The name of this organization shall be the Reference Round Table (RRT) of the Texas Library Association (TLA).

The purpose of the Reference Round Table shall be to advance the informational, bibliographical, and research services of all types of libraries within the state of Texas.

Any member of the Texas Library Association may select membership in the Reference Round Table. Officers must be current members of TLA and RRT.

Section 1. Elected Officers

A. The elected officers of Reference Round Table shall be Chair, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, Councilor, Alternate Councilor, and Immediate Past Chair.

B. Officers shall assume office immediately following the Texas Library Association Annual Conference and shall serve a term of one year or until a successor is elected. The Councilor and Alternate Councilor shall serve three years or until a successor is elected.

C. The duties of Reference Round Table officers shall be as follows:

1. The Chair shall coordinate all activities of the Round Table, preside at the Round Table’s Executive Committee and business meetings, appoint committees and their chairs except the Nominating Committee and the Program Committee, prepare the annual budget, approve all unit expenditures/invoices, and be responsible for the planning and execution of activities of the unit.

2. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall attend all official meetings of the Round Table, assume the office of Chair if the office is vacated, and appoint the Program Committee and serve as its Chair.

3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall attend all official meetings of the Round Table, prepare and submit official minutes of these meetings, maintain the financial records of the Round Table, submit all Round Table records for archiving as directed by TLA headquarters, and submit a yearly financial report at the Round Table’s general membership and Executive Committee meetings during the Annual Conference of the Texas Library Association.

4. The Councilor shall attend all official meetings of the Round Table, represent the Round Table at the Texas Library Association Council, and report to the Round Table on the actions of the Texas Library Association Council.

5. The Alternate Councilor shall assume all the duties of Councilor in Councilor’s absence.

6. The immediate Past-Chair shall attend all meetings of the Round Table, shall appoint the members of the Nominating Committee, and shall chair the Nominating Committee.

Section 2. Elections

A. Nominating Committee, appointed by the Immediate Past-Chair, shall present a slate of candidates for all offices. The ballot shall consist of at least two candidates for the office of Councilor and at least one candidate each for the offices of Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Secretary-Treasurer.

B. Officers shall be elected by mail and/or electronic ballot. Ballots shall be included in print and/or electronic issues of the fall RRT Newsletter and returned to the Chair of the Nominating Committee.

C. For each office, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected to that office. For the office of Councilor, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected Councilor; the candidate with the second highest number of votes shall become the Alternate Councilor. The membership shall be notified of the election results in the spring following the election.

D. In the event of a tie vote for any office, a run-off election will be held at the Annual Conference Reference Round Table membership meeting.

Section 3. Executive Committee

The elected officers shall constitute the Executive Committee and shall administer the business of the Round Table when it is not in session.

Section 4. Vacancies

A. If a vacancy occurs in the office of the Chair, the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall become Chair for the remainder of that term and shall also serve the term to which the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect had been elected.

B. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Councilor, the Alternate Councilor shall serve out the term of Councilor.

C. If a vacancy occurs in any of the other elected offices, the Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall fill the vacancy by appointment until the next general election.

D. If a vacancy occurs in both the Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect positions, the President of the Texas Library Association shall appoint a new Chair, who shall proceed as outlined above.

Section 5. Appointed Officers

A. The Newsletter Editor shall produce issues of the RRT newsletter, shall attend all meetings of the RRT Executive Committee and the RRT Publicity/Membership Committee, and shall report annually to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint the Newsletter Editor, who will serve at the will of the Executive Committee under an annually renewable appointment.

B. The Webmaster shall maintain and update the RRT website in cooperation with the TLA Webmaster, shall attend all meetings of the RRT Executive Committee and the RRT Publicity/Membership Committee, and shall report annually to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint the RRT Webmaster, who will serve at the will of the Executive Committee under an annually renewable appointment.

A. An RRT general membership meeting shall be held annually during the TLA Annual Conference. A quorum shall consist of the members present. Additional general membership meetings may be held as deemed necessary by the Chair, a majority of the Executive Committee, or upon petition of 30 RRT members.

B. RRT Executive Committee meetings shall be held annually during both the TLA Annual Conference and the TLA Annual Assembly. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the elected officers. Additional meetings may be held as deemed necessary by the Chair or a majority of the Executive Committee.

Section 1. Standing Committees

The standing committees of the Reference Round Table shall be as outlined below. Standing committee members shall serve a one year appointment to commence immediately after Annual Conference and appointment by the Chair.

A. Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee shall annually submit a list of candidates for election.

B. Program Committee.

The Program Committee shall develop, receive approval from the Executive Committee, and shall organize and coordinate arrangements for the Round Table’s program at Annual Conference.

C. Planning Committee.

The Planning Committee shall evaluate requests for assistance with bibliographic and other reference projects for the Round Table and shall supervise the continual updating of the electronic edition of Texas Reference Sources. The Chair of the Round Table shall appoint the members of this committee and its Chair.

D. Texas Reference Source Award Committee.

The Texas Reference Source Award Committee shall administer the nomination and selection process for the award. The Chair of the Round Table shall appoint the members of this committee and its Chair. All informational documents pertaining to this award, such as nomination criteria, submission procedure, and selection requirements, shall be available from the Chair of this committee.

E. Publicity/Membership Committee.

The Publicity/Membership Committee shall evaluate and recommend measures to promote membership in the Round Table, supervise the setup and staffing of the RRT Booth at annual conferences, create and update publicity materials for the Round Table, and advise the Round Table's newsletter editor and webmaster. The Chair of the Round Table shall appoint the members of this committee and its Chair.

Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees

A. Ad Hoc committees may be created as needed by the Chair of the Round Table, with the approval of the Executive Committee. The Chair of the Round Table shall appoint the members and designate the chair of each ad hoc committee.

B. The committees shall serve until their charges have been completed and reports have been accepted or until such a time as the Executive Committee designates.

C. A Lois Bebout Reference Service Award ad hoc committee shall be appointed by the Round Table Chair when at least one nomination for the award is received by the Chair. The committee shall evaluate the nominee's documentation and shall advise the Executive Committee on whether the nominee should be approved as an award recipient.

Section 3. Committee Reports.

The chairs of all RRT committees, the RRT Newsletter Editor, and the RRT Webmaster shall be required to submit to the Executive Committee meeting at each TLA annual conference an annual report summarizing their activities.

The rules of procedure as stated in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern this Round Table in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws, any special rules of order the Round Table may adopt, or the standing Rules of TLA.

These bylaws may be adopted or amended at any general membership meeting of the unit by a majority vote of the members present or through mail or electronic balloting by a majority of all votes received, provided such changes are consistent with the Bylaws and Standing Rules of the Texas Library Association.

--Approved 2004