CONSALD By-laws
Article I: Organization
The Committee on South Asian Libraries and Documentation is organized as a committee of the South Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies, Inc
Article II: Objectives
The primary objective of the Committee is the development of library resources on South Asia. The Committee shall facilitate library cooperation, collection development, bibliographic control, access, and preservation to advance research and teaching.
Article III: Membership
Membership on the Committee is open to all who are concerned with South Asian library resources. To officially become a voting member of the Committee, one must submit a request to join to the Committee Chair and must be listed in the Committee's directory. Membership and eligibility will be verified annually before the spring (typically AAS) meeting. New members shall be approved by majority vote of the existing membership.
Article IV: Officers and Executive Board
The Executive Board shall manage the activities of the Committee. The Executive Board of the Committee shall consist of not more than seven members. This includes four librarians elected by the membership-at-large, one or two faculty members appointed by the South Asia Council, and one ex-officio librarian member.
Officers of the Committee shall consist of Chair, Secretary, and South Asia Council (SAC) Librarian Representative to the Association for Asian Studies.
Chair responsibilities:
Secretary responsibilities:
South Asia Council (SAC) Librarian Representative responsibilities:
The other members of the CONSALD Executive Board will assist in other duties as assigned by the Chair. The ex-officio librarian member shall be a representative of the Library of Congress. Selection of the Library of Congress ex-officio member is decided internally by Library of Congress South Asian librarians.
The Executive Board shall elect from among its own members a Chair, Secretary, and Librarian Representative to the South Asia Council for two-year terms. Reelection is permitted.
Executive Board responsibilities:
Officers of the Committee shall consist of Chair, Secretary, and South Asia Council (SAC) Librarian Representative to the Association for Asian Studies.
Chair responsibilities:
- Calling and presiding at meetings
- Coordinating financial matters
- Submitting an annual report to the AAS
Secretary responsibilities:
- Documenting and sending past meeting minutes for member approval before the next meeting
- Assisting in preparing agendas, announcements and other records
South Asia Council (SAC) Librarian Representative responsibilities:
- Attending SAC meetings at the AAS Annual Meeting
- Representing CONSALD interests
- Reporting on SAC meetings to CONSALD Executive Board
The other members of the CONSALD Executive Board will assist in other duties as assigned by the Chair. The ex-officio librarian member shall be a representative of the Library of Congress. Selection of the Library of Congress ex-officio member is decided internally by Library of Congress South Asian librarians.
The Executive Board shall elect from among its own members a Chair, Secretary, and Librarian Representative to the South Asia Council for two-year terms. Reelection is permitted.
Executive Board responsibilities:
- Organizing Semi-Annual Conferences at University of Wisconsin-Madison South Asia Conference and Association of Asian Studies, including:
- Coordinating speakers, panels, and presentations
- Preparing and distributing schedule of events at least one month in advance
- Reaching out to new members and inviting them to formally introduce themselves to the group
Article V: Elections and Appointments
Executive Board members are elected to three year terms. Elections shall be held as needed to replace members rolling off. If an outgoing Executive Board member was chair in their third year, they would serve a fourth year as ex-officio. At least one faculty member shall be appointed by the South Asia Council for a two-year term. If any early vacancy shall occur, a special election, or appointment in the case of a faculty member, shall be held to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. At the end of their terms, librarian members are eligible to stand for re-election.
Any voting member of CONSALD is eligible to self-nominate for open seats on the Executive Board. The Executive Board may also form a nominating committee, drawn from voting members, to solicit and recommend candidates. Candidates shall submit brief biographies and candidate statements to be shared with CONSALD membership in advance of elections. Elections shall be conducted via double-blind online voting coordinated by the Executive Board Chair and Webmaster.
In addition to the elected officers, the Executive Board shall appoint a Webmaster, who may be any voting member. The Webmaster’s responsibilities include:
The Executive Board shall also appoint a Listserv Manager, who works with the Chair to:
Any voting member of CONSALD is eligible to self-nominate for open seats on the Executive Board. The Executive Board may also form a nominating committee, drawn from voting members, to solicit and recommend candidates. Candidates shall submit brief biographies and candidate statements to be shared with CONSALD membership in advance of elections. Elections shall be conducted via double-blind online voting coordinated by the Executive Board Chair and Webmaster.
In addition to the elected officers, the Executive Board shall appoint a Webmaster, who may be any voting member. The Webmaster’s responsibilities include:
- Updating the CONSALD website with new member bios
- Assist the Chair in coordinating double-blind voting for elections
The Executive Board shall also appoint a Listserv Manager, who works with the Chair to:
- Approve new applications to join the listserv
- Otherwise manage the logistics of the mailing list
Article VI: Meetings
The Committee shall hold an semi-annual annual meetings concurrently with the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies and the Annual South Asia Conference at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Additional meetings shall be held at the discretion of the Executive Board. Planning and agendas shall be the responsibility of the Executive Board, and meeting announcements shall appear in AAS publications.
Article VII: Subcommittees
Subcommittees as needed will be formed on the recommendation of the Executive Board. The Chair shall select persons to head these special committees and they, in turn, shall recruit the members of their committees. Subcommittees shall be reviewed every two years by the Executive Board.
Article VIII: Amendments
Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Board or by a member of the Committee at regular meetings provided that written notice of the proposed amendment(s) is included in the announcement for that meeting.
These Bylaws were revised and approved by CONSALD at the meeting on March 2025 in Vancouver (virtual), and are subject to approval by the AAS South Asia Council.
- Article IV revised October 2017.
- Articles IV and V revised March 2020.
- Articles II, III, IV, V, and VI revised September 2025.