Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Local Government Records Section

STANDING RULES

I. NAME.

The name of the section shall be Local Government Records Section.

II. MISSION.

The mission of the section is to provide a forum for dialogue among archivists concerned with the administration, organization, and care of records of local government.

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 Local Government 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. 

B. Officers.

The section shall be led by a Chair and a Vice Chair who serve staggered two-year terms. The Vice Chair shall be elected annually for a two-year term, serving in year one as Vice Chair and in year two as Chair. Only individual or institutional members of SAA and the Local Government Records Section may hold these positions.

After completion of the two-year term, the immediate past Chair may continue to serve for another year as a Steering Committee member, if a position has become vacant. No person may serve as the senior leader of the section for more than three successive years.

The Steering Committee may consist of at least four members, serving for a three-year term, and shall be appointed by the Chair and Vice Chair on a rotating basis as needed. Appointments of steering committee members will ideally include a diverse membership in repository type (state, county, city) and geographic location. 

C. Duties of Officers.

The Chair directs and reports the activities of the section to membership and the SAA Council, chairs the steering committee, organizes and conducts the annual meeting of the section, acts as liaison for the section to other bodies and handles administrative matters.

The Vice Chair/Chair-elect assists the Chair in all activities, conducts nomination and election communication, serves as acting Chair in the absence of the Chair, and participates as a member of the Steering Committee in all its activities.

The Steering Committee assists activities and furthers the objectives of the section. Committee members may help set the agenda for the year, contribute to the section‘s official email discussion list as needed, contribute to planning the annual meeting of the section, and promote SAA program sessions sponsored by the section.

D. Nominations. 

The Vice Chair shall conduct nominations in accordance with the guidelines for section elections as specified in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual.

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. 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.

F. Appointments.

Section members may be appointed to the Steering Committee or other leadership roles as needed by the Chair and Vice Chair.

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 Chair. The time and agenda shall be communicated in advance via the section’s official email discussion list and website.

VI. AMENDMENTS.

Amendments to these bylaws shall be determined by a majority vote of roundtable 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 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 Local Government Records Roundtable membership June 14, 2013. Amendments made May 28, 2015 to be approved by membership according to the terms of therein. Amendments were approved by membership August 21, 2015. Bylaws were accepted by the Society of American Archivists Council August 1, 2016. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016.