Article I. Name of the Society
Section 1. The name of the society shall be Lebanon Historical Society.
Article II. Purpose of the Society
Section 1. The object of the organization shall be acquiring and communicating knowledge of local history and preserving such books, papers, and articles as may illustrate the history of the City of Lebanon.
Section 2. It shall be a non-profit organization.
Article III. Membership and Dues
Section 1. Any person interested in the history of Lebanon who applies for membership in any classification of membership and who tenders the necessary dues shall become a member and shall be eligible to vote.
Section 2. The Board of the Lebanon Historical Society will review all dues for all membership categories annually.
Section 3. Honorary member. Any name proposed for honorary membership shall be presented to the Board of Directors for action. Such membership will be given only for outstanding contribution to preserving the history of Lebanon.
Section 4. Annual dues are payable at the annual meeting in November. Members in arrears shall be sent two notices, and after three months shall be dropped from membership if dues are not paid.
Article IV. Donations
Section 1. By vote of a majority of members present and voting, the Society may make donations from its funds for purposes pertaining to the history of Lebanon.
Article V. Officers of the Society
Section 1. The officers shall be a President, a Vice-president, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Curator elected bi-annually and four (4) Directors, two of whom shall be elected each year for a term of two years.
Section 2. Any vacancy on the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment by the President for the remainder of the term.
Section 3. The officers of the Society shall be ex-officio members of the Board.
Section 4. The Board of Directors shall elect its chair from the four Directors.
Article VI. Meetings
Section 1. Meetings of the Society shall be held on the third Monday of each month except December.
Section 2. The President may call additional special meetings .
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall meet as called by the Chair of the Board.
Section 4. Seven (7) active members of the Society shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the Society.
Section 5. The annual meeting of the Society shall be held in the month of November. As needed, officers of the Society shall provide annual reports, and election of officers and directors for the coming year will be held.
Section 6. Regular meetings of the Society are open to both Society members and the general public. Meetings of the Board of Directors are open to all Society members. Attendees will have an opportunity to speak out and offer suggestions, or ask questions. An exception will be made if a special meeting is called to discuss personnel issues. In that case, privacy will be honored and only members of the Board of Directors may attend.
Article VII. Duties of Officers and Directors
Section 1. The President shall have executive supervision over the activities of the Society within the scope provided by these bylaws. The President shall preside at meetings of the Society and shall report annually on the activities of the Society. The President shall also appoint the members of committees and delegates not otherwise provided for.
Section 2. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the event of the absence, incapacity, or resignation of the President.
Section 3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Society and of the Board of Directors, receive and answer correspondence, write such communications as are directed by the Society, and be in charge of publicity.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the safekeeping of Society funds, for the payment of all bills, for maintaining adequate financial records, and shall deposit monies received with a reliable banking company in the name of the Lebanon Historical Society. The Treasurer shall receive dues, render an annual report based on the calendar year, and shall maintain a list of members.
Section 5. The Curator’s primary role is to manage and supervise work on the collection by making decisions about acquisition and de-acquisition of materials in the collection and their conservation. The Curator should also manage permissions and licenses to publish copies or photos of objects and manuscripts in the collection, manage loans to and from other organizations, and supervise installation of exhibitions containing any Society materials, as called for. The Curator should manage work with the collections and may deputize assistants and members of the Society when necessary to deal with correspondence, acquisitions, documentation, repairs, conservation, or reconstruction tasks. When extremely valuable or rare items in the collection are involved, the Curator will raise acquisition and management issues directly with the Board or the general membership of the Society as determined most appropriate by the President.
Section 6. The Board of Directors shall have the power to initiate and conduct affairs of the Society and shall have general supervision over it. The Board of Directors shall decide questions of policy that may affect the direction or structure of the Society, or that involve the acquisition or disposition of significant funds or materials in the Society’s archives, and perform such other functions as designated in the bylaws or otherwise assigned to it. At any meeting of the Board of Directors, five (5) members shall constitute a quorum. If called for, the Board of Directors, through the chairman, shall render an annual report at each annual meeting.
Section 7. Auditor: The Board of Directors shall appoint an Auditor who shall obtain the books from the Treasurer before the November annual meeting to confirm the accuracy of the accounts.
Article VIII. Committees
Section 1. The Society may have the following standing committee: Nominating Committee — responsible for making nominations for officers and members of the Board of Directors. A minimum of three members is required for this committee.
Section 2. The President shall appoint members of the standing committees.
Section 3. The President may appoint other committees, standing or special, as directed by the Society or Board of Directors. Examples might be Membership, Program, or Publication Committees.
Article IX. Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of the Society except in such cases as are governed by the constitution or by-laws.
Article X. Amendment to By-Laws
Section 1. These by-laws may be amended at any regular or adjourned meeting by a two-thirds vote of those voting, provided notice was given at the previous regular meeting, and forewarned in the agenda for the meeting.
Article XI. Dissolution
Section 1. In the event the Society is dissolved, its assets shall be distributed for one or more of the exempt purposes specified in section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as from time to time amended. In the event the Society is dissolved, no director or member shall receive or benefit from any of the Society’s assets.
Article XII. Conflict of Interest
Any possible conflict of interest on the part of any officer, member of the Board, or employee of the Society shall be disclosed in writing to the Board and made a matter of record. This shall be done annually as well as at any time when a potential conflict of interest involves a specific issue before the Board. Where a transaction involving an officer or Board member exceeds five hundred dollars ($500), but is less than five thousand dollars ($5000), a two-thirds vote of the disinterested Board members is required. Where the transaction involved exceeds five thousand dollars ($5000) in a fiscal year, a two-thirds vote of the disinterested Board members as well as publication in the local newspaper is required.
Revised, updated, and approved by the membership, May 15, 2017
Lebanon Historical Society 