MML Rulebook

Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School

Rules and Constitution

As amended by the 2013 Annual General Meeting

The Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School was founded in 1933 to mark the 50th anniversary of Marx’s death. It is housed in the building used from the 1890s by the Social Democratic Federation, where Eleanor Marx lectured and where in 1901-02 Lenin edited Iskra.

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MML, 37a Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0DU +44 (0)207 253 1485 www.marxlibrary.org marxlibraryandschool @MMLWorkersSch admin@marx-memorial-library.org.uk membership@marx-memorial-library.org.uk

37a Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0DU, GB Open to the public Monday-Thursday 12noon-4pm. Closed on bank holidays.

Registered Charity Number: 270309

1. Name The name of the Association shall be the Marx Memorial Library.

2. Objects (a) The sole and exclusive object of the association shall be the advancement of education, learning and knowledge by the provision, acquisition and maintenance of a library of books, periodicals and manuscripts relating to all aspects of the science of Marxism and of the history of Socialism and the working-class movement for all persons desiring to make bona fide use thereof for the said object, subject only to the payment of such sums by way of subscriptions, fees and other charges as are necessary to defray the expenses of the provision and maintenance thereof. (b) In furtherance of the sole and exclusive object the Library: (i) May print and publish reports, catalogues, list, bibliographies or other books, pamphlets or periodicals to promote the use of the Library solely for education, learning and knowledge as aforesaid: (ii) May make personal or written appeals and arrange public meetings, conferences or otherwise to promote the sole and exclusive object for the Library as aforesaid and for the purpose of promoting contributions to the funds of the Library, whether as donations, annual fees, bequests or otherwise.

3. Membership (a) Applicants for membership shall, on a form provided by the Committee for the purpose, sign a declaration whereby they undertake to be bound by the Rules and By-laws of the Library for the time being in force, and to pay such annual subscriptions and other fees and charges as shall be specified in the Rules or determined by the Committee under the Rules. (b) On the receipt from any person of the declaration referred to in clause (i) of this Rule and of such further information as the Committee may either generally or in particular case require, the Committee shall, if satisfied that the person desires to make bona fide use of the Library for the advancement of education, learning and knowledge, admit him or her to membership, and shall so inform him or her. (c) The Committee in its discretion may admit as an Affiliated member

any Association, Organisation, Institution or any branch thereof which is in sympathy with the objects of the Association and accepts the Rules.

4. Subscriptions (a) Members shall pay a minimum annual subscription of £20. Members of pensionable age, the unwaged and full time students may pay a minimum subscription of £10. Overseas members shall pay a minimum annual subscription of £25. Affiliated commercial organisations shall pay an annual subscription of no less than £100.

National Trade Unions and other similar national bodies shall pay an annual subscription of £500. Regional organisations shall pay an annual subscription of no less than £250. Trade Union Branches shall pay an annual subscription of no less than £50. Colleges shall pay an annual subscription of no less than £50. The General committee has discretion for certain national Trade Unions and similar national bodies to pay less than the minimum subscription if their financial position warrants such consideration. Honorary members shall pay no contribution. (b) Membership shall commence on the 1st May. The subscription to the Library shall be renewable thereafter, annually upon this date. (c) Any member failing to pay a subscription within three months after the same shall become due may be removed from the list of members by the Committee with notice.

5. Rights and Duties of members (a) Each member shall receive a copy of the Rules (b) Members and Honorary members shall be entitled to participate in all the activities of the Association, and to enjoy all the privileges afforded by the Association, and to attend and vote at all meetings of the Association, and to hold any office. (c) Honorary membership may only be conferred by resolution of an Annual General Meeting of the Association upon persons who have rendered outstanding service to the Association. (d) Each Affiliated member shall be entitled to appoint a representative to attend and vote at all General Meetings of the Association.

Affiliated members shall be entitled to such privileges and upon such terms as the Committee may from time to time determine.

(e) All members shall observe such Bye-Laws and Regulations as the Committee may from time to time determine. (f) The Committee may at any time remove from office any member, whether individual or Affiliated, if in the opinion of the Committee it is in the interest of the Association so to do, provided that notice of the proposal has first been sent to the last recorded address of the member, and the member has been given an opportunity to be heard by the Committee. There shall be a right of appeal to the next General Meeting provided notice of desire to appeal has been given within one month of the decision, but this decision shall be operative pending the hearing of the appeal. (g) The Committee shall have power to determine the membership of any person or any affiliated member making use of the Library otherwise than for the purpose of the advancement of learning, education or knowledge or persisting in any wilful breach of the Rules or By-Laws; provided that the member, by due notice, to his or her last recorded address (or in the case of an affiliated member to the last recorded address of the secretary of that affiliated member) has been given an opportunity to be heard by Committee. An appeal shall lie to the next General Meeting from any decision of the Committee under this Rule, provided that notice of appeal has been given within one month of the decision. In the meantime the rights and privileges of the person or affiliated body shall be suspended.

6. Management (a) The Management of the Association shall be vested in General Meetings (Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings) of the Association and between General Meetings, in the Committee. (b) The AGM shall be held in April. A Special General Meeting shall be held when the Committee considers it expedient or fifty members or two-thirds of the members (whichever shall be the small number) so request in writing. At least one month’s previous notice of each General Meeting shall be send to each member, specifying the business to be transacted. No business other than that specified in the notice shall be transacted at a Special General Meeting. (c) Each individual membershall have on vote. The representative of each Affiliated member shall have one vote. In the event of a tie the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. Except

when otherwise provided by these Rules all decisions shall be made by a simple majority of those present and voting. A member whose subscription is unpaid shall not be entitled to vote. (d) The AGM shall elect the President of the Association for a term of three years and may elect vice-presidents for a similar term. The total number of vice-presidents at any given time shall not exceed three, whose qualifications shall be at least five continuous years of the Association’s membership at the time of nomination. The President and Vice-President shall be entitled to attend meetings in an advisory capacity but without a vote.

7. The Committee (a) The Committee shall consist of fifteen elected members, and the Librarian and Secretary. In the event of more person s being nominated than there are vacancies to fill among the elected members at any AGM the vacancies shall be filled by a ballot of the members present and voting at the AGM from such nominations which shall be made not less than four weeks prior to the AGM. If at any time the members nominated to fill the vacancies be less than the vacancies to be filled or any member shall resign or die or be removed from the office the remaining members of the Committee may act in all respects notwithstanding the vacancies so caused. (b) At each AGM one-third or the nearest number below one-third of the Committee shall retire from office. The members to retire shall be those who have been added to the Committee to fill casual vacancies since the previous election and those others (up to the number aforesaid) who have been longest in office since their last election, and as between those of equal length of service the member or members to retire shall be settled by method to be decided by the Committee. A retiring member of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election. (c) The Committee may co-opt any members to fill any causal vacancy occurring by the death, resignation or removal of any Committee member between AGMs. (d) The Committee shall each year at its first meeting after the AGM elect form among its members a Chairman,Vice-Chairman and Honorary Treasurer. The Chairman or in his or her absence the ViceChairman shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and of the

(e)

(f) (g) (h)

Association. In their absence the meeting shall appoint a Chairman for that meeting.

The Committee may appoint a Librarian, Secretary and other staff, who shall hold office at the discretion of the Committee and shall receive remuneration as the Committee may from time to time determine. The Librarian and Secretary shall be the principle executive officers of the Association and shall act under the direction and be responsible to the Committee.

The Committee shall meet monthly shall determine its own procedure. A quorum shall consist of one-third of the members of the Committee.

The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees and delegate such powers to Sub-Committees as it may from time to time deem expedient.

The Committee may remove from membership of the Committee any member who without adequate explanation is absent from three consecutive meetings of the Committee. Rule 5 (vii) shall not apply to removal under this Rule.

8. By-Laws The Committee may from time to time make, later and revoke By-Laws and Regulations, consistently with these Rules, for the regulation of the internal affairs of the Association and in particular for the use of the Library, Reference Room and Reading Room, and for the conduct of the members. All By-Laws shall, until revoked by the Committee or set aside by resolutions of a General Meeting, be binding on the members.

9. Accounts The Committee shall lay before each AGM duly audited accounts for the year ending on the preceding 31st December. The Auditors shall be appointed by the AGM. 10. Fund Managers (a) There shall be not less than two nor more than four Fund Managers who shall be appointed by the Committee. (b) There shall be vested in the Fund Managers all such property as the committee shall from time to time direct by resolution (of which an entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence) which shall

be death with as the Committee shall from time to time direct. The Fund Managers shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of such property. (c) The Fund Managers shall hold office for an annual term commensurate with the term of office of the General Committee. A Fund Manager may be removed from office by resolution of the Committee, who may for any reason which may seem sufficient to a two thirds majority of those present and voting at any meeting remove any Fund Manager or Fund Managers from the office of Fund managers. (d) If by reason of any such death, resignation or removal, or if at any time there be less than four Fund Managers, and it shall appear necessary to the Committee that a new or additional Fund Manager or Fund Managersshall be appointed the Committee shall by resolution nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Fund manager or Fund managers. (e) This in accordance with the replacement of the Trustee Act 1925 with the Charities Act 1993, 2006 and 2011.

11. Alteration of Rules No alteration to these Rules shall be made except by a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Association provided that no alteration shall be made to these Rules which would cause the Association to cease to be eligible for registration as a charity under Section 4 of the Charities Act 1960 or any statutory modifications or re-enactment hereof for the time being in force or would otherwise howsoever directly or indirectly cause the Association to cease to be a charity. The notice of the meeting shall set out the proposed alteration. Proposed alterations shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary by March 1st preceding the AGM or with the requisition for a Special General Meeting.

12. Interpretation of Rules The Committee may determine any matter on which these Rules are silent, and the decision of the Committee shall be final.