Council Minutes
August 19 & 23, 2003
Century Plaza Hotel
Los Angeles, California
August 19, 2003
President Peter Hirtle called the meeting to order at 8:30 am. 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
incoming vice president Rand Jimerson, incoming treasurer Fynnette Eaton,
incoming Council members Kathryn Neal and Christopher Paton, Executive Director
Nancy Beaumont, and former Finance/Administration Director Carroll Dendler.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Bell-Russel moved and Adkins seconded adoption of the agenda as amended. PASSED.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Battle moved and Adkins seconded approval of the May 2003 Council meeting
minutes as amended. PASSED.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Connors reviewed Executive Committee communications and votes since the May
2003 Council meeting. Communications included an exchange between Hirtle and
Publications Editor Richard Cox, clarifying Council’s high regard for
the publications program; response to a request from Vicki Walch for a letter
of support for a grant application from the Council of State Historical Records
Coordinators (COSHRC); an exchange between Hirtle and Jim O’Toole regarding
whether SAA should participate in an amicus brief seeking access to
McCarthy-era records; and discussion of “Memoria, Voz y Patrimonio” (the
First Conference on Latino/Hispanic Film, Print, and Sound Archives), which
led to an Executive Committee decision to support the conference by placing
an advertisement in the conference program.
The Executive Committee had voted at the request of the ALA/SAA Joint Committee
to alter its charge and membership to include representatives from the American
Association of Museums, renaming the committee as the ALA/SAA/AAM Joint Committee
on Libraries, Archives, and Museums. The Executive Committee had also approved
and submitted on behalf of SAA the comments drafted by the Technical Subcommittee
on Descriptive Standards on the draft second edition of the International Standard
Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families, or ISAAR(CPF).
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
Hirtle reported on a meeting that he and Ericson attended at the Association
of Canadian Archivists (ACA) annual meeting to discuss creation of a “virtual” North
American regional branch of the International Council on Archives (ICA). There
will be a meeting with other national associations during SAA’s Annual
Meeting to discuss a draft description of the new organization prepared by
Bryan Corbett of ACA. One proposed role for the new organization is to select
a North American representative to the ICA Executive Committee.
Hirtle reported on his discussions with Shared Legal Capability, a library
legal advocacy partnership consisting of representatives from the American
Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the American Association
of Law Libraries, the Medical Libraries Association, and the Special Libraries
Association, regarding options for SAA’s involvement in the group. He
discovered that membership in SLC requires a large initial financial commitment
as well as substantial annual dues. There was some concern within the SLC group
as to whether there was enough commonality of interest with SAA to warrant
the Society making this expenditure. SLC proposed instead that an SAA representative
join its closed listserv to monitor and identify common issues. Hirtle has
been added to the listserv; after 6 months, Ericson will determine if someone
else should replace him.
Hirtle provided an update on the status of SAA’s proposal to the Institute
of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for a grant to conduct a census of the
archival profession. The notification date for IMLS decisions is October 31.
REPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
Ericson reported that, effective August 25, he will teach full-time at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies.
Ericson distributed a list of completed committee and task force appointments,
and indicated that he has a new appreciation for the complexity of the appointments
process. A final report on the SAA Executive Director search will appear on
the Web site when it is complete.
He announced that Max Evans, executive director of the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), will join the Council at its August
23 breakfast meeting to discuss the Commission’s new directions in strategic
planning.
Ericson led a brief discussion of SAA’s preferred role in the selection
of the next Archivist of the United States. He recommended, and Council agreed,
that he appoint a Council working group to update the 1993 selection criteria
(which Council members had reviewed prior to the meeting) and formulate a strategy
in advance of any formal announcement of a vacancy in the position.
Ericson then reported on his experience as coordinator at the two-week Institute
for Native American and Tribal Archivists in early August. Specifically he
reflected on discussions with attendees about SAA membership. He had heard
statements that SAA teaches the “one way” to do archival work,
and that one must pass a test or have an advanced degree to join SAA. Wurl
described his conversations at the Latino/Hispanic Film, Print, and Sound Archives
conference, which reinforced Ericson’s experience at the Tribal Institute.
They agreed that one of the consequences of moving to “professionalization” of
archivists is the creation of an “us vs. them” mentality, and that
future membership development efforts must take into account, and attempt to
overcome, these perceptions.
REPORT OF THE TREASURER
Adkins reported a net gain at year-end FY2002-2003 of $40,000, which she
attributed largely to reduced salary and benefits expenses due to the absence
of an executive director. She suggested placing $5,000 of the net gain in the
General Reserve fund and splitting the remainder among Education, Publications,
and Membership Development. Given the uncertainty of the pending IMLS grant
to conduct a census of the profession, which would affect membership development
efforts, she urged the Council to delay a decision regarding the split until
news of the grant is received in October.
The net revenue from the 2002 Annual Meeting exceeded budget targets. Publications
revenue did not meet projections, however, and the Council speculated on a
variety of reasons for this. Dendler reported that the Publications budget
was based on historical trends, and that several publications were not meeting
sales projections. Further, some books that were projected for completion were
not yet in the income stream. Four new books were to premier at the 2003 Annual
Meeting, and several more would be coming out in the remainder of FY2003-2004.
The Education program did well in FY2002-2003; both income and expenses were
higher than budgeted, but net income remained strong at more than $68,000.
Adkins indicated that unexpended funds from the executive director search
will be returned to the General Reserve fund. Currently the Society has a 4-month
reserve, down from 4.5 months in previous years.
Hirtle thanked Adkins and Dendler for providing an analysis that includes
salary and overhead allocation, as he believes such an analysis assists Council
in understanding the extent to which various programs are subsidized.
In a brief discussion of SAA’s investment policy, Adkins noted that the
Society’s stock investments are in a managed account that requires a
higher fee than would a mutual fund. She discussed the benefits of both approaches.
Eaton and Beaumont will confer with SAA’s new client representative at
Merrill Lynch to get his advice regarding account management. Beaumont will
discuss with Merrill Lynch the Council’s desire to issue a request for
proposal for services.
To inform Council’s ongoing discussion of the possible need for a dues
increase, Dendler provided a written analysis of the current cost of servicing
a member. As of year-end 2002, the average cost of servicing a member was $139,
compared with $124 in 1997. The average dues income per member was $126 in
2002, compared with $104 in 1997. Dues were last increased in 1998.
Adkins urged Council members to pay significant attention to developing and
implementing a fundraising strategic plan in follow-up to 2003 Planning Day
discussions, perhaps appointing a working group to accomplish this function.
She offered to assist in these efforts.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Headquarters Office Update: Beaumont indicated that she will
provide frequent periodic headquarters updates that will enable Council members
to be better informed between meetings and less dependent on formal reports.
Examples of items to be included are monthly updates on membership, timely
updates on the outcomes of education offerings, and periodic review of economic
issues regarding publications.
Education Update: Beaumont highlighted the Education Office’s
plan to launch online offerings (“Web seminars”) in the fall, beginning
with topics in ethics and encoded archival description.
Publications Update: Beaumont briefly reviewed the written
reports on international activity and publication sales prepared by Publishing
Director Teresa Brinati. There was no discussion of these reports.
Annual Meeting Update: Beaumont reported that, as of July
30, a total of 1,087 registrations for the 2003 Annual Meeting had been processed,
surpassing the budgeted goal of 1,025 registrations. In addition, as of the
date of the Council meeting, 55 booths had been sold, exceeding the planned
exhibit hall space and requiring some expansion of that space. A total of $26,800
had been contributed in sponsorships, not including the $10,000 in-kind contribution
from the Getty Institute for the all-member reception. Beaumont thanked Council
members for their fund-raising efforts, and encouraged them to continue those
efforts on site by completing their “exhibitor visits” tasks. Pending
on-site registrations and cancellations, it appeared that the Annual Meeting
budget would exceed income projections.
Expenses for the meeting also are running above budget, due to food and beverage
costs associated with receptions and to audiovisual expenses. Beaumont assured
the Council that staff members were paying particular attention to containing
costs, and cautioned that in the future we will have to give careful consideration
to what can realistically be offered with limited sponsorship support.
She noted that the 2004 Annual Meeting hotel in Boston will present some significant
challenges for conducting programming, special events, and the exhibit hall
due to space shortages. The room configuration will require creative thinking
regarding the timing and sequencing of events, and will likely mandate some
changes in the “typical” Annual Meeting program. She will keep
Council informed as planning progresses.
Membership Update: Beaumont led a brief discussion of the
most recent Membership Update provided by Membership Committee Chair Scott
Schwartz. The group discussed several of the conclusions presented in the report,
and agreed that, if funded, the IMLS-supported census survey could provide
badly needed information about the membership.
DISCUSSION WITH ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES
John Carlin, Archivist of the United States, and Lew Bellardo, Deputy Archivist
of the United States, participated in the Council meeting via conference telephone.
Carlin expressed regret that he would not be attending the SAA Annual Meeting,
but said the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) would be well
represented at the meeting in Los Angeles in the person(s) of Lew Bellardo
and others. He was happy that NARA could provide financial support for the
International Business Reception, and expressed his best wishes for its success.
He then complimented outgoing SAA President Peter Hirtle on his leadership
during the preceding year.
Bellardo described NARA’s recently completed records lifecycle business
process reengineering project focusing on records management processes and
electronic records. Following a benchmarking process, NARA developed a “to
be” model that will be posted on its Web site within the week. Now on
the NARA Web site is a Strategic Directions Document on Records Management
(issued in 2002 as a proposal that received both internal and external feedback)
that lays out strategies that the agency intends to follow in the coming months
and years, with an emphasis on building in sufficient flexibility to adapt
to changes in the record-keeping environment in government. Carlin has prepared
an article about the document for the September/October 2003 edition of Archival
Outlook.
Also available via the Web site within a week of the Annual Meeting will be
NARA’s appraisal policy, which was issued for comment in the spring.
The document lays out overall strategies, objectives, and guidelines that appraisal
archivists should follow when looking at functions of government. NARA’s
custody policy, issued in February 2003, deals with legal and physical custody
of archival records and the concept of affiliated relationships with other
agencies, educational institutions, and organizations. One of the changes from
the previous policy is to acknowledge the possibility of a variety of affiliated
relationships.
During the week prior to the Council meeting, NARA signed a memorandum of
understanding with the Government Printing Office that deals with GPO Access
online information products. NARA will legally accession files on GPO Access,
but GPO will assume responsibility for permanent public access. NARA will serve
as a backup. When there are major system upgrades to GPO Access, the older
version will go to NARA. The agency will use persistent object preservation
to ensure preservation of the files over time.
The Strategic Plan that NARA sent to SAA for comment will be issued at the
end of September, with printed copies available in early October. The document
incorporates more changes than originally were thought to be necessary. For
example, in response to OMB comments, the plan more accurately reflects the
challenges associated with records management reengineering.
Hirtle commented that Congress’s consideration of the NARA budget appeared
to be positive. Bellardo indicated that the president’s proposal for
$5 million in unencumbered funds for the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission had been increased to $10 million in House of Representatives
deliberations, but that increase could face significant challenges in the Senate
subcommittee.
Wurl asked whether NARA has been tapped to participate in international efforts
regarding the Iraqi archives. Bellardo discussed NARA’s involvement in
two missions: 1) a preservation team that looked at documents rescued from
water in the basement of secret police headquarters that appeared to be the
archives of the Iraqi Jewish community in Baghdad, and 2) an individual who
was asked to advise on maintaining the integrity of individual files as they
are discovered. The individual recommended development of an emergency manual
on the protection of chain of custody and original order for evidential reasons.
Currently attempts are being made to maintain original records in Iraq.
OLD BUSINESS
Diversity
Wurl discussed his representation of SAA at “Memoria, Voz y Patrimonio,” the
First Conference of Latino/Hispanic Film, Print, and Sound Archives. He noted
that SAA had supported the conference by purchasing an advertisement in the
onsite program. He was given the opportunity to provide a greeting to the 75-100
registrants and served as a moderator for a session on the second day. Very
few attendees were SAA members; many were members of REFORMA (a group made
up of librarians who are interested in Latino issues). Wurl indicated that
he would alert Publications Editor Richard Cox to the fact that proceedings
of the conference will be published, and may be appropriate for distribution
via the SAA publications catalog.
Diversity Committee Charge
Hirtle had assigned a Council Working Group on Diversity (chaired by Wurl,
and including Bell-Russel, Connors, and Sniffin-Marinoff) to draft for Council
consideration a charge for the Diversity Committee. The working group looked
at existing committee charter documents and focused on the statement of purpose,
believing that other parts of the charge should be developed in consultation
with committee appointees.
MOVED THAT the following charge for the Diversity Committee be adopted:
The SAA Committee on Diversity works to ensure that the organization’s
services, activities, policies, communications, and products support the
goal of a more diverse SAA and professional archival community. It functions
as a catalyst for new diversity-related initiatives, developed in coordination
with various SAA entities, and as the organization’s “conscience” in
monitoring, evaluating, advocating, and reporting on matters pertaining to
the diversity of archival practitioners and documentation. [Moved by Engst,
seconded by Battle] PASSED.
Hirtle noted that criteria for the Committee (e.g., number of members, reporting
requirements) should be included in the Council Handbook. Wurl and Bell-Russel
stressed that the Committee may have to be larger than is typical in order
to represent the diversity of groups within SAA. The Committee’s first
assigned task will be to draft its own roles and responsibilities. It should
be encouraged to meet in January 2004 if possible, and not later than June.
Connors has drafted a list of twelve possible responsibilities that he will
forward to the group as a starting point.
Wurl will report on Council action regarding the Diversity Committee at the
2003 Annual Business Meeting.
Awards Committee: Proposed Revisions in Awards Descriptions
Council members considered a series of questions posed by Bell-Russel, who
was assigned to review the Awards Committee’s proposed revisions to awards
descriptions. In discussion, Council determined that:
- Staff should ensure that what appears on the Web site is consistent with
written materials as adopted;
- Section chairs should be considered full voting members of their respective
awards selection subcommittees;
- The Awards Committee should revisit the issue of whether online publications
qualify for any or all of the publications awards, understanding that the
decision may depend on the nature of the award;
- Submission requirements should be changed to allow for hard-copy or electronic
submission of awards nominations;
- Associate members of SAA may not serve on the Awards Committee; and
- If the Awards Committee feels strongly that Council should create a service
award recognizing service to the profession by individual archivists regardless
of their institutional affiliation, the Committee should make a formal recommendation
to that effect.
Council members also briefly discussed the issue of whether there is any limit
on the number of honorary members in the society. Eaton was assigned to look
into the issue of honorary members and report back to the Council in January.
Beaumont was charged with standardizing the language among the awards descriptions
based on the Council discussion and with making the following changes:
- Include in each appropriate description the notation that, “The senior
co-chair recommends one member of the subcommittee to be appointed annually
by the president-elect.”
- Council Exemplary Service Award: Under application deadline, add “Written
nominations must be received by Council four weeks in advance of its summer
meeting.”
- Edit the descriptions of the Colonial Dames of America and Donna Cutt
Scholarships to clarify that the Cutt scholarship is the third scholarship
from the Colonial Dames and that it is named in honor of one of the Dames.
- J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award: Edit the award description
to make it clear that individuals who are directly responsible for archival
work and institutions that are directly responsible for an archival program
are not eligible for this advocacy award.
- Theodore Calvin Pease Award: Clarify that the member of the selection
committee who has experience in archival research and is appointed by the
president-elect serves a one-year term.
- Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award: Clarify that both appointees
to the selection committee serve one-year terms.
Ericson, as SAA archivist, agreed to look up biographical information and
confirm dates for each of the persons for whom awards are named; to confirm
that awards were not made in years that indicate no award; and to determine
who were the contributors associated with the 1998 Leland Award recipient.
MOVED THAT the Council Handbook be updated to reflect the changes recommended
by the Awards Committee, as edited by the Council at its August 2003 meeting.
[Moved by Bell-Russel, seconded by Boles] PASSED.
Funding for International Travel
Hirtle reported on the outcome of his query to the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission regarding the availability of funding to support international
travel for such activities as attendance at International Council on Archives
(ICA) conferences and meetings. This need is made more critical by the fact
that National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) funding
to SAA will expire at the end of 2003 following three very active years. Hirtle
indicated that the NHPRC response was not encouraging, stressing the need to
tie proposals to specific outcomes and to seek co-supporters. He suggested
that SAA consider other possibilities in order to continue to support international
outreach.
SAA Mission Statement/Slogan
Council members agreed that this topic would be more appropriately discussed
in a retreat environment, and that it should be postponed until the group’s
Planning Day in January 2004.
Electronic Publishing Working Group
Progress Report. Wurl, Council liaison to the working group,
presented the Working Group’s report. He acknowledged Chair Rob Spindler
for his outstanding work in following through on the EPWG initiatives, and
praised Teresa Brinati and Brian Doyle for their staff support of the various
projects outlined. Council reiterated the importance of following up on many
of the recommendations made in the final report of the Electronic Publishing
Task Force, and directed Wurl to follow up with Spindler regarding whether
he would like to appoint working group members or continue to work on his own.
Electronic Section Newsletters. Wurl encouraged all Council
members to use the 2003 Annual Meeting as an opportunity to solicit feedback
from sections on their willingness to convert to electronic-only newsletters,
as proposed by the EPWG.
Online Membership Directory—Privacy Policy. Hirtle
indicated that the SAA online membership directory is up and running, but that
the Privacy and Confidentiality Roundtable has expressed some concerns about
it. He explained that when the directory was ready to go online, no SAA privacy
statement had been finalized. He delegated the development of an interim policy
to staff, with the full knowledge that staff would consult with appropriate
parties, including the Roundtable chair. The directory was launched once the
privacy statement had been reviewed and approved by the Roundtable chair and
Hirtle.
The Council reviewed four documents submitted to Boles and Wurl by the Privacy
and Confidentiality Roundtable on July 10, 2003: Privacy and Confidentiality
Policy, Directory License Notice, “I Agree,” and “Remember
Me.” Boles indicated that the Roundtable had expressed strong concerns
about confidentiality issues associated with the online directory. Council
members discussed at length the intent of language within the proposed policy
(e.g., how does one define “SAA business”?). Ericson suggested
that a group of volunteers be assigned to work with Boles to speak with Roundtable
members during the Annual Meeting and to revisit the issue at the Council’s
meeting on August 23. At that meeting, he would propose setting a timeline
and due date for further action.
Staff was asked to re-label the current Web site policy as “Interim
Policy.”
Museum Archives Guidelines
Battle reported that the long process of developing guidelines for museum
archives had been completed by the Museum Archives Section, and that those
guidelines were now presented for Council endorsement.
MOVED THAT the Museum Archives Guidelines developed by the Museum Archives
Section of the Society of American Archivists and dated July 2003 be endorsed
and disseminated via the Web site and other means as recommended by the Section.
[Moved by Engst, seconded by Battle] PASSED.
Canadian-U.S. Task Force on Archival Description (CUSTARD) Project
Dooley reported on the status of the NEH grant-supported project to develop
a joint American-Canadian descriptive standard that would draw upon and reconcile
American descriptive practice (as found in Archives, Personal Papers, and
Manuscripts, or APPM) and Canadian practice (represented by Rules
for Archival Description, or RAD). Development of the standard went well
until review of the final draft, when the American representatives decided
that they could not accept the document. Dooley indicated that both groups
intend to proceed in their own directions with the work that had been done
jointly.
Publications Board Mission and Governance Statement
Council members deferred this agenda item to the August 23 meeting in order
to get more information about the changes proposed in the document.
Planning Day
Discussion of Planning Day was deferred to the August 23 Council meeting.
Brack Fund Description
MOVED THAT the following description of the Bernice Brack Membership Development
Fund (formerly the Survey Fund) be adopted:
The Bernice Brack Membership Development Fund is an unrestricted fund established
to enhance SAA membership development and services. Disbursements may be
used to identify and assess member and prospective member wants and needs,
to develop and implement membership marketing initiatives, and to develop
membership services as identified by Council. The fund is named in memory
of former Membership Services Coordinator Bernice Brack, a beloved, long-time
SAA employee whose communications with and assistance to SAA members helped
attract and retain countless Society members. [Moved by Wurl, seconded by
Bell-Russel] PASSED.
Discussion with Tim Slavin, President-Elect of the National Association
of Government Archives and Records Administrators and the Council of State
Historical Records Coordinators
Slavin discussed various collaborative activities among COSHRC, NAGARA, and
SAA, including a proposed joint meeting of the three organizations’ boards
of directors in January 2004, consideration of a joint statement on restricting
the sale of public records via e-Bay, and exchange of complimentary registrations
for annual meetings. Slavin stressed the need for the archival community to
emphasize advocacy for the profession, and noted that archivists need to identify
our primary message(s) and market the product of archives.
COSHRC’s strategic plan calls for development of a “report card” on
the state of historical records in our states and local communities. The Council
would use past reports as part of this program, but the primary goal is to
secure current assessments of state archives programs. He has submitted a proposal
to conduct this assessment. A second COSHRC initiative is to develop mechanisms
for advocacy, which is why he would like to have SAA Council participate in
advocacy and media training at the January meeting in Washington. He has requested
COSHRC funds to support such training.
Finally, he encouraged Council to consider a joint annual meeting of NAGARA,
COSHRC, and SAA in Washington, DC, in the summer of 2006. He will put together
a business model for the joint meeting for discussion with SAA. Council members
expressed general support for the idea of exploring a joint meeting in 2006.
NEW BUSINESS
SAA Student Listserv/Communications
As liaison to the student chapters, Adkins had developed some ideas about
how to enhance student communications with each other and with SAA. She will
convert her ideas into suggestions for Council Handbook revisions, and will
submit those suggestions to Council for consideration at its January 2004 meeting.
Council Handbook Revisions: Section Newsletter Text
Staff had submitted a recommendation that Council consider Handbook revisions
codifying procedures for electronic section newsletters, pending the outcome
of discussions with section leaders about the Electronic Publishing Working
Group’s recommendation that all section newsletters be made available
exclusively by electronic means. Beaumont noted that, in light of preliminary
discussions with section leaders at the Annual Meeting, adoption of Handbook
revisions would be premature.
NAGARA Liaison
Hirtle explained that some confusion had arisen during the past year as to
who was SAA’s primary liaison with NAGARA. Council approved his suggestion
that the President and Executive Director serve as the primary contacts with
the organization.
Visual Materials Section Request
The Visual Materials Section requested, via an e-mail message from Section
Chair Laurie Baty to Wurl, that Council confer “official” status
on the mid-winter meeting of the section in order that some section members
might attend. Hirtle noted that Council applauds the industriousness of the
section, and asked Wurl to communicate to the Section leaders that they should
feel free to publicize the mid-winter meeting as an “official” section
meeting.
Position on Survivor Privacy
Hirtle noted that the Supreme Court would consider in the fall of 2003 a case
examining the survivor privacy rights associated with Vincent Foster’s
autopsy records. The Privacy and Confidentiality Roundtable would like Council
to develop a position that opposes a law regarding survivor privacy based on
the opinion that, because archivists abide by a professional code of ethics
that recognizes records creators’ rights and the rights of their families,
additional privacy protections are unnecessary.
The Council discussed a number of issues related to developing and disseminating
such a policy, including whether SAA might file an amicus brief or issue a
statement to the press and whether the Society should reaffirm its position
on free and open access to information. Sniffin-Marinoff then pointed out that
the Society’s Code of Ethics is under review and that the position might
become outdated very quickly if the Code changes. Boles suggested, and the
group agreed, that this issue should be referred to the Committee on Ethics
and Professional Conduct for its consideration while reviewing the Code.
Tax Deductions
Hirtle informed Council that legislation heavily promoted by the Association
of Art Museum Directors to restore the charitable deduction for the fair market
value of self-generated work (including literary compositions) had passed the
U.S. Senate and had been introduced in the House of Representatives. He proposed
that SAA actively support the legislation. Due to the lateness of the hour,
he agreed to develop his idea and make appropriate recommendations for Council
action.
Fellows Steering Committee
Hirtle noted that a description of the Fellows Steering Committee had been
forwarded to SAA Headquarters for inclusion in the Council Handbook, and that
overdue appointments to the Committee will be handled by Ericson during the
2003 Annual Meeting.
Intellectual Property Working Group
Council created the Intellectual Property Working Group as a working group
of Council in May 2001 after a discussion of the need for an advisory group
with special expertise in this complex area. The group initially comprised
two members of Council and one former Council member. Since then, two SAA members
(Heather Briston and Gary Peterson) have been added to the group. Hirtle noted
that with his departure from Council, no active members of the Council would
be left serving on the working group. Council members indicated that they were
comfortable with the membership of the working group as constituted. Beaumont
asked that she be added to the group’s e-mail list for the purposes of
monitoring intellectual property issues.
Liaison Appointments
Sniffin-Marinoff, who, as the fourth member of the Executive Committee, is
responsible for making Council liaison appointments, distributed the list of
appointments. She added that Wurl would serve as liaison to the Diversity Committee.
Letter Regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA)
Hirtle reported on communication that he had had with Steve Novak, chair of
SAA’s Science, Technology, and Health Care Roundtable, regarding the
implications for archives of the privacy standards issued in 2003 as required
by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Novak drafted a letter to be sent to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Thompson asking for clarification of certain aspects of HIPAA in
regard to archival and historical repositories. Council agreed that the letter
should be sent over the signatures of the SAA president and the president of
the Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences (Jodi Koste).
Ericson will confer with Koste, complete preparation of the letter, and send
the letter to Secretary Thompson.
“Political Pressure and the Archival Record” Conference
Due to lack of time, Connors indicated that he would provide Council members
with an e-mail report on his attendance at the international conference on “Political
Pressure and the Archival Record,” held in Liverpool, England, July 22-25.
He will also prepare a brief article about the meeting for the World View column
in the September/October 2003 issue of Archival Outlook.
REVIEW OF THE “TO-DO LIST”
Eaton agreed to provide a “to-do” list to Council members at the
August 23 meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 pm.
August 23, 2003
President Tim Ericson called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. Present: Vice
President Rand Jimerson, Treasurer Fynnette Eaton, and Council members Danna
Bell-Russel, Frank Boles, Elaine Engst, David Haury, Megan Sniffin-Marinoff,
Kathryn Neal, Christopher Paton, and Joel Wurl. Also present were Max Evans,
executive director of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission,
and SAA Executive Director Nancy Beaumont.
COUNCIL LIAISON REPORTS
Ericson asked each Council member to report on action items and concerns stemming
from meetings with their assigned groups during the course of the SAA Annual
Meeting.
Haury reported that the Security Roundtable had expressed hope that Council
would take a position on the USA PATRIOT Act.
Boles indicated that the Privacy and Confidentiality Roundtable favored working
with SAA national to develop a policy on privacy after death, and that he and
Roundtable Chair Aimee Felker intended to work together to provide language
by October 1.
Sniffin-Marinoff reported that the Committee on Ethics and Professional Conduct
would likely request a mid-year meeting in order to achieve its charge of reviewing
and revising the SAA Code of Ethics.
Paton indicated that the Preservation Section would like information from
SAA regarding how we will archive online newsletters if the Society moves in
the direction of online-only newsletters.
Bell-Russel reported that the Manuscripts Section also questioned how online
newsletters would be archived; that the Reference, Access, and Outreach and
Manuscript Repositories sections were interested in SAA taking a position on
the USA PATRIOT Act; and that the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable
had asked whether surplus funds from the Publications Fund might be allocated
to the Brack Membership Development Fund.
Wurl reported that the Membership Committee strongly encourages Council to
continue a regular schedule of student chapter visits, and suggests that Membership
Committee members might be tapped to fill in any gaps in the schedule. Eaton
will coordinate student chapter visits. Further, he indicated that the Membership
Committee may request funding for resume consulting services. The group discussed
the merits of conducting a student survey, and came to the conclusion that
such a survey might best be scheduled to take place every other year. Bell-Russel
suggested that Membership Coordinator Jeanette Spears may require assistance
in the on-site Career Center. Wurl concluded his report by indicating that
the Visual Materials Section does not favor limited (i.e., member-only) access
to online newsletters.
Jimerson reported that the Committee on Education and Professional Development
had voted to recommend that the PACE Guidelines be replaced with overall guidelines
for continuing education, and that a subcommittee would be working on drafting
a proposal for Council consideration in January 2004.
Eaton reported from the meeting of the Electronic Records Section that there
is a perception of a divergence in what the Section and SAA are trying to accomplish.
Engst indicated that the Standards Section is looking at revising Walch’s Standards
for Archival Description.
DISCUSSION WITH MAX EVANS OF NHPRC
NHPRC Executive Director Max Evans provided to Council an overview of preliminary
discussions that are taking place as the agency is developing a new strategic
plan. In general, the agency hopes to encourage increased access to and increased
use of America’s documentary heritage. It intends to do this by 1) continuing
to do what’s been done in the past (e.g., supporting projects that support
the feasibility of archival digitization), 2) enhancing education efforts to
create a cadre of archivists who can lead, 3) obtaining more money from Congress
(i.e., increasing the appropriation to the $10 million that is authorized),
and 4) increasing the authorization level to $100 million in order to fund
a nationwide program that is State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB)-based
and that re-grant monies can be awarded by SHRABs to local organizations. A
draft of the strategic plan will be available for the November meeting of the
NHPRC board and will be posted on the Web site soon thereafter.
PUBLICATIONS BOARD MISSION AND GOVERNANCE DOCUMENT
Following discussions with the Publications Board to clarify its submission
of a revised mission and governance statement, Wurl made the following motion:
MOVED THAT the Publications Board Mission and Governance Statement be adopted.
[Moved by Wurl; seconded by Sniffin-Marinoff] PASSED.
JANUARY COUNCIL MEETING
Ericson briefly outlined his intent to have a one-day planning session in
conjunction with the January Council meeting in Washington, D.C., and indicated
that he would inform Council via e-mail when we have received clarification
from COSHRC and NAGARA about having a joint meeting of the three organizations’ boards
in conjunction with that meeting.
DUES REVIEW
Eaton indicated that she will be working closely with staff to analyze the
Society’s financial position and to determine whether and when a dues
increase may be necessary.
She will report back to Council on this issue as more information is available.
OTHER BUSINESS
Bell-Russel suggested that SAA consider developing a workshop on advocacy.
Bell-Russel reported that she had received a complaint from an exhibitor that
the conference schedule allowed too much “dead time” in the exhibit
hall. Beaumont agreed to e-mail to Council members a copy of the exhibit hall
visits form for their use in completing their survey assignments.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 a.m.
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