Council Minutes
January 10-11, 2003
Washington Hilton and Towers
Washington, DC
President Peter Hirtle called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Present:
Vice President Tim Ericson, Treasurer Elizabeth Adkins, and Council members
Thomas Battle, Danna Bell-Russel, Frank Boles, Tom Connors, Jackie Dooley,
Elaine Engst, David Haury, Megan Sniffin-Marinoff, and Joel Wurl. Also
present were SAA Interim Executive Co-Directors Carroll Dendler and Debra
Nolan.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Council adopted the agenda as amended.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Adkins moved and Ericson seconded approval of the minutes. PASSED.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Connors reported that, since the last Council meeting, the Executive
Committee had conducted extensive email exchanges about the resignation
of SAA Executive Director Susan Fox and the process for conducting an
Executive Director search. Several email exchanges also took place about
how things were going in the office and about the meeting with ICA leadership
scheduled to take place in Ottawa in February 2003.
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
Hirtle reported on his personal trip to Beijing during which he spoke
to a group of archival colleagues and visited the archives school at
Renmin University. Chinese archivists showed tremendous hospitality to
him, a sign of the respect in which the SAA is held internationally.
He mentioned that a weekly conference call is being held with the Interim
Executive Co-directors until a new Executive Director is on board. He
expressed appreciation to Ericson for spearheading the Executive Director
search.
Hirtle then commented on the meeting with ICA leadership, scheduled for
February 2003 in Ottawa. Tim Ericson and Teresa Brinati will attend on
behalf of SAA.
Hirtle mentioned that ARMA wants to co-sponsor two workshops in Latin
America and Singapore with SAA.
He then distributed a copy of the response to his letter to Columbia
Teacher’s College expressing concern about the need for a professional
archivist to oversee their archives and special collections in light
of recent budget cuts.
Hirtle reported on the status of the Fellows Committee and said that
Bill Joyce is drafting a mission statement which should be available
for the May/June Council meeting.
Hirtle mentioned that the ARL Task Force on Special Collections which
will have an invitational conference at the Library of Congress this
fall on backlog of material and processing. Bill Joyce has agreed to
be SAA’s contact to this initiative.
Hirtle reported that he is still hoping to pursue the possibility of
SAA joining the Shared Legal Capability, the consortium of library organizations
with whom the SAA collaborated on the Eldred amicus brief.
He then mentioned that he represented SAA at the organizing board meeting
in Chicago of the National Coalition for History (NCH).
Hirtle reported that Steve Hensen attended a White House meeting in December
regarding the Executive Order on Presidential records (13233). Hirtle
distributed a copy of a letter from Martha Joynt Kumar to White House
Counsel Judge Gonzales thanking him for the meeting and summarizing continuing
concerns.
Hirtle concluded by saying that he was happy to see an effort for collaboration
among SAA, NAGARA, and COSHRC as represented by the exchange happening
with the concurrent meetings of SAA, NAGARA and COSHRC boards. He commented
that the profession will surely benefit by this increased collaboration.
REPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
Ericson distributed an update on the Executive Director search, along
with the position description, and noted that Council members Battle,
Engst, and Adkins are also on the Search Committee. He indicated that
the committee is impressed by the work of the search firm and that using
them will likely increase the quality of applicants applying and decrease
the amount of time that it will take to identify and hire a new Executive
Director. Boles inquired as to whether the Executive Director’s
salary should be made public as a matter of transparency; he would like
members to be able access this information upon request. It was noted
that the IRS Form 990 publishes salaries of the top 5 highest paid staff
members of non-profit organizations. Hirtle suggested that Nolan review
the Council Handbook to identify the appropriate place for information
about accessibility of staff salaries.
Ericson reported on the status of appointments and noted that Mark Greene
has been appointed to serve as the chair of the 2004 Program Committee
and Gregor Trinkaus-Randall has been appointed to serve as chair of the
2004 Host Committee. Ericson then gave an update on COSHRC’s report
and recommendations as summarized in "Connecting the Archival Community:
Report of the Archival Education and Information Web Needs Assessment
Project." Ericson highlighted items that could have major implications
for SAA—developing a common calendar of archival events and educational
programs and developing a clearinghouse of basic archival information
resources and tools.
REPORT OF THE TREASURER
Adkins reported the auditors have recommended that SAA identify ways
that the organization can more aggressively raise money. Adkins suggested
that they be invited to planning day during the May/June Council meeting
to give this presentation. The auditors also recommended that SAA sell
the stock that SAA has been receiving to endow the F.G. Ham Scholarship
Fund and reinvest the balance in a less risky investment vehicle. Ericson
moved to accept the audit report and management letter. Sniffin-Marinoff
seconded. PASSED.
Adkins then reported that, five months into the fiscal year, SAA is currently
showing a $3,500 net gain. While the departure of the Executive Director
will affect this year’s budget, the annual meeting revenue for
the Birmingham meeting was $39,000 more than budgeted. Adkins recommended
funding the Executive Director search out of SAA’s reserve fund,
as this will allow SAA to end the fiscal year with a net gain. This net
gain can fund the education and membership development staff action plans
presented and accepted at last year's planning day, including online
education and a membership survey, and should leave enough net gain to
deposit into the reserve fund. (Adkins reminded everyone that Council
had agreed to fund the staff action plans, but could not do so when SAA's
investments were badly impacted by the stock market plunge.)
Adkins presented an estimated budget of $98,000 for the Executive Director
search; this estimate was deliberately planned on the very high side.
If the search is funded with $98,000 taken from the reserve fund, SAA
will still have enough reserve left to cover 3.5 months of operating
expense, a figure with which she is very comfortable. Adkins remarked
that, given the importance of the Executive Director’s position,
this is an investment in SAA’s future.
Adkins moved that: (1) $98,000 for the Executive Director search be transferred
from the reserve fund to a fund set aside for the search, with any excess
amounts deposited back to the reserve fund at the end of the search;
(2) any funds favorable to budget from the Education program at the end
of the fiscal year be transferred to the Education Endowment Fund; and
(3) at least $5,000 of any year-end net gain be transferred to the reserve
fund, with the balance to be divided between transfers to the Educational
Endowment Fund and the Membership Development Fund. Bell-Russel seconded.
PASSED.
Adkins then addressed SAA’s stock investments. Council reviewed
SAA’s stock portfolio and concluded that it would like to review
SAA’s stock portfolio at each winter meeting. Adkins then addressed
SAA transaction fees versus mutual fund fees, saying that SAA will move
gradually (to avoid unnecessary losses) from direct investment in stocks
toward indirect investment via mutual funds. Adkins and the Interim Executive
Co-directors will be meeting via conference call to review SAA’s
investment risk tolerance (as periodically required by the investment
policy) and Adkins will report on the progress of this at the next Council
meeting.
DISCUSSION WITH BRUCE CRAIG, NATIONAL COALITION OF HISTORY
Bruce Craig, Executive Director of the National Coalition for History
(NCH), joined the meeting to give an update on activities. He indicated
that NCH now has 64 member organizations and that they are trying to
increase the number of new members and the contribution levels of existing
members.
Craig said that the 107th Congress was a disappointment legislatively.
There were more than 160 bills related to history in last year’s
Congress, but none passed. He is hoping that some will be re-introduced
this year. There is some concern for the National Archives budget and
funds available through the Interior bill. Massive cuts are expected.
There is concern regarding the preservation of materials that come to
Congress since incoming mail is currently being irradiated and may be
severely damaged in the process.
Craig is not sure about what will happen with the Presidential Records
Act since Horne retired and Burton stepped down because of term limits.
He is looking for support on the House side.
Craig mentioned that each year the National Humanities Alliance sponsors
a “Hill” day, which is an advocacy day intended to foster
support for the NEH. Alliance members converge on Congress and lobby
for humanities-related issues.
Craig is expecting an increase in 2004 for the NEH budget because of
Bush’s “We the People” initiative. He also remarked
that the competition for “Save America’s Treasure” grants
is not as great as for some other programs, and that funds are available
for archival programs.
Hirtle expressed his gratitude to Craig for his work and recognized the
value of NCH to SAA.
REPORT OF THE INTERIM EXECUTIVE CO-DIRECTORS
Dendler and Nolan gave the report of the Interim Executive Co-directors,
which began with a Chicago office update. Staff changes were discussed
and they thanked Council for their support during this time without a
permanent Executive Director.
Dendler noted that a recent office upgrade to the association management
software system had taken place and that a new server had been purchased.
An Education Office update was given along with a list of workshop/seminar
offerings for 2003. It was noted that a new broadcast email campaign
had been successfully initiated and that this year for the first time
the Education Directors had a chance to meet with the annual meeting
Program Committee. A Publications Office update was also given and a
summary of activity distributed. It was noted that there were several
publications under contract and an archival classic reprints series and
several other projects are in the works.
Nolan reported that the highlights of the 2003 annual meeting will include
an ICA/SAA Business Archives Colloquium and an all-member reception at
the Getty Institute. Nolan stressed that sponsors are needed to enhance
the annual meeting experience for those attending. This year, links to
speaker Web sites will be provided. The December monthly membership report
and a report from Scott Schwartz, Membership Committee chair, were reviewed.
Although membership appeared to be slightly down from December 2001,
it was noted that this report did not reflect the full month of December
2002.
DISCUSSION WITH JOHN CARLIN, ARCHIVIST OF THE U.S.
Council engaged in a wide ranging discussion with Archivist of the United
States, John Carlin, and Lori Lisowski. Topics discussed included the
appointment of Max Evans as NHPRC director, NARA’s public awareness
campaign, the “Our Documents” project, the Presidential Records
Act, NARA’s 2003 budget, and the electronic records archives. Carlin
also indicated that NARA’s strategic plan is being updated. A draft
will be sent out for comment later this spring and SAA input is welcome.
Carlin closed by expressing his appreciation for this time with Council.
Hirtle expressed SAA’s appreciation for NARA’s support and
active involvement in SAA, and commented that NARA's programs and policies
have far-reaching implications for the profession.
OLD BUSINESS
Council Subcommittee on the Resolution of the Membership on Diversity
Connors, Bell-Russel, Wurl, and Sniffin-Marinoff gave an interim report
on the status of their findings. They noted that some recommendations
of the Diversity Task Force Report, issued in February 1999, had been
implemented, such as the development of a position statement on diversity
which was published in the 1999 July/August issue of Archival Outlook.
Nonetheless, it was less clear that others had been fully addressed.
Council agreed that while some actions have been taken as a result of
the task force report, this was not reported back effectively to the
task force or to SAA’s membership. The subcommittee felt like they
needed more information from the task force including its definition
of diversity in the profession and how to measure it. It was decided
that task force members should be queried for more information before
the Council subcommittee could issue its final report. It was suggested
that a presentation should be made at the 2003 annual business meeting
to give an update on the status of SAA’s diversity initiatives
within the context of the Diversity Task Force Report. The subcommittee
recommended that Council may want to consider the formation of an accountability
body that would oversee implementation, monitor progress, evaluate results,
and report back to the membership. Council acknowledged that there is
sometimes a procedural disconnect between task force reports that are
approved, in general, by Council and the individual action items that
are recommended within each report.
DISCUSSION WITH TIM SLAVIN AND VICKI WALCH, COUNCIL OF STATE HISTORICAL
RECORDS COORDINATORS (COSHRC) and
DISCUSSION WITH TERRY ELLIS AND TIM SLAVIN, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENT
ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATORS (NAGARA)
Representatives from COSHRC and NAGARA joined Council for a discussion
on issues of mutual interest. The representatives included Jenifer Burlis-Freilich
(COSHRC staff), Vicki Walch (COSHRC staff), Kathleen Roe (COSHRC director),
Tim Slavin (COSHRC president and NAGARA vice president), Terry Ellis
(NAGARA president), Robert Horton (NAGARA secretary) and Kaye Minchew
(NAGARA director). Slavin emphasized the importance of collaboration
for the archival profession, and noted that more can be done when we
work together. Walch reported that efforts for collaboration among archival
organizations date back at least to NFACE, and that a listserv for archival
association leadership is ready to be launched. Slavin suggested that
one project of mutual interest among all of the groups would be a joint
statement to E-Bay regarding the sale of public records. Communication
with and mobilization of members, swapping ads in association publications,
joint columns, complimentary annual meeting registration fees, and booth
swaps were also discussed. Everyone agreed on further exploration of
a future joint meeting between some or all of the three groups. It was
decided that Ellis and Slavin would be added to SAA’s electronic
leadership list. Slavin suggested that he would like to see the profession
take a more active advocacy role. Bell-Russel suggested developing a
publicity guide as a collaborative project. Hirtle suggested media training
for archivists.
The meeting adjourned for the day at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 11, 2003
Hirtle called the meeting to order at 8:28 a.m.
OLD BUSINESS (continued)
Guiliani Papers Update
Connors gave an update on the status of this issue. Connors agreed to
draft a generic position statement for SAA on the custody of records
of retired public officials and review this with the appropriate SAA
sections.
Task Force on Electronic Publishing
Haury presented the final report from the Task Force on Electronic Publishing.
The good work of the task force was acknowledged. Haury highlighted the
recommendation of establishing a working group, and Council discussed
how to structure such a working group. Dooley moved to accept the report
and consider its recommendations. Battle seconded. PASSED
Hirtle will contact Heather McNeil and ask her if the Publications Board
can sponsor the working group, whose charge would be to work with SAA
Council and staff to identify available resources and to refine and implement
the priorities. Council agreed that the final task force report should
be posted to SAA’s Web site and that information about it should
be sent to the leadership list. Engst proposed that the working group
come back with a work plan including anticipated budgetary implications
rather than Council going through each of the goals in depth. Nolan was
asked to prepare a letter to the task force chair, Rob Spindler, conveying
Council’s appreciation for their ground breaking work. Council
plans to move forward with the task force report.
Museum Archives Section Guidelines
Engst and Sniffin-Marinoff, the Council Subcommittee charged at the last
Council meeting to review the guidelines, reported on their findings.
Boles moved to table the guidelines until the next meeting pending the
results of further discussions between the Council subcommittee and the
Section’s leadership regarding one of the recommendations made
in the guidelines. Ericson seconded. PASSED.
Career Center
Wurl reported on his discussions with Scott Schwartz about enhancing
career center efforts. Schwartz wants to increase the presence of diverse
archival employers and also to assign career counselors to those who
are interested. Other ideas included promoting the career center on SAA’s
Web site, in Archival Outlook, and in the annual meeting program.
J. Franklin Jameson Award
Bell-Russel will present all of the Awards Committee updated changes
at the next Council meeting.
ICA/SPA
Connors presented clarification of guidelines for appointing representatives
to ICA/SPA, as a result of questions raised at the last Council meeting.
Hirtle and Nolan agreed to work to update the information in the Council
Handbook on the ICA and SPA.
External Funding Opportunities for Distributed Education
Hirtle has asked the SAA office to explore the possibility of securing
grant funds from NEH, NHPRC, and/or IMLS to support special development
efforts in distributed continuing education. Wurl gave an update on NEH
guidelines and the broadened definition and scope of NEH’s preservation
grants.
Funding of International Receptions
At the L.A. annual meeting, there will be a reception in honor of visiting
international archivists, in conjunction with the ICA/SAA Business Archives
Colloquium. Tom Connors is investigating options for funding an international
reception at this year's meeting and future meetings.
Student Information Session Breakout Discussion Follow-Up
Adkins presented a summary of comments received during breakout discussions
at the Student Informational Session at Birmingham. Many of the comments
related to the Student Listserv and the SAA Web site. Adkins will discuss
the implications of these comments and recommendations with SAA Webmaster
Brian Doyle.
Student Benefits and Survey Summary
Dooley indicated a desire to resend the survey this year. Council agreed
on the importance of student chapter visits and that a rotation schedule
be developed. Dooley proposed Council visits based on geography and will
send Council a message to identify the chapters to be visited this spring.
It was noted that when Council visits student chapters, Council member
should provide summaries to Council on the chapter visits.
Ethics Committee Guidelines
Sniffin-Marinoff provided background information. SAA’s Ethics
Committee would like a two-day meeting to explore the issues further.
Adkins proposed asking Karen Benedict to submit a budget and Wurl asked
for a focused agenda. SAA’s legal counsel would like the code to
be aspirational rather than focused on enforcement mechanisms. Battle
suggested that SAA would be best advised to follow legal counsel’s
advice. It was suggested that it would be helpful to know how other organizations
approach their codes of ethics. Adkins moved to revoke SAA’s code
of ethics enforcement procedures. Battle seconded. PASSED. Council agreed
that they would be receptive to supporting a two-day committee meeting
once the committee looks into revising the code to be aspirational, decides
whether or not to have commentary, removes language that refers to enforcement,
and reviews what other organizations do.
Selection of Three Fellows to Serve on the Committee to Select SAA Fellows
Ericson moved that Council select Deborah Skaggs, Megan Desnoyers, and
Maynard Brichford to serve on the Committee to Select SAA Fellows. Wurl
seconded. PASSED. Bell-Russel abstained. Engst moved to revisit the motion
because Brichford is a former president and is therefore not eligible
for service on the committee. Adkins seconded. It was suggested that
Valerie Browne replace Brichford. PASSED. Bell-Russel abstained. Council
directed the SAA office to review the published list of Fellows and identify
those who are no longer SAA members.
Council Annual Meeting Resolutions Committee
Ericson moved that the freshman class of Council be appointed to the
Annual Meeting Resolutions Committee – Boles, Engst, and Wurl.
Bell-Russel seconded. PASSED.
NEW BUSINESS
Mission Statement
It was agreed that Marcia Holston should be hired for planning day at
the May/June Council meeting so that Council can revisit SAA’s
mission statement.
Archivist of the United States
Since it has been about ten years since the last appointment of an Archivist,
Hirtle proposed that it may be time for Council to consider its role
in the selection process in preparation for whenever a new Archivist
is appointed. Council formed a Working Group on the Selection Criteria
for Archivist of the United States consisting of Tim Ericson, chair,
and David Haury. Other appointments to the working group will be named
at a later time. It will review the existing criteria and report to Council
with recommendations for any changes.
Archival Support
Hirtle raised the issue of SAA’s role when there are layoffs in
archives. Boles suggested that Council issue a statement emphasizing
the importance of records and archives even in tough times and the long-term
deleterious effects of eliminating staff. Wurl suggested that SAA develop
its media connections to get information like this into the news. Haury
agreed to draft a statement and circulate it to Council.
NCLIS/Funding of SAA International Activities
Hirtle addressed the issue of the elimination of NCLIS funding and its
impact on SAA’s international activities. Connors offered to explore
other avenues of support. Priorities for SAA’s role in international
activity were discussed. Council agreed that SAA’s presence at
international meetings is very important and should be a line item in
the budget. Council identified several possible sources of funding, including
IREX, NHPRC, and the Delmas Foundation. Council agreed that representation
by the SAA President, and the Descriptive Standards representative in
international activities was critical. Involvement by the Director of
Publishing might be justified as an investment; if the return was great
enough, it might be possible to fund this from publication funds. SAA’s
representation in ICA/SPA should also be supported as much as possible,
since it is unlikely that any SAA member would undertake this task on
his/her own. Participation by the Executive Director was seen as desirable
but not crucial.
Hirtle reminded Council of the ICA/SPA meeting to be held in Chicago
April 21 – 26, 2003. The meeting will be hosted at the SAA office
and SAA will provide a modest reception for those attending.
Recommendations
for PACE Guidelines Revisions 2002–2004
Connors presented the Recommendations for PACE Guidelines Revisions 2002 – 2004.
The revision emphasizes strategic planning as opposed to content development.
Council agreed that there were two separate issues addressed in the report
and that clarification is needed. Ericson moved that Council fund a meeting
of a CEPD working group, with up to $6,000 taken out of the education
fund. Dooley seconded. PASSED.
Lone Arrangers Roundtable
Ericson moved the formation of an SAA Lone Arrangers Roundtable. Engst
seconded. PASSED. Bell-Russel volunteered to be the Council liaison.
Student Annual Meeting Registration Fees
Council discussed a request for a further reduction in student registration
fees at annual meetings and decided against doing so. Adkins suggested
that in lieu of reducing the fee, SAA sponsor a modest student mixer.
Council approved allocating $500 - $750 for a student mixer.
Council Handbook Revisions
Following a review of proposed changes, Ericson moved that Council revise
the section of the Council Handbook related to SAA’s representation
on the National Coalition of History (NCH) so that it accurately reflects
the organization’s name change and, further, that an SAA member
(and not the Executive Director) be appointed to serve a three year term
as representative to NCH. Bell-Russel seconded. PASSED.
After a review and discussion of revisions to the Council Section of
the Council Handbook, Bell-Russel moved that Council approve the editorial
changes, updating the text. Adkins seconded. PASSED.
Nolan reminded Council that they are charged with reviewing the dues
structure every three years and that the last dues increase was in the
fall of 1999. Council agreed to address this on planning day.
Nolan noted
the definition of associate member and associate foreign member as
they are listed in the Council Handbook had not been updated
after they were changed in the last Constitution and Bylaws revision.
She proposed, and Council agreed, that Membership Committee should
investigate whether the distinctions made the in during the last constitutional
revision
are still useful.
Society of Ohio Archivists Resolution
Haury moved that Council issue a resolution recognizing the Society of
Ohio Archivists (SOA) on their 35th anniversary. Ericson seconded. PASSED.
It was agreed that the SAA office should print the resolution on a certificate
and send it to the appropriate SOA representative.
New Student Chapter Application
Adkins moved for Council acceptance of the San Jose State student chapter.
Connors seconded. PASSED. Adkins will inform the chapter of their accepted
status and Dooley offered to visit the student chapter this spring.
Reporting and Follow-Through
Nolan indicated that in recognition of the time and energy invested by
many serving SAA in a variety of capacities, that Council may want to
review its procedures for implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting
on task force recommendations, Council to-do lists, and strategic planning
day outcomes. Adkins suggested resending the to-do list once a month.
Hirtle also asked that the SAA unit annual reports to be returned in
time for the May Council meeting. Dooley suggested that Nolan survey
other associations to determine other methods used.
Adkins reviewed the to-do list.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:20 p.m.
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