Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Web Archiving Section

STANDING RULES

I. Name
The name of this section shall be Web Archiving Section.

II. Mission
To heighten advocacy and awareness of the issues archivists encounter related to the selection, appraisal, harvesting, management, preservation, and provision of access to web content.

III. Goals and Objectives

1. Provide SAA a voice for issues related to web archiving.
2. Enhance web archiving through the creation of best practices and community-based standards.
3. Give direction and leadership to SAA in regards to web archiving.
4. Cultivate the need for archives and special collections to create new job lines or repurpose existing ones to include a web archiving component.
5. Educate the membership of SAA by increasing their understanding and ability to implement web archiving practices within their own institutions.
6. Serve as a liaison to other organizations, nationally and internationally, engaged in web archiving, such as the Archive-It Partner Meeting and the International Internet Preservation Consortium.

IV. Membership
The Web Archiving Section is open to any persons interested in the archival efforts to collect the web. Membership in the section shall be determined according to the guidelines established in Section IX: Sections of the SAA Governance Manual. Nonmembers of SAA may also participate in the Web Archiving Section but will not have voting privileges or be eligible for elected/appointed leadership positions.

V. Meetings
The Web Archiving Section will meet formally as a body at least once a year during the annual Society of American Archivists' Meeting. Other meetings or meetups may be held during the year at the discretion of the Steering Committee at-large with approval from the Chair or Vice Chair.

VI. Governance
Approved 08/14/2013, amended 7/26/2017
The Web Archiving Section Steering Committee is composed of six members from
the section leadership: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Education Coordinator, Communications Manager, and Student Member. The Chair will serve as the head of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee directs and coordinates all section activities, including the establishment of annual projects and meetings. It may be appropriate for the immediate Past Chair to continue work on special projects or initiatives past their appointment dates in consultation with the current Chair as needed. The Past Chair will not be a member of the Steering Committee.

Elected positions of leadership are as follows:

Chair: 

• Provides leadership for
  • Elections
  • Reporting
  • Governance
  • Meetings
• Serves as liaison to SAA and other bodies.
• Coordinates session proposals for annual meeting.
• Serves as the head of the Steering Committee.
• Fulfills all responsibilities specified in Section IX: Sections of the SAA Governance Manual.

Vice Chair: 

• Gives support to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the Chair as assigned.
• Operates as acting Chair in the absence of the Chair.
• Serves as member of the Steering Committee.
• Fulfills all responsibilities specified in Section IX: Sections of the SAA Governance Manual.

Secretary:

• In consultation with Chair and Vice Chair establishes all Steering Committee meetings.
• Calls for and distributes agenda items for Steering Committee meetings. 
• Records meeting minutes and distributes them to the Steering Committee. 
• Serves as member of the Steering Committee.

Education Coordinator:

• Serves as the section's liaison to SAA Education Committee.
• Arranges informal online meet-ups for members.
• Prepares educational experiences, such as guest speakers, etc.
• Serves as member of the Steering Committee.

Communications Manager: 

• Maintains and updates the section's microsite, external site(s), and social media feeds.
• Keeps the section's email list recipients informed on section news, events, and regular activities.
• Serves as a member of the Steering Committee. 

Student Member:

• Serves as a liaison to SAA student chapters and groups. 
• Serves as a member of the Steering Committee. 
• Must be an actively enrolled student and student member of SAA at the time of election. 

The Chair will serve for a term of one year to begin immediately following the annual Society of American Archivists' Meeting. The Vice Chair will serve for two years, in the first year as Chair elect and in the second year as Chair. The Education Coordinator and Secretary each commit to a two-year term of service. The Communications Manager and Student Member each commit to a one-year term of service. 

VII. Elections and appointments
Membership in the Web Archiving Section is required in order to participate in elections through candidacy or in casting a ballot.

The Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the positions of Vice Chair, Secretary, Education Coordinator, Communications Manager, and Student Member every May to all Web Archiving Section members via the section’s established forms of communication. A slate of candidates shall be established by the officers and announced to section members no later than June 15.

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.

Appointed leadership positions will be filled at the discretion of the Steering Committee. A call for volunteers will be issued by the Steering Committee, and coincide with the call for nominations timetable. The Chair will announce appointees.

In the case of leadership positions remaining vacant after elections are held, the Chair may appoint any member of the Web Archiving Section to fulfill the obligations, including term limits, of the unoccupied position.

If an elected position is vacated before the term limit has expired, the Steering Committee may appoint any Web Archiving Section member to fulfill the unexpired term, after which a normal election shall occur.

VIII. Communication
Information and news will be submitted and circulated to members of the Web Archiving Section through the following venues:

• Web Archiving Listserv
• Official web page
• Blog site
• Twitter feed

All forms of roundtable communication will conform to SAA's Uniform Guidelines for SAA Websites and Online Communications.

IX. Amendments and Revisions
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.

Attempts to revise or amend the standing rules must be disseminated at least one month preceding the vote to the general membership of the Web Archiving Section using the appropriate communication. All section members have the right to voice opinion on any proposed change.

Adopted by the Web Archiving Roundtable membership on 08/14/2013; approved by the SAA Council on 9/30/13; updated via Roundtable Election 8/3/2015. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016. Revisions approved by section membership, March 2018.