Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Solo Archivists Section

STANDING RULES

I.   NAME. The name of the section shall be Solo Archivists Section.

II.   MISSION. The Solo Archivists Section (SAS) of the Society of American Archivists seeks to provide education, stimulate communication, and encourage support among archivists working in “solo archivist” settings. The term “solo archivist” includes those working alone or in very small staff situations.

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 Solo 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.  Steering Committee

The SAS Steering Committee, otherwise called SAS leadership, is composed of elected members including Chair, Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, Newsletter Editor, Events Coordinator, and Member-at-Large. Only individual members of SAA and the Solo Archivists Section may hold these positions. Vacancies in office shall be filled by a Steering Committee member.

C.  Officers

The Chair directs and reports section activities, organizes and conducts the section’s annual meeting, chairs the Steering Committee, coordinates activities across section officers, acts as liaison for the section to other bodies, appoints section committees as needed, and handles administrative matters such as the section’s annual report to SAA.

The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect serves as acting Chair in the absence of the Chair, participates in the coordination of section officer activities, and acts as Secretary as needed during the annual meeting. In coordination with the Chair, the Vice-Chair takes part in the coordination of officer activities so as to have a smooth and knowledgeable transition to Chair in their second year.

D.  Committees

E.  Nominating Committee and Elections.

The Chair shall issue a call for nominations to all SAS members via the section listserv and microsite. Current SAS members can self-nominate or be nominated for any SAS officer positions up for election. All SAS officers may assist the Chair in researching and soliciting interest from prospective nominees. A list of nominations for the section offices up for election shall be announced to SAS members no later than June 15. The SAS Steering Committee will provide members with information about the candidates via the SAS listserv and microsite prior to election. If an elected officer cannot serve or steps down prior to their two year term, the section Chair with support of the serving officers shall appoint section members as needed.

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 microsite.

If for any reason the Vice-Chair is unable to succeed to the office of Chair, a new Chair shall be elected following the same procedures as election for a Vice-Chair. The Steering Committee shall appoint any other vacancies to fulfill unexpired terms of elected positions, after which a normal election shall occur.

V.   MEETINGS. The section will meet at least once during the Society of American Archivists’ annual meeting and at other times as deemed appropriate by the Steering Committee.

VI.   COMMUNICATION. SAS leadership will communicate with its members through, but not limited to, the SAS listserv, microsites, newsletter, events, and other appropriate media.

VII.    ENACTMENT AND AMENDMENTS.

These bylaws were first approved and enacted by a majority vote of the membership in August 2009. These bylaws were revised and enacted by a majority vote of the membership in August 2016. The SAS standing rules were revised in 2021 with the addition of officer roles beyond Chair and Vice Chair/Chair-Elect. The standing rules were revised in 2023 to reflect a change in the section name and in 2025 to decrease the steering committee from seven members to five.

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.

Approved 2009; rev. approved by SAA Council November 9, 2014. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016. Revisions approved May 2021. Updated per the section name change approved by the Council, November 2023. Revised by membership vote July 2025.