Council
Minutes
June
8-9, 1997
June
8, 1997
President Nicholas Burckel called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m., Sunday,
June 9, 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. Also present were incoming Treasure Robert Sink, incoming
Council member Fynnette Eaton, Executive Director Susan Fox and Meetings Consultant
Debra Mills. Archivist of the U.S. John Carlin and Deputy Archivist Lewis Bellardo
participated via conference call on June 10.
Motion to Adopt the Agenda
Bruemmer moved and Browne seconded the motion to adopt the agenda. PASSED.
Motion
to Approve the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Stout moved and Gilliland-Swetland seconded the motion to approve the minutes
of January 24-26, 1997 meeting as amended. PASSED.
Report of the Executive Committee
Davis reviewed the Council meeting agenda as discussed in the Executive Committee.
Report of the President
Burckel distributed information regarding Congressional legislation to extend
the JFK Assassination Review Board for another year. He reported on the NHPRC
executive committee meeting and the Commission's strategic plan. He said the
Commission will establish a blue ribbon committee to examine how to bring the
Founding Father papers to closure and to obtain means for private funding. He
recommended that Maher have Anne Kenney, SAA representative to the Commission,
provide a written report of the
NHPRC executive
committee meeting in order to help SAA to continue to monitor the issue.
Report of the Vice President
Maher reported on appointments to date and noted that all of the 1998 Program
and Host Committee appointments were complete.
He said Frank Cook agreed to help facilitate the process of introducing constitution
and bylaws changes to the membership at the business meeting.
Report of the Treasurer
Stout presented the FY97 projected final budget results. He guided Council through
a careful review of the budget and concluded by indicating the Society would
likely incur a $19,000 deficit. The deficit was due primarily to reduced revenues
from workshops and publications and higher than expected expenses for the San
Diego annual meeting.
Report of the Executive Director
Fox introduced Mills who gave an update on the 1997 Chicago annual meeting.
She expected attendance to equal or exceed that of Washington, D.C. Because
of tight space at the Fairmont Hotel and the fact that the program committee
received fewer proposals, the number of sessions would decrease to 67 from a
traditional high of 85-90 at most annual meetings.
Mills discussed potential meeting sites for 2001 with both Mobile and Birmingham
placing strong bids. Maher said that while he did not want to preclude a meeting
in either city, however, given the high revenues generated from situating the
annual meeting in either Chicago, New York, or Washington, D.C., he did want
to at least explore other alternatives in the Washington, D.C. area, such as
Baltimore. Burckel asked Mills to discuss Council's economic concerns with Ed
Bridges, who was instrumental in the Alabama bid, and to explore the option
of meeting there in 2002.
Maher expressed reservations about reaching a decision against an Alabama site
based on the proposed policy of rotating meetings in highly profitable cities
without first having received input from SAA members on the proposed policy
and without having reached closure on the policy decision.
Council discussed potential program and logistics of holding a Leadership Luncheon
at the Chicago annual meeting. Burckel appointed himself, Fox, and Maher as
a subcommittee to report back to Council with more detail.
Report of Council Committees
Hensen reported that the Public Information Committee requested funding for
a 1998 mid-year meeting. He said that the Committee on Archival Information
Exchange (CAIE) had concerns regarding proposed organizational changes recommended
by the Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness (TFOE). He said a delegation
from CAIE attended the midwinter ALA meeting and discussed MARBI with an audience
of receptive librarians. He said CAIE represented the profession and the Society
extremely well.
Uhler introduced a request from the Membership Committee to revise their charge
as follows:
"The Membership Committee shall be composed of nine to twelve appointed
members and the chair. The composition of the Committee is intended to reflect
as broadly as possible those constituencies well-represented in the Society's
membership, as well as those that are under-represented."
"Appointments of the Committee members are for a three-year term and are
made on a staggered basis with either three or four positions filled in each
year. Initial appointments may be for less than a three-year term in order to
assure that the terms of three to four members expire each year. The chair's
appointment is for one year. The exact number of appointments in any given year,
either three or four, will be the prerogative of the committee chair."
Uhler moved acceptance of the charge. Hensen seconded the motion. Burckel raised
a concern regarding one year appointments for the chair, and questioned whether
the appointment should be longer to insure continuity. PASSED. Maher moved to
include the phrase "in consultation with the Vice President" at the
end of the final paragraph. Thibodeau seconded. PASSED.
Bruemmer introduced an SAA/ARMA Joint Committee draft concept paper authored
by Mike Pemberton, Committee chair. The paper called for a North American Records
Summit in order to focus on areas of greater cooperation among associations
in the information disciplines. Bruemmer said that SAA's representative, Nancy
Kunde, supported the idea but understood it needed more work. Fox said she planned
a meeting with the ARMA executive director in the fall and would explore further
means of cooperation.
Bruemmer presented a draft charge for the Joint Committee and said he would
further refine the charge, then present it to the Council listserv for review
and vote at the August meeting. He introduced a list of Joint Committee items
submitted for Council consideration. He moved and Davis seconded the motion
that the list be referred to the Council subcommittee for further deliberation.
PASSED.
Bruemmer presented a report from Paul Conway, SAA representative to NISO. The
Conway report described NISO's actions regarding its vote on a proposed Australian
records management standard. Concurrent with SAA's concerns, the U.S. voted
to disapprove: "The U.S. supports the concept of an international standard
for records management. However, further review and discussion is required to
develop an international standard for records management that can be successfully
implemented and supported."
Gilliland-Swetland said that it would be beneficial if SAA had a liaison with
the Australians in order to hear directly their reasons for creating and supporting
the standard. Hefner said she would follow-up.
Report of Council Committee on Sections and Roundtables
Thibodeau presented draft definitions of Member Interest Groups (MIGs) developed
in context of TFOE discussions and those of the Task Force on Sections and Roundtables.
She said the Council Committee reviewed the proposed definition with Section
and Roundtable leaders to solicit their feedback, which was generally favorable.
She recognized, however, that implementing the proposed definitional changes
would have a fiscal impact on the Society. An analysis would be needed to determine
the cost of administering the proposed changes, which proposed replacing Sections
and Roundtables with Member Interest Groups (MIGs).
After Council discussion of the proposal, Stout moved that Council accept the
concept of self-generating interest groups as a desirable goal and that Council
recognize that administrative implementation would require additional investigation.
Council would continue to pursue examination of the question along with the
dues structure and annual meeting issues with the goal of making a recommendation
by the 1998 annual meeting. Hensen seconded. PASSED.
Maher expressed concern regarding introducing new bylaws language on Member
Interest Groups at the business meeting. He said the current bylaws language
would act as a placeholder for the coming year as the Society discussed a range
of proposed organizational changes.
Hirtle recommended that SAA establish a leadership listserv to better communicate
with stakeholders. Fox said she would do so in the fall.
Hirtle presented the recommendation from the OCLC Roundtable that it disband
and moved Council's acceptance of the recommendation. Hefner seconded the motion.
PASSED.
Browne reported that the Network Advisory Committee disbanded and therefore
SAA no longer needed a representative to the Committee. She said the Standards
Board would have a preliminary report on the Guidelines for Post-Appointment
and Continuing Education and Training (PACE) for the August Council meeting.
She said Joyce Ray recommended SAA have a representative to the AIIM Standards
Committee and that Ray inquired whether it would be appropriate for her to assume
that role. The sense of Council was that she should represent the Society on
this committee.
Davis reported that the ALA-SAA Joint Committee was soliciting member opinions
regarding a revision of its statement on access to original research materials.
The proposed revision would include a discussion of electronic access.
Bruemmer said the Publications Board would need a replacement for Helen Tibbo,
incoming Council member. Bruemmer said he supported the recommendation from
Teresa Brinati, Director of Publications, that the American Archivist
retain four guest editors in order to accelerate production and begin 1998 fully
on schedule. Fox said she would communicate this sense of Council to the Editorial
Board.
Browne presented a charge to establish a Task Force on the Annual Meeting and
moved its adoption. Stout seconded the motion. PASSED.
Bruemmer presented a charge to establish a Task Force on SAA Dues Structure/Member
Benefits and moved its adoption. Stout seconded the motion. PASSED.
Fox inquired whether Council wanted to consider a Task Force on Diversity. Hefner
said the issue needed to be clearly defined in order to be appropriately engaged.
She suggested developing a think piece to frame the debate. Hefner, Gilliland-Swetland,
and Uhler agreed to develop a task force charge to be introduced at the August
30 Council meeting.
Maher issued a note of caution and concern regarding how the issue would be
handled and the expectations that would come of it. Because Council had not
yet reached any conclusions about establishing such a task force, he said it
might be premature to discuss it among members. Uhler said she would present
the issue with sensitivity to Maher's concerns, focusing on the question of
what issues the groups would want the Society to examine.
Davis moved that Hefner, Gilliland-Swetland, and Uhler develop a framework for
a charge for a diversity task force that would be presented at the August 26
Council meeting in draft form with a revised charge to be presented for vote
at the August 30 Council meeting. Uhler seconded the motion. PASSED.
Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness Recommendations and Next
Steps
Davis presented the context of the discussion of TFOE issues. She said there
were three specific issues to be addressed: progress since January and how to
move along the process to revise the Constitution and Bylaws; implementation
of the recommended changes, ensuring that actions taken since the last Council
meeting were on schedule; and reorganizing Council as discussed on Planning
Day.
Burckel added the need to explore results of discussions with units regarding
recommended changes.
Davis said that the implementation part of the process presently centered on
the fact that there were a few specified areas affected by the proposed changes
that would be the responsibility of the Council liaison. The liaison would need
to work with these particular units over a period of time to bring the changes
into effect. She noted that Council would have additional information from units
following annual meeting discussions which would further assist decision-making
in January.
Burckel reported on plans to present the Constitution and Bylaw changes to membership
at the business meeting.
Burckel suggested that since the Nominating Committee did not have to solicit
candidates for Vice President, this would be a good year for them to explore
the reticence of members to run for that office.
SAA Relationship with Other Organizations
SAA-NCC
Bruemmer and
Hirtle presented a discussion of SAA's relationship with the National Coordinating
Committee for the Promotion of History (NCC). They outlined concerns that NCC
was not responsive enough to archival concerns and presented options for Council
to consider. Those options included: withdrawing from NCC to establish a separate
SAA lobby; establish an archival lobbying consortium; using a different lobbying
organization; scaling back SAA's time commitment to NCC and instead use strategic
partnerships; make NCC more responsive; monitor NCC; or maintain the status
quo.
Gilliland-Swetland said the Society needed a short, concise position statement
which identified what the Society does, whom it represents, and what it does.
Bruemmer and Hirtle agreed to draft a letter expressing SAA concerns to Page
Putnam Miller, NCC Executive Director, and post to the listserv for comment.
Stout, Gilliland-Swetland, and Maher agreed to draft a vision statement as suggested
by Gilliland-Swetland.
Maher thanked Bruemmer and Hirtle for putting together the presentation. He
said it presented an excellent model of how Council should be dealing with difficult
issues.
SAA-Association of Canadian Archivists
Davis introduced the motion to establish a representative to the ACA and that
those representatives would need to secure institutional or personal funding
for travel to ACA annual meetings. Bruemmer seconded the motion. PASSED.
Review of Council Listserv Decisions
SAA Position Statement on GRS 20
Hirtle moved formal acceptance of the SAA position statement on Archival Issues
Raised by Litigation Challenging General Records Schedule 20 as discussed and
approved on the Council listserv. Uhler seconded. PASSED with Thibodeau abstaining.
SAA Response to NHPRC Call for Comment
Stout moved formal acceptance of SAA's response to NHPRC's Call for Comment
as discussed and approved on the Council listserv. Davis seconded. PASSED.
Declassification Issues
Hefner introduced a draft letter to Senator Patrick Moynihan regarding The
Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy.
Browne moved acceptance of the letter. Maher seconded. PASSED.
Council Listserv Guidelines
Davis introduced revised Guidelines for use of the Council listserv and moved
their acceptance. Bruemmer seconded the motion. PASSED.
Monday, June 9, 1997
Burckel called the meeting to order at 8:08 a.m.
Fox presented a letter received from Linda Henry requesting Council discussion
of her concerns regarding the Society's position statement on Archival Issues
Raised by Litigation Challenging General Records Schedule 20. She thought the
position an inappropriate one which singled out NARA for criticism.
Burckel said he would respond to Henry's concerns and articulate that the Society
was responding to litigation, not criticizing a single institution, and that
Council considered the larger context an important one. Davis and Bruemmer agreed
to work with Burckel in drafting a response.
Old Business
Davis introduced and moved acceptance of revised guidelines for use of the Council
listserv. Stout seconded the motion. PASSED.
Gilliland-Swetland said she would develop first sale language for the statement
on Copyright, Archival Institutions, and the Digital Environment and
would post it to the Council listserv.
Fox presented revised guidelines for web pages developed by SAA units. After
discussion Davis moved acceptance of the guidelines as amended. Bruemmer seconded
the motion. PASSED.
Burckel introduced revised Executive Director evaluation guidelines. Davis moved
the unanimous recommendation from the Executive Committee that they be adopted.
Browne seconded the motion. PASSED.
Stout moved acceptance of the redrafted Statement on the Digitization of Archives
as amended. Uhler seconded the motion. PASSED.
Adoption of FY98 Budget
Stout moved adoption of the FY98 budget as presented, with the understanding
that certain expenditures could be expensed up to but not exceeding their maximum
amounts. These expenditures included $75,000 from the Special Projects Fund
to upgrade software in the Chicago office and $15,000 from the Education Fund
for an education office course catalog and instructor peer review program. Support
would also be offered from the general operating budget to the publications
program for a mid-year meeting of editors, and to support the work of the two
newly established task forces. Davis seconded the motion. PASSED.
Hefner expressed concern over the downward fiscal trends identified during Planning
Day and the need to address these trends in a bold manner. She said she accepted
the proposed budget, but cautioned Council to monitor costs and the budget closely
in the coming fiscal year.
Stout articulated the need to identify new income streams to help alleviate
pressures on the expenditure side.
New Business
Council then elected by lot Bruemmer to serve on the Executive Committee for
the 1997-1998 term. Hefner and Uhler were subsequently elected to serve on the
1997-1998 Nominating Committee.
Conference Call with Archivist of the U.S.
Burckel welcomed Archivist of the U.S. John Carlin and Deputy Archivist Lewis
Bellardo, who participated via conference call. Carlin described progress on
the National Archives strategic planning process, then responded to a range
of questions on funding, litigation, standards, and presidential libraries.
Burckel thanked Carlin and Bellardo for taking time from their busy schedules
to speak with Council. Carlin said that he highly valued the opportunity to
communicate with SAA and that he considered it extremely important that communication
continue on a regular basis.
Council resumed discussion of New Business with Gilliland-Swetland introducing
a request from the California Society of Archivists (CSA) that SAA issue a letter
of protest to the California Secretary of State. CSA expressed concern that
the Chief of the California State Archives and Museums was removed without cause
and the subsequent position announcement did not contain adequate professional
qualifications. Gilliland-Swetland recommended that SAA go on record recommending
that no state archivist position should fall into the category of removal without
cause. Hefner moved SAA issue a letter of objection to the California Attorney
General. Davis seconded the motion. PASSED.
Stout reviewed the "to do" list of actions from the meeting.
Burckel adjourned the meeting at 11:53 a.m.
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