Bylaws
Article I - Name
On December 27, 1917, the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York issued a charter to Bovina Library Association, thereby establishing its corporate existence. This institution shall be more commonly known by a "trade" or "doing business as" name of Bovina Public Library. The institution shall be located in the Hamlet of Bovina Center, Town of.
Article I I - Purpose
The purpose of the Bovina Library Association shall be to operate a library facility that is available for public use in accordance with library policies and procedures.
Article III - Membership
Membership in the Bovina Library Association shall be granted to any person who is at least 18 years old and holds a valid Bovina Public Library card.
Article IV - Trustees
General Powers and Objectives.The Board of Trustees, hereinafter referred to as the board, is entrusted with governing the library association. It shall adopt and revise Bylaws, develop and adopt a short-range and long-range plan of service and amend it as necessary, establish such policies and procedures as will ensure the achievement of the library association's plan of service, employ a staff, secure funding to support the library association's plan of service and supervise the expenditure of those funds, promote the library in the local community, and exercise such other responsibilities as may be appropriate. Trustees shall serve without compensation.
Numbers and Residency. The number of trustees shall be five (5). Each trustee shall be a library association member in good standing whose primary residence is in the Town of Bovina.Nominations and Elections. At the December regular board meeting, the board will accept, from library association members in good standing, nominations for trustees whose term of office expires at the next annual meeting. All persons nominated will be contacted to determine their willingness to serve. At the annual meeting of the library association in January, a majority of the members voting shall elect trustees to fill open positions from the list of willing nominees.
Term of Office. Each trustee shall be elected to serve a term of three (3) years. The terms shall expire on a rotational schedule such that two trustees are elected in one year, two trustees are elected in the second year, and one trustee is elected in the third year. There shall be no restriction on the number of terms a trustee may serve.
Attendance. New York Education Law 226 declares that "If any trustee shall fail to attend three consecutive meetings without excuse accepted as satisfactory by the trustees, he shall be deemed to have resigned, and the vacancy shall be filled."
Officers. At the annual library association meeting, the trustees shall elect for a term of one (1) year a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer of the board, who, subject to the rules and direction of the trustees, shall have the usual powers and duties of such officers. All officers shall be chosen from among the elected trustees and shall serve without compensation.
Filling of Vacancies. In the event of a trustee vacancy and/or office-holder vacancy during an unexpired term, a successor trustee and/or successor office-holder shall be elected by the remaining trustees to serve for the balance of the unexpired term.
Article V - Meetings
Annual Association Meeting. The annual meeting of the library association shall be held in the library at 6:00 pm on the last Wednesday of January. Notice of the annual meeting, stating the purposes), the time and place, shall be posted on the library bulletin board and on the bulletin board located inside the Town of Bovina Post Office lobby for two (2) weeks prior to the meeting.
Special Association Meetings. A special association meeting may be called by the board, or at the request of any ten (10) association members, who are not board members, acting in concert, upon not less than fourteen (14) days written notice to the president of the board. At such meetings, only such business shall be transacted as is stated in the call of the meeting. To the extent practicable, notice of the called meeting, stating the purposes), the time and place, shall be posted on the library bulletin board and on the bulletin board located inside the Town of Bovina Post Office lobby as soon as the meeting has been scheduled.
Regular Board Meetings. Regularly scheduled meetings of the board shall be held at the library on a date and time to be established by the trustees at the annual meeting. Regular board meetings shall be held no less than quarterly.
Special Board Meetings. Special meetings of the board may be called by the president, or at the request of a majority of the trustees then on the board acting in concert, to transact only such business as is stated in the call of the meeting. To the extent practicable, notice of the called meeting, stating the purposes), the time and place, shall be posted on the library bulletin board and on the bulletin board located inside the Town of Bovina Post Office lobby as soon as the meeting has been scheduled.
Open Meetings. In accordance with New York State's Open Meetings Law, all meetings of the association and board are convened open to the public, except during any time period when the board convenes an executive session.
Quorum. At any meeting of the library association or library board, a majority of the trustees then on the board shall constitute a quorum.
Article VI - Committees
The small size of the board dictates that tasks normally performed by standing committees, such as executive, finance and book, will instead be performed by the board as a whole.
Article VII - Staff
The board shall employ a staff sufficient to operate the library and administer the policies established by the board. Staffing details will be determined by the board and documented in the library's policies and procedures.
Article VIII - Volunteers
Association members interested in volunteering their time and talents will be known as "Friends of the Bovina Public Library." This group of volunteers will assist with tasks, projects and/or library-sponsored programs under the direction of the library staff.
Article IX - Parliamentary Authority
Robert's Rules of Order shall, in the absence of provisions to the contrary herein, be observed in governing the transactions of the business of the library association.
Article X - Amendments
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in the call for the annual library association meeting or in the call for any special meeting of the library association. Proposed amendment hall become effective when approved by a majority of members voting at that meeting.
BYLAWS APPROVED JANUARY 25, 2007