Administrative handbook

ii.A General Information

(Sections of the Constitution and By-Laws applicable to this section: II.B; III.B.5, C, E.1, E.2, F.3; IV.A, B.1, C, D, E; V; VI.A-D, F; VII.A, C, D; VIII.A, B, E, F; IX.B, C, D; X.A, B, C; XI.) (rev. 4/2009) (rev. 3/2011) 

II.a.1 CHarge

The Board of Directors administers and manages the affairs of the Music Library Association, formulates and executes its policies, and realizes its stated purposes. It acts in the name of the Association between its business meetings, and it may exercise all powers except those that are vested exclusively in the members. (rev. 5/2014)

II.a.2 board membership

The Board of Directors comprises the eleven officers of the Association. Nine of these officers are elected and are voting members of the Board: President, Vice-President/Past President, Recording Secretary, and six members-at-large; the Administrative Officer and Assistant Administrative Officer are appointed by the Board and may not vote. (rev. 3/2011)

II.a.3 terms of office

Officers serve until the adjournment of the final session of the annual meeting at which the names of their successors are made public. Elected officers of the Board of Directors serve for up to six consecutive years. Appointed officers serve up to four consecutive years. Officers elected to a two year term may serve in an appointed capacity for an additional four years. (rev. 3/2011) (rev. 5/2014)

II.a.4 conduct of business

ii.a.4.a Parliamentary authority

The rules in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised govern the conduct of the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the constitution and by-laws, any special rules of order the Association may adopt, or this Handbook. See Appendix A: Notes on Parliamentary Practice in the MLA Board  for details on how some parliamentary rules are handled on the Board. (rev. 5/2014)

ii.a.4.b frequency of and procedures for calling board meetings

The Board meets in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association and may meet at other times. It is customary for the Board to meet three times a year. Its special meetings convene either when called by the President or when requested in writing by three of its members.

ii.a.4.c attendance at board meetings

Board meetings are open to members of the Association, who may attend as auditors, except that the Board may meet in executive session at its discretion.

ii.a.4.d definition of a quorum

A majority of the voting Board members constitutes a quorum provided the President or Vice-President/Past President is present. (rev. 5/2014)

ii.a.4.e agendas

The President sends the agenda for Board meetings to Board members in advance of the meetings.

ii.a.4.f voting

ii.a.4.f.1 general

The Board of Directors comprises the eleven officers of the Association. Nine of these officers are elected and are voting members of the Board: President, Vice-President/Past President, Recording Secretary, and six members-at-large; the remaining two, the Administrative Officer and Assistant Administrative Officer, are appointed by the Board and may not vote. Decisions are made by a majority of the Board’s voting members. (rev. 3/2011)

ii.a.4.f.2 voting and other action between meetings

Voting and other action between meetings should be restricted as much as possible to items that require action, due to deadlines or other need for expediency, before the next formal Board meeting. The President shall provide a timeframe for discussion and voting when introducing the issue, warn when discussion is to end, and call a formal vote as if in a regular Board meeting. The Recording Secretary shall take minutes of the discussion, record the vote, and add it to the minutes of the following formal meeting of the Board. Personal approval obtained separately from Board members outside this formal structure does not constitute a vote. (rev. 3/2011)

ii.a.4.g emergency actions and their subsequent board ratification

Emergency action is taken by unanimous vote of the President, Recording Secretary and Vice-President/Past President and is subject to Board ratification. Emergency action is restricted to one-time issues in which the timeframe for response is so short that it precludes full Board discussion and action. All emergency action taken between meetings is ratified at the following Board meeting and entered into the minutes. (rev. 3/2011)

ii.a.4.h budget requests by board members

Board members, including those whose terms will expire during the next fiscal year, submit annual budget requests for expenditures necessary to the performance of their official duties to the Finance Committee four weeks in advance of the Spring Board meeting. (rev. 5/2014)

ii.a.4.I honoraria/reimbursement/per diem

No elected officer, member, or delegate of a member receives compensation as such. The Administrative Officer, Convention Manager, Notes Editor, Open Access Editor, and Web Manager receive an honorarium, the amount determined by the Board. The Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, Advertising Manager, Archivist, Convention Manager, Assistant Convention Manager, Development Officer, Placement Officer, Publicity & Outreach Officer, Web Manager, Copyright Website Editor, Music Cataloging Bulletin Editor, Notes Editor, Notes Assistant Editor, Notes Book Review Editor, Notes Music Review Editor, MLA Newsletter Editor, and Open Access Editor receive gratis MLA regular membership and MLA annual meeting early-regular-member registration during years in which they serve. (rev. 6/2008) (rev. 3/2011) (rev. 3/2014) (rev. 2/2017)

The Board will review all honoraria at the spring meeting of the Association. All Board members are reimbursed for expenses incurred in attending Board meetings, including transportation, lodging, and a per diem for meals (up to half of the rate set by the US General Services Administration). Reimbursement  for  travel  by  car  includes the  cost  of  gas,  tolls,  and  parking  rather  than  the IRS  mileage  rates,  not  to  exceed  the  cost  of  reasonable  airfare.  Both sitting Board members and incoming Board members are reimbursed for expenses incurred during the Board meeting held before the MLA Annual Meeting. Expenses covered for that meeting are lodging  and  half  per  diem only, limited to the days of the Board meeting. With Board approval, the Vice-President/Past President or other designated Board member may receive reimbursement for travel to and from one regional chapter meeting. In all cases such reimbursement is only for that part of the specified expenses not covered by Board members’ institutions, is requested from the Administrative Officer in writing and is accompanied by written receipts for travel and lodging. When appropriate, the tax-exempt number (Employer Identification Number) 52-6056338 is used in making MLA purchases. (rev. 6/2008) (rev. 3/2011) (rev. 5/2015) (approved 5/2013, updated 7/2018)

ii.a.4.j maintenance of records

In a timely fashion all Board members maintain and convey their MLA correspondence and papers to their successors on the Board or to the MLA Archives at the University of Maryland, College Park, Md. For further information, consult the MLA Archives page on the MLA website. (rev. 5/2015) (rev. 2/2017)

ii.a.4.k Mla policies

An MLA policy is a decision that is made upon formal vote of the Board of Directors and that is intended to govern subsequent action of the Association.

ii.a.4.l software standards

When creating and/or transmitting MLA documents it is important to utilize software (whether for word processing, spreadsheets, or database management) that is convertible to other currently used software packages or to more recent versions of a given software package.