The Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association / l’Association des Bibliothèques de la Santé de la Vallée de l’Outaouais is an association of over twenty health-related libraries whose purpose is to promote the provision of quality library services in the health sciences throughout the Ottawa Valley and the Outaouais. It was formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of the Ottawa-Hull Health Libraries Association and the OHA Region 9 chapter of the Ontario Health Libraries Association and is a chapter of the Ontario Health Libraries Association (OHLA) and the Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA).
Constitution and By-laws
Article 1 – Name: The name of the Association shall be the Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association / l’Association des Bibliothèques de la Santé de la Vallée de l’Outaouais.
Article 2 – Purpose: The purpose of the Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association shall be to promote, by means of cooperation and communication, the provision of quality library services in the health sciences throughout the Ottawa Valley. The Association shall also support the activities of the Canadian Health Libraries Association, as a Chapter of that body, and the Ontario Hospital Libraries Association, and share information with the library community as a whole.
Article 3 – Membership: Membership shall be open to all persons interested in the aims of the Association and who pay the prescribed fees therefor. All officers of the Association must be paid-up members of the Canadian Health Libraries Association.
Article 4 – Officers: The business of the Association shall be conducted by an Executive Committee consisting of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Continuing Education Coordinator. There will be a two-year term of office for each position. Terms of office will correspond with the calendar year. The terms of the office of the President and Secretary will commence in even-numbered years. The terms of office for Treasurer and Continuing Education Coordinator will start in odd-numbered years.
Article 5 – Elections: All nominations for the future Executive, accompanied by the candidates’ consent, should be presented to the current Executive and made known to the members prior to the last meeting of the Association before expiry of the term of the current Executive. All elections for officers of the Association shall be conducted by ballot of the members present at the last meeting of the Association before expiry of the term of the current Executive. Each member present shall have one vote for each position. If there is only one candidate for a position, that candidate will be elected by acclamation.
Article 6 – Committees: The Executive shall have the power to appoint committees.
Article 7 – Meetings: There will be a minimum of one meeting a year. The quorum for voting at meetings will be eight members representing three different institutions.
Article 8 – Membership Fees: Membership fees determined by the Executive in consultation with the members shall be collected annually from each member.
Article 9 – Liaison with Canadian Health Libraries Association: The Executive shall appoint a correspondent to provide regular assistance to the editor(s) of the publications of the Canadian Health Libraries Association. The President shall provide a written annual report to the Board of the Canadian Health Libraries Association outlining its activities during the current year and verifying that all Chapter requirements continue to be met.
Article 10 – Amendments to the Constitution: Proposals to amend this constitution or by-laws, or to decide on other matters determined by the Executive, shall be made known to the members prior to the meeting of the Association at which the proposals will be voted on. Voting will be conducted by ballot of the members present. A majority of those voting shall be required to carry any proposal.