Bylaws

1. The management and control of all business and property of this corporation shall be in a Board of Directors and the officers hereinafter provided,

2. The Board of Directors shall consist of not less than twenty nor more than thirty members. (Notes: "Twenty" had been marked through and fifteen written above in pencil. LFM)

3. The first Board of Directors shall consist of the present members of the governing board of the Williamson County Public Library, the Mayor of the Town of Franklin, Tennessee, the County Judge of Williamson County, Tennessee, the Superintendent of Education of Williamson County, Tennessee, the last three members to be members of the Board during their incumbency in public office, their successors in office to succeed them as members of the Board of Directors, and two members each from the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, each of which organization may name its two members as representatives on this Board.

4. All vacancies on said Board of Directors, with exception of the Mayor, County Judge, County Superintendent, and the representatives of the four organizations above named, shall be filled by a majority vote of the members of the entire Board of Directors who may be present at any regular meeting of said Board.

5. Regular meeting of the Board shall be held on the first Saturday of January, April, July and October of each year, or as soon thereafter as may be convenient.

6. Special meetings may be called by the Chairman of the Board, or by any two members, who shall signify their desire for a meeting to the Secretary who shall thereupon cause members of the Board to be notified. All members of the Board shall be notified of any regular or special meeting by post cards, giving the time of said meeting, to be mailed not less than five days before the meeting, or by telephone or personal communication not less than three days before such meeting, the above notice to be given, or caused to be given, by the Secretary of the Board.

7. Seven members of the Board, at any regular or special meeting, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business of the Corporation.

8. The officers of this corporation shall consist of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer, of which the last two officers may be held by the same person, and such other officers as may from time to time be elected or appointed. Such officers shall hold office for a term of one year, or until their successors are elected, and shall be elected at the regular January meeting of the Board by a majority of the Directors who may be present at such meeting.

9. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Board and shall have general charge of the business of the Corporation, subject to the orders of the Board of Directors.

10. The Vice Chairman shall perform such duties as may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors, and in event of the absence of the Chairman at any regular or special meeting shall preside at such meetings. If the office of Chairman becomes vacant for any cause, the Vice Chairman shall succeed to said office for the balance of the term of such office.

11. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by one person, if so ordered by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall keep a record of the minutes of the proceedings and meetings of the Board and shall give or cause to be given notice of all regular and special meetings authorized by these by-laws, and shall have custody of all books, records and papers of the corporation except such as shall be in charge of the Treasurer, or some other person authorized to have the custody and possession thereof by a resolution of the Board.

12. The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all moneys of the corporation received, or disbursed, and shall deposit all moneys and valuables in the name of and to the credit of the corporation in such banks and depositories as the Board of Directors shall designate.

13. Each of the officers shall serve for a term of one year or until their successors are elected by the Board, but any officer may be reelected by the Board at the expiration of the term of office.

14. New By-Laws may be passed, and any of the by-laws herein above set out may be amended or repealed by a majority of the Board of Directors who may be present at any regular meeting of the Board of Directors, except that no by-law shall be passed or repealed which shall cause the four organizations named in Section 3 hereof to have less than two members each on said Board of Directors, or to deprive the Mayor, County Judge or County Superintendent from being members.

A Statement from James Buford

Mrs. James Buford, a member of the Library Board, made the following statement regarding library work in a local newspaper in 1938:

Most educated and intelligent people realize that it requires more than the ability to scribble a few words on a prescription blank to be a good doctor, but few realize that being a librarian means more than being able to take down books from a shelf. There are as many different kinds of abilities required in a library as there are in any complex organization. A librarian must have a high degree of executive ability, business judgment, literary skill, technical skill, an intimate knowledge of books, and an equally intimate knowledge of human nature. As the New York State Library School points out, There are few lines of work in which more varied ability is desirable.