History of PAM Governing Document

• From 1973 through 2003 PAM was governed by Bylaws.
• From February 1, 2004, governance was based on the Model Division Governing Document approved by the Division Cabinet, as set out in this Communication from the Division Cabinet Chair.
• During 2004-2005, PAM considered revisions to the Model Division Governing Document; the revised PAM Division Governing Document was approved by the PAM Division membership at PAM’s annual business meeting on June 7, 2005. The following notes record the issues raised during the discussion period.

PAM Governing Document revision process

Kris Fowler presented a summary of revision proposal both to the PAM Division Governing Document and the PAM Division Practices Manual based on model Governing Document and Recommended Division Practices provided by SLA committee. She specifically discussed the guidelines, key issues, and the timeline of the proposed revisions. She distributed a preliminary draft of suggested changes to the Governing Document and asked the audience for their input. She suggested opening a dialog for next year to iron out all the issues.

Preliminary Revision, June 2004:

As presented at SLA 2004, here are the Summary of Issues and draft PAM Governing Document. For reference, see PAM's Previous Bylaws.

Close-to-Final Version (Oct. 15, 2004)

To address concerns that were raised at the PAMwide Roundtable in June [2004] and after consultation with the Board, a few further modifications have been proposed; these are outlined below and can be seen in context in Draft #2. This is a fairly final draft; if there are no significant concerns remaining, we will submit it to the SLA Bylaws Committee for approval and then present it to PAM members in early spring (2005), for a vote at the June [2005] meeting. Therefore if you have comments, please send them as soon as possible to a member of the Governing Document Committee (Kris Fowler, Dorothy McGarry, Elaine Adams) or the Board.

Issue #1: Specify that the Chair-Elect substitutes if the Chair is unable to preside at the annual business meeting or fulfill some other function.

Clause added: "The chair-elect shall substitute for the chair in his/her absence and have other duties as specified. . ."

Issue #2: Make sure that unusual circumstances don't prevent PAM business from being done.

Modified clause: "The Division annual business meeting, convened by the Division Chair, shall normally be held during the Association annual conference." The addition of the word "normally" adds some flexibility. The corresponding section of the Practices Manual says, "The following are the specific meeting responsibilities of the Division Chair: . . To plan and preside at the Division's annual business meeting and any other Division meetings. As specified in the PAM Division Governing Document, the annual business meeting shall normally be held during the Association annual conference; however in unusual circumstances (e.g., the unlikely event that there is no conference), the Chair may choose to convene a meeting, following the usual rules about providing adequate notice to members."

Issue #3: Set a minimum standard for accomplishing PAM business that responds to changes in the size of the Division and that provides for adequate member representation on important issues but that is not difficult to attain.

Clause added: "Participation by 20% of PAM members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business." (The wording is intended to allow the possibility of forms of participation other than being physically present; specifics of how this might be done in the future could be added to the Practices Manual at any time.)

Page last updated: October 10, 2005