Extraordinary Meeting of Council

Dear Colleague,

Please find below this letter, a Convening Notice for an Extraordinary Meeting of Council, which the Executive Board has decided to hold immediately after the closing ceremony of the IFLA General Conference to be held in August 2000. This meeting will be held only if the postal ballot currently being held on the proposed new Statutes of IFLA shows a majority in favour of the proposals, and only if the majority required to be present or represented under the current Statutes is not reached. Although I am, quite naturally, not in a position to predict the outcome of the ballot, I do not expect that we will get anywhere near the required two-thirds majority of the total voting membership. This is because past experience shows that less than one-third of the voting membership is usually represented at IFLA Conferences by voting delegates or proxy holders. That, of course, is one reason why the Working Group on the Revision of the Statutes recommended introducing postal ballots!

I would like to take this opportunity to urge all voting Members to ensure that their voting delegate has the necessary Voting Card and understands the procedure involved in obtaining the ballot papers in Jerusalem. The opening hours of the Voting Office is given in the Convening Notice.

Those voting Members who are not going to be directly represented at Jerusalem are urged to ensure that their vote is not lost, by taking advantage of the proxy system. This is also explained in the enclosed Convening Notice.

Because it is likely that the Special Council Meeting will take place, it is important that all voting Members represented at Jerusalem, either by voting delegates or by proxy holders, ensure that their representatives plan to attend the final session on Friday 18th August.

Postal Ballot

Division 8

The report will be presented by Marjorie Bloss at Council I on Sunday, 13th August. There will be two Open Hearings on the report during the conference. One will be held on Tuesday, 15 August from 14:00-15:00 and another on Wednesday, 16 August from 09:00-10:00. Others may be held if there is a demand.

At Council II on Friday, 18th August, Marjorie Bloss will report on the deliberations at the Open Hearings and indicate the next steps.

I hope that you find these documents helpful, and that I can look forward to seeing you, or your representatives, in Jerusalem.

Yours faithfully

Ross Shimmon
Secretary General

PS. Please note that there was an error in the earlier Convening Notice sent to you. The Council I meeting will, of course, take place on Sunday 13th August, not as stated in parts of the Notice. I apologise for any confusion this may have caused.

Convening Notice of an Extraordinary Meeting of IFLA Council

Ross Shimmon Secretary General June 2000

Agenda

1. Opening by the President, Christine Deschamps
2. Resolution proposed by the Executive Board That the Proposed Revised Statutes of IFLA, as set out in the document issued in April 2000 for a postal ballot of Voting Members, accompanied by the Convening Notice for the 66th IFLA Council and General Conference, be adopted.
3. Close of meeting (no other business will be conducted)

Notes

1. This Extraordinary Meeting of Council will be called under the provisions of Article 27.4 of the Statutes of IFLA. Only if:
   1. The result of the postal ballot on the proposed new Statutes of IFLA is a majority in favour of the new Statutes, and
   2. If the subsequent vote in Council on Sunday 13th August fails to record a two-third majority of the total voting membership in favour of the proposals.
2. Since recent experience suggests that it is not at all likely that two-thirds of the voting membership will be present or represented at the conference, it is very likely that this meeting will be required, if the postal ballot shows a majority in favour of the proposals.
3. At this special meeting, in accordance with Article 27.4, a two-third majority of the voting members present or represented will be required.
4. It is very important, therefore, that voting representatives of all voting Members and persons holding proxy votes plan to stay until after this meeting.
5. Voting on agenda item 5, the revision of IFLA's Statutes; and agenda item 6, resolutions from the Executive Board on the proposed changes to the Rules of Procedure, will take place on Sunday, 13 August. Voting Delegates must take a seat at the front part of the meeting room.
6. Voting Delegates can obtain the voting papers at the IFLA Voting Office in the registration area of JICC. The office will be open on Friday, 11 August, 14:00-18:00; Saturday, 12 August, 09:00-18:00; and Sunday, 13 August, 09:00-15:00. The office will reopen on Friday, 18 August from 09:00 - 15:00. Voting delegates are kindly requested to present themselves at their earliest convenience at the IFLA Voting Office. Voting Papers will only be handed out to delegates who are in possession of the IFLA Voting Card 2000, duly signed by the appropriate authority.
7. Representation at a Council Meeting The relevant articles of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure read:

   Stat. 10.2 Each Member may be represented at a meeting of the Council by one or more delegates, of which one person shall be designated to exercise the right to vote.

   Stat. 11.5 Each Member may be represented by another Member of the same category. No Member shall hold more than one proxy.

   R.P. 5.2.3 To obtain these papers representatives or proxies of qualified Members shall present themselves at the time and place publicly announced at the Secretariat with the membership certificate (IFLA Voting Card) of the Member concerned, which certificate (IFLA Voting Card) shall carry the name of the representative or proxy, and the signature of the competent authority of the member concerned.