About the Bylaws
During June-October, 2012, the arXiv Bylaws below were developed and reviewed with the guidance of the Interim Member Advisory Board (MAB). The guidelines specify MAB’s operations, including its composition, member appointment methods, and term of office. Within the confinement of arXiv principles, these Bylaws may be amended, or new articles adopted, by the consensual agreement of the Board members. As we form the first MAB during November-December, 2012, these guidelines will be further assessed and the necessary adjustments will be made after the MAB is formed in January, 2013. Please send your questions or comments about the Bylaws to rieger@cornell.edu.
1. Member Advisory Board
1.1 Cornell University Library (CUL) holds the overall responsibility for arXiv’s operation and development, with strategic and operational guidance from its Member Advisory Board (MAB) and its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
1.2 The arXiv principles delineate the respective roles of CUL, SAB, and MAB. See the arXiv Governance Model for a summary of each group's role.
...
1.4 MAB is elected from arXiv’s membership and serves as a consultative body.
2. MAB Membership
2.1 Board Composition
2.1.1 MAB will have 13 voting members in three categories:
- High-Contributing Organizations: Up to five voting members from Contributing Organizations that are preexisting consortia or national organizations and contribute 5% or more of arXiv’s annual income generated by member fees (set at $15,000 per year for 2013).
- Contributing Organizations: At least seven voting members from other Contributing Organizations. The exact number of members depends on how many members from High-Contributing Organizations are elected.
- One voting member from the Simons Foundation.
2.1.2 MAB will have five non-voting ex officio members in three categories:
- The arXiv Program Director, who will serve as the Board’s Chair. The Chair may vote to break a tie.
- The CUL arXiv IT manager and the CUL arXiv User Support manager, or other CUL staff as appointed by Cornell’s University Librarian. The role of these members is to provide information and participate in Board discussions.
- Two SAB representatives. The SAB and MAB operate in parallel, complementing each other and providing essential input for CUL. To this end, the SAB appoints two members to serve as non-voting ex officio members of MAB; MAB appoints two members to serve as non-voting ex officio members of the SAB.
2.1.3 Board Officers
. a) Chair. The presiding officer of the MAB annual meeting is the Chair. The MAB shall elect the Chair from among the current Voting Board Members.
b) Other Officers. The Board may elect other officers as it deems necessary.
2.2 Member Qualifications
Each voting member of MAB will be an employee or an officer of a Contributing or High-Contributing Organization. No Contributing or High-Contributing Organization may be represented by more than one candidate for election to the Board in any given election or have two representatives at the same time on the Board.
2.3 Term of Office
2.3.1 Elected members of MAB will serve staggered four-year terms. Board members will be divided into two types of approximately equal size. The first MAB appointments during December 2012 will include seven voting members with six-year appointments and six voting members with four-year appointments.
2.3.2 No Board member representing Contributing or High-Contributing Organizations may serve more than one consecutive four-year term.
2.4 Powers and Duties
a) Chair. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Board to exercise general charge and supervision of the affairs of the MAB. The Chair shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws. The Chair shall facilitate open and inclusive discussion and decision making and shall attempt to state clearly the “sense of the Board” when he or she determines that all Voting Board Members are generally united in their judgment (in mutual concordance). The Chair shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Board.
b) Other Officers. Other officers elected by the Board shall have the authority prescribed to them by the Board.
3. MAB Operation
3.1 MAB represents participating institutions’ interests and advises CUL on issues related to repository management and development, standards implementation, interoperability, development priorities, business planning, and outreach and advocacy. MAB also reviews and comments on arXiv budgets proposed by CUL. For agenda items that require decisions, MAB will review and comment on proposals submitted by CUL and may request additional information in support of their deliberations. MAB members can propose agenda items for discussion on topics within the scope of the group’s role. Some topics will require open discussion, and some matters with action items will necessitate decision-making.
...