MARAC CONSTITUTION
(last amendments January 2008)
1. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, Incorporated, hereafter called the Conference.
2. Objectives
The Conference is a non-profit member-oriented professional organization, incorporated in Delaware. Its objectives are to promote cooperation and communication among individuals interested in archival and manuscript materials.
3. Membership and Dues
Individual membership shall be open to any person who has paid all dues assessed by the Conference. Membership is not open to institutions. Only members hold voting privileges.
4. Officers and Steering Committee
The officers of the conference shall be Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Steering Committee shall consist of the officers, one (1) State Representative from each state represented by the Conference and the District of Columbia and four (4) Members-at-Large. Conference officers and Members-at-Large shall be elected at large, while individual State Representatives shall be elected only by the members of the respective state and district caucuses. Steering Committee members shall serve for two (2) year terms, except those elected to fill one-year vacancies.
5. Government
The membership assembled in a business meeting is the highest authority of the Conference. The Steering Committee shall be responsible for the management of Conference affairs except that the membership assembled in a business meeting shall be able, by majority vote, to overturn a Steering Committee decision, or to require the Steering Committee to take an action.
6. Meetings
The Conference shall hold two (2) regular meetings a year for the purpose of providing a program of interest to members and to transact business. Special meetings for any purpose may be called by the Steering Committee or at the written request of one-fourth (1/4) of the members of the Conference.
7. Bylaws
The Conference shall have such bylaws as may be necessary to regularize its organization, administration and operations. Bylaws may be changed by majority vote of the members present at a business meeting.
8. Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by twenty-five (25) members in writing to the Secretary. Proposed amendments shall be issued to the membership at least thirty (30) days before a business meeting in order to be discussed at that meeting. After being discussed at the business meeting, a proposed amendment shall be voted on by the full membership. The ballot shall be issued no more than fifteen (15) days after the conclusion of the business meeting. A special committee shall be appointed by the Chair to tally the votes. A majority of the votes cast shall be binding.
9. Dissolution
In the event of dissolution, all the assets of the Conference shall pass to the agency or agencies designated by the Steering Committee.
MARAC BYLAWS
(last amendments January 2008)
1. Duties of Officers
A. The duties of the officers shall be those usually associated with these positions except when defined otherwise in these Bylaws
B. The Chair may designate others to carry out official duties of the Chair as necessary. The Chair shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Development and Meetings Coordinating Committees. The Vice Chair shall serve as ex-officio chair of the Meetings Coordinating Committee. The Treasurer shall serve as ex-officio chair of the Finance Committee and as an ex-officio member of the Meetings Coordinating Committee.
C. In the case of a vacancy in the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume that office and hold it until the next annual election. If other Officer or Steering Committee positions become vacant, the Chair shall appoint replacements to serve until the next annual election.
D. In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair, the Steering Committee shall appoint one of its members to preside at business and Steering Committee meetings.
E. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget and issue quarterly financial reports.
2. Terms of Office
A. The Chair, Vice Chair and Members-at-Large shall be elected in odd-numbered years. The Secretary, Treasurer and State Representatives shall be elected in even numbered years. Each term shall be for two years.
B. Terms of office for Officers and Steering Committee members shall begin at the conclusion of the meeting following their election.
C. Any Steering Committee member who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings without a valid reason will be removed from the Steering Committee by a majority vote of the Committee.
3. Nominations and Elections
A. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of five (5) members. Two (2) shall be outgoing Steering Committee members chosen by the MARAC Chair, and three (3) shall be elected by the membership. The Nominations and Elections chair shall be the elected member who received the most votes.
B. Nominations and Elections Committee members shall serve for one (1) year terms and may not succeed themselves. Terms shall begin at the conclusion of the meeting following their election.
C. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be bound to nominate for an officer or member-at-large position a candidate named in a nominating petition signed by at least ten (10) percent of Conference members. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall solicit State Representative nominations from the state caucuses preceding the elections for State Representatives.
D. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall issue an official ballot in whatever form it deems appropriate at least sixty (60) days before the first meeting of the calendar year. Ballots shall include space for write-in candidates for each position. Ballots shall be submitted to the Nominations and Elections Committee no later than thirty (30) days after being issued.
E. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall tally the ballots and send the results to the Secretary, who shall promptly notify all candidates of the results. Names of the successful candidates shall be announced at the first business meeting of the calendar year. Ballots shall be destroyed following formal announcement of the results.
F. A nominee receiving the highest number of votes for an office shall be elected to that office. In the event of a tie vote, the Nominations and Elections Committee shall issue a second ballot containing only the names of the tied nominees within fifteen (15) days of the first tally. These ballots shall be submitted to the Nominations and Elections Committee within fifteen (15) days.
4. Meetings
A. Written notice of regular or special meetings shall be mailed to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the meeting.
B. A quorum for a business meeting shall consist of one-fourth (1/4) of the members registered for that meeting.
C. A Steering Committee quorum shall consist of two officers and six other Steering Committee members.
D. Steering Committee meetings shall be open to Conference members.
5. Committees
A. The Standing Committees of the Conference shall be Development, Meetings Coordinating, Nominations and Elections, Finance, Membership Development, Publications, Education, and Outreach. Standing Committees shall be comprised of at least three (3) members.
B. Standing Committee members shall be appointed by the Conference Chair. The Conference Chair shall appoint the chairs of the Education, Membership Development, Outreach, and Publications Committees. The Conference Vice Chair shall serve as ex-officio chair of the Meetings Coordinating Committee. The Conference Treasurer shall serve as ex-officio chair of the Finance Committee. The Nominations and Elections Committee chair shall be the elected member who received the most votes. Members may not chair more than one Standing Committee.
C. Special committees may be created by the Steering Committee. Members shall be appointed by the Conference Chair.
D. The awards committees shall be the Arline Custer Award Committee, the Distinguished Service Award Committee, and the Finding Aids Award Committee. Members of the Finding Aids Award Committee, including the chair, shall be appointed by the MARAC Chair for two-year terms. Members of the Distinguished Service Award Committee include four members: the immediate past MARAC Chair, who serves as the Committee�s chair, the MARAC Archivist, and two members elected by the membership for one-year terms.
6. Dues
A. Annual dues shall be established by the Steering Committee.
B. Changes in dues proposed by the Steering Committee shall be ratified by a majority vote at a business meeting. Notice of dues changes shall be mailed to members at least thirty (30) days before that meeting.
7. Represented States
The District of Columbia and the following states shall elect a State Representative to the Steering Committee: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
8. Records
A. The official records of the Conference shall be preserved at a repository within the Conference region selected by the Steering Committee. Records shall be placed on loan, subject to withdrawal by order of the Steering Committee.
B. An employee of the institution holding the records, who is also a Conference member, shall be appointed Conference Archivist and shall serve without term unless recalled by a majority vote of the Steering Committee.
C. All Steering Committee members and other Conference members holding Conference records shall send all such records to the Conference Archivist when such records become noncurrent.
9. Parliamentary Authority
Sturges's Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure shall govern the Conference in all cases to which it is applicable and consistent with the Conference's Constitution and Bylaws.
10. Finances
To ensure that MARAC's finances are afforded appropriate oversight, no officer, member, or agent of MARAC may expend MARAC funds or obligate MARAC financially without first ensuring that spending has been authorized by the approved budget of MARAC, the approved budget of a MARAC conference, or by a special action of the MARAC membership or the MARAC Steering Committee.
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