General IASL Policies

• Awards and Grants
  The establishment of awards, grants and other special monetary programs must be presented to the Executive Committee for final action. The terms of reference and criteria will first be considered in relation to IASL goals, needs and financial obligations.
  [Approved 1993]
  
  
• Ballot
  Where required, a ballot of members may be conducted by mail, electronically, or through an appropriate issue of the Association’s Newsletter, in which the issues requiring membership decision shall be clearly stated, and a voting form provided for the membership to express its view. [See IASL Bylaws]
  
  
• Conference Exhibits
  Commercial exhibits at conferences are encouraged if proper exhibit space is available. Rental charges for such space should be reckoned on the basis of cost of overall space, size required by exhibitor, extra materials such as electric extensions, tables, etc. plus not less than 10 percent profit. Library exhibits (or association) may be exempted from charges. [Approved 1985]
  
  
• Conference Fees
  The rate for individuals attending conferences on a daily basis should be adjusted to meet the needs of the local (host) country. The local conference committee will be expected to include in its budget the registration fees for presenters of keynote or principal theme papers. Decisions on honorariums and expenses are the responsibility of the local planning committee. [Approved 1985]
  
  
• Fiscal Year
  The fiscal year of the Association shall be from January 1 through December 31. [See IASL Bylaws]
  
  
• Human Rights
  IASL fully supports the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Furthermore, holding a Category C status in Unesco, the International Association of School Librarianship endorses the policies of this organization concerning political recognition of a country and concerning the policy of apartheid.
  Therefore IASL excludes from membership any association which does not subscribe to the above covenants and excludes any individual member of such countries from holding office in IASL. [Approved 1984; revised 1994]
  
  
• Logo
  The logo of IASL should be used on any official documents of the Association: letterheads, brochures, conference information, etc. It may not be used by individuals without notification to the Secretariat describing the intended use and receiving Executive Committee approval. Proper identification of IASL must be made at all times by the user.
  [Approved 1993]
  
  
• Official Language
  The official language of the Association is English. [See IASL Bylaws]
  
  However, where the host language of the country is other than English an effort should be made to provide program information and sessions in that language during the Annual Conference. [Approved 1979]
  
  
• Proxy Voting
  
  1. A member entitled to vote at a meeting of members of the Association shall be entitled to appoint a proxy holder (who must also be a member) as his/her nominee to attend, act, and vote for him/her at such meetings.
  2. A form of proxy shall be in writing and signed by the member.
  3. A proxy whether for a special meeting or otherwise shall be in the form described in the Association’s Handbook of Organization
  4. Each signed proxy must be given to the Executive Director, or if the Executive Director is not present, a member of the Executive Committee other than the chairperson, before the start of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the proxy proposes to vote. [See IASL Bylaws]
     

  Proxy Voting Format

  I, [Name] of [Address](Personal, Institution or Association address), being a member of the association, appoint
  [Name] of [Address] (Personal, Institution or Association address) as my proxy
  to vote on my behalf at the (annual) general meeting of the association, to be held on
  the _______ day of _________, _______(Day, Month, Year),
  and at any adjournment of the meeting.
  Signed this ________ day of ________, _______ (Day, Month, Year).
  Signature ___________________________________________.
  Resolution statement(s)________________________________________
  * in favor __________ * against _________
  (* Strike out whichever is not wanted for each statement above. (Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy may vote as the proxy considers appropriate.)
  

• Regional Meetings
  In order to develop better communication among national associations and with IASL; and to support programs of interest to regions which will be within traveling distance of individual members; and to be more sensitive to the needs of specific regions and countries, regional meetings of IASL members, individuals, and/or associations may be held from time to time as the need arises. Such meetings should invite the IASL officers and the Director(s) of the regions. The minutes, reports, and/or resolutions arising from these meetings should be forwarded to the Executive Director of IASL for action at the next meeting of the Executive Committee. [Approved 1979]
  
  
• Regional Representation on the Board
  
  1. A minimum of nine (9) Regional Directors, to represent the Association geographically around the globe, shall be elected by the general membership. The regions for representation shall be reviewed regularly by the Executive Committee to ensure appropriate distribution. The Regional Director is expected to live in the region that he/she is elected to represent and must be a member of the Association.
  2. The term of office for Regional Directors shall be three (3) years. No Regional Director shall serve more than two (2) consecutive terms. At each annual general meeting of the Association, the members of the Board, whose terms have ended, must resign from office, but are eligible for re-election providing they have not served two (2) consecutive terms in the same position.
     
  3. A regional Director may resign from the Board by giving written notice of resignation to the President, with a copy to the Executive Director. The resignation is in effect from the time of receipt of the notice. A Regional Director may be removed from office for just cause after due process and by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors. [See IASL Bylaws]

The following are Regions of the Association:

• Region 1: Africa refers to all nations in Sub-Sahara Africa including Botswana, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
• Region 2: Asia refers to all nations in the central Asia including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• Region 3: North America includes Canada, the USA, and Puerto Rico.
• Region 4: Latin America/Caribbean refers to Central America, South America and the islands of the Caribbean and includes Antigua/Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and Trinidad/Tobago.
• Region 5: East Asia refers to the eastern section of Asia and includes Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Laos, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
• Region 6: Europe
• Region 7: North Africa/Middle East refers to the African nations along the Mediterranean and the nations of the Middle East including Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.
• Region 8: Oceania refers to the nations of the Pacific Ocean including Australia, East Timor, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and (Western) Samoa.
• Region 9: International Schools is a worldwide region. 
• Region 10: [reserved for future use]