conferences of ALA, at which meetings the councilor brings to the Council any resolutions that the chapter (NLA) wants to present for Council consideration.
8. As an advisory, nonvoting member of the NLA board of trustees, the ALA councilor attends both the mid-winter board of trustees meeting and the annual meeting of NLA.
9. Each state has a ALA membership promotion chairperson that is appointed by the ALA Regional Membership chairperson. At times this person may be the ALA councilor but not necessarily so.

Budget

1. It is the policy of NLA that it may compensate the ALA councilor for his/her travel and per diem expenses to attend the required meetings of the ALA Council.
2. Travel to the midwinter board of trustees meeting should not be included as this is covered in another budget. Travel and per diem to attend the NLA annual meeting may not be requested.
3. The councilor should include the following in his/her budget request as needed:
   Printing
   Postage
   Telephone
   Travel and per diem

Revised at the 10/8/10 Board Meeting