Council Minutes
January 24-26, 1997
January 24, 1997
President Nicholas Burckel called the meeting to order at 1:35 pm, Friday,
January 24, 1997. Present besides Burckel were: Vice President William Maher,
Treasurer Leon Stout, and Council members Valerie Browne, Bruce Bruemmer, Susan
Davis, Anne Gilliland-Swetland, Lori Hefner, Steven Hensen, Peter Hirtle, Sharon
Gibbs Thibodeau, Sharron Uhler, Executive Director Susan Fox and Assistant
Executive Director Debra Mills. Also present at portions of the meeting as
guests were Archivist of the U.S. John Carlin, NHPRC Executive Director Gerald
George, and University of North Carolina Prof. Richard Kohn.
Motion to Adopt the Agenda
Browne moved and Hirtle seconded the motion to adopt the agenda as amended.
PASSED.
Motion to Approve the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Bruemmer moved and Hirtle seconded the motion to adopt the minutes of the
August 27 and August 31, 1996 meetings as amended. PASSED.
Report of the Executive Committee
Davis reported that the Executive Committee devoted most of its meeting to
discussion and review of the Council agenda. The Executive Committee also discussed
issues to be raised with U.S. Archivist John Carlin upon his visit with Council.
Report of the President
Burckel said he had nothing of substance to report.
Report of the Vice President
Maher said he had nothing of substance to report, but encouraged Council
to give the upcoming TFOE report due consideration because it would set the
agenda for SAA for years to come. He asked that Council move expeditiously
to set the framework for a broader discussion of TFOE issues within the Society.
Report of the Treasurer
SAA Treasurer Lee Stout reviewed the December income and expense report.
He said SAA was currently in a marginally healthy fiscal situation, revenues
had decreased slightly while the pressure on costs continued to rise. He presented
the auditor's statement and management letter, both of which indicated good
fiscal controls within the Society. A more comprehensive review of the Society's
finances would occur at the June meeting when the FY98 budget will be under
Council review.
Stout moved adoption of the FY96 audit, Davis seconded the motion. PASSED.
Report of the Executive Director
Fox presented a five-year fiscal projection for the Society. The projection
indicated that unless significant additional revenues could be identified,
SAA would not be able to hire an additional staff member to help manage electronic
communications and publications as recommended by the Task Force on the Future
of the American Archivist. The projections also highlighted the fiscal impact
of the site of annual meetings. She said this may be an item worth further
consideration in June. Burckel noted that other factors would need to be considered
as well, but that this report was a good early alert.
Mills presented early results from the salary survey. Burckel noted that
with this information and that to be gathered from the educational needs assessment,
Council would be well positioned on Planning Day to accurately assess the current
state of the association and to concentrate on the specifics of what needed
to be accomplished over the next few years.
Mills discussed plans for the 1997 annual meeting to be held in Chicago August
28-31. She distributed a schematic of blocked session and meeting times. Fox
noted that in place of a membership forum Council would meet with Committee,
Board, Section and Roundtable chairs and co-chairs. Detailed plans for the
meeting were still being developed.
Council Committee on Committees
Uhler presented a report on Membership Committee activities, commending Dennis
Harrison for his fine work in establishing a Key Contact Program for SAA. Harrison's
report revealed 100% participation from all key contacts, and indicated he
may come back to Council in June with a request to add a Canadian to the committee.
Gilliland-Swetland reported that the Committee on Education and Professional
Development (CEPD) was very active and had established a listserv discussion
of the draft Professional Archivist Continuing Education (PACE) Guidelines.
The final draft was due by March 1, 1997. CEPD would conduct a vote by March
15 and send the guidelines to the Standards Board for review by April 1.
Committee on Sections and Roundtables
Hirtle presented the Visual Materials Section's response to the Visual Resources
Professional Criteria developed by the Visual Resources Association (VRA).
The VM Section did not recommend endorsement of the criteria.
Hirtle moved and Bruemmer seconded the motion that Hirtle edit and send to
the VRA the letter declining endorsement. PASSED.
Hirtle said that members signing the petition to create a proposed Security
Roundtable met SAA criteria and moved that SAA establish the roundtable. Hefner
seconded the motion. PASSED.
Committee on Task Forces, Boards, and Representatives
Browne reported that Joyce Ray would be representing both NARA and SAA to
the Association for Information and Image Management (AIM) and wanted to inquire
of Council whether this arrangement met approval or not. Council agreed in
this particular case dual representation would not be a conflict of interest,
but agreed that as a rule dual representation should not be encouraged.
Bruemmer reported that the Joint SAA-ARMA Committee sent a copy of proposed
standards for Australian records management to the standards board. He said
that the standards were on a short time-line, about to be presented to NISO
for adoption, which presented some procedural difficulties. He said he would
work with the chair of the SAA-ARMA Committee to present standards to the SAA
Standards Board.
Davis presented Helen Tibbo's addendum to the final report of the Task Force
on the Future of the American Archivist. The addendum consisted of a summary
of the open forum held at the San Diego annual meeting to discuss the proposed
changes to the American Archivist and to solicit member feedback. Davis reminded
Council that it had requested further financial information from Fox regarding
the feasibility of adding a staff member to attend to expanding SAA's capacity
for electronic publication of a variety of materials.
Council requested that Fox develop an article for publication in Archival
Outlook describing the mitigating circumstances of not having the American
Archivist published on a quarterly basis, and the potential for alternative
communications which would enable the Society to explore new avenues for
communication and publication more quickly. The possibility of a joint publication
program with Archivaria was raised. Fox said she would follow up with an
inquiry to the Archivaria editor.
Archivist of the United States
Burckel introduced and welcomed Archivist of the U.S. John Carlin and Gerald
George, Executive Director of NHPRC. Carlin spent an hour discussing a wide
range of issues, including an update on the National Archives strategic planning
process. He said the current focus at NARA was mainly on internal reorganization
and its implementation. He said that NARA's emphasis would shift to increase
efforts on records management. He entertained a range of questions from Council
centering on issues of electronic records management, NARA strategies for the
new Congress, and the potential for greater cooperation between NARA and SAA.
Burckel thanked Carlin for taking the time to meet with Council.
Task Force on Intellectual Property Strategies
Maher presented the Benedict report of the Task Force on Intellectual Property
Strategies. He moved acceptance of the final report. Thibodeau seconded the
motion. After discussion, Gilliland-Swetland and Hirtle agreed to give Fox
additional editorial language for the document in substitution for the paragraph
on the First Sale Doctrine and to add references to earlier, related SAA documents.
PASSED.
Maher moved acceptance of the Publications Board Guidelines for SAA Publications
in Electronic Format. Browne seconded the motion. After discussion and editorial
revision of the document, the motion PASSED.
Thibodeau moved and Hirtle seconded the motion to accept the Publications
Board Guidelines for the SAA Website. After discussion and editorial revision
of the document, the motion PASSED.
At 6:35 pm Council entered executive session to discuss the Executive Director's
contract renewal.
Saturday, January 25, 1997
President Nicholas Burckel reconvened the meeting at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday,
January 25, 1997 and announced that Council agreed to establish a new contract
with Fox, containing a rolling two year term.
Appointments to Committee to Select SAA Fellows
Hensen and Browne moved that Linda Matthews, Terry Eastwood, with Chris Ward
and Fran Blouin as alternates, be appointed to the Committee to Select SAA
Fellows. Bruemmer seconded. PASSED.
Report of the Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness
Davis reviewed for Council how the task force had divided its work, and she
suggested that Council consideration fall into three sections: Constitution
and Bylaw revisions, unit definitions, and suggestions for restructuring the
Society.
Maher moved acceptance of the revised Constitution and Bylaws as proposed
by the Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness. Davis seconded. Council
then discussed the revision section by section.
Council then engaged in a detailed review of the proposed Constitution and
Bylaw revisions.
Hirtle moved striking the non-North American associate membership clause
from the Constitution and Bylaws. Bruemmer seconded the motion. Hirtle voted
in favor, all else opposed. DECLINED.
Stout moved to substitute the word "constituent units" in line
36 of the draft constitution, Section III. Membership, 2. Individual associate
membership, with "sections, roundtables, and task forces." PASSED.
Thibodeau moved to amend the motion to change line 36, after "constituent
units" to insert the phrase "as specified in the bylaws." Bruemmer
seconded the motion. Thibodeau in favor, all else opposed. DECLINED.
Davis moved and Stout seconded the motion to modify Associate Membership
by striking "to receive the publications of the Society" and substituting "to
receive the benefits of the Society's programs and services." PASSED,
with Hirtle opposed.
Davis moved and Stout seconded the motion to strike "to receive the
publications of the Society" under student membership and substitute with "to
receive the benefits of the Society's programs and services." PASSED.
Hirtle moved and Gilliland-Swetland seconded the motion to strike the words "full
time" from the definition of student membership. PASSED, with Bruemmer,
Maher, and Hefner opposed.
Bruemmer moved striking the phrase "Membership in good standing may
be reinstated upon payment of back dues within 180 days." Hefner seconded.
PASSED.
Gilliland-Swetland moved to strike "Duties of Officers Section 1.B." from
the bylaws and place the section in the Constitution, following the words "annual
meeting." Hensen seconded.
After Council discussion, Gilliland-Swetland withdrew the motion.
Maher moved amendment of the motion to leave the clause in the bylaws, but
to add the words "or in case of a vacancy in the presidency" in the
bylaws Duties of Officers Section 1.B., following the words "The vice
president shall perform the duties of the president in case the president is
absent or incapacitated, ..."
Stout moved to strike the proposed lines "When meeting in person, a
vote shall become the act of Council on approval by a majority of those present
and voting, unless otherwise required by the constitution and bylaws. When
meeting through telecommunications or electronic conference, a vote shall become
the act of Council unless otherwise required by the constitution or bylaws." Bruemmer
seconded the motion.
After Council discussion, Stout offered a secondary amendment to delete the
proposed lines from the constitution and insert them in the bylaws, creating
a new Section III and renumbering subsequent sections. Bruemmer seconded. PASSED.
Gilliland-Swetland moved that under proposed Constitution number "VII.
Records," to strike "deposited" and substitute "placed." Davis
seconded. PASSED.
Maher moved and Hirtle seconded the motion to insert "membership directory" after "newsletter" under
proposed Constitution number "VIII. Publications" and to strike "and
the," substituting "a" and to insert "a membership directory" following
the word "newsletter." PASSED.
Browne moved to insert the word "Councilors" following "officers" in
proposed Constitution number "VII. Records." Stout seconded the motion.
PASSED.
Hefner moved to strike "30" and substitute "60 days in advance," under
proposed Constitution number "X. Amendments." Bruemmer seconded.
PASSED.
Stout moved approval of the document for presentation to members. Davis seconded.
PASSED.
By-laws
Stout moved to strike proposed section "3. Council" and substitute "3.
Council Voting Procedures." Hensen seconded. Hirtle offered an amendment
to retain the title of the new section "3. Council" and to strike "when
meeting" in the first sentence to substitute "when Council meets
in person." PASSED.
Stout moved inserting a sentence under Duties of the President stating that
the president may vote in any meeting of the Society at which he or she presides.
Uhler seconded. PASSED, with Hefner against and Hensen in abstention.
Bruemmer moved and Stout seconded the motion to insert "from among the
three elected members of the committee" at the end of bylaws proposed
section "4. Election of Officers and Councilors" so that the full
phrase would read, "The person receiving the most votes in the election
by the membership shall serve as chair. In the event of a tie vote, the chair
shall be appointed by the vice-president elect from among the three elected
member members of the committee." PASSED.
Davis moved that in the event of a tie in the vice presidential election
both candidates would be elected, with one candidate serving one year and the
other the next. The order in which they serve shall be determined by lot. Uhler
seconded. PASSED, with Hefner and Stout opposed and Maher in abstention.
Hefner said she was concerned about an individual coming into office without
a plurality. She said that circumstances for the Society change from year to
year and while the candidate may be a viable candidate for one year, they may
not be suited to the circumstances of the next year.
Hirtle moved and Bruemmer seconded the motion to insert the phrase "except
as otherwise specified in the constitution and bylaws" before the words "Standing
committee," in the first sentence under the proposed section "5.
Organizational Units." PASSED.
Bruemmer moved to insert a separate Section 7 entitled "Personnel Grievance
Committee" and insert "in the event of grievances as specified below
there shall be..." Hefner seconded. PASSED.
Gilliland-Swetland discussed inserting "Student chapters may be initiated
in academic institutions and approved by Council. Each student chapter shall
select its own leaders and adopt bylaws defining its own governance, provided
that no student chapter bylaw may be in conflict with the constitution, bylaws,
or guidelines of the Society." After Council discussion Gilliland-Swetland
agreed to redraft the language for further consideration the following day.
Prof. Richard Kohn
Burckel welcomed Prof. Richard Kohn, who spoke of the concerns of the historical
community regarding the revised strategic plan for the National Historic Records
and Publications Commission (NHPRC). The revised plan would place documentary
editing projects on a lower priority level than their previously favored first
priority. Kohn said the decision reversed a 60 year history of support for
documentary editions. He expressed concern with the process in which the Commission
arrived at the revised plan, and said that historians were eager to restore
the funding of documentary editions to a level one priority. He especially
did not want the controversy to divide the archival and historic professions.
Kohn then entertained questions from Council. Burckel thanked him for his time,
and expressed his appreciation for Kohn coming to speak to Council on his own
resources.
Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness
Davis presented the Draft Definitions of SAA Organizational Units as recommended
by the Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness. Bruemmer noted that he appreciated
the efforts that TFOE had made on some difficult issues but also thzt he was
disappointed that the unit definitions and the suggested organizational changes
did not go far enough in reducing the number of reporting units within SAA.
He noted that the unit definitions did not clearly support the kinds of decisions
reflected in the organizational changes, and thus, he felt that TFOE did not
provide as sufficient re-engineering of the Society as he had anticipated.
Council then engaged in a wide-ranging discussion and review of the document,
paying particular attention to the proposed definitions of Sections and Roundtables.
Maher moved acceptance of unit categories as amended. Thibodeau seconded. PASSED.
Maher moved to accept the report with amendments made and other editorial
work to be done to the definitions of Committee, Boards, Task Forces, and Representatives.
Stout seconded. PASSED.
Maher moved that the definitions of Sections, Roundtables, and Student Chapters
be delegated to the appropriate Council members (Thibodeau, Hefner, and Hirtle)
to recraft and bring back to Council for distribution by March 1, 1997 for
final vote at the June Council meeting. Hensen seconded. PASSED.
Bruemmer, Uhler, and Stout agreed to craft a charge for a Task Force on the
Dues Structure for consideration at the June meeting.
Browne, Fox, Mills and Maher agreed to craft a charge for a Task Force on
the Annual Meeting for consideration at the June meeting.
Proposed Committee on Diversity
Council discussed whether establishment of a Committee on Diversity, as noted
in TFOE's report, was the most appropriate step at this time for the Society
to address the issue of diversity. Council decided to open the issue to broader
discussion within the Society. Fox said she would address the issue and ask
for feedback in her Archival Outlook column. Uhler and Hefner said they would
contact the leadership of those committees and roundtables most interested
in the issue for additional input.
Proposed Litigation
Bruce Craig v. USA
Hefner provided a synopsis of the case. The Craig case offered an opportunity
for SAA to join an amicus curiae brief in support of a petition for an order
releasing historically significant grand jury records pertaining to a McCarthy
era espionage investigation. After general discussion of the case Council concluded
more information was needed to make an informed judgement. Hefner moved and
Hensen seconded the motion that SAA contact the American Historical Association
to thank them for sharing the opportunity to join the case and request that
they submit a copy of the full amicus brief for the Executive Committee to
consider more fully. Council indicated SAA's general support for participation
in the litigation. PASSED.
Tax Analysts v. IRS
Council then considered Tax Analysts et al. v. IRS and NARA. The case would
require the IRS to comply with the Federal Records Act and to direct the National
Archives to enforce the Federal Records Act and its own regulations. After
a discussion led by Hefner, Bruemmer moved and Uhler seconded the motion that
SAA join the plaintiffs in the case. PASSED (with Thibodeau in abstention).
Public Citizen v. Carlin
Hirtle and Hefner presented a synopsis of Public Citizen et al. v. John Carlin
et al. The complaint challenges the Archivist's promulgation of a General Records
Schedule (GRS 20) authorizing federal agencies to destroy electronic versions
of records stored on agency email and word processing systems provided the
agency made a hard copy of the electronic record on paper or microform. After
discussion, Hefner moved and Hirtle seconded the motion that SAA decline the
invitation to join the plaintiffs of Public Citizen et al. v. John Carlin et
al. PASSED, ith Thibodeau in abstention .
Hefner then moved and Gilliland-Swetland seconded the motion that the SAA
President work with the plaintiffs and the defendants, discuss SAA's interest
and serve as a mediator to reach a positive, professional conclusion in the
case. DECLINED, with Hefner, Gilliland-Swetland, Hensen and Uhler in favor
and Thibodeau in abstention.
Hefner moved that the SAA President work with the plaintiffs and the defendents,
to have SAA serve as a mediator in the case to reach a positive, p
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