The Society of American Archivists
SAA Logo

Log in / Log out

Join SAA

Contact us


Society of
American Archivists

17 North State Street
Suite 1425
Chicago, IL 60602-3315
tel 312/606-0722
fax 312/606-0728
toll-free 866/722-7858

 

Announcements:


Co-sponsor a Program at Your Institution!


Section XI: Official Representatives & Coalitions

 

A. Guidelines

The SAA President or Council appoints representatives to a number of important committees and bodies outside of the Society. A complete list, with terms of appointment, is attached.

Representatives are expected:

to attend all meetings of the committee/body or to inform the appropriate Council Committee if unable to do so. In that case, the representative may wish to recommend a substitute to represent SAA, if appropriate. The substitute appointment must be confirmed by the Council Committee in advance of the meeting.

to report promptly to the appropriate Council Committee after each meeting. Ordinarily such reports should be in writing, but an oral report may be made if circumstances warrant.

to complete an annual report. The appropriate forms will be provided by the SAA office.

From time to time issues may arise that will have a long-range impact on SAA policy or a significant portion of the profession, or which SAA will be asked to take a stand. In such cases, representatives will seek the advice of the SAA President and/or the Executive Director prior to any anticipated action on the issue. The President and/or Executive Director may in turn wish to bring such issues before the Executive Committee or the full Council for consideration and advice to the representatives.

 

Approved by Council: June 1988

 

B. The Role of Representatives

As part of the effort to serve its members, the archival profession, and users and creators of archival records, the Society of American Archivists maintains formal communications with a wide variety of groups engaged in archival, library, research, and other educational work.

Currently, official SAA representatives have been appointed to various organizations, agencies, and associations. Representatives are appointed to major funding and policy agencies such as the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History, a leading advocacy group. They also act as official representatives in relation with professional organizations such as the Organization of American Historians and the Association of Records Managers and Administrators, and to groups with a very specific agenda, such as the American Library Association's Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access. These formal ties play a critical role in enabling SAA to generate action, to determine policy and standards, to provide information and counsel on archival matters to kindred groups, and to keep abreast of developments in fields relevant to the archival community.

Some SAA representatives are significantly involved in policy decisions. Others play a lesser role in determining agendas that are primarily involved in presenting an archival perspective to the matters under consideration.

Representatives are selected for their expertise in the matters and organizations at hand. They are appointed for terms of varying length by the Vice President/President Elect usually in the months preceding the SAA annual meeting and assume their representative assignment at the close of the annual meeting. The SAA Executive Director serves as an ongoing and/or ex officio representative to several organizations.

The Council Committee on Task Forces and Representatives assigns one of its members as a liaison to each of the SAA's official representatives to keep Council and the representatives mutually informed of matters and issues under consideration during the time between Council meetings. Representatives also are advised when to keep in touch with specified SAA committees, sections, roundtables, task forces, and other representatives whose areas of interest parallel their own. Representatives submit an annual written report to Council and also consult with Council when needed before and after meetings of the organizations to which they represent SAA, particularly when the matters at hand involve major policy positions and decisions affecting the Society and the profession.

 

Approved by Council: June 1988
Revise: January 1991


See also: List of representatives and coalitions


Print this page


DC 2010 Banner

Registration Fees and Hotel Rates Now Available

Exhibit, Sponsor, and Advertise at ArchivesRecords/
DC 2010


Pubs Catalog 2009

Online Publications Catalog