Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Performing Arts Section

STANDING RULES

I. NAME. 

The name of the section shall be the Performing Arts Section.

II. MISSION. 

The mission of the Performing Arts Section is to encourage the exchange of information on historical and contemporary documentation of music, dance, theater, motion pictures, and other performance media.

III. MEMBERS. 

Membership in the Performing Arts Section is open to archivists or other individuals who work with or have an interest in the archival records that document performing artists and performing arts organizations, subject to guidelines established in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual.

IV. GOVERNANCE.

A. Bylaws and Standing Rules.

These standing rules of the Performing Arts 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.

Only members of SAA and the Performing Arts Section may serve as officers of the roundtable. The officers of the roundtable shall be a Chair and a Co-chair. The Co-chair shall be elected annually for a two-year term, serving in year one as Co-chair and in year two as Chair.

C. Duties of Officers.

The responsibilities of the Chair and Co-chair are as follows:

1. The Chair will submit a list of section leaders and their contact information within 14 days of the close of the Annual Meeting to the SAA Executive Office.

2. The Chair will also draft and submit an annual report to the Steering Committee, with a final copy submitted to the SAA Executive Director within 90 days of the Annual Meeting.

3. The Chair and the Co-chair will alternate writing the welcome letter for each newsletter.

4. The Chair and the Co-chair will initiate planning of the annual section meeting.

5. The Chair and the Co-chair will delegate responsibilities for updating and maintaining the section’s website, and other special projects that may arise.

D. Steering Committee.  

The Steering Committee shall consist of the officers, appointed positions (Newsletter Editors, Web Liaisons), and two additional elected members. The Steering Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Chair and its members may be assigned specific responsibilities by the Chair. Committee members establish projects for the year, help to plan the annual meeting of the section, and endorse SAA program sessions presented to the section. A member of the Steering Committee shall serve as secretary at the annual section meeting and take minutes, which will be submitted to the Chair.

E. Nominations. 

The officers shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the positions of Co-chair and Steering Committee member in May 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.

F. 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.

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.

If for any reason the Co-chair is unable to succeed to the office of Chair, a new chair shall be elected following the same procedures as for election of the Co-chair.  Steering Committee members shall serve two-year terms, with additional members elected if for any reason unexpired terms need to be filled.

G. Appointments. 

Section members may be appointed to additional leadership roles (e.g., Newsletter Editor, Web Liaison, etc.) by majority vote of the Steering Committee. Available positions will be announced in June with the slate of elected positions. In the case of the Newsletter Editor position, there will be at minimum two Newsletter Co-Editors. An assistant editor or editors may also be appointed. Newsletter Co-editors solicit and compile content for the newsletter, which is published on the Performing Arts Section website approximately twice a year. Newsletter editors and other appointed positions are not responsible for section governance, but may assist with projects as needed. Appointed positions participate in all Steering Committee activities.

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.

Revised 3/6/2013. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016. 

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