Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Human Rights Archives Section

STANDING RULES

I.                   NAME. The Name of the section shall be the Human Rights Archives Section.

II.                MISSION. The mission of the section is to create a space for SAA members and other stakeholders (human rights advocates, scholars, government officials, and non-governmental organization workers) to increase dialogue and collaboration on issues related to the collection, preservation, disclosure, legal implications, and ethics of human rights documentation.

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.    Bylaws and Standing Rules. These standing rules of the Human Rights Archives 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 section shall be led by two co-chairs, one web liaison/newsletter editor, and at most four steering committee members. A co-chair shall be elected annually for a staggered two-year term. The web liaison/newsletter editor shall be elected for a two-year term. The steering committee members shall be elected annually for a one-year term. All officers and steering committee members may serve for an unlimited number of consecutive terms.

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

The web liaison/newsletter editor’s duties shall include updating the section’s official microsite, the section’s blog, any social media accounts, and the section’s newsletter. The web liaison/newsletter editor  is responsible for maintaining current records of all social media and blog account login information and passing on these login credentials to the newly-elected web liaison/newsletter editor.

D.    Nominations. The Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for any vacancies in the position[s] of co-chair and web liaison/newsletter editor, every May to all section members via the section’s official email discussion list and website. A slate of candidates shall be established by the officer[s] and announced to members no later than June 15.

E.     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 Chair to all section members via the section’s official email discussion list and website.

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 voters. 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 Human Rights Archives Roundtable membership on 08/30/13; approved by the SAA Council on 9/30/13. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016. Amendments approved by section membership, July 2017.