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Advisory Board Bylaws

Bylaws of the ORNL Research Library Advisory Board

ARTICLE I: OFFICIAL DESIGNATION 

The official designation of this organization will be the ORNL RESEARCH LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD hence referred to as “the board.”   

ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES 

The board will provide input and feedback on the library's role in research integrity, professional and workforce development, and publications support at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Manager of the Research Library and Information Services Group will select board members for their insights into the diverse communities and scientific subject matter relevant to the goals of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  

Specifically, the members of the board may be asked to provide input or feedback on: 

  1. The vision and direction of the ORNL Research Library. 

  1. The library's five-year goals and annual objectives and how they relate to the laboratory's goals to advance innovation and lead in scientific discourse and discovery. 

  1.  Current projects and programs supported by the ORNL Research Library. 

The board will provide an evaluation of the progress of the ORNL Research Library at appropriate intervals to ensure that its vision has continued to adapt to the evolving landscape of research, scientific practice, and participant engagement.  

As necessary, the board may call upon special consultants, assemble ad hoc work groups, and convene workshops or other activities. 

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP 

  1. Library Advisory Board members provide opinion, support, and expertise as needed, but do not have governing or fiscal authority. 

  2. Positions on The Board are not compensated.   

  3. Board members shall:   

    • Assist the Library Manager in directing the library’s strategy for the future.   

    • Serve as Library advocates around the lab and in the larger scientific and geographic community.   

    • Provide opinion and guidance, as appropriate, for special issues to include, but not be limited to, new facilities and services, the expansion of existing library facilities and services, and other strategic initiatives.   

    • Encourage in every possible way the development and advancement of the library at the laboratory and within the larger scientific community. 

  4. The board shall ideally consist of ten members, with an acceptable plus or minus two members, including the chair (whose vote is not included unless a tiebreaker is required). The board should consist of members who are internal to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and those who are external. External appointments will be broadly representative of the DOE national laboratories, core universities, and special populations.   

  5. Membership, except for that of the chair, will be decided by individual election and is not transferrable.  

  6. Initial members of the board will be appointed by the Manager of the ORNL Research Library. Subsequent members will be appointed by recommendation and majority vote of the current board members 

  7. Appointments will be effective at the time of election without limitation until or unless the board member chooses to withdraw or is removed by majority vote (see section III.8). 

  8. Board members may step down at any time but are strongly requested to provide a nomination or suggestion for their replacement. If a member changes employment so that they no longer represent the type of institution for which they were appointed, or fail to contribute to two or more meetings, they may be automatically removed from the board (chair’s discretion).  Any member of the board may be removed by a special majority vote of all members (not majority of quorum at a meeting).  The chair should facilitate this ad hoc voting process at their own initiative or upon request of any other board member.    

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS 

  1. The officers of the board shall be the chairperson and the vice-chairperson, who are board members external to the library and appointed by the Library Manager. The board will also have at least one coordinator, who is a member of the library staff assigned by the Library Manager. 

  1. Duties of the chair shall be as follows:  

    • Presides at all meetings  

    • Appoints standing, special or ad hoc committees 

    • Serves as point-of-contact for board members outside of general operational communication 

  2. Duties of the vice-chair shall be as follows:

    • Serves as chair in the event of resignation or incapacity of the chairperson until a new chairperson can be appointed

  3. Duties of the coordinator shall be as follows:  

    • Schedules all meetings 

    • Establishes and sees to the distribution of the agenda and email invitations for each meeting 

    • Records minutes for the meeting and completes additional recordkeeping activities as necessary 

    • Prepares a semi-annual Library Update Newsletter and distributes to board members on a regular schedule between board meetings (May and November) 

Article V: Meetings 

  1. The bi-annual (February and August) meetings of the board shall be held at a time, in a method, and on a platform designated by the coordinator of the board or their designee. Members are strongly encouraged to attend but those unable should submit feedback on agenda items (via discussion board or an email to the chair and coordinator) upon receipt and review of the meeting minutes.  

  2. In the alternating quarters when meetings are not held (May and November), the coordinator will provide a library update newsletter for the board members via email.   

  3. The chair may call special meetings, where no business other than that for which the special meeting is called shall be transacted.   

  4. A simple majority of the members shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the board. A meeting may be held without a quorum but is identified as such in minutes and board communiques.   

  5. Questions presented for a vote of the library board shall be decided by a simple majority of the quorum. Voting may be conducted asynchronously in a method determined and communicated by the chair or coordinator. (The vote may or may not include the vote of the chair.) (Exception noted in Article III, section 8.)   

  6. Meeting structure is decided by the chair of the board as fits the needs of each occurrence, but should, at a minimum, include a library update from the library manager and an agenda provided to members at least three business days prior to the meeting.   

  7. Laboratory administration, library staff, and other non-voting guests may attend meetings at the discretion of the chair.   

  8. Draft minutes should be distributed to the board by the coordinator within five business days of meeting. The notice “minutes are assumed to be accurate unless corrections are received by the sender within five business days of distribution” should be included.    

  9. The records of The Board and its subcommittees will be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 6.2, Federal Advisory Committee Records or other approved agency records disposition schedule, and the appropriate DoE policy and procedures. These records will be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552).  

ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS 

  1. The bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Board by a two-thirds vote of the board members present provided the proposed amendments have been presented to the total membership in writing at least ten days prior to the vote. 

  1. The bylaws will be reviewed in their entirety at least every two years.