Bylaws
As adopted May 10, 2016

I.    NAME
The name of this non-profit organization is the NEW HAMPSHIRE ARCHIVES GROUP.
II.    PURPOSE
  1. The New Hampshire Archives Group is an organization established:
  • to foster the identification, preservation, and use of records of enduring value in New Hampshire, public and private, corporate and individual;
  • to improve the management and the public awareness and understanding of such records;
  • to sponsor continuing education in archival theory and practice;
  • to provide a forum for the exchange of information among individuals and institutions having responsibility for records of enduring value in New Hampshire;
  • and to foster appropriate means of communication and cooperation with other archival organizations at the local, regional and national levels, and with individuals and groups representing allied professions.
III.    MEMBERSHIP
  1. Upon payment of dues, membership is open to all interested in the accession, administration, organization, preservation, or use of archival and manuscript material.
  2. Each member in good standing will have one vote at the annual meeting and will be considered a voting member.
  3. Membership dues, terms, and categories may be established and altered at the annual meeting by a majority of voting members in attendance.
IV.    OFFICERS AND GOVERNANCE
  1. In matters of planning and policy administration, an executive board, with officers nominated and elected by the membership, is empowered to govern the organization. The executive board will consist of five officers and two at-large members. The executive board will conduct the business of the New Hampshire Archives Group, plan the workshops and meetings, and attend to policy matters.
  2. Executive board members and responsibilities: (A) A vice president will be elected each year at the annual meeting. This person shall assist the president in planning workshops and other meetings. After serving for one year, the vice president will assume the office of president. (B) The president is responsible, with the advice and consent of the executive board, for all planning and policy for the New Hampshire Archives Group. The president will also serve as the organization’s spokesperson. After serving one year, the president will assume the office of immediate past president. (C) The immediate past president will use his/her experience to serve the president as an advisor in planning and policy administration. The term of this office is one year. (D) The secretary will act as both membership and corresponding secretary, take and distribute meeting minutes, maintain the organization’s current records, and transfer its non-current records to the organization’s archives. The term of this office is three years. (E) The treasurer will manage the finances of the organization and provide financial reports for the executive board and annual meetings of the membership. The term of this office is three years. (F) Two at-large members will provide assistance in planning meetings and workshops, and will provide advice on policy matters. At-large terms will be staggered so that only one seat is vacated each year. The term of this office is two years.
  3. ​Should a vacancy arise on the executive board, the president or presiding officer, with the advice and consent of the executive board, shall appoint an interim replacement, who shall serve until the next annual or special meeting of the membership. If elected by the membership, he/she shall continue to serve for the remainder of the original term.
  4. The executive board shall meet as necessary, but at least once a year. The president shall be responsible for setting the time and place of such meetings. The presiding officer for executive board meetings is the president, vice president (in the absence of the president), or immediate past president (in the absence of both the president and vice president). A quorum of the executive board consists of the presiding officer and three other executive board members. All executive board meetings will be open to the membership.
V.    MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
  1. The New Hampshire Archives Group shall conduct an annual meeting each year to fill vacancies on the executive board, approve the secretary’s minutes, receive the treasurer’s report, and transact any other business. The membership may nominate executive board members from the floor.
  2. A special meeting may be called by the presiding officer, with the consent of a majority of the executive board. Special meetings may also be called by ten percent of the membership, through a written request to the executive board.
  3. The executive board shall notify the membership of the time, place, and purpose at least thirty days in advance of an annual or special meeting.
  4. Those voting members present at a properly announced meeting will constitute a quorum.
  5. Votes will be decided by a simple majority of voting members present, with the exception of proposed amendments to bylaws, as specified elsewhere in this document.
VI.    FINANCES
  1. The treasurer shall record the financial transactions of the New Hampshire Archives Group so that the membership may have a sound basis for evaluating the management of its funds, and so that the executive board may have adequate information on which to plan the activities of the organization. The treasurer shall maintain such records on a cash accounting basis.
  2. At least once every three years, the president shall appoint an audit committee, with not more than three members, to review the organization’s financial practices and records.
  3. The fiscal year will run from June 1 to May 31.
VII.    DISPOSITION OF ASSETS AND RECORDS
  1. As the organization’s records become non-current, those of enduring value will be donated to a repository selected by the executive board. A formal agreement will ensure access to such records by researchers and interested parties.
  2. In the event of its dissolution, the organization’s assets will be conveyed to an organization selected by the executive board.
VIII.    PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
  1. The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order will govern all proceedings of the organization except as otherwise provided in these bylaws.
IX.    BYLAWS AND AMENDMENTS
  1. Bylaws of the New Hampshire Archives Group must be adopted by at least two-thirds of those attending the first annual meeting.
  2. Amendments to these bylaws must be proposed in writing and filed with the secretary at least sixty days in advance of an annual meeting. Copies will be distributed to all members at least thirty days in advance of the annual meeting. An affirmative vote by at least two-thirds of voting members present will constitute passage.
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