A. Guidelines for Division Scope Notes

1. "Scope note" describes the subjects constituting the Division's interest, mentioning any other specific features which characterize those subjects, e.g., what specific aspects of those features are of interest to the Division.
2. Scope notes should be concisely expressed in one or two sentences. The various aspects or phrases may be written in sequence, set off by semicolons or in lettered subparagraphs.
3. Revision of a Division's scope should be reviewed by the Division Cabinet Chair prior to a formal vote of approval from the Division membership.

A proposed scope note is to be included with each petition for a Division, provisional Division or new section. Copies or samples of Division scope notes can be obtained from the Association's Leadership Department.

B. Governing Document

A Governing Document consistent with the bylaws of the Association may be amended by the SLA Bylaws Committee. Model Division Governing Document and copies of other Divisions' governing documents can be requested from the Association office or from the Divisions themselves. Additionally, the Association bylaws are available on the Association website.

C. Procedures for Amending the Division's Governing Document

The following steps must be completed in the order with which they are presented in order to amend the Division's Governing Document:

1. At least six months prior to the Division business meeting, send the proposed Governing Document to the Chair of the Association Bylaws Committee for review, comment and approval.
2. Submit to the Division's executive board for approval. Amendments may be proposed by the executive board, governance committee, or 15 members of the Division. Proposals originating in the executive board or in the Division committee concerned with governance shall be approved by a majority vote of the board before submission to the members. Proposals originating by membership petition shall be submitted in writing to the executive board and shall be presented to the members with the recommendations of the board.
3. Present Governing Document revisions to Division membership for approval in accordance with the current Division Governing Document. These governing documents may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any Division meeting.
4. If significant amendments are proposed to the Governing Document after it has been reviewed by the Association Bylaws Committee, it is important to continue consultation with the Chair of the Committee in preparation for final approval.
5. After membership approval, Division Chair must sign and date two originals of the complete text of the newly approved Governing Document.
6. Send both copies of the signed complete text to the Chair of the Association Bylaws Committee with space for signature and date on the last page. One signed original will be returned to the Division.
7. Original signed copy retained in Division archives.
8. Copies showing both signatures are sent to: Association Leadership Department; Division Cabinet Chair and Chair-Elect

D. Sections within Divisions

Sections relating to definite areas of interest within a Division may be established by the Division.

The Director Leadership and the Division Cabinet Chair & Chair-Elect should be the first points of contact when consideration is giving to creating a new section. Scope notes will be reviewed to prevent duplication of effort and to ensure that the section is paired for the best match with a Division. As a courtesy, the Division Chairs/Division Chairs Elect will be notified of the potential section. Advance notice enables entire Leadership to think through the process of section development and best fit. The petition for the formation of a section within a Division must be prepared and signed by 15 current Division members interested in the section and then submitted with a scope note to the Division members at the Division's annual business meeting or to the Division's executive board for approval. If approved, the scope note and the petition is then forwarded to the Division Cabinet Chair, with a copy to the Division Cabinet Chair-Elect.

If in the opinion of the Division Cabinet Chair and/or Chair-Elect there appears to be a possible conflict between the scope of the proposed section and another existing section or Division, the Division Cabinet Chair notifies the chair of the Division, and the scope note and petition is sent by the Division Cabinet Chair along with their recommendation, to the Division Cabinet Members. The Cabinet then votes on the recommendation.

After approval of a new section, an announcement is made to the Division Cabinet and is published in the Information Outlook. The Division Cabinet Chair is responsible for seeing that both announcements are made and reports the formation of the new section as part of the routine report to the Board of Directors at its next meeting.

The Division is financially responsible for the section. The Division chair includes a report of the section's activity in the chair's annual report and ensures that the SLA Leadership Department receives a list of the names and addresses of the section officers.

The chair of the section is responsible for submitting an annual report, including an annual financial statement, to the Division chair. Information on the activities of the section can be included in the Division's newsletter or in a separate newsletter. If separate, the distribution needs to include the Association office and the SLA Board of Directors.

Time should be allowed for the section to hold its annual business meeting prior to the Division's annual business meeting at the annual conference.

The section and any proposed section may want to have its own programs at the annual conference. This should be coordinated with the Division conference program planner.

Should the section be dissolved, its assets automatically revert back to the Division.

E. Creation of New and Provisional Divisions

A new Division may be authorized by the Association's Board of Directors upon written petition of 100 or more voting members of the Association who desire to participate in the activities of the proposed Division.

The Association's Board of Directors upon written petition of fewer than 100 members, but at least 50, who desire to participate in the activities of the proposed Division, may authorize a new Division, with Provisional status. Approval of a Provisional Division is limited to three years unless the Board approves a one-year extension which may be done under extraordinary circumstances. The Association Board may authorize provisional Divisions as full Divisions upon submission of a statement of the proposed Division's name, scope note, together with confirmation from the Association office that the provisional Division has maintained a membership of 100 or more for a period of 12 months. The Association Board may dissolve a Provisional Division at any time.

Both New Divisions and New Provisional Divisions will receive an allotment equal to the minimum allotment for Divisions, prorated to the time remaining in the Association's fiscal year.

Provisional Divisions shall not be entitled to representation in the Division Cabinet. They are invited to attend Division Cabinet meetings but are not authorized to vote.

Origin of Petitions for New Divisions

Petitions for New Divisions may originate in one of the following ways:

1. By action of interested members who wish to participate in the activities of the proposed Division.
2. By action of the Division Cabinet Chair upon information from the association office noting a concentration of unaffiliated members in an area of interest not served directly by a Division. In this case, the Division Cabinet Chair shall appoint a representative to call an informal meeting and/or to act as chair for purposes of organization.

Form of the Petitions for New Divisions

The following language is suggested for use in the petition for organization of a new Division:
"We, the undersigned members of Special Libraries Association, do hereby petition for the organization of the [insert name] Division of Special Libraries Association. We desire to participate in the activities of the proposed Division. The temporary chair will be [insert name]. The proposed scope note of the Division shall be [insert scope note]."

As with a proposed Section, the Director Leadership and the Division Cabinet Chair & Chair- Elect should be the first points of contact when consideration is giving to creating a new Division. Scope notes will be reviewed to prevent duplication of effort and to ensure that the proposed Division does not conflict with the interests of an existing division. As a courtesy, the Division Chairs/Division Chairs-Elect will be notified of the potential Division. Advance notice enables the entire Leadership to think through the process of creating a new Division.

If in the opinion of the Division Cabinet Chair and/or Chair-Elect there appears to be a possible conflict between the scope of the proposed Division and another existing Division, the Division Cabinet Chair notifies the chair of the Division. The Division Cabinet Chair shall be the arbitrator. If any disagreements cannot be settled by negotiation between the affected Divisions and Cabinet Chairs, The Division Cabinet Chair will solicit input from the Division Cabinet prior to the proposed Division's approval by the Board of Directors.

Temporary Division Chair

Association members may appoint a chair at an information meeting, or they may call upon the Division Cabinet Chair to name a representative to act as chair for the purpose of organization. The responsibilities of the temporary Chair are as follows:

1. Call and preside at an informal organizational meeting of actual or potentially interested members.
2. Arrange for records to be kept of all meetings and transactions.
3. Handle necessary correspondence with the Association and the Division Cabinet Chair.
4. Forward the required petition, scope note, proposed governing document (to be approved by the Association Bylaws Committee) and slate of officers with their written acceptances to the Division Cabinet Chair with a copy to the Association Leadership Department.
5. Arrange for the installation of the new Division and officers upon notification of acceptance of approval by the SLA Board of Directors.
6. Send copies of all publicity, including newsletters, to the Association office.
7. Provide a complete account of the Division's organization of the Division for its archives.
8. Coordinate any proposed conference program with a Division program planner.

Presentation

The chair of the petitioning group shall forward the petition with signatures, the proposed Governing Document, and the proposed slate of officers to the Association office. The Division Cabinet Chair will present the petition to the Board of Directors at its next meeting on behalf of the petitioning group. The chair and/or other members of the proposed Division may attend the Board of Directors meeting if they wish.

In the case of a Provisional Division petitioning for Division status, the petition must contain a statement of the proposed Division's name, scope note and confirmation from the Association office that the provisional Division has maintained a membership of 100 or more members for a 12-month period.

The Board of Directors meets four times a year:

• In late October;
• In late January at the Leadership Summit;
• In June, immediately before and immediately after the Annual Conference.

Deadlines for submitting items for Board consideration are usually about six weeks prior to the meeting dates.

Allotments

Upon approval by the Board of Directors, the new Division's allotment for that year will be sent from the association office (except for a former Provisional Division, which may have already received its allotment for the year). The allotment is based upon the number of Division members. The initial allotments of new and provisional Divisions that were approved at the June or October Board meetings are prorated on the basis of the number of months remaining in the calendar year.

Division Activities

Once the Division or Provisional Division has been approved and its officers installed, regular Division activities such as bulletins, programs, committee work, etc., may begin. These activities should be conducted in accordance with the Division's Governing Documents and these Practices.

E. Merger of Divisions

The matter of merging Divisions is one that must be given careful consideration by the members and executive board of any Division considering such action and should be discussed with the Division Cabinet Chair.

After seeking the guidance of the Division Cabinet Chair, if the Division Executive Board still wishes to affiliate with another Division, the Division chair shall immediately contact the Division Executive Board with which they wish to affiliate and negotiate the terms for merging the two Divisions.

When both Executive Boards are in agreement on the terms of the merger, they shall provide advance notice to their respective membership that the topic will be discussed at the next annual business meeting of each Division.

If the merger proposal is approved by a majority of the members present and voting at both of these meetings, both Divisions will send a ballot to all their members no later than 45 days after the business meeting.

If a two-thirds majority of each Division's members returning valid ballots approve the proposal to merge, the chairs of both Divisions will notify the Division Cabinet Chair in the form of a single petition, signed by both Division chairs. The petition will include the reason(s) for merging, the election results, the terms of the merger, the proposed effective date of the merger, the changes needed in the name, scope note, and governing document, and a plan of how the activities of both Divisions will be combined.

The Division Cabinet Chair will present the petition to the Association's Board of Directors at its next regularly scheduled meeting. Upon approval by the Board, the Chairs of the petitioning Divisions will be notified by the Association office that the two Divisions are being merged, advising of the merger effective date. The Division Chairs will then notify their respective members of the Board's approval. The general membership will be notified through a notice in the Information Outlook. Funds, properties, and financial responsibilities of the two Divisions will become the responsibility of the newly merged Division.

F. Return to Provisional Division Status

Division membership falling below 100 members for more than one Association year will be reported to the Division Cabinet Chair. The Division may be placed on provisional status until membership increases or there is a decision to dissolve the Division.

G. Dissolution of a Division

The dissolution of a Division is one that must be given careful consideration by the members and executive board of a Division. The Division Chair, acting on behalf of the executive board, considering such action should discuss its concerns with the Division Cabinet Chair.

Once determined that the Division has ceased to fulfill a useful role and does not wish to affiliate or formally merge with another Division, the Chair shall bring forth the matter for discussion at the Division's annual business meeting. Advance notice must be given to the Division membership that the topic will be discussed.

If a majority of the voting members present approve the proposed dissolution, a ballot shall be sent to all Division members regarding the proposed dissolution no later than 45 days after the business meeting. A two-thirds majority of the members is required to approve the proposal to dissolve. The Chair shall notify the Division Cabinet Chair in the form of a petition for dissolution. The petition will contain the reason(s) for dissolution, the election results, the proposed effective date of the dissolution, and plans to complete current Division activities and business matters.

The Division Cabinet Chair will present the petition to the Association's Board of Directors at its next regularly scheduled meeting. Upon SLA Board approval, the members of the Division will be notified by the Association office that the Division is being dissolved with the effective date, and that its funds and properties will revert to the Association. Assistance in joining another Division will be provided to members by the Association office.

H. Division Representation and Affiliation

Division representatives to joint committees and meetings of other societies having objectives allied to those of the Division and of the Association shall be appointed by the Chair.

Upon approval by a majority of the Division members voting, the Division may affiliate or disaffiliate with a local common interest organization provided the objectives of the organization are consistent with those of the Division and of the Association and the activities of the organization are not in conflict with the Association bylaws.

The Association board of directors shall approve any other affiliation, including that with a national or international organization. Notices of affiliations and disaffiliations shall be reported to the Association.