FRIENDS OF THE VIRGINIA ROOM BYLAWS

It is recognized that the administration of the public library is vested in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Board of Trustees

ARTICLE 1  - NAME 

Section 1.  The name of the organization shall be the FRIENDS OF THE VIRGINIA ROOM

shown in the original Articles of Incorporation of __________DATE________,

and hereafter shall be referred to as the FRIENDS OF THE VIRGINIA ROOM.

Section 2   The address of the Friends of the Virginia Room is 10360 North Street, Fairfax, VA  22030.

ARTICLE 2 - OBJECTIVES

Secton 1.  The objectives of the Friends of the Virginia Room shall be to:

a.     Establish and maintain an association of persons interested in supporting the mission of the Virginia Room, adopted on December 2004: "The Fairfax County Public Library Virginia Room provides and encourages the use of library resources and services that serve the public interest in the history of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and of Virginia.  The Virginia Room provides a genealogical collection primarily focused on Virginia and the surrounding states to meet the needs of our diverse community.  Recognizing that other organization(s) and institutions also work to preserve and make accessible historical materials, the Virginia Room supports cooperative efforts to maximize resources."

b.     Focus and encourage public attention on the Virginia Room library services, facilities, and needs

c.      Encourage and receive gifts, endowments, and bequests to the Virginia Room.

d.     Develop, fund, and maintain programs beneficial to the Virginia Room.

e.     Fund materials, equipment and technology to enhance the mission of the Virginia Room.

f.     Work in cooperation with the Friends of the City of Fairfax Regional Library

g.    Operate as a public foundation as defined in IRS code 501-c-3 with assets to be used only for the educational, scientific and charitable public purposes defined herein -- ensuring that no benefits will accrue to any individual except in execution of that mission.

ARTICLE 3 – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.   Membership in the Friends of the Virginia Room shall be open to all individuals in sympathy with its purpose.

Section 2.  The voting body of the Friends of the Virginia Room shall consist of all dues-paying members who are in good standing at least one month before the vote.

Section 3.  Each member shall be entitled to one vote.

ARTICLE 4 – OFFICERS

Section 1.  The officers of the Friends of the Virginia Room shall be a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

Section 2.  The Board of Directors shall be constituted of the four (4) officers and three (3) Board Members, one each to represent history, geneology, and the membership-at-large. They shall serve as the governing body of the Friends of the Virginia Room.  Each officer shall be nominated from a list of active enrolled  members and voted in at the annual meeting for a two-year term.

Section 3.     The Board of Directors shall appoint a nominating committee.  Nominations may be made on the floor with the consent of the nominees.

Section 4.  The president, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall appoint such special committees as necessary.

Section 5.  The president is an ex-officio member of all committees, except the nominating committee.

Section 6.  Current board members shall fill any board vacancies by appointment.

Section 7.   Members of the Board of Directors may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 8.   The secretary shall maintain the membership list, enrollment forms, records of minutes of meetings, and shall send out notices of meetings.

Section 9.    The treasurer is responsible for and shall maintain adequate books of accounts for all financial transactions.

Article 5 – MEETINGS

Section 1.  The Friends of the Virginia Room shall hold its annual meeting in October for the purpose of electing officers, receiving various reports, approving the financial plan, and conducting other business.

Section 2.  Additional meetings shall be scheduled by the president or as recommended by the board of directors.

Section 3.  The membership shall be notified of the purpose and the scheduled time and date of the meeting at least two weeks prior.

ARTICLE  6 – FINANCE

Section 1.  Funds shall be distributed only with the authorization of the president or vice president, in accordance with the financial plan.

Section 2.  The fiscal year shall begin on October 1of each calendar year and end on September 30 of the following calendar year.

Section 3.  An independent yearly audit will be conducted and included in the yearly financial report.

ARTICLE 7 – DUES

Section 1.  The board of directors shall propose annual dues to be approved at a meeting by the general membership.

ARTICLE 8 – DISSOLUTION OF ASSETS

Section 1.  In the event of the dissolution of the Friends of the Virginia Room, any assets shall be distributed to the Friends of the City of Fairfax Library for exclusively public purposes related to the mission of the Virginia Room specified in Article 2.

Section 2.  In the event the named recipient is not in existence or no longer a qualified distributee, then the assets of the Friends of the Virginia Room shall be distributed to a fund, foundation, or corporation organized and operated exclusively for the purposes specified in Article 2 and Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ARTICLE 9 – AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these bylaws may be made by two-thirds vote of those present at a meeting in which there is a quorum of 20% of the active enrolled membership, providing that each member is notified as specified in Article 5, Section 3.

The bylaws were adopted by the membership on _____DATE_________

MISSION STATEMENT OF FRIENDS OF THE VIRGINIA ROOM 

The purpose of the friends is to support the mission of the Virginia Room of the  Fairfax County Public Library

as adopted on December 2004: "The Fairfax County Public Library Virginia Room provides and encourages the use of library resources and services that serve the public interest in the history of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and of Virginia.  The Virginia Room provides a genealogical collection primarily focused on Virginia and the surrounding states to meet the needs of our diverse community. Recognizing that other organization(s) and institutions also work to preserve and make accessible historical materials, the Virginia Room supports cooperative efforts to maximize resources."

History Note for the Friends of the Virginia Room

21 February 2009 -  Kick-off Meeting of the Friends of the Virginia Room (FVR) included

                                   the announcement that the Friends of the City of Fairfax Library

                                   will be transferring $30,000 to FVR.  The funds were raised with the help

                                   of the Friends of the City of Fairfax Library to support the mission

                                   of the Virginia Room.

(This is a first draft of a history note to ensure that FVR documents the crucial role that the Friends of the City of Fairfax Library has played in supporting the mission of the Virginia Room -- and explains Article 8, Section 1. The Board could decide on the appropriate language later for the FVR History.)