NJASL Bylaws

Committees/Subcommittees - Amended by the Board June 4, 2022

I. NAME

This organization shall be known as the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, Inc. (NJASL), a non-profit corporation in the state of New Jersey. For clarity “Association” is used in place of “Corporation” throughout this document

II. MISSION

The New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) promotes excellence in school librarianship and advocates for strong school library media programs for all students. Guided by the principles set forth in the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretive statements, NJASL provides school library media specialists with educational opportunities and current information aligned with state and national learning standards to ensure that all school libraries empower students, faculty, and staff to become effective and ethical users and producers of information.

III. AFFILIATION

NJASL will work with and will be an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) to provide continuing education for their members.

NJASL will be a state educational affiliate of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) exclusively for educational purposes.

IV. MEMBERSHIP

Active members will be entitled to attend meetings, vote and serve on committees. Members consist of the following:

Section 1.Professional. Professional members are entitled to vote and serve on committees. Professional membership shall be open to:

A. State certified school library media specialists, other librarians, and educators.

B. Any individual interested in supporting school librarianship.

C. Retired school library media personnel.

D. Individuals designated as Honorary or Lifetime members.

Section 2. Honorary. Honorary members may attend meetings and serve on committees, but are not entitled to hold office. Honorary membership may be granted to any nonmember who has made a significant contribution to further school library media programs in New Jersey. Any member of the Association may nominate an Honorary member in writing to the Secretary. The Board of Trustees will vote on nominations for Honorary membership.

Section 3. Lifetime. Lifetime members may attend meetings and serve on committees. Lifetime membership may be granted to any NJASL member who has made a significant contribution to the organization and the profession. Any member of the Association may make nominations in writing to the Secretary. The Board of Trustees will vote on nominations for lifetime membership.

Section 4. Student. Students enrolled in courses leading to certification as school library media specialists. Student membership is limited to three years.

V. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Association will be President, President-elect, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers and two elected Members-at-Large will comprise the Executive Committee. Officers must be certified School Library Media Specialists and Active Professional members of NJASL.

Section 2. Election. Officers and one Member-at-Large will be elected by the membership by April 15, except that the President-elect will automatically become President, and the Vice President will become President-elect, and the President will automatically become the Immediate Past President without further election.

Section 3. Term of office. The term of office will be for one year, with the exception of the terms of Members-at-Large, which will be staggered two-year terms, and with the exception of the term of Treasurer which will be a two-year term. Election of the Treasurer will be in even numbered years. All terms of office will align with the fiscal year of NJASL. The gavel will be officially handed over by the Past-President at the first meeting of the new Board of Trustees.

Section 4. Candidates for Vice President and Treasurer must serve on the Board of Trustees, chair a subcommittee of the Board, or be a current or past president of one of the NJASL county affiliates for at least a year before they run for these offices. Candidates for Secretary or Member-at-Large must be an Active Professional member of NJASL for a minimum of one year before running for that office.

Section 5. Duties of Officers and Members-at-Large. These Officers will perform the duties usually pertaining to their offices and other duties as may be outlined in the Bylaws or directed by the Board of Trustees.

Delegates or president’s representative(s) may be sent to the following conferences/conventions. A report detailing how the conference/convention will benefit the NJASL membership is expected at the board meeting following the conference/convention as well as an article for Bookmark.

A.L.A. Conference/A.A.S.L. Affiliate Assembly

A.L.A. Legislative Day

A.L.A. Midwinter (A.A.S.L. Caucus)

A.A.S.L. National Conference (every two years)

A.A.S.L. Region II Meeting

A.E.C.T. National Conference

A.E.C.T. Leadership Training Institute

I.S.T.E. Annual Conference

I.S.T.E. Affiliate Day

N.J.L.A

A. President. It will be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Board of Trustees; to appoint chairs of standing committees and subcommittees (see Article V. Section 6), Liaisons, excepting the LSTA Liaison[s] who shall be selected pursuant to LSTA regulations, and the Representatives to our Formal Affiliates, excepting the AASL Affiliate Assembly Representative who will be elected pursuant to the regulations of the AASL Affiliate Assembly, and except the ISTE Affiliate Representative who will be elected pursuant to NJASL election guidelines; to appoint necessary special committees; to call special meetings of the Association and of the Board and to be a signatory on all official NJASL documents. The President will serve as an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominations Committee.

B. President-elect. It will be the duty of the President-elect to perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President. The President-elect will work with the Treasurer in the spring to prepare and submit to the Board for approval, a proposed operating budget for the following fiscal year.

C. Vice President. It will be the duty of the Vice President to serve as President in the absence of the President and President-elect. The Vice President will serve as chair of the Ad Hoc Annual Conference Committee and serve on the Standing Conference Committee.

D. Secretary. It will be the duty of the Secretary to keep a record of the proceedings of all business meetings of the Association and of meetings and online voting of the Board; to keep a record of the membership of all committees and subcommittees; and to keep an official copy of the Bylaws of the Association and of the Policy Manual for Officers and Committee Chairs at all times. Once the minutes have been approved, he/she will forward the minutes to the webmaster to be posted to the website and archived. It will be the duty of the Secretary to send and receive correspondence for the Association and the Board; to maintain a file of important communications received and copies of those sent; to notify the Board of its meetings; and to distribute copies of the Bylaws and of the Policy Manual for Officers and Committee Chairs to each new Board member. He/she will assist the Conference Chair in sending thank you notes.

E. Immediate Past President. It will be the duty of the Immediate Past President to serve as advisor to the Executive Committee.

F. Treasurer. It will be the duty of the Treasurer to receive, deposit and account for all dues and all other funds of the Association; to disburse funds; and to submit monthly reports. The Treasurer will submit financial records to the auditor in time to meet the fiscal year deadlines for an IRS filing and either a compilation, review or an audit. Each spring the Treasurer will work with the President-elect to prepare and submit to the Board for approval, a proposed operating budget for the following fiscal year. The Treasurer will also chair the Finance Committee.

G. Members-at-Large. It will be the duty of the Members-at-Large to represent the membership on the Board, to plan the Spring Association Meeting, and to carry out special duties as assigned to them by the President.

Section 6. Vacancy. The President, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, will have the power to fill all vacancies in office except those of the President-elect and Vice President. Any person so appointed will serve only until the end of the term of office. If the office of the President becomes vacant, the President-elect will become President and the Vice President will become President-elect. If the office of the President-elect becomes vacant, the President will nominate a candidate to be approved by the Board of Trustees. If the office of the Vice President becomes vacant, the President will instruct the Nominations Committee to conduct a special election. In addition, any Officers so advancing will have the opportunity to serve the terms to which they would have originally succeeded. Any situation not covered by the above will be resolved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the voting members of the Board of Trustees.

Section 7. Resignation and Removal. An Officer may resign by submitting his or her resignation in writing to the President of the Board of Trustees. An Officer may be removed and/or asked to resign for just cause by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Trustees. An Officer whose removal is to be considered will receive one month’s notice of such proposed action and will have the opportunity to address the Board regarding such action prior to any such removal

VI. BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Section 1. The voting members of the Board of Trustees will consist of the Officers of the Association, one Member at Large serving his/her second year, the Immediate Past President, the representatives to our Formal Affiliates (AASL, AECT, ISTE, NJEA), and one chair or designee from each of the standing committees. Under the current structure, there will be 7 Executive Board votes, 4 formal affiliate votes, and 6 standing committee votes. The Secretary will record votes for each meeting via roll call. Standing committees may be renamed, reorganized, or reassigned voting privileges by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees only.

Section 2. Each standing committee has one Board vote. If a voting member is unable to attend a board meeting, then the committee chair can designate a voting member in his/her stead. In instances where a committee chair is also a member of the Executive Board (e.g. Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair), that person has only one vote.

Section 3. The Board of Trustees will have the power to act for the Association during the intervals between meetings of the Association.

Section 4. The Executive Committee may act for the Board of Trustees in an emergency. The Executive Committee, also called the Executive Board, will consist of the Officers of the Association, two Members-at-Large, and the Immediate Past President.

Section 5. Representatives of the State Library of New Jersey, State Department of Education and representatives from other agencies, associations, and educational institutions will be invited to attend Board of Trustees meetings. They shall serve without voting privileges.

Section 6. Vacancies. The President will have the power to fill all vacancies except those as specified in Article V, Section 6.

Section 7. Eligibility. Trustees must be Active members of the organization.

Section 8. Resignation and Removal. A Trustee may resign by submitting his or her resignation in writing to the President of the Board of Trustees. A Trustee may be removed and/or asked to resign for just cause by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Trustees. An Officer whose removal is to be considered will receive one month’s notice of such proposed action and will have the opportunity to address the Board regarding such action prior to any such removal.

Section 9. Compensation. Neither members, trustees nor officers will receive any fee, salary or remuneration of any kind for their services in such capacities, provided, however, that members, Trustees and Officers may be reimbursed for reasonable budgeted expenses incurred with approval of the Board upon presentation of vouchers.

Section 10. A majority of the Trustees will constitute a quorum of the Board for the transaction of business. The act of the majority of the Trustees at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be the act of that body. In the absence of a quorum, the Secretary will post the motions and discussions and deadline for voting to the Board electronic discussion list. An email vote will determine the act of the majority.

VII. MEETINGS

Section 1. There will be at least two Association meetings for general membership per year that may be virtual or in-person.

A. Association meetings will be held to conduct business and recognize award recipients.

B. The members present will constitute a quorum of NJASL for the transaction of business at Association meetings. The act of the majority of members at an Association meeting at which a quorum is present will be the act of that body.

Section 2. There will be a minimum of five Board of Trustees meetings per year. All members of NJASL may attend/observe Board meetings.

A. Additional meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called at the discretion of the President or upon written request of a majority of the Board of Trustees.

B. The Board of Trustees will approve the schedule of workshops, institutes, and other co-sponsored activities.

VIII. AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

Section 1. Amendments to these bylaws will be initiated by any Trustee in consultation with the President or by a petition submitted by at least ten percent of the membership. Any active member may present a proposed amendment to the Board of Trustees.

Section 2. Bylaws may be adopted and amended by a vote of two-thirds of the qualified members present and voting at any business meeting, provided that notice of such change has been given in writing at least thirty days prior to the meeting; or

Section 3. If the vote is by mail or electronic mail, the Bylaws may be amended by two-thirds of those voting, provided that specific notice of the proposed change has been shared with the membership at least thirty days prior to the announced voting deadline.

IX. DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the association known as the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, Inc., the Board of Trustees will, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Association, distribute the remaining assets to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as will at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board of Trustees will determine, or to a state, federal or local government for a public purpose. No part of the remaining assets will be distributed to any trustee, member or officer of the Association.

X. ASSOCIATION BUSINESS

Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised) will be the basis for the official proceedings and duties of this association.

XI. FINANCE

Section 1. Dues.

A. Annual dues will be determined by the Board of Trustees and will include subscriptions and privileges as determined by the Board.

B. If, after multiple renewal notices, a member has not paid dues by November 1 (or by the Fall Conference), his or her status will be changed to lapsed, and all membership benefits will be suspended.

C. The membership year will be from August 1 to July 31 and may be changed by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees.

Section 2. Fiscal year. The fiscal year will be from August 1 to July 31.

Section 3. Auditor. The Board of Trustees will appoint an auditor to verify the accounts of the Association at the end of each fiscal year.

XII. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

No contract or other transaction between the Association and one or more of its Trustees or Officers, or between the Association and any other firm, association or other entity in which one or more of its Trustees or Officers are directors or Officers, or have a substantial personal, professional, political or financial interest, will be approved by a vote of the Board or any committee thereof if such Trustee or Trustees or Officer or Officers, (hereinafter interested Trustee or Trustees) are present at the meeting of the Board, or of a committee thereof, which authorizes such contract or transaction, or his or her votes are counted for such purpose, unless:

A. The material facts as to such Trustee’s or Officer’s interest in such contract or transaction and as to any such common directorship holding office or financial interest are disclosed in good faith or are known to the Board or committee, and the Board or committee authorizes such contract or transaction by unanimous written consent, provided at least one Trustee so consenting is disinterested, or by a majority vote without counting the vote or votes of such interested Trustee or Officer even though the disinterested Trustees are less than a quorum; or

B. The material facts as to such Trustee’s or Officer’s interest in such contract or transaction and as to any such common directorship, holding office or financial interest are disclosed in good faith or are known to the Members entitled to vote thereon, if any, and such contract or transaction is authorized by a majority vote of such Members.

XIII. FORMAL AFFILIATES

Section 1. The AASL Affiliate Assembly, AECT, and ISTE representatives will each be elected for a two-year term pursuant to the regulations of their organizations. They may serve for an unlimited number of consecutive terms.

The AECT representative and the NJEA affiliate representative will be appointed by the President.

Section 2. Formal Affiliates

A. American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Affiliate Assembly representative. This representative will serve as liaison and official NJASL representative to the AASL Affiliate Assembly, along with the current president, exclusively for educational purposes. He/she will represent the interests of NJASL to the leadership of AASL. This representative must be a personal member of AASL and must have previous experience as a delegate to the Affiliate Assembly regulations. He/she will write a monthly column on AASL and Affiliate Assembly and keep NJASL members aware of and connected to actions and issues as disseminated by AASL and /or ALA through regular postings on the electronic discussion list and/or other social media means i.e. Facebook/Twitter.

B. Association for Educational Communications & Technology (AECT) Representative. This representative will serve as a liaison and official NJASL representative to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology exclusively for educational purposes. The AECT representative will provide the leadership and membership of NJASL with information about AECT and will represent the interests of NJASL to the leadership of AECT. He/she will write a monthly column on AECT and keep NJASL members aware of and connected to actions and issues as disseminated by AECT through regular postings on the electronic discussion list and/or other social media means i.e. Facebook/Twitter. The AECT representative must be an active personal member of AECT.

C. New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). This representative will serve as liaison and official representative to the New Jersey Education Association and will provide information about NJEA and its programs and serve as an advocate of NJASL to NJEA. This representative will also work with the Conference Committee to provide NJASL programs and joint NJASL/NJEA programs for NJEA educational conferences and workshops. He/she will write articles to be published by NJEA that advocates NJASL to NJEA members.

D. International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Affiliate liaison. This representative will serve as the Association delegate and official NJASL representative to the International Society for Technology in Education exclusively for educational purposes. He/she will represent the interests of NJASL to the leadership of ISTE. This representative must be a personal member of ISTE. He/she will write a monthly column on ISTE and our affiliation for the NJASL Bookmark newsletter and keep NJASL members aware of and connected to actions and issues as disseminated by ISTE through regular postings on the NJASL electronic discussion list and/or other social media means i.e. Facebook/Twitter.

XIV. COMMITTEES

Section 1. Chairs of standing committees and subcommittees will be appointed for one year by the incoming President, the appointments to be announced at the summer meeting. The chair of the NJASL-R will be elected by the retirees for a two-year term. These names will be submitted to the Editor of the newsletter for publication in the fall issue and to the Webmaster to be posted on the NJASL website. Committee and subcommittee chairs will then select as many members as are necessary to carry on the work of the committee. The chairs will submit these names and any changes to the secretary who will keep them on file. All committee and subcommittee chairs will be Active members of the organization.

The committee and subcommittee chairs will submit a report to the President prior to each meeting and an annual summary by June 30.

Section 2. A majority of committee members will constitute a quorum of the committee for the transaction of business. The act of the majority of members at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be the act of that body.

Section 3. Standing Committees

The following Standing Committees may be renamed, reorganized, or reassigned voting privileges by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees only. Depending on the circumstances, ad hoc committees or task forces may be appointed to address any other pressing issue.

Advocacy Committee. This committee will work with the Legislative Consultant to identify ways to promote school librarianship, push for legislation, and respond to job threats.

Subcommittees:

Legislative. This subcommittee will keep members informed about state and national judicial and regulatory legislation pertinent to the interests of the Association or its members within the limits imposed on 501(c) 3 organizations. This subcommittee will work closely with the Legislative Consultant to provide information to the NJASL Board and members.
Professional Outreach. This subcommittee will establish and maintain contact with New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), New Jersey Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NJASCD), the New Jersey School Board Association (NJSBA), New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NJACTE), New Jersey Council of Community mentioned. Colleges (NJCCC), Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), Parent Teacher associations around the state and other educational groups. This committee will also maintain contact with colleges and universities to ascertain their integration of school library media programs into their pre-service teacher education training.
Rapid Response Team. This subcommittee will advocate for strong school library programs and protection of intellectual freedom for K-12 students throughout the state. Activities of the subcommittee include supporting librarians facing resource material challenges, creating public information campaigns to educate and inform stakeholders and the public about the state of school libraries, and defending a student’s fundamental right to read as protected by ALA’s Bill of Rights. The RRT team strives to build a coalition with like minded individuals and groups to actively build partnerships with the larger library community. This is a partnership between NJASL and NJLA and will serve K-12 students and educators at the local, regional and state levels.

Communications Committee. This committee coordinates with other committees, subcommittees, and the Legislative Consultant to promote the awareness of school library programs through internal and external communication and publications. This committee ensures that the Bylaws and Policy Manual are periodically reviewed and updated.

Subcommittees:

Electronic Discussion List. This subcommittee will maintain electronic discussion lists for the general membership, the Board of Trustees, and for the Executive Board. These electronic discussion lists are for discussions relevant to NJASL and for topics relevant to the profession.
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GAFO Administrator. This subcommittee will set up and maintain all GAFO (Google Apps for Organizations) accounts for the Board.
Newsletter. This subcommittee, headed by the Editor and/or Publisher, will prepare a monthly publication for the Association.
Social Media. This subcommittee will actively participate in forming and carrying out a social media strategy for NJASL.
Website. The Webmaster will chair this subcommittee and maintain the NJASL website. The subcommittee will post publications, the Board of Trustees minutes and all other information deemed appropriate by the Board on the website. The Webmaster will also be responsible for reporting election results to the Nominations and Election Committee Chair.

Finance Committee. This committee will annually review the operating budget, including the actual surplus funds and the anticipated expenditures, for the purpose of making investment recommendations to the Board. This committee will meet a minimum of two times each year, and will consult with a financial advisor at least once a year, or more often if needed, to review investments and investment strategies. The Treasurer of the Association will chair the committee and the President or the President’s designee will be part of the committee.

Membership Committee. The chair of this committee will promote membership in the Association and work with the chairs of the various subcommittees to encourage and promote membership in the Association at various career stages. The Membership Committee Chair will maintain the official database of all members of the Association and send out dues notices and acknowledgements to the members each year. The committee will also: notify the electronic discussion list Chair of new email addresses and changes of email addresses; send the Private Schools Subcommittee Chair a current list of private school members; notify the New Member Orientation Chair of new members who request mentoring; notify committee and subcommittee chairs of interested volunteers; and update and revise the membership portion of the “Members Only” section of the website.

Subcommittees:

County Affiliates Liaison. This subcommittee will assist the development of local associations in unorganized areas, promote membership in the state organization, inform local associations on a regular basis regarding actions of the NJASL Board of Trustees, assist local associations in planning programs and workshops, and regularly forward county news to the Newsletter Editor.
Credentials. This subcommittee will keep NJASL members informed of state requirements for certification as a school library media specialist. This subcommittee will maintain contact with the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Office of Licensure and Credentials to ensure accurate interpretation of code and to provide input for any changes that might be proposed. This subcommittee will maintain contact with colleges and universities offering programs that lead to certification to inform prospective students and certification candidates.
District Recruitment.The focus of this subcommittee will be to build partnerships with school districts by connecting with administrators to make them aware of the support NJASL provides to school library programs and to encourage administrators to promote membership in NJASL to their school library media specialists. In addition, it will be the job of the district recruiter to identify districts with few or no librarians and promote the necessity of school librarians.
New Member Orientation and Mentoring. This subcommittee will coordinate with the Membership Committee and collaborate with the NJDOE staff and the County Affiliates Liaison to provide orientation and mentoring programs for new school library media specialists.
NJASL-R. This subcommittee will promote continued membership in NJASL among retired professionals, assist in planning programs and workshops, and may represent NJASL at official functions.
Non-Public Schools. This subcommittee will promote NJASL membership among non-public school library media specialists.
Student Affiliates. This subcommittee will work with student groups to increase awareness of and promote membership in NJASL.
Volunteers. This subcommittee will work with members who have reached out for meaningful work with NJASL. Matching committee opportunities with membership interests will be the goal of this position.

Nominations and Election Committee. The President will appoint a Nominations and Election Committee of at least five members that includes the Immediate Past President who will serve as chair. This committee will, when possible, nominate two active members for each office of Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer in even years, and for each Member-at-Large to be elected. The committee will also nominate an AASL Affiliate Assembly Representative as set forth in Article XIII, Section 3 A. of the Bylaws, and an ISTE Affiliate Liaison as set forth in Article XIII, Section 3 D. of the Bylaws. The committee will also solicit suggestions fornominations from the entire membership. When the committee cannot nominate two members for an office, it may submit a slate of one nominee for that office. The report of the Nominations and Election Committee will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval by February 28.

This committee will prepare the ballots for posting online to the NJASL website. They will receive the final count from the Webmaster, and will notify the candidates, the current President and the President-elect of the election results.

1. Ballots.

a. A ballot will be available to each member on or before March 15. The Chair of the committee must receive completed ballots no later than April 15.

b. Each ballot will clearly provide space for names of additional members of the Association to be written in for each Officer and Member-at-Large to be elected.

2. Election.

a. The candidate who receives the most votes to an office will be elected.

b. The committee will forward the results to the President, the President-elect, and the candidates as soon as completed, and announce them on the web page and in the next newsletter.

Professional Development and Resources Committee. This committee will propose and, at the direction of the Board, develop resources designed to increase the capacity of NJASL members to provide additional library media services. The committee will anticipate and respond to educational directives and initiatives by preparing and publishing relevant materials for dissemination to the membership and other appropriate groups.

Subcommittees:

EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion). This subcommittee will investigate the equity, diversity, and inclusion concerns of urban, suburban, and rural school library media specialists and their librarymedia centers. It will promote the establishment of library media centers in all schools and develop programs focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as issues unique to urban schools in order to assist school library media specialists. It will also work to recruit librarians from marginalized communities and create welcoming spaces in the organization for all librarians. The subcommittee will keep the NJASL Board of Trustees apprised of the issues and concerns and their proposed solutions.

Intellectual Freedom. This subcommittee will serve as a liaison between the Association and the Intellectual Freedom Committees of other groups (e.g. NJLA, ALA, etc.). The subcommittee will educate members and the public about the importance of intellectual freedom and provide support to school library media specialists facing a challenge.
SLMS Evaluation. This subcommittee will keep abreast of local, state and national initiatives to evaluate school library media specialists by maintaining relationships with the NJDOE and AASL, among other entities, and will disseminate information to the school library media specialists of New Jersey.
Standards. This subcommittee will maintain communications with our national affiliates to promote and provide training for the implementation and the integration of national standards with state and local curriculum standards.

Scholarships, Awards and Special Programs Committee. This committee will oversee the selection of recipients for awards and scholarships designated by the Board of Trustees. This committee will also initiate communication with our affiliates, other organizations, and companies to arrange additional awards. This committee will work with the Conference Committee, the Spring Membership Meeting chair, and the Author/Illustrator Chair to coordinate the presentation of awards.

Subcommittees:

Author/Illustrator Committee. This subcommittee will coordinate the participation, placement, schedule and set-up of an Authors' & Illustrators' Alley with the Conference Chair; communicate author and illustrator participation in NJASL events or other events of interest to NJASL members via online publications; create and nurture relationships with NJ authors and illustrators; solicit and arrange author and illustrator submissions for inclusion in the NJASL newsletter;curate a list local authors and illustrators for school visit to share with membership. This committee will work with the Conference Committee, the Spring Membership Meeting chair, and the Scholarship and Awards Chair to coordinate the presentation of awards.
Battle of the Books. This subcommittee prepares and distributes information to schools organizing a Battle of the Books competition.
Enthusiastic Reader. This subcommittee prepares and distributes information to school and public libraries to select recipients of the Enthusiastic Reader Award.

Standing Conference Committee. This committee will examine, on an ongoing basis, current practices, review the conference manual, and will implement procedures to streamline the conference process in order to aid and support annual conference chairs. The committee will investigate potential conference sites and reserve conference dates. The annual conference chair will serve on this standing committee to facilitate communication.

XIV. LIAISONS

Library Services and Technology Act Advisory Committee of New Jersey [LSTA]. The liaison[s] will represent New Jersey school libraries upon approval of their nominations by the State Librarian. The liaison[s] will keep NJASL apprised of developments on the committee and of the need to file new nomination applications. According to the nomination form, “The committee advises the State Librarian and the staff of the Library Development Bureau on the development and evaluation of the five year LSTA state plan; establishment of the annual grant criteria, priorities, and categories and evaluation of activities funded through the LSTA program.”
New Jersey Library Association (NJLA). The liaison will provide information about NJLA and its programs and suggest ways in which NJLA and NJASL can collaborate. The liaison will also work with the Conference Committee to provide NJASL and joint programs at NJLA and NJASL conferences.
LibraryLinkNJ (LLNJ). The liaison will establish communications between LibraryLinkNJ and the Association, and will report to the Board matters of interest and value to library media specialists. The liaison will maintain contact with the State Library.
New Jersey Literacy Association (NJLA), formerly New Jersey Reading Association (NJRA). The liaison will provide information about NJLA and its programs and suggest ways in which NJRLA and NJASL can collaborate.
New Jersey State Library )NJSL). The liaison will provide information about NJSL and its programs and suggest ways in which NJSL and NJASL can collaborate. The liaison also works to provide programs at NJASL conferences.
New Jersey Center for the Book. The liaison will provide information about the NJ Center for the Book and its programs to NJASL and represent the interests of NJASL to the NJ Center for the Book.

XV. COUNTY AND OTHER AFFILIATES

The goals and objectives of affiliation will be:

A. To make the Board of Trustees aware of issues facing individuals and groups at the association level, and to identify concerns of the profession.

B. To provide information in areas such as legislation, intellectual freedom, job security, professional growth, program development, and promote professional relationships with other educational associations and institutions.

C. To share programs, publications and ideas with one another.

D. To broaden the base of the profession through the increase of personal membership of NJASL.

Section 1. Criteria for Affiliation.

A. The purpose of the organization must be compatible with those of NJASL.

B. The organization must hold meetings and/or workshops.

C. The organization must have a systematic channel of communication with its membership, e.g., a newsletter.

Section 2. Affiliate Representation to the NJASL Board.

The County President or his or her designee will represent the county to the County Affiliates Subcommittee on the NJASL Board of Trustees.

Section 3. Responsibilities.

A. To provide NJASL County Affiliates Subcommittee Chair with the names and addresses of the county’s President or representative.

B. To allocate time during membership meetings and/or programs for dissemination of NJASL information and other relevant state information.

C. To provide NJASL with a copy of each new publication/directory of the county organization.

D. To provide NJASL with additional information as needed to facilitate two-way communication.

E. To provide NJASL with a list of 10% of the members of the organization seeking affiliate status who are also NJASL personal members.

Section 4. Provisions.

A. Affiliation does not require payment of dues to NJASL by the county organization.

B. Organization affiliation does not permit the use of NJASL’s insurance, Federal tax-exempt status and/or sales tax exemption.

XVI. STUDENT AFFILIATE GROUP

The goals and objectives of affiliation will be:

A. To encourage students to join the affiliate and to support the goals of NJASL.

B. To broaden the base of people going into the field of librarianship.

C. To share with students and network with them.

D. To disseminate information to students when their support of legislation is needed.

E. To promote the integration of school library media programs into college and university pre-service teacher education training.

Section 1. Criteria for Affiliation

A. The purpose of the organization must be compatible with the goals of NJASL.

B. The organization must hold meetings and/or workshops.

C. The organization must have a systematic channel of communication with its membership.

Section 2. Affiliate Representation to the NJASL Board of Trustees

A. The representative will rotate among the several student groups in the state.

Section 3. Responsibilities

A. Provide NJASL with names and addresses of members.

B. Provide information to affiliate members about pertinent NJASL business and other relevant state information.

C. Provide NJASL with additional information as needed to facilitate two-way communication.

D. Assist NJASL in its activities whenever possible.

Section 4. Provisions

A. Affiliation does not require payment of dues to NJASL.

B. Affiliation does not permit the use of NJASL’s insurance, Federal tax-exempt status and/or sales tax exemptions.

FORCE AND EFFECT OF BYLAWS

These Bylaws are subject to the provisions of the New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act (the “Act”) and the Certificate of Incorporation as they may be amended from time to time. If any provision in these Bylaws is inconsistent with a provision in the Act or the Certificate of Incorporation, the provision of the Act or the Certificate of Incorporation will govern the extent of such inconsistency.

Passed by the Board of Trustees, August 20, 1997

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, October 16, 1997

Passed by the Board of Trustees, August 26, 1999

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, October 24, 1999

Revised and passed as printed above by the Board of Trustees, March 12, 2001

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, May 31, 2001

Revised and passed as printed above by the Board of Trustees, January 12, 2002

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, June 6, 2002

Revised and passed as printed above by the Board of Trustees, August 1, 2002

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, June 3, 2003

Revised and passed as printed above by the Board of Trustees, August 20, 2003

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, March 13, 2004

Revised and passed as printed above by the Board of Trustees, October 16, 2004

Voted and passed by the members of EMAnj, January 15, 2005

Revised March 14, 2009

Voted and passed as printed above by the members of NJASL, May 2, 2009

Revised for October 3, 2009 Board meeting

Revised and passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees, October 10, 2009

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL, November 13, 2009

Revised for August 9, 2012; October 20, 2012 Board meeting; October 22, 2012 approved by NJASL Board of Trustees via Email

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL, November 30, 2012

Revised and passed as printed above by the members of NJASL December 5, 2014

Revised and passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees, October 8, 2016

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL, November 18, 2016

Revised and passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees via email, February 2017.

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL, March 11, 2017.

Revised and passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees via email, January 2018.

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL, March 3, 2018.

Revised and passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees, October 6, 2018.

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL, December 4, 2018.

Revised and passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees, November 14, 2020.

Voted and passed by the members of NJASL via email, December 21, 2020

EDI Subcommittee name change passed as printed above by the NJASL Board of Trustees, February 6, 2021.
Committees/Subcommittees - Amended by the Board June 4, 2022

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