Northern Lights Library Network

NORTHERN LIGHTS LIBRARY NETWORK

BYLAWS

Article I. Identification

The name of this organization is Northern Lights Library Network, with the mailing
address to be: 103 Graystone Plaza, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501. This organization serves
the counties of Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant,
Hubbard, Kittson, Marshall, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Pope,
Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Traverse, Wadena, and Wilkin and exists by virtue of the
Provisions of Minnesota Laws, 1979, ch.344, art.IX, ss. 10 & 11.

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of this multi-county, multi-type library system is to encourage and develop cooperative activities among public libraries, academic libraries, special libraries, and school media centers; such activities to include but not be limited to sharing of resources,
long-range planning for cooperative programs, a delivery system for services and
programs; a bibliographic data base, and a communication system. The Northern Lights
Library Network is organized exclusively for educational purposes.

Article III. Organizational Membership

Membership is available to agencies having a bibliographically organized collection of materials available to users for reference information and under a circulation control
system, available for reading, listening, and/or viewing, and staffed with identified
and trained personnel to assist users in locating and securing materials and information.

In addition, each type of library must meet the following criteria;

Public: Each public library participating in a multi-county, multi-type library system shall also participate in its regional public library system, and a public
library which has remained independent of its regional public library system shall
not participate.

Academic Libraries: Each academic library must be organizationally part of a post-secondary institution.

School Media Center: (A school media program for pre-school through twelfth grade which is organized to implement the curricular goals and objectives of the school district or organization and provides an instructional program for students and staff in the utilization of media.) Public school participation is by district with the agreement that individual schools within the district have the option to refrain from participation.

Special Libraries: Special libraries are found in corporations, government
agencies, and other non-profit organizations. Their major goal is to provide
information for immediate and utilitarian purposes.

All participants must sign the organizational agreement.

Article IV. Governing Board

Section 1. Governing Board Membership

Subdivision 1. Number and Qualifications

The governing body of the library system is a combined board composed of
eleven members. Seven citizens, not employed in library or information services,
and four library or information service workers. The Lake Agassiz, Viking,
Kitchigami, and Northwest regional public library system boards shall select, in
numbers proportional to the population served by each region, seven citizen
members from the at-large population of the region. Four members shall be
library or information service workers, one from each type of library: academic,
public, school, and special selected by their appropriate membership group.

Eight persons shall be appointed to serve as alternate board members and shall
have full voting privileges when representing an absent board member.

Subdivision 2. Term of Office

The term of office of a board member shall be two years with the members of the first combined board serving for one and two-year terms as determined by lot
with a simple majority serving for two years. Governing board members shall
serve two-year terms for no more than three successive terms. A former board
member may be appointed after a lapse of one year. Trustees appointed from
public library system boards may remain on the Northern Lights Library Network
board until that term expires even though their term on the regional public library
system board expires. Term of Office for alternates shall be determined by the
appointing entity.

Subdivision 3. Disqualifications, Vacancies

When any trustee fails to attend more than two consecutive meetings without
excuse, the board may declare the position vacant. It shall be the duty of the
president to notify the appointing public library system board or the appropriate
membership group in the case of a library or information worker of the vacancy.

Section 2. Governing Board Officers

Subdivision 1. Selection of Officers

Officers of the board shall be president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. A nominating committee will be appointed by the president at the April
Governing Board meeting. Officers will be elected at the June Governing Board
meeting for a one-year term. Vacancies in the office shall be filled by vote at the
next regular meeting of the board after the vacancy occurs.

Subdivision 2. Duties of Officers

The president shall preside at meetings and perform such other duties as custom and law devolve upon the president. In the absence or disability of the treasurer,
the president shall sign vouchers for disbursements from the system fund. The
president shall be bonded.

The vice-president shall assume the duties of the president in the event of the
absence or disability of the president.

The secretary shall keep and disseminate accurate records of all proceedings
of the board meetings to the governing board.

The treasurer shall be responsible for the accounting of multi-county, multi-type system receipts expenditures and the signing of vouchers for disbursements from
the system funds. The treasurer shall be bonded.

Section 3. Meetings of Governing Board

Subdivision 1. Regular Meetings

The Northern Lights Library Network Governing Board shall meet in February,
April, June, August, October, and December at a time and place determined by
the Board. The annual membership meeting shall be held in April at a time to be
designated.

Subdivision 2. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Governing Board or the Executive Committee may be called by the president, or upon written request of three members, for the transaction of business as stated in the meeting request. Notice stating the time and place of any special meetings and the purpose for which called shall be made public and given to each member of the Governing Board at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting

Subdivision 3. Quorum

A quorum for transaction of business shall consist of a simple majority.

Sub division 4. Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition, shall govern the parliamentary
procedures of the meetings.

Subdivision 4. Electronic Communication

A. A conference among NLLN Governing Board trustees by a means of communication through which the members may simultaneously hear each other during the conference is a board meeting, if the same Notice is given of the conference as would be required for a meeting, and if the number of trustees participating in the conference is a quorum. Participation in a meeting by this means is personal presence at the meeting.

B. A trustee may participate in a board meeting by any means of communication through which the trustee, other trustees participating, and all trustees physically present at the meeting may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting. Participation in a meeting by this means is personal presence at the meeting.

Section 4. Committees of Governing Board

Subdivision 1. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers, and up to 2 Board
members recommended annually by the President and approved by the Board. The Executive Committee shall exercise all powers of the Board as a whole, except the power to elect officers and to amend the bylaws.

Subdivision 2. Ad Hoc Committees

Ad hoc Committees for the study of special problems will be appointed by the
president with the approval of the board, to serve until the final report of the work
for which they were appointed has been filled.

Article V. Personnel

The governing board may hire staff as may be necessary.

Article VI. Mileage and Expenses

Governing board members and ad hoc committee members will be reimbursed for actual mileage to attend system meetings, at the prevailing IRS allowance per mile and other
board-approved actual expenses incurred for network business.

Article VII. Amendments

These by-laws may be amended at any regular meetings of the board with a quorum
present, by majority vote of the members present, providing the amendment was stated
at the preceding regular meeting.

Article VIII. Inurnment of Income

No part of the net earnings of the Northern Lights Library Network shall inure to the
benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons
except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable
compensation for services rendered.

Article IX. Legislative or Political Activities

No substantial part of the activities of the Northern Lights Library Network shall be the
carrying of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Network
shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of
statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article X. Operation Limitations

Not withstanding any other provisions of these articles, the Northern Lights Library
Network shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a
corporation exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States
Internal Revenue Law) or (b) by a corporation, conditions to which are deductible under Section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law.)

Article XI. Dissolution Clause

Upon the dissolution of the Northern Lights Library Network, the governing board shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the Network,
dispose of all the assets of the Network exclusively for the purposes of the Network in
such manner, or to such organization organized and operated exclusively for
charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as
an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States
Internal Revenue Law), as the governing board shall determine. Any of such assets
not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the District Court of the State of Minnesota
in the district in which the principal office of the Network is then located, exclusively for
such purposes or to such organizations as said court shall determine which are
organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

These by-laws are adopted December 1996 and shall take effect July 1, 1997

_____________________________________ ______________________
President Date

_____________________________________ ______________________
Vice-President Date

_____________________________________ ______________________
Treasurer Date

_____________________________________ ______________________
Secretary Date

Section 1. Sub division 1 and Sub division 2. amended December 20, 1997
Section 2. Sub division 1. amended October 17, 1998

By-laws revisions accepted by the NLLN Governing Board, June 19, 2004, including changes in
Article I, Article IV, removal of Article V (NCAP User Council), and subsequent renumbering of following Articles, Article VI (former Article VII)

By-law revisions accepted by the NLLN Governing Board, August 18, 2007.

By-law revisions accepted by the NLLN Governing Board, Dec 15, 2007

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