Description Section Bylaws

I.  Purpose

The SAA Description Section provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas about all aspects of archival description among those responsible for, involved in, or interested in description projects, descriptive standards, and descriptive systems. The Section represents and promotes the interests and concerns of these archivists to the rest of SAA, and may undertake activities as appropriate to promote awareness of descriptive issues within the SAA and externally.

Membership in the Description Section is open to any member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) with an interest in archival description, descriptive standards, or descriptive systems.

1. The Section shall have a Steering Committee composed of three members: chair, vice-chair, and newsletter editor. In addition, "at large" members may be appointed by the chair as necessary to assist in advancing the Section's goals and objectives. The chair of SAA's Technical Subcommittee on Descriptive Standards (TSDS) serves as an ex officio member.
   
   
2. Officers on the Steering Committee must be members of the Section and full or student members of SAA (as defined in the SAA Constitution). The Society maintains the official list of Section members.
   
   
3. The chair serves a one-year term and is succeeded by the vice-chair. The vice-chair/chair-elect shall be elected annually at the Section's meeting during the SAA Annual Meeting.
   
   
4. The newsletter editor shall be appointed by the Section chair based on nominations submitted to the Steering Committee.
   
   
5. "At large" members shall be appointed as necessary by the Section chair based on nominations submitted to the Steering Committee.
   
   
6. The chair may appoint and disband committees or working groups as needed for specific purposes. The size, duration, and terms of reference of these groups will be determined by the Steering Committee.
   
   

1. The chair shall organize and preside at all meetings of the Section and of its Steering Committee. In addition, the chair shall serve as liaison with SAA in general, its Council, and other Sections and Roundtables, and serve as ex officio member of the Technical Subcommittee on Descriptive Standards (TSDS). The chair shall report to the Section membership, the SAA Council, and the SAA membership on such matters as deemed pertinent or as identified by the Steering Committee.
   
   
2. The vice-chair shall arrange and preside at meetings of the Section and of its Steering Committee in the chair's absence or inability to serve. The vice-chair shall also be responsible for organizing the Section's annual Finding Aids Fair.
   
   
3. The newsletter editor is responsible for preparing the Section's newsletter and any other special issues or mailings as determined by the Steering Committee. The editor negotiates all newsletter matters with the SAA Office as appropriate and is responsible for submitting notices about Section news to Archival Outlook. The newsletter editor is also responsible for ensuring that the information on the Section's web site is current and accurate.
   
   
4. "At large" members will be assigned specific responsibilities by the chair.
   
   
5. Annually, the chair will ensure that at least one Steering Committee member is responsible for coordinating the submission of session proposals to the SAA Program Committee on behalf of the Section.

1. The chair and/or persons appointed by the chair shall be responsible for soliciting candidates for the vice-chair position.
   
   
2. Nominees shall be solicited through a notice in the newsletter, by personal contact, and by electronic communication as appropriate (e.g., listservs; Section web site). All candidates for election must be members of the Section and full or student members of the SAA (as defined in the SAA Constitution).
   
   
3. The slate of candidates shall be publicized in the Section newsletter in the issue immediately preceding the Section's annual meeting, or in a special mailing immediately preceding the Section's annual meeting.
   
   
4. Election of the vice-chair shall take place at the Section's meeting during the SAA Annual Meeting. All members of the Section may vote. Voting at the annual meeting shall be by secret ballot. Members of the Section who will not be able to attend the annual meeting may request an absentee ballot; all absentee ballots must be returned to the chair one week prior to the annual meeting.
   
   
5. The candidate with the highest number of votes received shall be elected. The vice-chair shall be responsible for tabulating and announcing the results of the election during the annual meeting. The out-going chair shall be responsible for casting a tie-breaking vote, if necessary.
   
   
6. In the event that the vice-chair cannot succeed to the office of the chair, a new chair will be elected using the same procedures as for the election of the vice-chair.
   
   
7. In the event that the chair must relinquish his/her office during the year, the vice-chair will succeed to the office of the chair. The vice-chair will not be replaced until the regular election at the annual meeting.

1. The Section shall meet annually at the time and place of the SAA Annual Meeting, at a time determined by the SAA Program Committee.
   
   
2. The Steering Committee shall meet after the annual Section meeting to review the meeting and to plan for the coming year.
   
   
3. Outside of the annual meeting, the Steering Committee shall maintain contact to carry out its work program through e-mail, telephone, mail, and fax.
   
   
4. Communication with Section membership and SAA membership shall be effected through reports in the Section's newsletter, Archival Outlook, and/or electronic communication (such as a web site or listserv).
   
   
5. The Section cannot make official statements on behalf of the Society of American Archivists.
   
   

1. Any member of the Section may propose amendments to these bylaws in writing to the chair at least six months prior to the annual meeting. Upon agreement of the Steering Committee, proposed amendments shall be submitted to the membership at the annual meeting.
   
   
2. Voting on amendments shall occur during the Section's annual meeting. All members of the Section may vote. Voting at the annual meeting shall be by secret ballot. A majority vote of those present at the meeting shall be necessary to approve an amendment.
   
   
3. Amendment(s) to bylaws become effective immediately following approval at the annual meeting.
   
   

Bylaws approved at the 1999 Meeting of the Description Section in Pittsburgh, August 27, 1999.