Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Independent Archivists Section

STANDING RULES

I. Mission

The Independent Archivists Section seeks to facilitate and foster the sharing of ideas, information, and support among archivists outside the traditional archival repository. This includes, but is not limited to, independent contractors, private archivists, digital archivists, and freelance and consulting archivists.

The Independent Archivists Section seeks to offer members advice and support on topics ranging from the nuances of business as an independent contractor to curation and access in a non-traditional repository. Unique facets of ethical and preservation activities with a thorough lack of institutional support will also be examined both by and for those working in non-traditional archives.

II. Membership

Membership in the Independent Archivists Section of the Society of American Archivists is open to anyone who has an interest in archival consulting or freelancing and to those archivists for private collections held in non-traditional repositories.

Non-SAA members may participate in the section’s listserv and access the microsite but may not vote or hold a leadership position as either chair or steering committee member.

III. Governance

A. Bylaws and Standing Rules

These standing rules of the Independent Archivists 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 Independent Archivists Section shall be a chair, vice-chair, and immediate past chair. Only members of the SAA and of the Independent Archivists Section may serve as officers of this Section. One new vice chair/chair-elect shall be elected by the members of the Independent Archivists Section and shall serve a three-year term, the first year as vice chair/chair-elect, the second year as chair, and the third year as immediate past chair.

C. Steering Committee 

The Steering Committee shall consist of the officers, the web liaison, and five members-at-large, for a total of nine members. The Steering Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the officers and its members may be assigned specific responsibilities by the chair. The Steering Committee shall plan each annual meeting of the Section. The Committee should be made up of a diverse representation of the Section membership. These include, but are not limited to: contract archivists, unique repositories-business, unique repositories-academic, et al.

The Steering Committee will assist the Chairs in:

• The solicitation and review of materials for the microsite;
• The planning of the annual meeting;
• Setting the agenda, creating meeting activities, etc.;
• The creation of new initiatives for the membership at large (i.e.: webinars, talks, workshops, etc.);
• The election process, including soliciting and reviewing potential candidates; and
• Leadership of subcommittees, to be appointed or elected as needed as determined by the Chairs.

The web liaison shall be elected for a term of three years. The web liaison is responsible for spearheading the maintenance and regular updating of the Independent Archivsts Section microsite as well as collaborating with the Steering Committee to coordinate the creation or collection of new content for the microsite. The web liaison also is responsible for working in tandem with the Steering Committee to ensure that the Section is using various communication modes, such as the Section listserv and social media, to communicate with the Section membership about news and events.

D. 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. Sections 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.

The Steering Committee members (including the web liaison) shall serve for staggered three-year terms, with additional members elected if for any reason unexpired terms need to be filled. The Steering Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the officers and its members may be assigned specific responsibilities by either chair. The Steering Committee shall plan each annual meeting of the Section.

The Steering Committee, working with the immediate past chair, will announce a call for nominations and review the candidates for the ballot. The Committee shall solicit from Section members for the positions to be filled.

All persons whose names are submitted to the Committee or proposed by the Committee itself shall be considered nominees if they agree to have their names placed in nomination and are members of SAA and the Section. The Committee shall be responsible for ensuring that there is at least one nominee for the position of vice chair/chair-elect and that the number of nominees for membership on the Steering Committee is not less than the number of positions to be filled. The Nominating and Elections Committee shall distribute information about the nominees to the membership of the Section by June 15. A simple majority of the votes cast shall be required for election to vice chair/chair-elect. Members of the Section may vote for as many nominees for Steering Committee member as there are positions to be filled and the nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected. Elected officers and Steering Committee members shall assume office at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the Section.

V. Meetings

The Independent Archivists Section shall meet once a year at the SAA Annual Meeting at the time and place scheduled by the SAA executive office. Additional meetings of the entire membership or the Steering Committee may be scheduled by the chair if needed to carry out the business of the Section.

VI. Amendments

Any member of the Independent Archivists Section may propose amendments to these standing rules. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the chair at least 60 days prior to the annual section election. The chair shall publish proposed amendments at least 45 days prior to the annual section election and voting on the proposed amendments shall be in the same manner as the election of officers.

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 two-thirds 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 SAA Council, October 2017; revisions approved by section membership, July 2021.