Our Constitution & By-Laws

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Library of Congress Hispanic Cultural Society.

Article II. Relationship to the Library of Congress

The Hispanic Cultural Society (HCS), herein after the Society, shall be established as a recognized employee organization under the provision of LC Regulation 2022-2- and shall be subject to all policies and procedures therein. The Society shall be independent from any administrative group in the Library which might have common interests with the Society.

Article III. Purpose

The purpose of the society is to preserve, promote, and share all aspects of Hispanic culture among Library of Congress employees, contractors, volunteers and friends of the Library of Congress through sponsorship of scholarly, educational and cultural activities in the arts, humanities and social sciences — and through its publications.

Article IV. Membership

Section 1. Any current or retired Library of Congress employee, volunteer, contactor or friend of the Library, who is supportive of the goals and objectives of the Society, may become a member upon payment of the prescribed annual dues. However, only current LC employees may vote and hold office in the Society. Current LC employees, upon payment of annual membership dues, are entitled to vote for the officers of the Society, run for office, and to vote on matters presented to the membership for approval. All members are encouraged to participate in the Society’s activities and to maintain the high quality of programs and publications.

Section 1.1 Regular Membership. Any current or retired staff member of the Library of Congress who is supportive of the purpose of the Society as set forth in Article III shall be deemed a Regular Member upon payment of the prescribed annual membership dues.

Section 1.2 Associate Membership. Any Library of Congress contractor, volunteer, or friend of the Library who is supportive of the purpose of the Society as set forth in Article III shall be deemed an Associate Member upon payment of the prescribed annual membership dues. Associate Members have all the privileges of Regular Membership except eligibility for the Professional Development Fund grants and eligibility to vote or run for elected officers of the Society.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1. A general membership meeting of the Society shall be held at least once a year. Special meetings may be initiated by the Executive Board or by a petition signed by at least fifteen members. Announcement must be made of regular or special membership meetings at least one week in advance of the meeting date. Meetings of the Executive Board shall generally be held monthly, or more often, at the discretion of the President or a majority of the Executive Board.

Section 2. At any membership meeting, other than a meeting to amend either the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, fifteen members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3. At any Executive Board meeting, three officers of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.

Section 4. Meetings shall be conducted in an orderly manner. The Chair may use such parliamentary guides as Robert’s Rules of Order to support its decisions.

Article VI. Organization

Section 1. Officers. The elected officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The elected officers shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 1.1 Historian. The Executive Board shall appoint a historian who will be responsible for assessing, collecting, organizing, preserving, maintaining and providing access to information determined to have long-term value to the Society. This includes a list of activities and events, maintenance of photos, and membership lists. The documents shall be housed in the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress and the selectee shall remain in office at the Board’s discretion.

Section 1.2 Unelected Officers. The Executive Board shall create the advisors and directorates it deems necessary and appoint their respective heads from among the membership as necessary to fulfill its annual objectives.

Section 2. Terms of Office for Elected Officers. The term of office shall be one year, to begin the second week of January and end on the second week of January of the following year. No Society officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. Elections shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws.

Section 3. Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs in the president office before the end of the term, the vice-president shall assume the office of the president. If the vice-president office is vacant at the same time, a special election shall be held to fill both offices. Vacancies in the vice-president, secretary, and treasurer offices shall be filled by the Executive Board by appointment.

Section 4. Elections. Election of officers shall be conducted electronically by secret ballot. A majority of votes shall determine the winner. In case of a tie, the outcome shall be determined by vote of the incumbent Executive Board. The dates for the election process shall be set by the Executive Board.

Section 5. Transition. During the interval period between election sand beginning of a new term of office, the incumbent Executive Board shall work with the newly-elected officers to ensure a smooth transition.

Section 6. Funds and Dues. The regular funds of the Society shall consist of the annual dues paid by the membership. Special funds (other than annual dues) may be raised by the Executive Board whenever necessary and shall comply with all Library regulations. All funds shall be used to further the purpose of the Society as stipulated in Article III of the Bylaws. The amount of the membership dues will be set by the Executive Board.

Section 8. Communications. The name of the HCS newsletter shall be Hoja Volante. This newsletter can be in print or electronic form via website or pdf and will be updated at least four times per calendar year. The editor-in-chief will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy and relevancy of articles submitted and published. He/She shall be appointed at the Executive Board’s discretion and will work with the Communications Committee to develop and distribute it.

Section 8.1 Social Media. The social media presence of the Society will be updated at least monthly to advertise events. A Communication Committee will oversee the social media presence of the Society and monitor electronic postings and photos. New social media platforms will be added only after Executive Board approval. Passwords to accounts must be shared with the Executive Board.

Section 9. Assets and Dissolution. Title to all assets acquired by or with funds of the Society shall be held by the Society during its existence. Upon dissolution of the Society, all of said assets shall be distributed by the Executive Board for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Section 10. Professional Development Fund. There shall be a fund to provide financial support for the pursuit of professional and career development to those Society members in good standing.. The fund shall be administered by a Board of Trustees composed of three Trustees appointed by the Society’s Executive Board and, ex officio, the elected incumbent Treasurer of the Society. The Board of Trustees shall operate independently of the Hispanic Cultural Society Executive Board in managing the fund, selecting funding recipients, and distributing funding.

Article VII. Duties and Responsibilities of Officers

Section 1. President. The President shall preside at the Executive Board meetings and the general annual membership meeting. He/She will be the official spokesperson for the Society. The president will continue to serve as an advisor to the Society’s newly elected Executive Board for one year immediately following his/her term of office. This will provide a degree of continuity in the Society’s leadership and allow for a smooth transition from one executive term to the next. In the transfer of responsibilities, the out-going President shall present a written report to the new President to update him/her on the current status of the Society’s operations.

Section 2. Vice-President. The Vice-President shall be substitute for the President when necessary. He/She also signs checks on behalf of the Society in the absence of the President and Treasurer. It is the responsibility of the Vice-President to conduct internal financial audits of the Society’s treasury on a quarterly basis and to provide the Executive Board members with a written report of the results of said audits as needed.

Section 3. Secretary. The Secretary works with the current Membership Committee to keep membership lists up-to-date, records proceedings, and maintains the records of the Society. The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes at all regular and special meetings of the membership and the Executive Board. The Secretary shall also be responsible for the correspondence and other records of the Society.

Section 4. Treasurer. The Treasurer collects all membership dues, gifts, and bequests. He/She keeps accurate fiscal records for the Society. Checks drawn on the Society’s accounts will be signed by the treasurer plus one other member of the Executive Board.

Article VIII. Committees.

The Society shall have the following standing committees: Cultural Programs, Membership, Elections, Communications, and Fundraising. Special committees shall be established by the Board at their own initiative or at the initiative of Society’s membership. The Committee chairpersons shall be chosen by the members of the respective committees. It is the responsibility of the committee chairpersons to meet with and to provide the Executive Board with a written report on a quarterly basis of its current activities and future projects.

Section1. The Cultural Programs Committee plans the Society’s cultural events, and prepares and distributes appropriate promotional materials. The Committee shall form an Advisory Board composed of scholars knowledgeable in aspects of Hispanic culture to advise the member in planning events.

Section 2. The Membership Committee will be responsible for conducting the annual membership drive.

Section 3. The Elections Committee will be responsible of assembling the list of candidates and for planning and monitoring the election process. The Committee will distribute ballots to the membership at the appropriate time. Ballots will list the names of candidates for each office. There must be at least one candidate for each office. If no candidates are nominated for an office, the Committee shall seek nominations from among the membership.

Section 4. The Communication Committee will be responsible for the production and distribution of the Society’s newsletter Hoja Volante. This can be published in print or electronically via website or pdf. It will also produce and distribute other communications as needed, such as social media.

Section 5. The Fundraising Committee will be responsible for planning and executing fundraising activities.

Article IX. Revision of Bylaws

Bylaws shall be revised by the Executive Board when deemed appropriate. However, members may submit suggestion for changes in the bylaws to the Secretary of the Society at any time. Revised bylaws will be submitted to the membership for ratification at the Annual Meeting immediately subsequent to completion of the revision, at a special meeting called by the Executive Board called for the purpose, or through electronic communication. If approved by 50% plus 1 of the members in good standing, the bylaws will be ratified. Revised bylaws become effective upon ratification.