Digital Library of the Caribbean
By-laws (Revised November 2009)

I. NAME

The organization shall be called Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), representing
the cooperative body established to develop a collection of digital archives, artifacts,
and library materials.

II. MISSION

dLOC's diverse partners will serve an international community of scholars, students,
and citizens by working together to preserve and to provide enhanced electronic access
to cultural, historical, legal, governmental, and research materials in a common web
space with a multilingual interface.

III. PURPOSE AND VISION

The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) is a cooperative of partners within the
Caribbean and circum-Caribbean that will provide users with access to Caribbean
cultural, historical and research materials held in archives, libraries, and private
collections. dLOC comprises collections that speak to the similarities and differences in
histories, cultures, languages and governmental systems. Types of collections include
but are not limited to: newspapers, archives of Caribbean leaders and governments,
official documents, documentation and numeric data for ecosystems, scientific
scholarship, historic and contemporary maps, oral and popular histories, travel
accounts, literature and poetry, musical expressions, and artifacts.

The founding partners Archives Nationale d'Hafti; Caribbean Community Secretariat
(CARICOM); National Library of Jamaica; La Fundaci6n Global Democracia y
Desarrollo (FUNGLODE); Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela; University of the Virgin
Islands; Florida International University; University of Central Florida; University of
Florida officially established the Digital Library of the Caribbean on 17 July 2004 at a
Planning Committee at a meeting held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Development and
planning leading to up to the meeting included many prior cooperative projects for
preservation and access. The Planning Committee for dLOC sought to leverage new
technologies in service to those ongoing needs, yet with an expanded vision of what
preservation and access could mean. dLOC partners applied for and were awarded a
TICFIA grant for 2005-2009 (grant proposal online). With this grant funding from the
U.S. Department of Education, along with cost share from the partner institutions, dLOC
developed the technical infrastructure, training materials and network of active partners
that have collaboratively built this resource. With continued institutional support and
outside funding through grants and donations, the Digital Library of the Caribbean will
continue to support its goals of ensuring digital preservation of Caribbean materials and
providing increased access.

IV. MEMBERSHIP

Types of Membership

a. Institutional Members
Institutional Membership in dLOC is open to libraries, archives, museums,
research centers, associations, publishers, and vendors that meet the eligibility
criteria. Each institution shall be represented by a single member, the Institutional
Representative. An Alternate member will serve in the Institutional
Representative's absence.

Eligibility
Institutions are eligible to join the organization based on the following criteria:
1. Willingness to contribute collections and to make these freely available to
the project.
2. Availability of appropriate collections with Caribbean content.
3. Willingness to comply with common standards.
4. Willingness to designate a representative to manage local participation.

Partners in the project may: 1) contribute digital content to a centralized
repository; 2) make their digital collections available to dLOC through compliance
with the Open Archives Initiative (OAl); and/or 3) contribute metadata and
contextual resources to support materials in dLOC.

b. Associate Members
Associate Membership is open to individuals, organizations or institutions that
have appropriate collections of Caribbean content but do not have the resources
or expertise to digitize the collections. Associate members may submit their
content into dLOC through current institutional members who will make provide
representation on their behalf at governance meetings .

c. Inactive Members
Members not contributing to dLOC for a period of 5 years will be considered
inactive. The Executive Committee will review membership annually at general
meetings and will notify members of inactive status. Inactive members may be
reinstated upon request by a majority vote at annual general meetings.

V. MEETINGS

a. General Membership Meetings

The general meeting of the members of dLOC shall be conducted once a year, in
proximity to the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional
Libraries (ACURIL) annual conference.

b. Executive Committee Meetings

The Executive Committee shall meet once a year, in proximity to the ACURIL annual
Conference or at another mutually agreed upon time and place.

c. Advisory Board Meetings

The Advisory Board shall meet once a year, in proximity to the Caribbean Studies
Association annual conference.

d. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the membership and/or the Executive Committee may be held by
direction of the Executive Committee.

e. Quorum

The quorum will be a simple majority of the members participating in the annual
meeting. Quorum is required for a vote, and members may attend and vote virtually. Ex-
officio members are not voting members, and the Chair of the Executive Committee will
only vote when required to break a tie.

f. Participation

Meetings are open to members of the organization.

g. Meeting Notification

Meetings will be announced to the membership and/or associated parties at least two
months prior to the scheduled meeting through appropriate dLOC email list(s).

VI. GOVERNANCE

dLOC is governed by an Executive Committee which oversees all project activities, a
Scholarly Advisory Board which provides guidance to the Executive Committee, and a
group of Contributors working toward dLOC's continued success and sustainability. The
Governing structure shall consist of an Executive Committee, Advisory Board, Executive
Director, and sub-committees.

a. The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of dLOC. The Committee shall
consist of nine members elected from the institutional representatives by the general
body, one institutional representative from one of the host institutions, and the Chair of
the Scholarly Advisory Board for a total of 11 members. Terms of office shall be
staggered, 2-year terms. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Executive
Committee.

i. Governing Authority

The Executive Committee shall engage in policy-making, planning and fundraising
efforts, and shall oversee the work of the Executive Director. The Committee will
convene sub-committees who report to the Executive Director, and will select the
members of the Advisory Board.

ii. Officers

The officers of the Executive Committee shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary.
Officers will be elected by the members of the Committee.

iii. Officer Roles and Responsibilities

The Chair of the Executive Committee shall:

1. Preside over general membership meetings;
2. Develop the general membership meeting agenda;
3. Serve as ex-officio member of the Advisory Board.

The Vice-Chair shall serve as Chair in the absence of the Committee Chair. Other
duties include:

1. Serve as liaison to the Advisory Board;
2. Assist the Committee Chair by representing the Committee at meetings
upon request.
3. Move into the Chair position for 2 years after serving as Vice-Chair for 2
years.

The Secretary shall:

1. Record and distribute minutes of the Membership, Advisory Board and
Executive Committee;
2. Handle correspondence as required;
3. Maintain membership roster.

iv. Elections and Terms of Office

1. Election to the Executive Committee shall be by secret ballot during the
General Membership Meeting.
2. Representatives from active institutional members will be eligible for
election to the Executive Committee.

v. Vacancies

A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification or
otherwise, shall be filled by the institutional alternate. A new institutional representative
shall be appointed by the institution.

vi. Removal

Any institutional representative may be removed for cause from the Executive
Committee at any time by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting Executive
committee members then in office.

b. Advisory Board

The Advisory Board shall consist of seven members appointed by the Executive
Committee. The members of the Board will be skilled in relevant academic disciplines,
in curriculum development, and/or in technical issues. The Board will provide guidance
to the Executive Committee and the Executive Director by reviewing proposals for
collections, nominating collections for inclusion, reviewing standards developed by sub-
committees and assisting with future funding sources. Professional expertise of
members of the Board will reflect the current issues being addressed by the
organization. Terms of office shall be staggered, 2-year terms, with the exception of the
first term, at the end of which three or four members of the Advisory Board will be
invited to remain on the Board for a third year. Members may be re-elected.

c. Executive Director

The Executive Director shall be hired by the host institution with counsel from the
Executive Committee, to develop and coordinate activities of the Digital Library of the
Caribbean as directed by the Committee. The Executive Director shall have managerial,
fiscal, and library experience and be located at a host institution that is a member of the
organization. The responsibilities of the position are to:

1. Coordinate activities of project managers located at participating institutions;
2. Liaise with legal counsel to clarify and resolve issues of jurisprudence;
3. serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee and the Advisory
Board; (ex-officio members are non-voting members)
4. Promote activities of dLOC ;
5. Report to the Executive Committee and to the membership on the affairs of the
organization;
6. Seek sustainability through active grant writing and fundraising efforts;
7. Maintain the active records of the organization
8. Approves the work of the subcommittees and acts on the recommendations
9. Be located at a host institution that is a member of the organization.

VII. STANDING COMMITTEES

Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Committee from among the
membership. All recommendations and minutes of Sub-Committees and ad hoc
Committee meetings shall be forwarded to the Executive Director for approval and
action. To carry out its work, the Digital Library of the Caribbean may have additional
task forces which will be charged with specific responsibilities or tasks. These may be
suggested by the membership of the organization as a whole, by the Executive Director,
or by the Advisory Board.

a. Technical Standards and Training Committee
The Technical Standards and Training Committee shall establish standards for
digitization that include cataloging, metadata and markup, and deployment
issues.
b. Teaching and Outreach Committee
The Curriculum and Development Committee shall plan and consider future
priorities and initiatives of the organization.
c. Development Committee
Development Committee shall plan and consider future fiscal priorities and
initiatives of the organization and implement fundraising initiatives.

VIII. BYLAWS, GOVERNANCE, AND LEGAL COUNSEL

a. Bylaws

1. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Committee, the
Executive Director, or by the membership. Proposals shall be submitted to the
Executive Director and reviewed by the Executive Committee. All proposals
submitted shall be presented to the membership and may contain Executive
Committee or Executive Director recommendations.
2. Amendments will be considered at the annual membership meeting. Notice
containing the text of any proposed amendment shall be sent to the membership
at least 30 days before the meeting at which it is to be discussed.
3. These bylaws may be amended by a simple majority of voting members.

b. Parliamentary Procedure

All matters of procedure at any meeting of the Committees, or the membership shall be
governed by Robert's Rules of Order (latest edition). These rules of order may be
suspended by a vote of two-thirds of the voting representatives present.

c. Legal Counsel

Legal counsel shall be made available to dLOC by the institutions represented on the
Executive Committee on a voluntary basis.

IX. FINANCES AND RECORDS

a. Dues and Fees

Each member shall be assessed annual membership dues according to a fee-structure
and schedule determined by the Executive Committee. Implementation of dues and
fees will be determined by an amendment to the by-laws.

b. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year will begin 1 October each year and end 30 September of the following
calendar year.

c. Finances

dLOC shall operate with money received from a variety of funding sources to include
grants, membership dues, contributions from member institutions and donations to
maintain the organization.

d. Registration Fees

The Executive Committee will have the right to establish fees to cover the cost of annual
meetings.

e. Records

All active records of the general membership meetings, the Executive Committee and
the Advisory Board, shall be maintained at the office of the Executive Director.

f. Disposition of Assets

In the event that the dLOC is dissolved, any remaining funds in the Treasury shall be
disbursed to the Institution of the Executive Director for the sole purpose of preserving
and maintaining the organization's records. In the event that the dLOC is dissolved, the
University of Florida shall continue to serve in its role as the technical partner as the
contact for the Florida Digital Archive for continued stewardship of dLOC's digital
assets.

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GOVERNANCE

Information below is not part of the bylaws, but rather the governance section of the website.

dLOC's governance structure allows project partners to retain their individual identities
while contributing to a greater digital library initiative. With official policies described in
the dLOC Bylaws, dLOC is governed by an Executive Committee which oversees all
project activities, a Scholarly Advisory Board which provides guidance to the Executive
Committee, and Training and Technology Specialists, all working toward dLOC's
continued success and sustainability.

Executive Committee

Representatives from each partner institution vote to elect nine of the eleven members
of the Executive Committee consisting of representatives from the partner institutions.
The final two Executive Committee members are: 1) one institutional representative
from one of the host institutions (2004-2013: FlU is the Administrative Host Institution
and UF is the Technical Host Institution); and, 2) the Chair of the Scholarly Advisory
Board. The Chair of the Scholarly Advisory Board and the Host Institutional
Representative are voting members of the Executive Committee, but they are not
eligible for Chair/Office of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee democratically votes on key decisions affecting the future of
dLOC, and convenes once a year in proximity of the Association of Caribbean
University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) conference.

Chair: Jean Wilfrid Bertrand, Director, Archives Nationales d'Hafti (ANH)
Vice-Chair: TBD
Secretary: TBD
Host Institution: Laurie Probst, Dean of Libraries, Florida International
University (FIU)
Scholarly Advisory Board Chair: Dr. Cristina Eguizabal, Director of the Latin
American & Caribbean Center, Florida International University (FIU)
Member: Margo Groenewoud, Director, University of the Netherlands Antilles
Library
Member: Maureen Newton, Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Member: Dulce Maria Nutez de Taveras, Library Director, Pontificia Universidad
Madre y Maestra
Member: Astrid Britten, Director, Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
Member: Barry Baker, Director of Libraries, University of Central Florida (UCF)
Member: Dr. Mark Greenberg, Director of Special & Digital Collections,
University of South Florida (USF)
Member: Joy Ysaguirre, Chief Librarian, Belize National Library Service and
Information System (BNLSIS)
Past-Chair (non-voting): Judith Rogers, Manager, Learning Resources and
Faculty Technology Services, University of the Virgin Islands (UVI)

Scholarly Advisory Board

The Scholarly Advisory Board, made up of academics and professionals in the fields of
Caribbean Studies and Digital Libraries, provides guidance on collection development,
collection accessibility, and technical issues. The Scholarly Advisory Board consists of
seven members appointed by the Executive Committee, and convenes once a year in
proximity of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) conference. The Scholarly
Advisory Board provides guidance to the Executive Committee and the Project
Coordinator by reviewing proposals for collections, by nominating collections for
inclusion, and by reviewing standards developed by sub-committees.

Chair: Dr. Cristina Eguizabal, Director, Latin American and Caribbean Center;
Professor, Political Science; Principal Investigator, CNDL (dLOC PI, 2005-2009),
Florida International University
Co-Chair: Dr. Phillip Williams, Professor, Director and Professor, Center for Latin
American Studies; co-PI, CNDL, University of Florida
Dr. Alejandra Bronfman, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of
British Columbia Vancouver, Canada
Dr. Eric Duke, Assistant Professor, Department of Africana Studies, University of
South Florida
Lloyd Gardner, Manager, Environmental Support Services; Environmental
Specialist, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Adolfo Gonzalez Henriquez, Sociologist; Scientific Advisor, Biblioteca Digital del
Caribe Hector Rojas Herazo, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia
Dr. Jo Ann Harris, Professor, Literature, Communication & Culture, Georgia,
Institute of Technology
Dr. Leah Rosenberg, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of
Florida
Dr. Chantalle Verna, Assistant Professor, Depts. of History and International
Relations, Florida International University
Ex-Officio Member: dLOC Executive Director (Brooke Wooldridge, Florida
International University)
Ex-Officio Member: dLOC Technical Director (Laurie Taylor, University of Florida)

Training & Technical Specialists

Project Directors: Brooke Wooldridge and Gayle Williams, Florida International
University
Project Co-Director: Judith Rogers, University of the Virgin Islands
Technical Director: Dr. Laurie Taylor, University of Florida
Programmer: Mark Sullivan, University of Florida
Metadata Control Director: Laila Miletic-Vejzovic, University of Central Florida
Training Specialist: Lourdes Santamaria-Wheeler, University of Florida
Educational Outreach: Liesl Picard, Florida International University

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