Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Design Records Section

STANDING RULES

I. NAME. The name of the section shall be the Design Records Section of the Society of American Archivists.

II. MISSION. The mission of the Design Records Section (DRS) of the Society of American Archivists is to support archival professionals working with design records by conducting research, setting best practices, and providing solutions related to the arrangement, description, preservation, conservation, and storage problems inherent to these specialized materials. We aim to provide an open, engaging, and inclusive forum for discussion, and we encourage all Society of American Archivists (SAA) members to reach out to our network of specialists who work at a variety of institutions.

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

IV. GOVERNANCE. These standing rules of the Design Records 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.

V. OFFICERS. The officers of the Section shall be a Senior Co-chair and a Junior Co-chair. The Junior Co-chair shall be elected annually for a two-year term, serving in year one as Junior Co-chair and in year two as Senior Co-chair. 

VI. STEERING COMMITTEE. In addition to the officers, a Steering Committee of three members shall be elected, each for a three-year term, with one elected in each year. A Web Liaison shall be elected and serve a two-year term. A Member-At-Large position shall be elected and serve a two-year term.

VII. NOMINATIONS. The Senior Co-Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the position of Junior Co-Chair, incoming Steering Committee, and when applicable Web Liaison and Member-At-Large, every April/May to all Section members via the Section’s official email discussion list and website. A slate of candidates shall be established by the Co-Chairs and announced to Section members no later than June15. 

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

IX. NO NOMINATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. In the event that there are no nominations for leadership roles during the annual section elections, the current Senior Co-Chair and outgoing Steering Committee member, Web Liaison, or Member-At-Large will continue to serve a one-year term until the next annual section meeting. No person may serve as the senior leader of the section for more than three successive years. Leaders must wait a minimum of two years before serving in a leadership capacity. 

X. VACANCIES IN OFFICE. 

A. In the event of an unplanned vacancy or resignation of the Senior Co-Chair, the Junior Co-Chair will assume duties for the remainder of the year and call for a nomination during the next annual election. 

B. In the event of a vacancy or resignation of the Junior Co-Chair the leaders of the section will hold a special election. 

C. In the event of a vacancy or resignation of a Steering Committee member the position will remain vacant until the next annual election. 

D. In the event of a vacancy or resignation of the Web Liaison the Junior Co-Chair shall assume responsibilities until the next annual election.

E. In the event of a vacancy or resignation of the Member-at-Large, the position will remain open until the next annual election.

XI. DUTIES OF SECTION LEADERS. Leaders shall fulfill those responsibilities specified in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual. In addition, more specific duties for the DRS are outlined below:

A. Senior Co-Chair

● Meets with the Junior Co-Chair and Steering Committee periodically throughout the year and posts meeting minutes to the section listserv and microsite 

● Collaborates and consults with Steering Committee regarding progress with meeting section goals

● Presides over the section meeting at the annual SAA conference

● Solicits nominations for leadership elections and announces winners and posts election results to the listserv

● Prepares Annual report to SAA

2.     Junior Co-Chair

● Assists the Senior Co-Chair in carrying out the work of section business

● Assists Senior Co-Chair in scheduling meetings and maintaining section documentation

● As rising Senior Co-Chair, leads section meeting at the annual SAA conference

● Incoming Junior Co-Chair records meeting minutes at the annual SAA meeting

3.    Steering Committee

● Steering Committee members help establish projects to work on through the year, and plan the annual section meeting

● Support the section Chairs in providing overall direction to the section.

● Review the status of section projects according to established schedule, and review and approve completed work prior to its distribution to section members.

● Undertake special tasks as requested.

4. Web Liaison

● The Web Liaison maintains manages the section's SAA microsite by adding and revising content as needed and posting communication on behalf of the Co-Chairs and Steering Committee

● Posts election results to the microsite

5.     Member-at-Large 

● Represents the interests of the Section members and provides feedback on ongoing work of Leadership

No person may serve as the senior leader of a Section for more than three successive years. Leaders must wait a minimum of two years before serving in a leadership capacity.

XII. WEBSITE. The Section shall maintain a current website hosted by the Society of American Archivists detailing its leadership, membership, and activities and providing resources for the membership. The website will adhere to accessibility practices. 

XIII. APPOINTMENTS AND COMMITTEES. The Co-Chairs may create or dissolve committees as needed. Each committee shall have a written charge and a specified period of service. Committees shall report on their activities to section leadership and at annual Section meetings.

● Digital Design Records Committee (DDRC)

1.        The DDRC provides a forum for archivists and archival professionals, open and inclusive of all Design Records Section members with ranging levels of experience, working with born digital design and construction records to discuss acquisition, processing, preservation, and dissemination of the files and other related topics.

2.        The DDRC will be led by two co-chairs.The DDRC chair or co-chairs shall be self-nominated and approved by the Design Records Section Steering Committee  active DDRC members. Chair and co-chair roles should be revisited on a three year cycle aligned with the SAA annual meeting (e.g., July/August of 2022, 2025, 2028). These roles are not term limited.

3.        A member from the DDRC, but not limited to the chair/co-chair, shall be a representative on the DRS Steering Committee, as an informative role only (non-voting member). These roles are not term limited

XIV. 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 Co-Chairs. The time and agenda shall be communicated in advance via the Section’s official email discussion list and website. 

XV. AMENDMENTS AND PERIODIC REVIEWS. Amendments to these bylaws shall be determined by a majority vote of Section members in a referendum held in conjunction with the Section’s annual election. 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 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. Standing Rules shall be reviewed every three years by the Co-Chairs and presented to the Steering Committee for feedback.

Adopted by the Architectural Records Roundtable membership on 8/14/13; approved by the SAA Council on 9/30/13. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016. Revisions adopted by the Design Records Section, July 2017; approved by the SAA Council, October 2017. Revisions adopted by the Design Records section, July 2021, July 2022.