Preamble to the Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association Charter

We, the members of the Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association (FOBULA), desirous to celebrate the historic opening of the new Andruss Library in September 1998; and to promote excellence at Bloomsburg University Library as an academic center for higher education; to support and promote all aspects of the Library’s roles and functions in the Bloomsburg University community and the larger community; we do give ourselves and our posterity this constitution and bylaws.

Goals and Mission:

To provide resources for study, research and teaching.
To establish a network of members who believe in supporting the intellectual advancement and cultural enhancement of the University and State at large.
To encourage students to use the Library resources and personnel for study and research.
To promote among the students an awareness of the central place of the Library in the academic community and to encourage them to support the Library by joining the Friends of the Library.
To serve as a vehicle for securing funds and support for the Andruss Library in cooperation with the Development Office.
To work in harmony with the Andruss Library personnel and the Bloomsburg University Foundation.

The goal of the Friends of the Library is to continually strive to provide further valuable resources for study, research, teaching, and community services at Bloomsburg University as an integral part of the State System of Higher Education in Pennsylvania.

This goal can be achieved by establishing active participation and support by BU faculty, staff, retirees, alumni and students as well as the community people who believe in supporting the intellectual advancement and cultural enhancement of both Bloomsburg University and the community it serves.

The Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association under the auspices of the Bloomsburg University Foundation, an incorporated 501(c) (3) charitable organization, serves as a vehicle for securing funds and support for the Library initiative at Bloomsburg University.

Activities of the Association

The Association will work toward the overall enhancement of the Bloomsburg University Library programs by:

Sponsoring special projects, which have been identified by the Library and which are in concert with the goals and the mission of the Library and the University.
Maintaining a website and providing other material to members and the community, informing them of Library and FOBULA events and activities.
Hosting annual fundraising events (such as the book sale) and programs which bring members of the community to the Library and promote its activities to the schools of the region.
Working to encourage and support the acquisition of books, diaries, letters and other historically valuable material from people of the region.
Encouraging businesses and corporations to donate materials and/or funds that will support the academic programs of the University.
Hosting an annual Author’s dinner at the Library to raise funds for programs and attract new members.
Sponsoring campaigns for unique projects that would not generally be supported by university funds.
Providing student scholarships to enhance their academic pursuance.

The Constitution

Article I. Membership

Membership in FOBULA shall be open to anyone who is interested in furthering the above-stated goals of the Association.
a). Individual Membership: Any individual upon payment of yearly dues (academic year basis), as determined by the Board of Directors, becomes a member.

b). Lifetime Membership: Any individual may pay a one-time fee (as determined by the Board) for this category of membership.

c). Institutional Membership: Businesses, corporations and other organizations may become institutional members upon payment of a specified amount of dues as determined by the Board from time to time.

d). Honorary membership – Representatives of any business corporation, organization, or distinguished citizens who express a willingness to support the goals of the Association may become Honorary members upon the decision of the Board of Directors.

Article II. Board of Directors

a). The Board of Directors shall consist of members and organizational representatives who commit to the pursuance of the goals of the Association. The Board of Directors shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected biannually by the general membership during the annual Fall membership meeting to serve a four year term.

b). Ex-officio members of the Board shall include the Founder, Co-founder, the Director of the BUP Library, an additional Library representative from the faculty or staff. The Board of Directors shall consist of eleven (11) to twenty-one (21) members. Board Directors who miss three (3) meetings in two years (except for extraordinary reasons approved by the Executive committee) may be dismissed from the Board.

c). The Board of Directors shall establish procedures for guidelines, program planning, increasing membership, solicitation, and pursuing of goals of the association as well as supervising the operations. Board actions shall be transmitted to the Executive Director for implementation.

d). Officers of the Board of Directors shall consist of a chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary and executive director/treasurer.

e). When a vacancy occurs the Board may select a temporary replacement from the FOBULA current members. This new member will serve until the next general membership meeting when a permanent Board member shall be elected.

f). The Board is required to meet at least twice a year and may meet more often depending on the need to conduct the activities of the FOBULA. Meeting times and frequencies shall be determined by the Board.

g). The Board shall appoint standing and ad hoc committees as needed to conduct the activities of the Board.

h). Decisions at the Board meeting shall be by a simple majority of those members when a quorum is present. A quorum is one-third of the Board membership at the time. The meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

i) The Board of Directors shall establish procedures for guidelines, program planning, increasing membership, solicitation, and pursuing of goals of the association as well as supervising operations. Board actions shall be recorded in the minutes and reported to the general membership at its annual meeting during the Fall semester.

Article III. Executive Committee

a). The Executive Committee of the Association shall consist of six voting members: Founder, Co-Founder, Board Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Executive Director/Treasurer, and Secretary. The Executive Committee is responsible for the general operation of the Association, establishing procedures, and implementing the actions and directions of the Board of Directors. The officers shall be elected by the members of the Board by a simple majority for a two-year term. They are eligible to be reelected.

b). Chairperson shall be responsible for creating the agenda for and chairing Board meetings and the general membership meetings. The Chairperson will also serve as the official spokesperson of the organization to the public and at all FOBULA official functions and programs.

c). The Vice Chairperson shall act in the Chairperson’s stead whenever the Chairperson is not available to perform those functions.

d). Executive Director/Treasurer – The Executive Director/Treasurer shall be appointed by the Board and shall perform and supervise all the duties related to the functioning of the Association actions as directed by the Board and the Executive Committee. The Executive Director shall work in conjunction with the Chairperson in creating the meeting agendas.

e). Secretary – The Secretary shall maintain all records of the organization. The Secretary shall record actions of the Association including the minutes of each meeting, maintain an archive of such minutes, present these minutes to the Board for its approval and maintain a record of attendance at Board meetings. The Secretary will also send reminder notices of upcoming meetings and events to the Board members. The Secretary shall also maintain an official list of the membership with addresses, including email, and membership renewal dates, Treasurer’s reports and other documents and material presented at the Board meetings. A copy of this material in digital form will be maintained on a central server and be available to the Board via the internet.

Article IV. Meetings

a). Board of Directors – The meetings of the Board shall be held at such times that are convenient for most of the Board members. A quorum for Board meetings shall consist of one-third of the members Board at that time. No action shall be taken by the Board except upon the affirmative vote of the majority of those present. In certain circumstances the Board may conduct business using the Internet and email. This may include making motions and voting by email. Rules regarding quorums and voting majorities apply to this action as it would to a face-to-face meeting of the Board.

b). Executive Committee – Executive Committee meetings shall be called as necessary by the Board Chairperson to respond to unusual events between the regular full Board meetings. It shall function under the same rules and procedures as the full Board. It shall keep the full Board informed of such action via email.

c). General Membership – A general membership meeting will be held at least twice each academic year, one of which will be the Annual Fall meeting.

d). The Annual Fall Meeting. At this meeting the chairperson shall give the annual State of the Association report to the general membership. The election of the Board of Directors shall be held at this meeting. Any proposed changes to the goals, mission, bylaws and operation may be brought forward by the general membership for Board consideration at this meeting. A two-week email notice of date, time and agenda shall be given prior to this meeting.

Article V. Nominations and Appointmentst to the Board

a). The Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least three (3) members to produce a slate of candidates for Board positions. The slate shall be for Board positions that are at the end of terms, vacancies from dismissal and resignations. Members of FOBULA may recommend candidates of their choice to the Nominating Committee for consideration; however, the Committee is responsible for the final slate.

Article VI. Ammendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by the Board and presented to the full membership for a vote at the Annual Fall membership meeting.

Article VII. Miscellaneous

a). Any decision or action not explicitly prescribed in the constitution shall be made at the discretion of the Board of Directors provided such action is in the spirit of the constitution.

b). The following are recognized as the original founding members of the Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association:

Governor Mark Schweiker (Honorary Member)
Chang Shub Roh, Founder
Robert Abbott, Co-Founder
Charles Carlson, Chair
Peter Bohling, Co-Chair
William Acierno
George Agbango
Eileen Chapman
Robert Dunkelberger
Douglas Hippenstiel
Charles Hoppel
Sue Jackson
Steve Kozloff
Marilyn Muehlhof
Andrea Pearson
Thaddeus Piotrowski
John Pitcher
Roy Pointer
Blairanne Revak
Danny Robinson
Karen Trifonoff
Nancy Vought
Kenneth Wilson