UMBC Friends of the Library & Gallery

By-Laws

ARTICLE I: Name

1.01 The name of the organization shall be Friends of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery ("Friends").

ARTICLE II: Purpose

2.01 The Friends serve to bring together individuals interested in the full range of Library and Gallery issues, with particular concern for advising, assisting, and supporting the Library & Gallery. The Friends help the Library & Gallery to communicate to the community and advocate its programs, develop patronage of the Library & Gallery, to enhance programs, and to expand the cadre of supporters.

ARTICLE III: Membership

3.01 Any individual, corporation, partnership, voluntary association or other group may become a member.

3.02 Categories of membership in the Friends and the privileges and association dues shall be established by the Friends Council.

ARTICLE IV: Officers

4.01 The officers of the Friends shall be:

(1) Chair

(2) Vice-chair

(3) Secretary/Treasurer

4.02 Duties of Officers

4.02.1 The Chair. The Chair shall preside at all meetings; shall appoint all committees not otherwise provided for; and shall perform such other duties as the Friends shall assign.

4.02.2 The Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair, and shall perform the duties of Chair in case of the Chair's absence or the Chair's inability to serve.

4.02.3 The Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the record of the attendance at all meetings, the minutes of the proceedings, and notification to the members as to the time and place of meetings.

The Secretary/Treasurer, shall also be responsible for maintaining records of membership dues, cash contributions, expenditures, and gifts-in-kind to the Library & Gallery; and shall maintain a list of the membership. These records shall be open to inspection. All monies shall be deposited by the designated Library & Gallery staff person liaison to the University of Maryland Foundation. The Secretary/Treasurer shall also prepare an annual report on the activities and financial standing of the Friends and summarizing the sources of all funds and the nature of all expenditures in accordance with University of Maryland Foundation rules. The Friends may elect a member of the Library staff to serve as Secretary/Treasurer, ex officio.

4.03 Election of Officers

4.03.1 The officers of the Friends shall be elected in even-numbered years at a regular Spring meeting from a slate of members, as presented by a Nominating Committee appointed by the Chair with the agreement of the Friends Council. The Director of the Library shall be a permanent member thereof. Such slate shall be circulated along with a notice of the date of the Spring meeting, no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. Additional nominations shall be accepted from the floor at the time of the election.

4.03.2 All officers must be members of the Friends in good standing.

4.03.3 The officers shall be elected by simple majority of those members present and voting. Officers shall serve for a term of two years, and their term of office shall begin at the close of the meeting at which they are elected.

4.03.4 No officer, other than those serving ex-officio, shall be eligible to serve for more than two (2) terms in the same office.

ARTICLE V: Friends Council

5.01 Appointment of the Friends Council

5.01.1 The Friends Council shall be composed of at least ten (10) members including the officers, three (3) others nominated by the Nominating Committee and presented to the membership at large, and shall further include the Director of the Library (ex-officio and without vote) and the Library Staff Coordinator for the Friends (ex-officio and without vote).

5.01.2 Election of the Friends Council shall be by those present at the biennial spring membership meeting. Elected Friends Council members shall serve for a term of two (2) years.

5.01.3 Executive Committee

An executive committee, consisting of the officers, one at-large council member appointed by the Chair, the Library Director (ex officio) and one Library Staff member appointed by the Director (ex officio) shall make administrative decisions on behalf of the Council when such decisions cannot wait for the next Council meeting.

5.02 Duties

The Friends Council shall be the general authority to transact the business of the Friends.

5.03 Meetings

The Friends Council shall meet annually in the Spring and at such other meetings as called by the Chair.

5.04 Honorary Life Membership

The Friends Council shall be able to vote honorary life membership to those who have performed extraordinary service to the Friends over a significant period of time.

6.01 By-Law Changes

A change in the By-Laws must be passed by a 2/3 majority of the members of the Friends Council and ratified by a majority vote at the next general meeting.

adm/friends/bylaws2 revised: 4/3/97 reformatted (but not revised) 11/21/01