Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Research Libraries Section

STANDING RULES

I. NAME.  The name of the section shall be Research Libraries Section.

II. MISSION.  The mission of the section is to promote discussion and collaboration on initiatives and research projects that affect archivists working in a research library context.

III. MEMBERS.  Membership in the section shall be determined according to the guidelines established in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual.

IV. GOVERNANCE.

A. These standing rules of the Research Libraries Section shall serve as a supplement to the SAA Section Bylaws, which govern all SAA sections. Please refer to Section IX. Sections of the SAA Governance Manual for information on membership, section election procedures, reporting requirements, and more.

B. Officers. The officers of the section shall be a Chair and a Vice Chair/Chair-Elect. The Vice Chair/Chair Elect shall be elected annually for a two-year term, serving in year one as Vice Chair and in year two as Chair.

C. Duties of Officers.  Officers shall fulfill those responsibilities specified in Section X. of the SAA Governance Manual.

D. Nominations.  The Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the positions of Vice Chair/Chair-Elect and, optionally, Steering Committee, every June to all section members via the section’s official email discussion list and website. A slate of candidates shall be established by the officers and announced to section members no later than June 15.

E. Elections. Elections shall be conducted online with the assistance of the SAA staff and in accordance with guidelines for section elections as specified in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual. Availability of the online ballot and deadline for voting shall be announced by the Chair to all section members via the section’s official email discussion list and website.

Any vacancies in elected positions that may occur between election cycles shall be filled as follows. If the current Chair is unable to complete the term, the Vice Chair/Chair Elect will assume the role for the remainder of the term as Acting Chair. The Acting Chair/Vice Chair/Chair Elect will assume the duties of Chair at the close of the next annual meeting. The Acting Chair/Vice Chair/Chair Elect may appoint an Interim Vice Chair to serve until the next annual election is conducted. If the current Vice Chair/Chair Elect is unable to complete the term, the Chair may appoint an Interim Vice Chair to serve until the next annual election is conducted.  If the Vice Chair/Chair Elect is unable to assume the position of Chair at the conclusion of the annual meeting, the vacant Chair position will be filled by the incoming Vice Chair/Chair Elect as Acting Chair and will assume the duties of Chair at the close of the next annual meeting. 

F. Appointments. A Steering Committee consisting of up to five (5) Section members may be appointed, each for a one-year term, at the discretion of the incoming Chair. Appointments are renewable; however, no person may serve in an appointed position for more than three (3) consecutive years. The Steering Committee may assist the Chair and/or Vice Chair in making recommendations about Section matters.

V. MEETINGS. The section shall hold a meeting in conjunction with the SAA Annual Meeting and may meet at other times as deemed appropriate by the officers. The time and agenda shall be communicated in advance via the section’s official email discussion list and website.

VI. AMENDMENTS.  To ensure alignment with SAA’s governance documents, any amendments to the section’s standing rules should be reviewed by the executive director (or her/his designee) and the section’s Council liaison by May 1, before they are put forward in a referendum for vote by the section membership. Proposed amendments to the section’s standing rules will appear on the section’s annual election ballot for a final approval by a simple majority of the section’s membership. Any adopted amendments should be posted promptly to the section’s official microsite and be noted in the section’s next annual report to the Council. Any revisions to the section’s name or mission/description must be submitted to the Council for final approval. For more information on amendment procedures, see Section IX. Sections of the SAA Governance Manual.

Adopted by the Research Libraries Section membership on 08/14/13; approved by the SAA Council on 09/30/13. Updated to reflect Member Affinity Group Transition, May 2017.