Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Visual Materials Cataloging and Access Section

STANDING RULES

I.  NAME.  The name of the section shall be the Visual Materials Cataloging and Access Section (VMCAS).

II.  MISSION.  The mission of the Visual Materials Cataloging and Access Section is to provide a forum for archivists and others working with visual and audio-visual collections to discuss cataloging and access issues including—but not limited to—description methods, digitization, cataloging tools, and standards and best practices.

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 Visual Materials Cataloging and Access 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 section shall be a Chair and a Vice Chair. 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.

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

D.  Nominations. The Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the position of Vice Chair 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 officers and announced to section members no later than June 15.

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 additional leadership roles (e.g., Newsletter Editor, Web Liaison, etc.) by majority vote of the Section’s steering committee.

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 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 Visual Materials Cataloging and Access Roundtable membership on 08/16/2013; approved by the SAA Council on 9/30/2013. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016.