By-Laws of the Teen Action Group
of the Llano County Library

This organization shall be called "The Teen Action Group of the Llano County Library" and abbreviated "TAG".

The mission of the TAG is to promote Llano County Library services to young adults by

• Planning and implementing young adult programs, activities, and projects

        Creating an inviting atmosphere at the library by maintaining a safe, attractive young adult area

        Promoting ideas in the young adult collection

        Promoting and encouraging reading by young adults

TAG shall be coordinated by an adult volunteer or library staff member who will supervise all TAG meetings, activities, and special projects.

TAG membership is open to all young adults in grades 6 through 12. Members must have a valid Llano County Library System card that is in good standing (no excessive fines as described by the Library’s policy). TAG members with fines must make an effort to rectify the matter.

TAG members must read and sign the TAG membership agreement. A parent must sign the consent/release form that is part of the membership agreement.

Continued membership is contingent upon volunteerism in the library and with special programs and activities organized by TAG. A minimum of ten (10) volunteer hours must be logged in each year, the year beginning and ending on the date of officer elections in May. All members must sign in at the library on the TAG volunteer chart. Members must attend at least five (5) meetings in the same one (1) year period. Exceptions will be determined by the TAG officers and coordinator when a member is unable to meet the yearly requirements.

The officers shall be a president, a vice-president, a second vice-president, a secretary, a vice-secretary, a second vice-secretary, a treasurer, a sergeant-at-arms, and a vice sergeant-at-arms, elected from the members of the TAG. All officers should make a special effort to attend all meeting and special events sponsored by the TAG.

The president of the TAG will work closely with the TAG coordinator to organize TAG meetings. The president will assist the TAG coordinator in creating the meeting agenda and will preside over TAG meetings. The president will act as a contact person for other TAG members who want items added to the meeting agenda.

The vice-president will serve as the president in his or her absence. The vice-president will serve as membership coordinator, keeping track of active and inactive members and new applications.

The second vice-president will serve as the president in the absence of both the president and vice-president. The second vice-president will inform and remind all members of upcoming meetings, programs, and special events.

The secretary will keep minutes of the TAG meetings. The secretary will read the previous meeting’s minutes at each regular meeting. The secretary will see to the upkeep of the master file of minutes to be in the TAG binder at the library. The secretary will serve as president in the absence of the president, vice-president, and second vice-president.

The vice secretary will serve as secretary in his or her absence, or in the event that the secretary is serving as president. The vice-secretary will keep track of member volunteer hours and alert the TAG coordinator to members that are not keeping up their hours. The vice-secretary will perform all tasks assigned by the secretary.

The second vice-secretary will serve as secretary in the absence of the secretary or vice-secretary, or in the event that the secretary is serving as president and the vice-secretary is absent. The second vice-secretary will perform all tasks assigned by the secretary.

The treasurer will keep track of any TAG income or expenditures. The TAG treasurer will work with the treasurer of the Friends of the Llano Library for deposits of funds, and when funds are needed for TAG events, activities, or programs.

The sergeant-at-arms and a vice sergeant-at-arms will be responsible for maintaining order at all TAG meetings and events. The sergeants-at-arms will act responsibly and under the direction of the TAG coordinator.

Officers will serve a term of one year, from June through the following May.

At the May meeting of each year, a new election will be held. Nominations will be made by ballot by all members attending the meeting. Any current member in good standing may be nominated for an office even if they are absent at the time of the nomination/election process under the condition that he or she desires to hold this office. Following the nomination by ballot, the two top nominees will then be the candidates for the office. Election will be by ballot immediately following the nominations.

Officers may not serve in the same office two years in a row, although they may be elected to a different office. A member may run for and be elected to a previously held office after one year of not holding that office.

The regular meetings of TAG will be held at the end of each month, the date and time to be decided at the preceding meeting.

Special meeting may be called by the TAG coordinator to complete tasks as needed.

Proceedings of meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article VI: Committees

The following committees shall be coordinated by a TAG member elected by the members of the TAG. Each committee will be made up of volunteer TAG members.

        a. Young Adult Area Upkeep, Display, and Shelving Committee – which shall see to the organization and upkeep of the young         adult collection and new book display area, planning and implementing new display ideas, and any other specific tasks assigned         by the TAG coordinator.

        b. School Newsletter Committee – which shall coordinate and contribute to a monthly newsletter to be distributed to the              schools.

        c. Newspaper Column Committee – which shall remain in contact with the local newspapers and provide regular articles and         news releases to promote the young adult collection, TAG activities and programs.

        d. Special Program and Activity Committees – which will be formed as the need arises.

        a. Get a group of six or more TAG members together with an idea for a special group/activity that would support TAG               and TAG's cause

        b. Get your group together and write a paragraph stating what you want your group to do and how it will be a good project              for TAG.

       c. Along with this paragraph you need to have the signatures of the people interested in being in this branch (at least six).

        d. To be eligible for consideration, your idea must be presented to the TAG coordinator at least one day before the         
           meeting. The TAG officers and coordinator will make a decision whether or not to OK the branch before the meeting. The 
           participants will then be informed onthe day of the meeting if the branch idea is accepted. They will then make a presentation
           to the  membership during the meeting inviting any other members to join.

Section 2

All branch meetings must be held at the library, preferably during regular library hours.

TAG members will keep the TAG Mission at the forefront of all TAG activities.

During all TAG meetings, activities, library functions, and volunteer work within the library, TAG members will act in such a way that reflects positively on the Llano County Library and the Teen Action Group.

TAG members will show respect for other TAG members, library staff and library patrons. Members will demonstrate respect for others by listening attentively when someone else is speaking, asking questions when clarification is needed, and by refraining from negative comments when responding to other people’s ideas.

TAG members will show respect for library materials and property by taking care to leave meeting spaces neat and orderly.

TAG members will respect the privacy of other TAG members.

In the extreme rare case that a member of TAG is consistently disruptive to the mission of TAG, it is the responsibility of the sergeant-at-arms to make this problem known to the TAG coordinator. The coordinator will then make the decision whether or not to remove that person from membership. The TAG coordinator will make every attempt to resolve the situation without removing a member from the TAG.