LASL Handbook - Revised March 2022

Handbook

The mission of LASL shall be to promote and to maintain high standards of school librarianship, to serve as a medium for the exchange of ideas, and to encourage a continuing and critical evaluation of school library service.

REVISED

March 2022

CONSTITUTION, BYLAWS,

AND OFFICIAL POLICIES OF THE

LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS

Revised March 2022

A. CONSTITUTION

Article I – Name

The name of the organization shall be the Louisiana Association of School Librarians.

Article II – Mission

The mission of this organization shall be to promote and to maintain high standards of school librarianship, to serve as a medium for the exchange of ideas, and to encourage a continuing and critical evaluation of school library service.

Article III – Membership

Any person holding membership in the Louisiana Library Association shall be eligible for membership.

Article IV – Officers

Section 1 – Names of Officers

The elected officers of the organization shall be a President, a First Vice President/President-Elect, a Second Vice-President, a Secretary.

The immediate Past President is automatically an officer of the Executive Board and the Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the President.

Section 2 – Eligibility of Officers

All officers must be members of the Louisiana Library Association and the Louisiana Association of School Librarians. All nominees shall have been members of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians for one year prior to nomination or appointment unless approved by the LASL Executive Board. All nominees must currently work full time in a Louisiana school library and be fully certified as a school librarian.

Section 3 – Election of Officers

Officers shall be elected by ballot through the Louisiana Library Association management company.

Section 4 – Vacancies

Should a vacancy occur, the President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall appoint a new officer to serve in the capacity of the office for the remainder of the year. The position will be placed on the ballot during the next regular election that follows.

Article V – Executive Board

Section 1 – Membership of the Board

The Executive Board of the Association shall be composed of the elected officers of the Association, the Parliamentarian, the Immediate Past President, all Regional Representatives, and the librarian sponsor of the President of the Louisiana Teen-Age Librarians Association (LTLA).

Section 2 – Duties and Powers of the Executive Board

The Executive Board shall be vested with administrative responsibility and authority, including adoption of a budget.

Article VI – Meetings

Section 1 - Membership Meetings

There shall be a minimum of one meeting of the general membership annually during the annual conference of the Louisiana Library Association, at the annual LASL Conference, or virtually; whichever is voted on by the LASL Executive Board.

Section 2 - Executive Board Meetings

The Executive Board shall meet at least three times each calendar year, either virtually or in person. These meetings and any other which are deemed necessary shall be called and determined by the President or LASL Executive Board.

Article VII – Quorum

The assembled members at any regularly scheduled meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Article VIII – Amendments

Section 1

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at an in-person or virtual general Membership Meeting, provided that the membership has been notified of the proposed change at least thirty days prior to the meeting. The Bylaws and Official Policies may be amended by a majority vote of the members present at the general meeting.

Section 2

The Executive Board shall have the authority to amend the information and applications for any organization awards.

B. BYLAWS

Article I – Duties of Officers

Section 1 – President

The duties of the President shall be to preside at general meetings of the Association and at Executive Board meetings. The president serves as a member of the Louisiana Library Association Conference Program Committee to coordinate all LASL activities for the annual conference. The president shall serve on other reciprocating Executive Boards as approved by the LASL Executive Board. President shall serve as an AASL Chapter Assembly Delegate.

Section 2 – First Vice-President

The duties of the First Vice-President shall be to act for the President in the event of absence or inability to preside and to assist the President as needed. The First-Vice President will also become familiar with organization policies, observe the activities of the President, and prepare to assume the office of President. First Vice-President shall serve as an AASL Chapter Assembly Delegate.

Section 3 – Second Vice-President

The duties of the Second Vice-President shall be to assist the Vice-President, to become familiar with organization policies, to observe the activities of the Vice-President, and to prepare to assume the office of First Vice-President.

Section 4 – Secretary

The duties of the Secretary shall be to record minutes of all official meetings. Minutes of official meetings should be housed in the LASL Google Drive Folder which is also linked to the LASL website.

Section 5 – Parliamentarian

The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be to become familiar with the handbook constitution, official policies and bylaws of the organization. The Parliamentarian shall advise the Executive Board on questions of procedure in transacting the business of the organization.

Section 6 – Past President

The duties of the Past President is to ensure continuity during LASL organizational change, to help ensure the appropriate succession of Officers, to support the President in his/her role, and to provide continuity to the organization by providing historical context for issues.

Article II – Regional Representatives

In an effort to encourage networking and participation from school librarians throughout the state, Regional Representatives will be appointed by the Executive Board. These Representatives will serve as an extension of the Executive Board and will support the efforts and initiatives of LASL at a more local level. At least one representative from each of the following regions shall represent school librarians from their region on the LASL board:

North Louisiana
Central Louisiana
Acadiana
Florida Parishes
Greater New Orleans Area

C. OFFICIAL POLICIES

The immediate Past President shall help ensure the appropriate succession of officers and provide continuity to the executive board prior to July 1st of the new fiscal year.
The LLA management company shall serve as the depository for all Louisiana Association of School Librarians official records and documents. LASL will also maintain other records in the shared Google Drive account (geauxlasl@gmail.com).
The past chair of Louisiana Teen-Age Librarians Association (LTLA) shall continue to serve LTLA in an advisory capacity.
The Louisiana Association of School Librarians shall send a representative to the ALA Annual Conference and/or the AASL Annual Conference. The representative must attend the AASL Affiliate Assembly. Order of priority shall be: President, First Vice-President, and Past President. Said representatives may have conference registration costs paid at the discretion of the executive board. If these officers cannot attend, the LASL executive board shall appoint the representatives.
A member of the LASL executive board shall serve as a liaison to the Louisiana Department of Education in regards to LA School Library Guidelines to lend continuity to LASL involvement in ongoing standard and guideline revisions.

D. DUTIES

EXECUTIVE BOARD

PRESIDENT

Duties upon assumption of office include:

July 1 - Assume Office (annually)

Inform Executive Board of LASL duties.
Provide a copy of the LASL handbook to Executive Board members.
Confirm LASL/LLA committees and/or Regional Representatives providing those positions with LASL duties for the year.
Schedule an introductory Executive Board meeting.
Prepare a yearly budget report and share it with the Executive Board.

General Duties include:

Represent LASL at major library events and stay informed of various state and national library news, updates, etc. and provide information to LASL. (ie: AASL, ALA, LLA)
Attend all LLA Executive Board meetings and present LASL section reports.
Appoint a representative from the Executive Board to attend the LLA Executive Board meeting in the President’s stead, pending the President’s unavailability.
Presides over membership and board meetings, sets an agenda prior to meetings, and shares with the Executive board ahead of all meetings.
Plan for any and all conferences or major events, including but not limited to LLA Conference, LASL Conference, or professional development days.
Attend (in person or virtually) the LTLA Convention to extend a greeting from LASL.
Authorize LLA payment request through management company to pay the cost of registration for the AASL conference for the Chapter Assembly Delegates.
Authorize LLA payment request through management company to pay the honorarium for the School Librarian of the Year Award winner upon decision of the winner.

Duties upon leaving office include:

Prior to July 1 - Leaving Office (annually)

Oversee transition of materials to incoming President including but not limited to: login information to all LASL accounts such as the newsletter, email, and social media accounts and sharing the Google Drive Folder with incoming executive board members.

FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT

General Duties include:

Attend all LASL Executive Board meetings.
Attend LLA Executive Board meetings.
Finalize all committee appointments by mid-August.
Observe activities of the President.

SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT

General Duties include:

Attend all LASL Executive Board meetings.
Observe activities of the Vice-President and President.

SECRETARY

General Duties include:

Attend all LASL Executive Board meetings.
Record minutes of all official LASL meetings and record revisions as requested.
Submit recorded and revised minutes to the LASL Google Drive Folder and share with the Executive Board.
Share all revisions for the LASL Handbook with the Executive Board 30 days prior to LASL general membership meeting.
Present handbook revisions to LASL members 30 days prior to LASL general membership meeting for review.
Ensure that a quorum is met by members when voting at any membership meeting.

PARLIAMENTARIAN

Duties include:

Attend all LASL Executive Board meetings.
Advise the President/Executive Board on proper parliamentary procedure as needed.
Assume responsibility for LASL news to be sent to all members at regular intervals. The content of which will be determined by the Executive Board.
Share all revisions of LASL news with the Executive Board prior to dissemination.

PAST PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE BOARD SHARED DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The duties and responsibilities described in the sections below will belong equally to all officers serving on the LASL Executive Board. Members serving as Regional Representatives will be called upon to support these LASL initiatives and processes as needed.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Duties include:

Solicit proposals for event presentations.
Complete any correspondence in regard to events.
Work closely with any additional event organizers.
Consider budget needs, venues, and technology needs for events.
Advertise the event to interested parties.
Coordinate vendors as necessary.
Create an agenda or schedule for the event. (consider lunch)
Promote and publicize the event as necessary.
Send handwritten thank you notes regarding the event.
Submit all receipts to the LASL President for payment or reimbursement.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Duties include:

Seek feedback from Louisiana school librarians regarding professional development needs.
Coordinate and plan webinars, classes, workshops, or other professional development opportunities for school librarians either in person or virtually.

HANDBOOK

Duties include:

Shall revise the LASL Handbook, including Constitution, Bylaws, Official Policies, and any award documents.
Proposed changes and revisions must be submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to a regularly scheduled general membership meeting. (See Article VIII – Amendments.)
Be familiar with the LASL Handbook.
Submit updated LASL Handbook to LLA and AASL annually.

LEGISLATIVE

Duties include:

Shall develop resolutions and recommendations concerning legislation regarding school library programs and share at LLA Legislative Committee meetings.
The executive board shall represent the LASL Section on the LLA Legislative Committee.
Formulate and present LASL’s legislative goals for the year.
Contact members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the State Superintendent of Education, and the State Library contact person after the year’s legislative goals have been determined.
Participate in LLA Legislative Day.

MEMBERSHIP AND PUBLICITY

Duties include:

Shall publicize the activities of LASL, including meetings and programs utilizing social media, newsletters, articles, and e-mail communications.
Shall obtain a list of current members from LLA management company and disperse to LASL membership annually.
Request a list of non-renewing members from the LLA management company and urge membership renewal.
Contact parish library supervisor (or contact person) in each school system to request distribution of materials to school librarians who are not members of LLA/LASL.
Design a save the date for any and all events.
Maintain LASL website with current news and resources.
Send updates and information to be posted on the LLA website and ensure consistency among LASL and LLA websites.
Maintain consistent contact with Regional Representatives.

STANDARDS

Duties include:

Stay up to date on all official standards which affect school library programs and discuss further action.
LASL executive board shall review the Louisiana School Library Guidelines annually with a liaison from LDOE and make revisions as necessary.
Stay up to date and refer to the school library standards/guidelines of other states.
Reference the AASL National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries when revising the Louisiana School Library Guidelines. Align Louisiana standards with AASL standards.
Keep LASL membership aware of updates annually.
Promote the implementation of the standards/guidelines.

NOMINATIONS

Elected Officers:

Second Vice-President and Secretary.

(See Article IV Section 1)

Eligibility:

All officers must be current members of LLA/LASL and must have been a member at least one year prior to the nomination unless approved by the executive board.

Nominee Considerations:

Rotate Regions when possible.

Duties include:

Advertise and promote vacant offices.
Adhere to LLA’s deadline for candidates to submit LLA online forms.
Correspond with LLA management company regarding candidacy declaration and application.
Contact nominees and fully explain the requirements and responsibilities of the office and send a copy of duties from the LASL Handbook.
Ensure the candidate biographies are submitted to LLA management company.
Notify winners and express congratulations; notify those not elected and express appreciation.

AASL CHAPTER ASSEMBLY DELEGATE
Shall represent the Louisiana Association of School Librarians by sending voting delegates who will represent the LASL at the Affiliate Assembly of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) during the American Library Association (ALA) and/ or AASL Annual Conference. Chapter Assembly Delegates will update the AASL form prior to the conference. Chapter Assembly delegates include LASL President, Vice President, and Past President unless decided otherwise by the LASL executive board.

Duties Include:

Represents LASL at ALA and/or AASL Annual Conference.
Keep the Executive Board informed regularly of AASL news and initiatives that affect or impact Louisiana school libraries.
Inform members of all AASL position statements and how school librarians can use them to improve school and district policies.

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

At least one representative from each of the following regions shall represent school librarians from their region on the LASL board: North Louisiana, Central Louisiana, Acadiana, the Florida Parishes, and the Greater New Orleans area. The following duties and responsibilities will belong equally to all officers serving as Regional Representatives.

Duties include:

Locate the contact information for school librarians in your region and connect with them.
Encourage and support networking and sharing opportunities among school librarians within your region.
Bring any relevant regional concerns or issues to the attention of the Executive Board.
Generally serve as a liaison between school librarians in your region and the elected members of the Executive Board.

LOUISIANA LIBRARIES SCHOOL LIBRARIES COLUMN EDITOR

Shall solicit and edit quarterly articles for the School Libraries column in LLA’s official publication, Louisiana Libraries.

General duties:

Become familiar with the LASL Handbook.
Work with the executive board and become familiar with current topics that could be submitted to the Louisiana Libraries Column.
Writes articles for Louisiana Libraries Column.

LOUISIANA TEEN-AGE LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION CHAIRPERSON

Shall be responsible for the Louisiana Teen-Age Librarians Association.

Duties include:

Act as the liaison between the Executive Board of the Louisiana Teenage Librarians Association and the parent organization, the Louisiana Association of School Librarians.
Attend all LTLA Executive Board meetings and the LTLA Convention.
Work closely with the LTLA president and vice-president and their sponsors in planning for the annual LTLA Convention.
Check with all new LTLA officers to determine if they have received copies of their duties from the previous officers and that there are no gaps in the flow of information. Schedule an officer orientation near the beginning of the school year.
Submit a report giving LTLA Convention information: the number of schools attending, the type of programs, as well as the names of the new officers to the Executive Board of the LASL.
Update LTLA Website with contest reminders.
Approve, with the rest of the committee, all LTLA nominations before the ballots are created. Remember the policy: the president, vice-president, and treasurer should be juniors and seniors when they serve.
Email a letter to all LTLA clubs in January stating the rules and expectations at the LTLA Convention.
Invite the presidents of LASL and LLA to attend the LTLA Convention and bring greetings from LASL and LLA. The president of LTLA may also send the invitation.
Distribute or provide online access to the LTLA Convention evaluation sheets to be returned after the convention to the new LTLA chairperson (The out-going chairperson makes and distributes these; the in-coming chairperson receives and tallies them.)
Conduct the sponsors’ meeting at the LTLA Convention. Request the in-coming chairperson to record the minutes of the meeting.
Remind the LTLA president to purchase all ribbons for the contests as well as the in-coming president’s gavel.
Two weeks before the LTLA Convention, check on the progress of each committee and officer.
Help tally votes at the LTLA Convention. Only the Nominations Committee chairperson and the LTLA chairperson should be present.
With the help of the president of LTLA and his/her sponsor, schedule three executive board meetings for fall, January, and during the convention.
Promote LTLA through handouts or presentations at LASL-sponsored conferences or workshops.

SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD COMMITTEE

SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD APPLICATION

Shall disseminate information about the School Librarian of the Year Award, distribute applications, and determine the winner. Applications are due to the LLA management company by the application deadline chosen by LASL.

Duties include:

Contact LLA management company regarding the award.
Advertise the award through the LLA listserv and LASL web presence.
Receive submitted application forms from the LLA management company. The management company will send forms to all committee members.
Meet with the committee to review and discuss the completed applications using the criteria set forth in the application’s information section. The committee must select a winner within established deadlines.
Notify the winner. Express congratulations and issue an invitation for the winner to attend the Awards Ceremony at the LLA or LASL Annual Conference as a guest of the organization. Note that acceptance speeches must be limited to three minutes.
Notify the nominator of the winner. Express congratulations and issue an invitation for the nominator to attend the Awards Ceremony. Notify those not selected for the award and their nominators. Express LASL’s appreciation for their participation in the award process.
Send a picture of the winner and any other information that is requested by the LLA office manager to the LLA management company and to the LASL Executive Board.
Alert the LASL President that a winner has been selected and send any information requested. LASL will purchase the plaque for the winner.
The LASL President will determine if the budget allows for the $100 honorarium and will request that the check be prepared by the LLA management company at least three weeks in advance of LLA Conference or LASL Conference.

SUE HEFLEY EDUCATOR AWARD COMMITTEE

SUE HEFLEY EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD APPLICATION

Shall disseminate information about the Sue Hefley Educator Award, distribute applications, and determine the winner. Applications are due in the LLA management company by the application deadline chosen by LASL.

NOTE: The committee membership consists of the three most recent Past Presidents of LASL. The immediate Past President serves as the chairperson. Should any of the three most recent past presidents be unable to serve, any past president may be appointed to serve. A detailed description of the Sue Hefley Educator Award is also given in the Louisiana Library Association Manual.

Duties include:

Coordinate all activities with the LLA Awards Committee.
Submit an article to the LASL Publicity Committee describing and promoting the award. Send a copy of the nominations and guideline forms to each school superintendent in the state. Request mailing to be duplicated and distributed to appropriate personnel.
Meet as a committee to review copies of the completed applications and the evaluation form. Follow evaluation instructions and select a winner within established deadlines.
Notify the winner. Express congratulations and issue an invitation for the winner to attend the LLA Awards Ceremony at the LLA Annual Conference as a guest of the organization. Note that acceptance speeches must be limited to three minutes.
Notify the nominator of the winner. Express congratulations and issue an invitation for nominator to attend the Awards Ceremony. Specify that speeches must be limited to three minutes.
Notify those not selected and their nominators. Express LASL’s appreciation for their participation in the award process.
Send copies of the winner’s application, biographical data sheet, and picture to appropriate conference committee personnel as requested by the LLA Conference Committee. Also, send copies to the LASL Executive Board.
Check with the LASL President regarding budget allowances for the award plaque. Purchase the plaque and make it available at the Awards Ceremony for presentation. Submit the receipt to the LASL President so that a request for reimbursement can be forwarded to the LLA office.
Arrange for the award to be presented by the LASL President or the committee chairperson.