Marx Memorial Library

and Workers’ School

Rules and Constitution As amended by the 2013 Annual General Meeting

Post: MML, 37a Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0DU

Phone: +44 (0)207 253 1485

Web: www.marxlibrary.org

Facebook: marxlibraryandschool

Twitter: @MMLWorkersSch

E-mail: 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

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.

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 Vice-

Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and of the

Association. In their absence the meeting shall appoint a Chairman

for that meeting.

(e) 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.

(f) The Committee shall meet monthly shall determine its own

procedure. A quorum shall consist of one-third of the members of

the Committee.

(g) The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees and delegate such

powers to Sub-Committees as it may from time to time deem

expedient.

(h) 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.