Council Minutes
February 2, 1996
President Brenda Banks convened the meeting at 1:35 p.m., Friday, February
2, 1996. Present besides Banks were: Vice President Nicholas Burckel, Treasurer
Leon Stout, and Council members Karen Benedict, Bruce Bruemmer, Susan Davis,
Timothy Ericson, Lori Hefner, Steven Hensen, Thomas Hickerson, Sharon Thibodeau,
Sharron Uhler. Also present were Executive Director Susan Fox and Assistant
Executive Director Debra Mills. Invited guests Page Putnam Miller and Mary
Levering participated in portions of the meeting.
Motion to Adopt the Agenda
Karen Benedict moved and Lee Stout seconded the motion to adopt the agenda
as amended. PASSED.
Approve Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Nick Burckel moved and Tim Ericson seconded the motion to approve the minutes
of the September 1995 meeting as amended. PASSED.
Report of the President
Banks reported that John Carlin, Archivist of the United States, was unable
to join the Council meeting as an invited guest due to complications in his
schedule. She said he declined with apologies, but would participate in the
August 1996 Council meeting scheduled for San Diego. He would also be an annual
meeting program participant in a session with the national archivists of Mexico
and Canada. She said he stressed his desire for opportunities to engage in
a dialogue with SAA leaders, but at this point NARA internal strategic planning
efforts took precedence. He told Banks that a NARA strategic planning document
would emerge by spring for discussion by the larger archival community.
Banks distributed a list of final appointments made during her tenure. She
brought to Council attention to NAGARA Clearinghouse, which devoted
an entire issue to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(NHPRC) and NHPRC's contributions to advancing the historic record throughout
the country.
She said she met with Mike Smith, a member of the Moynihan Commission on Protecting
and Reducing Government Secrecy, in January and that he would be submitting
a short report on the work of the Commission for the March issue of Archival
Outlook.
Report of the Vice President
Nick Burckel distributed a list of appointments made to date, a copy of the
1997 Program Committee prospectus, a progress report from the ad hoc Appointments
Committee, a report on the American Library Association (ALA) strategic plan, ALA
2000, and the Modern Language Association (MLA) statement on preservation.
He gave a brief report of a meeting he and Susan Fox had with Deanna Marcum,
President of the Council on Library Resources and the Commission on Preservation
and Access. He said he also hoped to arrange a meeting among himself, Fox,
and Elizabeth Martinez, ALA Executive Director.
Report of the Treasurer
Lee Stout reviewed income and expense statements, reporting that at the second
fiscal quarter the Society was in relatively healthy shape. He reminded Council
that SAA engaged in the accrual method of accounting and reviewed the concepts
of accrual versus cash accounting. He said the 1995 annual meeting resulted
in higher than expected revenues and the Society would consequently realize
a higher net gain than anticipated for the current fiscal year.
He then reviewed the investment portfolio. The Society's investments, he said,
were structured into two funds, general and managed. Because the stock market
was performing well, he anticipated the Society would realize a net gain on
investments. He then distributed and moved the adoption of the auditor's finance
and compliance reports. Ericson seconded. PASSED.
Report of the Executive Director
Education Office
Fox gave an update on the search for an Education Director. She said initial
advertisements within the archival community yielded only four applications.
Because she and the search committee did not want to make the appointment based
on such a small pool of candidates, she then broadened the search to include
advertisements in the larger educational community, most notably the Chronicle
of Higher Education. That round brought a much higher rate of return.
Council engaged in a general discussion of the potential need for an archivist
in the Chicago office, the needs of the education program in general, and the
merits of a continuing education professional vs. an archivist with continuing
education skills. She indicated the desire that a new director be hired by
spring at the latest.
As a general note of caution, Hickerson recommended against placing too much
emphasis on the income stream generated by workshops at the expense of a focus
on providing an essential continuing education service to membership.
Grants
Steve Hensen gave a progress report on the NHPRC grant to develop a new descriptive
standards curriculum. He said the grant was running smoothly and with much
enthusiasm on the part of course developers and reviewers. Initial meetings
on the project produced excellent results and he anticipated a much improved
curriculum in the near future. Fox commended Hensen and Kathleen Roe for their
work in ensuring the ongoing success of the descriptive standards project in
the absence of an Education Director.
Hensen then reported on a grant from the Council on Library Resources (CLR)
to further develop standards for the encoding of archival description and finding
aids in Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). This project, he said,
would produce application guidelines and other documentation for creating electronic
finding aids. He expected to have a beta release produced by Mid-May.
Fox reported on the NHPRC-funded grant to develop case studies in electronic
archival management. She reported that three of the nine case studies were
in production and all would be completed by fall 1996. The Case Study Editorial
Board would then focus its attention on developing marketing strategies for
the current series. The Case Study Editorial Board would also consider applying
for additional NHPRC funding to develop case studies in areas not covered in
the current series.
1997 Program Committee
Ericson reported on the 1996 Program Committee meeting, which he said was
quite successful. Highlights for San Diego include over 80 sessions, more than
a dozen on minority concerns and perspectives, a keynote address by Johnetta
Cole, President of Spelman College, and a session with the national archivists
of the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Workshops
Fox gave a brief report on the roster of spring workshops. She commended Tara
Shimandle for her fine work in absence of an Education Director and emphasized
that none of the workshops would have succeeded were it not for Shimandle's
excellent administrative abilities.
Council adjourned at 2:50 pm and reconvened at 3:10 pm. Fox suspended her
report in order to accommodate the schedules of invited guests NCC Director
Page Putnam Miller and Associate Register for National Copyright Programs,
Mary Levering.
Report of Page Putnam Miller
Page Putnam Miller presented an update on the National Coordinating Committee
for the Promotion of History (NCC). She summarized the Interior Appropriations
Bill for FY96, which included a significant cut in funding for the National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). She also reported a small increase in funding
for the National Archives and a small increase for NHPRC. She then discussed
pending legislation in Congress dealing with copyright issues, one bill to
extend the copyright term for 20 years and another raising issues of intellectual
property rights in an electronic environment. Miller described the concerns
of the scholarly community that provisions for fair use may be adversely affected
in the proposed new copyright law. She said the scholarly and library communities
developed a strategy intended to put "sand in the gears" to slow
down the legislative process. She recommended that Council send letters to
the House and Senate Judiciary Committees recommending that December 31, 2002
be retained as the date of protection of unpublished materials created prior
to 1978. She also recommended letters to these two committees indicating concern
about protecting fair use in the digital environment.
Report of Mary Levering, Associate Register of National Copyright
Programs
Banks then welcomed Mary Levering, Associate Register of National Copyright
Programs, Library of Congress. Levering gave short presentation summarizing
the history of copyright legislation and a status report on the current intellectual
property debate in Congress.
Levering concluded her summary by recommending that Council closely monitor
copyright legislation, especially since copyright law was a constant attempt
to balance the "progress of arts and sciences" against ownership
rights. She said that fair use was not enacted into law until 1976 and was
considered a "judge made" doctrine. She said legally fair use was
considered a "defense of infringement" as codified in Section 107
of the copyright law. Proposed revisions to this section were subject to much
heated debate.
She described proposed legislation to extend the duration of copyright from
life plus 50 to life plus 70. She said American copyright industries wanted
to bring U.S. copyright extension in alignment with the European Union, which
adheres to life plus 70. She recommended that Council issue a statement on
making an exception to this extension for unpublished materials in archives
and libraries. She then entertained questions from Council.
Banks thanked Miller and Levering for taking the time from their busy schedules
to meet with Council. Fox then continued with her Executive Director's report.
Production Schedule of The American Archivist
Fox described difficulties with U.S. postal inspectors over the inability
to publish The American Archivist on a regular basis. The postal Second
Class Permit required that the journal be published at least four times each
year, a schedule the journal had been unable to maintain for at least the past
seven years. Fox said she expected the post office to rescind the permit within
the year, which would significantly increase postage costs for the journal.
After general discussion, Banks requested that a Council subgroup consisting
of Burckel, Bruemmer and Hensen draw up a charge for a task force to examine
a broad range of issues involved with producing the journal, its value to membership,
and recommendations for its future. Bruemmer said he would submit a draft charge
to Council the following day.
Ericson moved the following resolution in appreciation of Richard Cox and
David Klaassen for their work as editors of The American Archivist:
Whereas Richard J. Cox has served as editor of the American Archivist from
1992 through 1995, beginning his responsibilities with the Winter 1992 (v.
55, #1) issue;
And Whereas during his term as editor, Richard has instituted a number of
innovations to make the American Archivist into a more effective medium of
communication with the SAA membership, and has endured the series of never-ending
deadlines;
And Whereas since becoming editor, Richard has produced issues of the American
Archivist that have been of consistently high quality and a credit to the archival
profession;
Therefore be it resolved that the officers, the Council, and the executive
office of the Society of American Archivists commend Richard for his excellent
work, and on behalf of the SAA membership thank Richard, as well as the University
of Pittsburgh and the School of Library and Information Science for their important
contribution to the archival profession.
Whereas David Klaassen has served as editor of the American Archivist from
1989 through 1991, beginning his responsibilities with the Winter 1989 (v.
52, #1) issue and ending with the Fall 1991 (v. 54, #4) issue;
And Whereas his contributions to the American Archivist have remained formally
and regrettably unacknowledged;
And Whereas during his term as editor, David instituted a number of innovations
to the American Archivist and worked hard to improve it as a medium of communication
with the SAA membership, steadfastly enduring the series of never-ending deadlines;
And Whereas during his term as editor of the American Archivist, David produced
issues that were of consistently high quality;
Therefore be it resolved that the officers, the Council, and the executive
office of the Society of American Archivists commend David for his excellent
work, and on behalf of the SAA membership thank David as well as the University
of Minnesota for their important contributions to the archival profession.
Burckel seconded. PASSED.
Fox presented a proposal from David Bearman to offer Archives and Museum
Informatics to SAA members at a special price and split the proceeds.
The offer would appear as a check off box on the SAA membership brochure
and renewals. After general discussion and clarification Council agreed to
decline the offer because it would appear to be an official endorsement of
one journal over others.
Membership Report
Mills distributed 1995 membership statistics and noted a slight decrease in
members. She attributed the decrease as an expected dip following the recent
increase in dues, but noted concern that this may evolve into a long term trend.
She said she was creating new means of maintaining membership retention and
recommended that Council continue to monitor the statistics closely.
Annual Meetings
Mills distributed a meeting schematic and gave an update on plans for the
1996 annual meeting. She said this year the meeting would begin with an opening
plenary with Johnetta Cole, President of Spelman College delivering a keynote
address. The meeting would feature 86 sessions and conclude with a closing
plenary on Saturday evening instead of a breakfast on Sunday morning.
Mills said SAA received invitations from Denver, Kansas City, and Washington,
D.C. to host the 2000 annual meeting. She would be conducting site visits in
the spring and would present a final report and recommendation to Council at
its June meeting.
At 6:07 pm Bruemmer moved and Stout seconded the motion to adjourn. PASSED.
Council reconvened at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, February 3 when Banks called the
meeting to order. Present were all Council members, Fox and Mills.
Salary Survey
Mills presented a proposal for a salary survey of SAA members from Lawrence-Leiter & Co.
Mills had issued a request for proposals and received bids from six firms,
of which Lawrence-Leiter best fit SAA needs and resources. She said many associations
provided salary surveys as a benefit of membership and such a survey could
be employed as a standard setting initiative. After general discussion, Uhler
moved and Ericson seconded the motion that SAA adopt Mills proposal to engage
Lawrence-Leiter & Co. to conduct the survey. PASSED.
Administration
Fox said the transition to new computers in the Chicago office went smoothly.
She said she also planned to eventually switch SAA off of the CompuServe E-mail
account onto a less expensive Internet access account and, in preparation,
registered "archives.org" as SAA's domain name. She noted that "SAA.org" had
been previously registered by the Society of American Archeologists.
Fox noted that 1996 was SAA's 60th anniversary year and said she planned to
promote the anniversary with a special logo, a general audience booklet describing
SAA and its history, and other commemorative activities.
Council Committee on Committees
Benedict distributed a proposal from the Membership Committee to establish
a key contact program. The program would establish key contacts in each state
to welcome new members, contact nonrenewals, and solicit new members. The program
was modeled on similar successful programs in operation in regional archival
associations and allied professional associations. After general discussion
Benedict moved adoption of the program, Uhler seconded. PASSED
Benedict gave an update on activities of the Public Information Committee,
noting that it was performing quite well and coming up with many excellent
ideas. She said the committee would meet in Boston in March and further develop
a media contact list and a press kit. The committee was also investigating
PROFNET, an electronic P.R. wire service which would enable SAA to be more
proactive in its work with the media.
Benedict said the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee was also performing
well. She said Frank Mackaman, the committee chair, had arranged for a professional
lobbying firm to meet with Fox to discuss strategies to increase SAA's visibility
and representation in Washington, D.C.
Hensen said the Committee on Archival Information Exchange (CAIE) forwarded
their review of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus to the Standards Board.
He said a MARBI proposal would also be forwarded to the Standards Board in
the near future. In addition, a CAIE working group on encoded archival description
recently formed, chaired by Kris Kiesling.
Council Committee on Sections and Roundtables
Hickerson raised the issue of taping policies at annual meetings. He said
the Visual Materials Section was concerned about the fact that visual sessions
often were not taped. Traditionally, the program committee decided on which
sessions would be taped, however no official taping policy currently existed.
After general discussion, Council agreed to have the executive director construct
a draft policy statement placing taping decisions in the Chicago office with
advice from the Program Committee.
Hickerson noted that several sections and Roundtables were in the process
of producing directories and requesting financial reimbursement from SAA to
help cover costs of production and distribution. In light of these requests,
Council instructed Fox to consult with a lawyer to determine guidelines and
liabilities for instances where sections and roundtables engage in independent
fundraising to support directories. Council also requested that Fox develop
a policy on directories for review at the June Council meeting.
Council Committee on Task Forces, Boards, and Representatives
Davis presented a proposal from the SAA/ALA Joint Committee to support an
alliance with ALA's Office of Information Technology Policy. Burckel said he
would contact Elizabeth Martinez, ALA Executive Director, to discuss how best
to establish this alliance. He asked Fox to follow up with Carol Henderson,
Executive Director of the ALA Washington Office as well. Davis moved Council
accept the recommendation. Ericson seconded. PASSED.
Davis presented another proposal from the SAA/ALA Joint Committee requesting
SAA to appoint a member to the Modern Language Association Task Force developing
a "Statement on the Significance of Primary Records." Burckel asked
Fox to contact the MLA to inquire about the means by which the statement would
be reviewed. Banks expressed concern about the narrowness of the perspective
presented in the statement and said she did not believe there would be much
to be gained by SAA's involvement in the statement. The sense of Council, however,
was to pursue the issue with MLA. Hickerson moved acceptance of the recommendation.
Stout seconded. PASSED, with Stout opposed.
Ericson gave a brief report on the status of SAA representatives. Banks added
that Anne Van Camp was recently nominated by SAA to serve on the advisory committee
of the Information Security Oversight Office. She noted that Van Camp will
be an important person to consult in declassification issues.
Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness (TFOE)
Ericson deferred to Fox, who gave an overview of TFOE activities to date.
She said the TFOE working group on the Constitution and Bylaws found the process
more time consuming than expected. The working group managed to come to a general
agreement on the changes for the Constitution, but was still working through
revisions to the By-laws. Because the constitutional changes required the longest
lead-time (published for membership consideration four months before the business
meeting) the working group decided to forward these changes to Council for
action at this meeting.
Banks recommended that discussion on the revisions to the Constitution be
deferred until later that afternoon so that Council members would have an opportunity
to give the document their full review.
Standards Board
Ericson moved the adoption of the oral history cataloging manual as a standard
as recommended by the Standards Board. Burckel seconded the motion. Hickerson
recommended that the manual be considered a guideline or recommended practice,
and not a standard. The motion PASSED as amended by Hickerson.
Bruemmer reported that the Publications Board expressed a desire to expand
its membership beyond the current six. He presented a resolution authored by
the Publications Board to expand their membership to nine in order to accommodate
the Board's portfolio subcommittee system. He recommended that Council defer
this decision until TFOE conducts further review of SAA's organizational structure.
Council agreed with this recommendation.
Based on a recommendation from the committee itself, Bruemmer moved to dissolve
the AHA/OAH/SAA Joint Committee and replace it instead with the Executive Director
acting as official representative to AHA and OAH. Fox added that while it is
important that the two professions keep abreast of each others activities and
to share mutual concerns, the cost of two meetings a year for a group without
a clear mission was a key concern. Hickerson seconded. PASSED.
Ericson reported on activities of the Academy of Certified Archivists, noting
they had experienced recent problems with their treasury which were now resolved.
He also noted that the Committee on Goals and Priorities would be meeting the
end of February and would focus its efforts on analyzing the unit planning
forms, evaluating the strategic plan, and assessing society structure to complement
the work of TFOE.
Selection of Members to the Committee to Select SAA Fellows
Ericson moved a ballot of Charles Dollar, Linda Edgerly, Dan Williams to serve
on the Committee to Select SAA Fellows, with Joan Warnow-Blewett as an alternate
should one of three choose not to serve. Banks and Burckel were authorized
to nominate others if none of the four chose to serve. Stout seconded the motion.
PASSED.
Hickerson expressed discomfort with the lack of Council-wide participation
with the selection of members to the Committee to Select SAA Fellows occurred.
Banks said in the future the names of suggested nominees would be included
in Council materials mailed prior to the meeting.
Task Force on the Future of The American Archivist
Bruemmer moved and Burckel seconded the following motion establishing a charge
for the Task Force on the Future of the American Archivist:
For a number of years SAA has been unable to produce four timely issues of
the American Archivist in spite of the best efforts of talented and motivated
editors. The non delivery of a promised service is serious enough, but recently
the backlog has created other problems, some with financial consequences. SAA's
inability to fix the problem in the past suggests that there are fundamental
problems beyond mere production issues.
SAA charges a Task Force to examine the following questions:
1. Is the American Archivist in its present form meeting the informational
needs of the membership?
2. If yes, how do we assure its quantity and quality? What are SAA's options,
and what are the consequences of those options? Such options may include, but
are not limited to, reducing the frequency, lowering the quality, commissioning
articles, rethinking the content and distribution of the publication.
3. If no, what changes in the American Archivist would meet those needs? Should
the American Archivist continue in any form? What are SAA's options, and what
are the consequences of those options?
Task Force Membership. The task force will be composed of a past editors of
the American Archivist, the present editor, a member of the American Archivist
Board or a Publications Board member, a member of the Membership Committee
and the SAA managing editor. The president will name the chair of the task
force.
Schedule. The task force will deliver a report to Council for its June meeting
that addresses the questions above. Council will specify which options it wishes
to pursue for comment by the membership at large. Archival Outlook will carry
a report on these deliberations, and Council will solicit comments during the
annual meeting. Council will direct action of the task force in September 1996,
and the task force will conclude its work by January 1997.
PASSED.
Council adjourned at 12:00 pm and reconvened at 1:34.
Continuation of Discussion on the Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness
(TFOE)
Banks highly commended the work TFOE completed to date, especially for the
amount of thoughtful, detailed work on the constitution. She suggested that
since the by-laws were still under revision it would be best for Council to
review the draft Constitution and give the task force general guidance on the
direction the task force was taking. She also said it would be important to
receive as much member input as possible on the draft documents, which would
be accomplished through newsletter reports and a task force open forum at the
annual meeting. After opportunity for full membership comment and discussion
the changes to the constitution could be voted upon at the 1997 business meeting.
Council expressed agreement with this approach, and preceded to engage in
a review of the draft constitution, directing Fox to convey comments and suggested
changes to task force members.
Resolution Commending the Society of California Archivists on their
25th Anniversary
Ericson introduced the following motion to commend the Society of California
Archivists for their 25th anniversary:
The Society of American Archivists, which celebrates its 60th year of service
to the archival community in 1996, congratulates the Society of California
Archivists (SCA) on the occasion of its silver anniversary. SAA takes pride
in the fact that SCA's formulative meeting took place at the annual meeting
of the Society of American Archivists in San Francisco a quarter of a century
ago.
SAA salutes the cooperative relationship which has existed between itself
and the Society of California Archivists during these past twenty-five years.
Both organizations have worked to address archival concerns among those in
the archival and historical professions, as well as society in general.
The Council of the Society of American Archivists recognizes the outstanding
work done by SCA in the development of educational programs such as the Western
Archives Institute, and SCA's regular series of workshops which bring archival
programs and practices to all parts of California. Serving our nation's most
populous state, the Society of California Archivists continues to develop an
awareness of archival concerns at all levels, and to make its programs available
to people throughout the west.
The Society of American Archivists is pleased to recognize and congratulate
the Society of California Archivists as it begins its next 25 years of service.
Davis seconded the motion. PASSED.
Council then engaged in a broad discussion identifying key issues for the
Society to address in the coming year. Three top issues emerged from this discussion:
Copyright/Fair Use, Declassification, Preservation and Access.
In response to these issues Banks established a Task Force on Intellectual
Property Strategies to monitor on copyright legislation pending in congress
and to prepare position papers to disseminate to Congress, the media and allied
professions.
Hefner recommended a resolution commending Shelly Davis, dismissed IRS historian,
in support of her position advocating access to government records. She moved
that SAA commend Davis and call on the IRS to respond to U.S. Archivist John
Carlin's recent letter requesting an action plan from the IRS to transfer records
to the National Archives. Hickerson seconded. PASSED.
Hickerson said he would report back to Council with a proposal on digital
conversion criteria, in response to an earlier discussion of the need for such
criteria as guidance to non-archival administrators eager to digitize collections.
At 5:25 p.m. Ericson moved and Davis seconded adjournment. PASSED.
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