CONSTITUTION
As amended at the Annual General Meeting, June 2021
1. Name
The name of the organisation is SCOLMA (the UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa).
2. Aims
2.1 The aims of the organisation are to promote for the public benefit the acquisition of library and archive materials including electronic resources needed for African studies and to assist in and advise on the provision, recording and use of such materials in public, special and university libraries.
2.2 The organisation is a non-profit-making body and has no power to make any distribution of profits, gifts, bonuses &c. to its members.
2.3 The assets of the organisation will be used only to further its aims.
3. Membership
3.1. Membership is available to individuals interested in the aims of the organisation on the following basis:
i. Free membership. All officers and committee members are ex officio members of SCOLMA at no cost. Committee members may choose to apply for membership separately if they wish to obtain access to the print/online journal content. The SCOLMA committee may also from time to time grant free membership to others, particularly Africa-based colleagues, at its discretion. Free membership allows notice of, attendance at and voting rights at meetings.
ii. Personal membership on payment of subscription. Personal membership allows notice of, attendance and voting rights at meetings and receipt of the journal.
iii. Honorary membership, which shall be conferred by the Committee at its discretion on individuals who, in the Committee’s view, have given outstanding service to SCOLMA. Such membership shall offer the rights and privileges of personal membership, including access to the journal as agreed by SCOLMA, without charge.
3.2 All membership applications will be subject to approval by the Committee.
4. Subscription
The subscription rates shall be those fixed from time to time by the Annual General Meeting.
5. Meetings
There should be an Annual General Meeting and other meetings as called by the Committee. The Secretary will give notice of a General Meeting within fourteen days of the request of any ten members in writing. The Secretary must give twenty-eight days’ notice in writing of any General Meeting. A quorum for a General Meeting shall consist of at least ten.
6. Officers
The officers of the organisation shall be as follows:
(a) the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, each of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office until the next following Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election; and
(b) the Editor of the Journal, the Development Officer, the Programmes Secretary and the Web Manager, each of whom shall be elected from time to time at an Annual General Meeting and whose functions shall be prescribed from time to time by the Committee.
6.2 A majority of the officers should be working (wholly or partly) with library and/or archive collections relating to Africa.
6.3 Additionally, the committee may from time to time at its discretion co-opt
(a) a representative of the African Studies Association (UK), and
(b) a representative of other partners in the journal Africa Bibliography, Research and Documentation.
7. Committee
The Committee shall consist of the officers, and six elected members, of whom a majority should be working (wholly or partly) with library and/or archive collections relating to Africa, who shall be elected at Annual General Meetings to serve for three years. Elected members shall not be eligible for re-election until the next following Annual General Meeting. The Committee may co-opt not more than three additional members who shall serve until the next following Annual General Meeting.
8. Elections
The Committee, or any members of the organisation, may nominate persons for election as officers or elected members of the Committee. Nominations shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Secretary at least fourteen days in advance before the Annual General Meeting.
9. Journal Management
9.1 SCOLMA representatives (the journal editor, the Chair or their representative, and at least one other person appointed by the Committee) shall represent SCOLMA on the management committee of Africa Bibliography, Research and Documentation.
9.2 The duties of these representatives shall be to play a full role in editorial and other matters considered by the ABRD committee; to liaise between SCOLMA and the other parties to the journal as appropriate; to lead on negotiations concerning contractual and pricing arrangements and to submit a report to the Annual General Meeting.
10. Amendment to the Constitution
Amendment of the Constitution shall be by a two-thirds majority of votes cast at a General Meeting. No amendments shall be made to the Constitution which will alter the charitable aims or status of the organisation.
11. Dissolution
In the event of the dissolution of the organisation for any reason whatsoever any assets or property shall pass to the Library of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
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