Welcome to the Ontario Association of Library Technicians / Association des bibliotechniciens de l’Ontario

Consolidated Letters Patent and Bylaws

Home » About OALT/ABO » Consolidated Letters Patent and Bylaws

Consolidated Letters Patent and By-Laws

(By-laws amended October 19, 2024 by electronic ballot)

 

Table of Contents

Bylaw

1 – Name
2- Mission
3 – Membership
4 – Organizations
5 – Meetings
6 – Chapters
7 – Committees
8 – Amendments
9 – Rules of Order
10 – Standing Rules and Orders
11 – Quorum
12 – Finances
13 – Membership
14 – Voting
15- Notice of Meetings
16 – Annual General Meeting
17 – Duties of the Administration
18 – Definitions
19 – Fiscal Year
20 – Membership Year
21 – Resignation of Administration

 

1. Name

  1. The Ontario Association of Library Technicians/Association des bibliotechniciens de l’Ontario (OALT/ABO) shall allow for the formation of Chapters. A Board of Directors shall be responsible for the maintenance and coordination of Association affairs, including the delivery of services, the Annual Conference and membership.
  2. Whenever possible, information from OALT/ABO shall be available in English and French; this decision resting with the Board of Directors.

 

2.Mission

The Mission of OALT/ABO is to advance our profession through:

  • Active membership
  • Education and professional development
  • Promotion and marketing
  • Alliances and advocacy

 

3. Membership

  1. Membership shall be open to graduate library technicians, library technician students, retired or unemployed graduate library technicians, associates, institutions/organizations/corporations, who upon payment of annual dues, shall become members as provided for in Section 13.
  2. Any individual, organization, corporation complying with the requirements outlined in Section 3 shall be considered a member in good standing.

4. Organization

    1. The Administration shall consist of a Board of Directors [Section 4b], and Appointed Officers [Section 4d).
    2. The Administration shall perform duties as prescribed in Section 10.
  2. The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Treasurer, Internal Communications Coordinator, External Communication Coordinator, Conference Coordinator and Chapter Coordinator.
  3. The Board of Directors shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
  4. Appointed Officers shall be appointed by the President, as prescribed in Section 10. These Appointed Officers are as follows:
    1. Archivist
    2. Other positions created as required by either a majority vote of the membership at the Annual General Meeting or by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at a Board of Directors Meeting.
  5. Terms of office for Board of Directors and Appointed Officers are detailed in Section 10 and Section 17.

5. Meetings

  1. Conference: There shall be an Annual Conference of the OALT/ABO membership. Seed money for the Annual Conference shall come from the proceeds of the previous Conference. A special conference of OALT/ABO may be convened by the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors and upon giving the OALT/ABO membership at least three (3) month notice.
  2. Board of Director Meeting: The Board of Directors shall meet not less than four (4) times a year and at such times as shall be specified by the President or majority of the Board of Directors. The President-Elect shall be responsible for arranging said meetings as prescribed in Section 10.

6. Chapters

  1. Formation of Chapters: Chapters may be established relating to geographic proximity or interest(s) actively represented among OALT/ABO members. Chapters are formed on application to the President and on acceptance by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at a Board of Directors meeting or by a majority vote of the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
  2. Funds for the operating expenses of a Chapter shall be provided by allotment of Chapter dues paid by its members to the Association. Each Chapter shall submit an annual report on its activities and a financial statement to the Chapter Coordinator. Requests for additional funds or loans may be submitted to the Board of Directors through the Chapter Coordinator. All funds received by a Chapter shall be used exclusively for the purposes that fulfill OALT/ABO’s mission.
  3. Association members may affiliate with more than one Chapter upon payment of Chapter dues as stated in Section 13.b.
  4. Dissolution of Chapters:
    1. Chapters wishing to dissolve may do so by a two-thirds vote of their members. Voting may take place at a meeting provided that notice of intention to dissolve has been sent to each member at least one month prior to the meeting, or by mail or electronic means to each member in good standing. Immediately following the vote, a representative shall inform the Chapter Coordinator that the motion to dissolve the Chapter was duly passed.
    2. Inactive Chapters may be dissolved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at a Board of Directors meeting or by a majority vote of the membership at the Annual General Meeting provided that notice of intention to dissolve has been sent to each member at least one month prior to the vote. Chapters who fail to submit an annual report on its activities and a financial statement to the Chapter Coordinator [Section 6b] may be considered inactive.
    3. Upon dissolution of a Chapter, the Chapter Coordinator shall suspend all Chapter activities. Any funds held by the Chapter shall be remitted to the Association Treasurer. The Internal Communications Coordinator shall notify the Association membership of Chapter dissolution within one month.

7. Committees

  1. Committees may be created by a majority vote of OALT/ABO membership at the Annual General Meeting or by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at a Board of Directors Meeting.
  2. Committees shall operate as prescribed in Section 10.
  3. Committee guidelines are established and included in Section 10.

8. Amendments

  1. Notice of resolution to alter the Letters Patent or Bylaws shall be given to the President in writing and the wording endorsed by any five (5) members in good standing. At the same time, a copy is to be sent to the Internal Communication Coordinator.
  2. The Internal Communication Coordinator shall submit proposed amendments for vote by mail or electronic means to each full member in good standing.
  3. The Letters Patents or Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the returned ballots sent to the entire voting membership.
  4. The Internal Communications Coordinator shall see that the membership is informed of the results of the vote.

9. Rules of Order

The rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Letter Patents and Bylaws.

10. Standing Rules and Orders

(This section describes which documents are to be used in conjunction with, or supplementary to, Robert’s Rules of Order.)
Documents which provide guidance on requirements for the operation of OALT/ABO, its administration, and its membership, shall be considered ‘Standing Orders’, as defined in Robert’s Rules of Order.

  1. Duties of OALT/ABO Administrators, shall document the responsibilities of the members of the Board of Directors and Appointed Officers [Section 4]. This document shall be reviewed annually by the Administration.
  2. OALT/ABO Board of Directors Policies shall document the policies established by the Board of Directors, clarifying the operation of OALT/ABO.

11. Quorum

There shall be a quorum at all meetings of the Board of Directors and at the Annual General Meeting [Section 18].

12. Finances

  1. All Association monies shall be deposited in a chartered bank, credit union or trust company under the name of the Ontario Association of Library Technicians/Association des bibliotechniciens de l’Ontario (OALT/ABO). An amount to be determined by the Board of Directors is to be kept as petty cash by the Treasurer.
  2. The President or President’s delegate and the Treasurer shall have signing authority with two signatures being necessary for each transaction.
  3. In the event that the Treasurer becomes unable to carry on their duties, the monies will be frozen and the books will be reviewed immediately.
  4. The member shall at each Annual General Meeting appoint an accountant to review the accounts. Remuneration of the accountant shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

13. Membership

  1. The following classes of membership shall be available upon payment of dues:
    1. Full membership will be given to a graduate library technician from a Library & Information Technician program that meets the requirements established by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations.
    2. Student membership will be given to a student enrolled in a Library & Information Technician program for a two (2) year limit. After that time, they are asked to pay full membership fees.
    3. Full membership will be given to retired or unemployed graduate library technicians.
    4. Associate membership will be given to an individual interested in the objectives of the Association. At the end of five (5) consecutive years, if they wish to pay graduate fees, they will be granted full membership.
    5. Group membership will be given to an institution/organization/corporation with a minimum of two (2) people and no maximum. Each of the members within the group will receive the benefits of a full member.

The following amounts are the membership fees levied by the Association:
$40.00 Full Member – Graduate Library Technician
$12.00 Student Member – Library Technician Student
$12.00 Retired/Unemployed Graduate Library Technician
$34.00 Associate

Fee Structure for Group Membership:

Group Member Breakdown Base Price Per Person Saving per person
2-10 members $30.00 $10.00
11 to 15 $28.00 $12.00
16 to 20 $25.00 $15.00
21 to 25 $22.00 $18.00
25 + $20.00 $20.00
  1. Members wishing Chapter affiliation shall remit additional fees (per Chapter) as follows:
    1. Full Member or Associate – $20.00
    2. Student, Retired or Unemployed – $8.00
    3. Group Membership – 10.00
  2. Any member may withdraw from OALT/ABO by:
    1. Delivering to OALT/ABO a written resignation and lodging a copy of the same with the Treasurer.
    2. Ceasing to pay dues.
    3. Having membership withdrawn by OALT/ABO.
    4. Dying.

14. Voting

  1. Voting rights shall be accorded to members in good standing [Section 3].
  2. Nominations and Elections:
    1. Only members in good standing may run for the Board of Directors.
    2. A Nominating Committee comprised of three members, one of whom is to be the President or an appointee to act as Chair, shall be appointed by the Board of Directors.
    3. The Nominating Committee shall present a minimum one candidate for each Board of Director position. The names of nominees and their written acceptances shall be presented to the Board of Directors no later than January First (1) and their names shall be published in the Association newsletter at least four months prior to the Annual General Meeting. Further nominations, accompanied by written acceptance of the nominee, may be entered by petition of five (5) members and shall be filed with the Board of Directors at least three (3) prior to the Annual General Meeting.
    4. Elections shall be secret ballot mailed to each full member at least six weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes for an office shall be elected. In event of a tie, election shall be by a majority vote at the Annual General Meeting.
    5. A scrutineer shall be appointed annually by the President to count mail ballots and votes at the Annual General Meeting, and to report the election results.

15. Notice of Meetings

  1. The Annual Conference shall be convened with six (6) months prior notice.
  2. A special conference of the OALT/ABO [Section 5a] requires at least three (3) months notice.
  3. Board of Directors meetings [Section 5b] shall be convened with one (1) month prior notice.

16. Annual General Meeting

  1. The Annual General Meeting shall be convened with six (6) months prior notice.
  2. The President shall chair the Annual General Meeting, with the exception of the voting for the Board of Directors [Section 14v] and be responsible for the Conference.
  3. The Internal Communication Coordinator will be responsible for informing the membership of such resolutions as are to be presented prior to the Annual General Meeting.
  4. A proposed agenda shall be sent to the membership one month prior to the convening of the Annual General Meeting.

17. Duties of the Administration

Duties of the Administration shall be documents in Duties of OALT/ABO Administrators as per Section 10. The positions of President, President Elect, Treasurer, Internal Communications Coordinator, External Communications Coordinators, Conference Coordinator, and Chapter Coordinator are elected at the Annual General Meeting. The position of Archivist is appointed by the Board of Directors.

A. President (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. The President is the official representative for OALT/ABO.
      2. Upholds the mission and purpose of OALT/ABO.
      3. Chairs Board of Director meetings and Annual General Meeting.
      4. Prepares an annual report of Association activities for the membership.

B. President Elect (Two (2) Year Commitment, President Elect moves to President)

      1. In the absence of the President or at the request of the President, the President Elect shall perform the duties and exercise the power of President.
      2. In the event of the President’s resignation, President Elect shall assume the duties of the President if circumstances permit.
      3. Maintains minutes of all Board of Director meetings.
      4. Prepares and distributes agendas and minutes to the Board of Directors and Appointed Officers.

C. Treasurer (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. Responsible for keeping all financial records and carrying out all financial transactions for OALT/ABO.
      2. Presents a written financial statement to the Annual General Meeting and at each Board of Directors meeting.
      3. Compiles and maintains annual membership list, directory and supplements.
      4. Responds to membership enquiries.

D. External Communication Coordinator (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. Prepares all OALT/ABO marketing and publicity
      2. Acts as liaison between OALT/ABO and other library associations, Library & Information Technician programs, other library education courses, OALT/ABO members and libraries.
      3. Coordinates sponsorship.

E. Internal Communication Coordinator (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. Disseminates information about OALT/ABO, issues and developments in library and information science and library technicians to Association members.
      2. Coordinators newsletters distribution.
      3. Ensure Website is current.
      4. Responsible for Listserv.
      5. Prepares Salary Survey.

F. Conference Coordinator (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. Responsible for coordinating the annual OALT/ABO Conference (with a volunteer team) by selecting a location, arranging programming and activities.
      2. Submits a Conference Budget and written financial statement at the Annual General Meeting and as each Board of Director meeting.
      3. Presents Conference information to the Internal Communication Coordinator for distribution to the membership.
      4. Coordinates Conference promotion and sponsorship with the External Communications Coordinator.

G. Chapter Coordinator (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. Honorary member of all Chapters.
      2. Advocates on behalf of Chapters and Chapter members.
      3. Responsible for inter Chapter communication.
      4. Provides upcoming information about Chapter events to the Internal Communication Coordinator.
      5. Submits Chapter programming and additional funding requests to the Board of Director for approval.

H. Archivist (One (1) Year Commitment)

      1. Maintains a complete collection of OALT/ABO documents as detailed in Standing Rules and Orders of OALT/ABO.
      2. Maintains an inventory of the archival materials.

18. Definitions

      1. Quorum
        1. Board of Director Meeting: a two-thirds majority shall constitute a majority.
        2. Annual General Meeting: Ten percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the Annual General Meeting including proxies.
      2. Association Affairs
        The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the maintenance and the coordination of activities affecting more than one (1) Chapter and for the coordination of activities and communications between Chapters.
      3. Proxy Vote
        A member of OALT/ABO may be granted the authorization to act on behalf of another member (one proxy per member). Such authorization is to be given by the member in writing and forwarded to the Internal Communication Coordinator prior to the Annual General Meeting.
      4. Member in Good Standing
        Any member who complies with requirements as set out in Section 3 of the Letters Patent and Bylaws.

19. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year shall close annually on the 31st of December.

20. Membership Year

The membership year shall be from January 1st to December 31st of the calendar year.

21.Resignation of Administration

Upon the resignation of an elected Board of Directors member or Appointed Officer, an interim appointment shall be made as documented in Section 10.

Previous versions

Constitution and Bylaws (English – PDF, revoked October 19, 2024)

Constitution and Bylaws (French – PDF, révoquée le 19 octobre 2024)