(Asheville, NC) SIBA is pleased to announce that the revised Bylaws presented in early March have been reviewed by its membership and as of March 31, 2024 have been approved by a quorum of 25% of SIBA member bookstores. They will go into immediate effect.

View the revised Bylaws

Revisions of the organization's Bylaws were begun by the SIBA Board in 2020, partly to bring the organization into compliance with North Carolina law when it relocated its central office to Asheville, North Carolina, but largely in response to ongoing feedback from its membership. A growing consensus from SIBA bookstores at annual meetings and town halls indicated the organization needed to adapt to better represent and serve independent bookstores in the SIBA region in a rapidly evolving industry.  The last revisions to SIBA's Bylaws occurred in March 2010. 

The most significant change in the new Bylaws adopted by the SIBA Membership this month is an expanded definition of a "Core Member Bookstore," which now includes pop-up and online store models.

The previous definition was as follows: "Independent, privately-owned, commercially-zoned bookstores with a retail storefront and physical headquarters in the Company’s region are eligible for core membership."

The new updated definition is more inclusive of a broader range of business models and reads:

"Core membership is open to any independent, privately-owned legal entity actively engaged in the business of bookselling in our region (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA). The bookselling venue may be physical, online, recurring pop-ups or mobile but physical books (including e-books and audiobook versions) must represent more than 50% of overall revenue.” 

Core Members are voting members of the organization and must be represented by the bookstore’s owners, authorized representatives, or key staff. The Bylaws also allow for interpretation by the SIBA Board of Directors in the event of a dispute. 

The Bylaws allow for an expanded board, from five members to seven, to better represent the SIBA region at the board level. An additional Secretary-Treasurer Officer has also been created to comply with North Carolina law.

SIBA posted the Bylaws for member review on February 28, 2024. Voting opened on March 5 and closed on March 31st. Legally, under North Carolina State law, a quorum is considered to be 10% of the voting membership. SIBA reports that member engagement in the Bylaws review process and ballot was very high, with 32% of current SIBA members (representing 69 bookstores) voting and 89% of ballots cast in favor of the new Bylaws. 

In a letter to SIBA members, incoming Board President Julia Davis (The Book Worm Bookstore, Powder Springs, GA) noted that updating the Bylaws had been a major project of the board for several years,  "I am confident that 2024 is going to be filled with great and exciting things for SIBA members including more opportunities to gather together (whether virtually or in person). 

The SIBA Board invites comments and feedback regarding the Bylaws and is happy to answer any questions members may have.

For more information, visit sibaweb.com.