CONSTITUTION OF THE JEFF DAVIS COUNTY LIBRARY
ADOPTED OCTOBER 13, 1989
AMENDED OCTOBER 5, 2004
***UPDATED JANUARY 11, 2005
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of the library shall be the Jeff Davis County Library, hereinafter referred to as Jeff Davis County Library.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
This Constitution and Bylaws are a companion document to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Satilla Regional Library System and are intended to clarify local practices and the relationship of the local library to the regional system. There is to be no conflict between provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws and those of the Satilla Regional Library System. If inadvertent conflict occurs, the Regional Constitution and Bylaws shall govern.
The Jeff Davis County Library shall furnish library service to the people of the County as set forth in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Satilla Regional Library System and under the regulations governing public libraries as set forth by the State of Georgia . The Jeff Davis County Library shall offer a full program of library service to all citizens of the County to meet their informational, educational and recreational needs.
ARTICLE III. CONSTITUENCY
The Jeff Davis County Library is a member of the Satilla Regional Library System under the terms of the participating agreement. Membership in the Satilla Regional Library System provides the citizens of the Jeff Davis County with reciprocal borrowing privilege in all libraries in the system. Likewise, the Jeff Davis County Library lends materials to citizens of other counties within the Regional Library System.
ARTICLE IV. COUNTY LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Section 1. The Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees shall be composed of 12 members appointed by the governmental agencies financially supporting the library on a regular basis. The County Commissioners appoint 8 members and the Jeff Davis County Board of Education appoints 4 members; as specified in the Bylaws and the State Law.
Section 2. The term of office shall be three years, excluding unexpired terms, with starting and ending dates corresponding to the state's fiscal year. No member may serve on this Board for more than two successive three-year terms of office. A member may be re-elected to the Board after a three-year leave.
Section 3. Any person appointed to the Jeff Davis County Library Board must be a resident of Jeff Davis County . If he/she moves his/her legal residence outside the County, he/she shall be replaced on the Board.
Section 4. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as appointments are made. If a vacancy occurs prior to the expiration of a trustee's term, the new appointee shall complete the unexpired term.
Section 5. Board members shall receive no compensation but may be reimbursed for any reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of library business, or if stipulated in the terms of any bequest or gift. Membership dues or fees for individual membership of board members in state, regional, and national library associations may be paid from operating funds.
Section 6. The Jeff Davis County Library shall appoint members to represent it on the Satilla Regional Library Board as follows: One member for each 10,000 population or fractional part thereof with a minimum of two. The county population shall be based on the Georgia Office of Planning and Budget for the up coming year. The library director shall notify each county Board in January of each year if population changes occur that would affect the number of regional board members for that county. These changes shall be reflected in the April minutes and a copy of the minutes shall be forwarded to the Georgia Public Library Services of the Board of Regents. Any changes in the number of board members will become effective July 1 of that year.
ARTICLE V. OFFICERS
Section 1. The officer of the Board of Trustees shall be a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, and a Secretary elected from those serving on the Board. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by the Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Regional Library Board.
Section 2. Nominations shall be made by a committee of three Board members appointed by the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman and/or the Director may serve as one of the members of the nominating committee. An officer is elected for a two-year term and may not succeed himself/herself.
Section 3. The officers shall be elected at the July meeting to serve for tow years or until their successors are elected, and their terms of office shall begin at the close of the meeting at which they are elected.
Section 4. If the Regional Board delegates to the County Library Board the activity of receiving gifts, the County Library Board must appoint a treasurer from among its members, who shall serve the same terms and on the same conditions as other officers of the County Library Board.
ARTICLE VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. An Executive Committee, composed of the officer of the Board, shall be entrusted to govern in the name of the Board of Trustees between meetings of the Board.
ARTICLE VII. STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1. Standing committees may be the Finance Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Building and Grounds Committee, and the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. Other special committees may be appointed by the Chairman as needed.
ARTICLE VIII. AMMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION
The Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting at the Board of Trustees by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided that notice is made in writing at least two weeks prior to the meeting, and provided that a quorum is present. All amendments to the Constitution will be filed with the Director of the Satilla Regional Library and the Georgia Public Library Services of the Board of Regents immediately upon adoption.
***Updated on January 11, 2005: Removed the word system from Jeff Davis County Library System since it is not a system but is part of a system; Changed Division of Public Library Services of the Georgia State Department of Education to Georgia Public Library Services of the Board of Regents since we are no longer under the DOE; Changed he/him/himself/his to he/she, him/her, himself/herself, his/her to incorporate politically correct terminology.
BY-LAWS FOR JEFF DAVIS COUNTY LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ADOPTED OCTOBER 13, 1989
***UPDATED JANUARY 11, 2005
ARTICLE I. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOARD MEMBERS
Section 1. The Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees is the group from which the Jeff Davis County members of the Satilla Regional Library System Board of Trustees, the governing body of the Satilla Regional Library System are drawn.
Section 2. The Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees shall set local policies and practices when there is no Regional Library System policy governing that area of service.
Section 3. The Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees shall discharge those duties delegated to it by the Satilla Regional Library Board of Trustees. All formal actions of the Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees taken in discharging those duties shall be reported to the Regional Board of Trustees for approval and recording at their next meeting.
Section 4. The Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees shall approve Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees Board budgets prepared by the Regional Library System Director, and shall present the library's fiscal needs to its supporting agencies.
Section 5. The Regional Library System Director shall be notified in advance of all meetings of the Board or committees.
ARTICLE II. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
Section 1. The Chairman shall preside at all regular or called board meetings. He/she shall appoint all committees and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2. The Vice-Chairman shall preside in the absence of the Chairman. All other duties of the Vice-Chairman shall be assigned by the Chairman.
Section 3. The Secretary shall record the official actions of the Board, keep a record of attendance at Board meetings, and have the custody of the official books, which shall be housed in the County Library . He/she shall notify the proper appointing authorities of vacancies, which may occur on the Jeff Davis County Library Board. The Secretary shall send copies of the minutes of all meetings to the Director of the Jeff Davis County Library. He/she shall report changes of membership to the Director.
Section 4. If the Treasurer and all other staff authorized to handle monies are not covered by the bond held by the Satilla Regional Board, they shall be bonded for an amount commensurate with the amount of funds handled, determined by the Jeff Davis County Library Board and entered in the minutes and a copy of the bond filed with the Regional headquarters office and the Georgia Public Library Services of the Board of Regents.
ARTICLE III. MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings of the Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees shall be held according to the provision stated in the Bylaws of the Satilla Regional Library System.
Section 2. The Jeff Davis County Board of Trustees shall hold no less than four regular meetings during each fiscal year including no less than one each calendar quarter. Meetings shall be held on the second Monday in the months of January, April, July and October at the headquarters library, or at some other location as designated by the Chairman.
Section 3. Prior to each regular or called meeting, the Director of the Regional Library System shall notify each member of the date, time and place of the Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees meeting.
Section 4. Seven members on the Board of Trustees constitute a quorum. No official business may be conducted without a quorum. Except as stated elsewhere in the documents, a simple majority vote of members present is necessary to approve any action before the Board.
ARTICLE IV. REPORTS
The Jeff Davis County Library Board of Trustees shall submit all reports requested by the Regional Library System to provide the information necessary to complete reports required by state, federal, or local laws or regulations, or to manage the Regional Library System in an efficient and business-like manner.
ARTICLE V. ATTENDANCE
Section 1. A Board member shall be removed for cause or for failure to attend three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings.
Section 2. A letter reporting the removal and specifying the cause shall be sent by the secretary to the affected Board member and to the appointing authority responsible for his/her appointment. The local appointing authority shall be asked to appoint another representative to fill that member's unexpired term.
ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board of Trustees by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided that notice is made in writing at least two weeks prior to the meeting, and provided that a quorum is present. All amendments to these Bylaws shall be filed with the Georgia Public Library Services of the Board of Regents immediately upon adoption.
***Updated on January 11, 2005: Removed the word system from Jeff Davis County Library System since it is not a system but is part of a system; Changed Division of Public Library Services of the Georgia State Department of Education to Georgia Public Library Services of the Board of Regents since we are no longer under the DOE; Changed he/him/himself/his to he/she, him/her, himself/herself, his/her to incorporate politically correct terminology.