Section IX: Sections
Guidelines
for SAA Sections
Descriptions of SAA Sections
Frequently Asked Questions
Guidelines
for SAA Sections
I. MISSION STATEMENT
A. Serve as Advocate for Interest Around Which the Section Is Formed
Sections focus attention on and give voice to the concerns that form the Section’s particular areas of interest. Sections focus expertise and interest in the professional functions and responsibilities to carry out the archival profession’s mission to identify, administer, and promote the use of records of enduring value.
B. Encourage and Provide Communication
Sections provide a forum for members to discuss matters of interest within the Society. They also provide channels of communication from the Section to the membership of the Society and to the Council on matters of concern to the Section.
C. Perform Work
Sections are responsible for advancing the work of the profession within their field of practice. They provide mechanisms for members to initiate activities of common interest and also review material referred to them by the Council for comment or action.
Sections can formulate specific projects, for which task forces would be created to execute the projects. Sections give an institutionalized opportunity for members to focus on a longer term basis and in a national forum on specific matters of practical interest.
D. Integrate New Members
Sections provide a vital mechanism for new members to become active in the work of the Society and to meet members with common interests. Sections provide new members with a chance to participate and to contribute to the work of the group and the Society.
1. Membership in Sections requires the individual to be a member of the Society.
2. Society members are limited to two Section memberships and must formally sign up with the Society’s Executive Office for Section membership.
3. The SAA Executive Office maintains lists of Section members.
E. Develop Leadership
The Sections, as well as their various subgroups (if any), offer opportunities to their members to take leadership in working with and for their colleagues. Through the years a considerable number of the elected and appointed positions within SAA have been filled by persons who began their leadership role within Sections.
II. STATEMENT OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Each Section shall adopt and maintain a statement of goals and objectives indicating the general concerns and intended areas of work of the Section. Section goals should be clearly articulated with reference to implementation strategies and activities. Sections should be specific about their objectives and activities and periodically examine their mission and goal statements for currency. The statement of goals and objectives may be changed as the Section sees fit; information on any changes should be included in the annual report submitted to the Council. Sections should make explicit reference to their annual goals in their annual reports.
As governing units of the Society, Sections are expected to contribute to the professional discourse and advance the Society’s priorities as identified by the Council. Sections have an obligation to respond to requests or tasks assigned to them by the Council.
III. AREAS OF ACTIVITY
Recognizing their responsibility to professional development, and to advance the work of the profession in their field of practice, Sections are charged to be active in four areas:
- They identify and consider issues in which a significant number of members have an interest. Members may investigate different facets of the issues, then report and discuss their findings during Section meetings and through Section communications.
- They recommend to the Council through memoranda or formal papers an action or a position the Section believes appropriate for SAA. The Council remains the policy-setting body for SAA, and only it can promulgate a formal position for SAA or any of its constituent bodies.
- They suggest program sessions for the SAA Annual Meeting and, with the advice of the Executive Director, plan Section functions for the SAA Annual Meeting (eg, the Finding Aids Fair of the Description Section). Representatives of the Program Committee will visit Section meetings to present their early plans for the next meeting; to explain the program-building process, the pre-conference workshop possibilities, and the Section endorsement process; and to advise Sections on how to submit well-crafted program proposals in collaboration with other SAA units.
- They communicate their activities to the Society at large by publishing information about their work on their websites and on SAA’s main website.
IV. RECOGNITION AND STANDING
A. The Council will establish SAA Sections for groups organized to advance professional practice within broad areas of common archival interest and affiliation, such as institutional settings, archival functional categories, record formats, or programmatic activities. The Council will consider the merits of each application in light of existing SAA groups and the accompanying statement of intent and goals.
B. New applications for recognition as a Section will be submitted no later than January 1 for Council action before the next Annual Meeting.
C. Application by petition will include signatures of at least 300 members of SAA, a publishable statement of purpose and goals of the Section, and a statement about why a separate Section would be advantageous to the Society.
D. Sections that do not maintain an official membership level of at least 300 members for two consecutive years may be dissolved after due notice and an opportunity for Section officers to appeal. The Council will offer to designate such groups as Roundtables without re-application.
E. Should a Section decide that the more informal status of Roundtable would better suit its ends, it may petition the Council for a change in status.
V. SUBGROUPS OF SECTIONS
A. Where possible and appropriate Sections should divide themselves into committees so that members will have the maximum opportunity to participate in meaningful work and so that each Section may work in more than one area at once. Forming into committees may be done at the discretion of the Section. Section committees have been formed to propose Annual Meeting sessions, to plan Section meetings, to study particular archival concerns, to gather data on recent literature distribution to Section members, to follow legislative and national policy issues relating to the interests of the Section, and to coordinate work with other Sections whose fields of interest overlap. These committees may be established to perform specific tasks or on a long-term basis to deal with ongoing concerns.
B. The term “task force” is recognized specifically within the SAA structure as a group constituted by the Council with a clear mission to accomplish a definite goal within a specified time. Usually task forces require a budget, which can be granted only by the Council. The Council will make every effort, when a Section suggests an activity requiring a task force, to constitute that task force from the members of that Section so that the Section thrives on the energy it generates.
VI. MEMBERSHIP, MEETINGS, AND OTHER PRIVILEGES
A. SAA members are eligible for membership in any two Sections. The SAA office maintains the official list of Section members.
B
. Each Section is guaranteed space and support at the SAA Annual Meeting for a two-hour annual membership meeting. A portion of this time may be used for meetings of constituent groups, as deemed appropriate by the Section. Sections will be supplied with basic equipment to support their membership meetings.
C. Sections will receive priority support from the Society’s budget for special projects approved by the Council. Sections will also receive electronic communication support in the form of website hosting and electronic lists.
D. Sections may communicate to the Council through liaisons.
VII. ANNUAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
A. Leadership Report: The chair of each Section will convey to the executive director or designee an electronic list of the names of Section officers and steering committee members within 14 days of the close of the Annual Meeting. The chair will include in that list all individuals who should be subscribed to the SAA leader announcement list (“saaleaderlist”).
B
. Section Annual Report: Each Section, like all SAA groups, is required to present an annual report for review by the Council. Section annual reports must be filed with the SAA executive director within 90 days of the close of the annual meeting. (Download the report form.) The annual report should be a brief summary that includes the following:
- An accurate list of Section leaders and contact information,
- A verified count of Annual Meeting attendees,
- A summary of work accomplished,
- Goals and plans for the coming year, and
- Other pertinent information on Section activities.
C. Section annual reports will be posted on the SAA’s main website.
D. The Section may be placed on probationary status or lose Section privileges if it fails to complete and file an annual report within six months of an Annual Meeting. Failure to file an annual report within one year of the close of the Annual Meeting will result in a notice from the president of the Section’s dissolution. Sections receiving such notice may file an appeal with the Council.
VIII. GOVERNANCE
A. Internal Leadership
Sections are required to have a minimum of two officer positions and two steering committee members. Sections may create additional positions or extend terms of service in order to effectively achieve continuity while ensuring recruitment and development of new leaders.
1. Every Section will have a chair, a vice-chair/chair-elect, and a minimum of two steering committee members. The officers and steering committee members of every Section must be chosen by election.
2. Section officers and steering committee members must be SAA members in good standing.
3. Sections may elect or appoint additional officers and members to the steering committee. Sections are encouraged to retain continuity and recruit leadership by designating other positions of responsibility (eg, web coordinators, committee chairs, etc), to carry out the program and work of the Section.
4. The chair and vice-chair/chair-elect serve consecutively. The vice-chair/chair-elect succeeds the chair at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting that coincides with the term of office. All officers and committee members begin their terms at the close of the SAA Annual Meeting.
5. The term of office and the number of consecutive terms that a person may serve in one Section office or on the steering committee will be set in the Section’s bylaws.
6. Section bylaws are subject to review and comment by the Council.
7. Sections are encouraged to create special or standing subcommittees in order to execute the goals of the Section, develop leaders, and recruit members into the of the Society.
B. Consultation
Sections are incubators for developing leaders who go on to take leadership positions within SAA at other levels of responsibility. Leadership development is a more productive process in an organizational environment that nurtures consultation and participation.
1. Section leaders are to be appropriately consulted in the decision-making and deliberative processes of the Society. Whenever possible, Section leaders should be included in appointments to committees and task forces, when such appointments are appropriate to inform the subject or achieve a diversity of opinion.
2. The president or designee will report at the annual Leadership Forum and to the SAA membership on steps taken to achieve the goal of leadership consultation at the annual leadership forum.
3. Section leaders may submit their concerns and requests to the Council through designated Council liaisons, who are eligible to address Section annual membership meetings, attend the Section’s leadership meetings, and participate in all Section electronic discussion groups.
C. Professional Leadership
Section officers will be asked to acknowledge annually that they understand and will comply with the responsibilities of their position.
1. The president or designee will contact Section chairs and vice-chairs/chairs-elect annually by e-mail to request that they read those Sections of the SAA Council Handbook and Section handbooks that relate to Sections and particularly to their duties and responsibilities. The annual notice will include a reminder to leaders of their responsibilities to create a welcoming, professional environment. The annual notice should include reference to guidelines on:
- Timely and regular communication with Section members, Council liaisons, and the SAA office;
- Compliance with reporting requirements;
- Review and update of SAA’s main website;
- Notification of inability to perform duties of office to which elected;
- Broad participation of the Section membership and recruitment of new leaders;
- Understanding of and support for the Society’s objectives and policies; and
- Attendance at the annual Leadership Forum meetings.
2. Section officers will be required to acknowledge by e-mail reply that they have read and understood these policies and guidelines and that they will comply with the expectations of their office.
IX. ANNUAL LEADERSHIP FORUM
The SAA Annual Meeting will include in its schedule a block of time for a Leadership Forum of Section officers, committee chairs, Council members, and those Roundtable conveners who request to attend. The purpose of the forum is to exchange information on issues that have impact on the wider profession and to discuss strategic responses to these concerns.
A. Section chairs and chairs-elect or their representatives are expected to attend the forum. If unable to attend, a Section chair or chair-elect may designate another member of the Section leadership to attend in his or her place. Failure to send representatives to the Leadership Forum may result in loss of Section meeting privileges.
B. SAA officers, the executive director, and Council members will attend the forum.
C. The agenda of the annual forum will be decided by the Council in consultation with Section and committee chairs.
D
. The president or designee will report on the involvement of Section leaders in the activities and appointments of the Council in the past year, and remind leaders of their ongoing responsibilities and any duties assigned by Council.
E. The format of the forum may vary, but a substantial amount of the block of time will be allocated for dialogue in which leaders may describe new initiatives, seek collaborations with others, and exchange views on the direction and performance of the Society’s program and work.
F. The results of the annual Leadership Forum will be circulated for review and comment by Section leaders, and subsequently reported to the general membership on the SAA’s website.
X. COMMUNICATIONS
A. Electronic Lists
1. All official electronic lists of SAA Sections will be centrally hosted and managed by the SAA office.
2. All Sections will be supported with separate electronic discussion and e-mail lists for members and for Section leaders. An annual report on the number of subscribers will be provided by the SAA office.
3. Section electronic list subscriptions will be limited to SAA members only. SAA members who are not members of a particular Section may subscribe annually to that Section’s electronic lists with the permission of the Section chair.
4. All Section chairs and designee(s) will have access to a Section announcement list for their members. These will be hosted and maintained by the SAA office staff.
5. All Section officers and steering committee members will be subscribed automatically to the SAA leader announcement list (“saaleaderlist”). The chair will forward appropriate leader list announcements to Section members.
6. Electronic lists maintained by Sections remotely will not be considered a replacement for official SAA communication services.
B. Section Websites and the SAA Website
1. Sections may create their own websites provided that they follow all SAA policies, register these publications with the SAA office, use the uniform SAA logo, and establish links to the SAA website. Section leaders are encouraged, however, to work with SAA staff to develop websites hosted by SAA servers for purposes of continuity and retention of official SAA records.
2. Upon request, the SAA office will host a Section’s website, the content and design of which will be the responsibility of the Section’s steering committee and website coordinator. SAA staff will assist Sections in developing standard websites and templates hosted by SAA servers.
3. Sections will make available on the main SAA website, as well as the Section website, key leadership information identified as the “Section Handbook.” The Section Handbook, which will be posted by the SAA office, is reviewed annually by the Section steering committee and used to orient officers and steering committee members. The Section Handbook should contain, at a minimum, up-to-date versions of the following:
- A statement of purpose and current goals,
- The Section bylaws,
- Specific duties of the officers, including their reporting requirements, and
- Information on officers and activities from the Section’s annual reports.
4. Announcements of employment opportunities shall appear only in SAA’s Archival Outlook and the online Employment Bulletin, and not in any other SAA Section website or other communication. In this way the Society is able to fulfill its legal and fiscal responsibilities to 1) review and, if necessary, edit or refuse announcements that include discriminatory statements inconsistent with principles of intellectual freedom or the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its subsequent amendments; and 2) provide the services contracted for by the institutions and organizations that place ads and announcements in SAA publications.
5. Any mailings or electronic communications from Section leaders to their members will also be distributed to the Council and the Executive Office.
6. The SAA office will contact Section chairs, in time for publication in the Annual Meeting program book, to request information on plans for the Section meeting at the Annual Meeting.
XII. FUNDING FOR SECTION ACTIVITIES
A. Sections will receive priority support from the Society’s budget for special projects approved by the Council.
B. SAA’s fiscal year extends from July 1 to June 30. Budget requests from Sections will be submitted as part of the annual report due to the Council within 90 days of the close of the Annual Meeting.
C. Funds allocated to a Section during one fiscal year are not automatically carried over to the next fiscal year. If an allocation needs to be deferred to the next year, the Section must formally request the carryover in its annual report.
D. A Section must receive authorization from the Council to spend any monies or commit any monies to be spent. Although exceptions can be made, the Council expects to appropriate monies for Section activities through the regular budget process.
E. If a Section wishes to seek resources (in cash or in kind) from any source outside of SAA, Executive Committee approval must be obtained in every instance before approaching the source. Proposals should be routed through the executive director with sufficient time for consideration by the Executive Committee, which will respond within 30 days.
XIII. USE OF SAA NAME, LOGO, AND AUSPICES
The use of SAA’s name, logo, and auspices for publications, meetings, mailings, websites, electronic communications, and other activity is available only through specific provision of the Council. Although sections are within the SAA structure, they are not empowered to take action in the name of SAA, or request money in the name of SAA or the Section itself without specific prior authorization from the Council. This firm rule is required to protect SAA and its members from potential legal complications.
Approved by the SAA Council: September 1989
Revised: January 1991, February 1992, January 1993, March 2007
Descriptions
of SAA Sections
Acquisitions
and Appraisal — The Section serves as a forum for the discussion of issues and interests pertaining to the acquisition and appraisal of public records, private papers, and other archival or manuscript collections.
Archivists
of Religious Collections — Archivists of Religious Collections Section is a network of professional archivists who work for national, international, and local Church organizations, religious societies and orders, and theological schools. The Section's members are engaged in documenting the many sides of the private and public experience of faith as it is lived out through the institutional church, religious movements, and individual experience.
Business
Archives — Archivists who administer non-current records of corporations and businesses from an historical and archival standpoint. This section
also produces a Directory
of Business Archivists.
College
and University Archives — Archivists concerned with the
administration, organization, and care of records of institutions of higher
education. Guidelines
for College and University Archives are also available here.
Description — Persons
involved in the development of appropriate means to organize and
describe manuscripts and archives.
Electronic
Records — The Electronic Records Section (ERS) functions as a locus of expertise, leadership, and information sharing for SAA regarding management and preservation of records in electronic form.
Government
Records — Archivists concerned with the administration, organization,
and care of records of government.
Manuscript
Repositories — The Section serves as a forum for the discussion of issues and interests pertaining to the acquisition and administration of manuscripts created outside the collecting institution.
Museum
Archives — Persons responsible for the organization and care
of records relating to archives located in museums. (The Museum Archives Section newsletter is available online at the Canadian
Heritage Information Network Web site. Click on "Newsletters," then
scroll down alphabetical listing to find Museum Archivist.)
Oral
History — Persons interested in the administration and use of oral history interviews in the archival setting. Includes those who conduct oral history interviews and those who teach oral history methodology.
Preservation — Persons with a special interest in the problems presented by the deterioration, preservation, and restoration of archival materials in all formats.
Reference,
Access, and Outreach — Archivists who work with the users of archives, particularly those with reference responsibilities and those who integrate archival and manuscript materials into exhibits and other public programs.
Visual
Materials —Archivists who administer (collect, arrange, preserve, describe, and interpret) still photographs, moving images, art, and graphic materials.
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