Article I: Name
Section I. The name of this organization shall be the Association of Caribbean University, Research, and Institutional Libraries, and the acronym of the organization shall be ACURIL.
Article II: Object
Section 1. The particular object of this association shall be to facilitate development and use of libraries, archives, and information services and the identification, collection and preservation of information resources in support of the whole range of intellectual and educational endeavors throughout the Caribbean area, to strengthen the archival, library and information professions in the region, to unite workers in them and to promote cooperative activities in pursuit of these objectives.
Section 2. The term “library” or “libraries” in this Constitution and its accompanying Bylaws shall be understood to refer to all organizations including, but not limited to, libraries, archives, documentation, information, or media centres, the business of which is to collect, organize, and make available recorded information. The term “librarian” shall refer to employees of such organizations.
Article III: Membership
Section 1. Membership in the Association shall be on an institutional, organizational and personal basis in accordance with the Bylaws.
Section 2. Questions concerning the independence of status of any institution and the accreditation of the representative of an organizational member shall be decided by the majority vote of Council.
Article IV: Executive Council
Section 1. There shall be a Council of members, elected in accordance with the Bylaws and which shall further include the President, Vice-President, and Immediate Past President, and the Executive Secretary, the Treasurer, and a Parlamentarian without vote.
Section 2. The Council of the Association shall manage the affairs of the Association and its decision shall be binding upon the Association; except that any action of the Council may be set aside by a three-fourths vote of the members at a regularly called membership meeting.
Section 3. A vacancy in the elected membership of the Council shall be filled by Council appointment, the person so appointed to serve until the following annual election.
Section 4. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Council.
Article V: Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Association shall be a President, a Vice-President who shall be President-elect, the Immediate Past President, an Executive Secretary, a Treasurer and a Parlamentarian.
Section 2. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall be elected, in accordance with the Bylaws, by the Council from among its officially elected members in good standing.
Section 3. The Executive Secretary and Treasurer shall be appointed by the Council in accordance with the Bylaws.
Section 4. There shall be a Parlamentarian appointed by the Council and serving at its pleasure. The Parlamentarian shall be a non-voting member of the Council. The duties of the Parlamentarian shall include advising the President and the Executive Secretary on the proper conduct of the meetings of the Council and the Association, on the recording and implementation of decisions arising from such meetings, and such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Council.
Section 5. In the event that the President shall be unable to complete his/her term of office, the Vice-President shall, in addition to his regular duties, become Acting President for the remainder of the Presidential term.
Section 6. In the event that the Vice-President shall be unable to complete his term of office, a special election shall be held as soon as can be arranged by the Council.
Article VI: Dues
Section 1. Membership dues shall be as provided for in the Bylaws.
Article VII: Meetings
Section 1. Meetings shall be held as provided for in the Bylaws.
Article VIII: Committees
Section 1. Committees shall be established and appointed as provided in theBylaws.
Article IX: Affiliated Organizations
Section 1. The Council may, by vote and after subsequent ratification by membership, affiliate with ACURIL any national or international organization having purposes similar to those of ACURIL. Dues for such affiliated organizations shall be as provided in the Bylaws.
Section 2. The Council may, by vote and after subsequent ratification by membership, affiliate ACURIL, with any national or international organization having purposes similar to those of ACURIL.
Section 3. By action of the Council, and in accordance with the Bylaws, any legally constituted national, state, provincial, regional, or territorial library association may become an organizational member of ACURIL and receive such rights and privileges as provided in the Bylaws of the Association and under such conditions as may be provided in the Bylaws.
Article X: Bylaws
Section 1. All proposals for amending or adding to the Bylaws, shall be submitted to the Council and shall be handled as provided for in the Bylaws.
Article XI: Amendments
Section 1. Members may propose amendments to the Constitution at any time for consideration by the Council. A proposed amendment shall become effective when it shall have been approved by a majority of the members of the Council present at two Council meetings held no less than two months apart, followed by ratification by a majority of the members of the Association by mail vote or by a majority of the members present at a meeting of the Association. The Council on approving a proposed amendment for the second time, shall specify whether a vote on ratification shall be taken at a meeting of the Association or by mail, and if by mail, shall fix the time for the beginning and closing of the balloting, the latter to follow the former by no less than one calendar month. If a vote at a meeting is ordered, at least one month’s written notice of the proposed amendment shall be given to the members.
Article XII: Dissolution
Section 1. In the event of and upon dissolution the Association, the assets of the Association shall be applied and distributed as follows:
1.1 All liabilities and obligations of the Association shall be paid, satisfied and discharged, or adequate provision shall be made therefore;
1.2 Assets held by the Association upon condition requiring return,
transfer or conveyance, which condition occurs by reason of thedissolution, shall be returned, transferred or conveyed in accordance with such requirements;
1.3 Assets received and held by the Association subject to limitationspermitting their use only for literary, educational, scientific, or similar purposes, but not held upon a condition requiring return, transfer, or conveyance by reason of the dissolution, shall be transferred or conveyed to one or more non-for-profit organizations having as and pursuing purposes substantially similar to those of the Association, pursuant to a duly adopted plan of distribution.
1.4 Any remaining assets shall be distributed to one or more not-for-profit international charitable organizations, pursuant to a duly adopted plan of distribution.