Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Women's Collections Section

STANDING RULES

I. NAME.

The name of the section shall be “Women’s Collections Section.”

II. MISSION.

The mission of this section is:

1. To identify and address the concerns of archivists who are interested in or responsible for women’s collections,
2. To promote the development, preservation, research use, and cooperative acquisition of women’s papers and archival collections documenting women, and
3. To develop a network of interested archivists, librarians, and historians to push for increased funding and support for women’s historical collections and archival projects on the local, state, and national levels.

III. MEMBERS. 

Membership in the section shall be determined according to the guidelines established in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual. The section’s activities will be of particular interest to archivists or other individuals who work with or have an interest in collections that document women.

IV. GOVERNANCE. 

A. Bylaws and Standing Rules

These standing rules of the Women's Collections 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 two Co-Chairs and two Co-Vice Chairs. Each year, two officers will be elected for a two-year term. The first year in office, the elected officers will hold the positions of Vice Co-Chairs. The second year in office, the elected officers will hold the positions of Co-Chairs.

At minimum there must be one elected leader. No person may serve as Co-Chair of the section for more than two successive years. Only SAA members are eligible to serve as or vote for section leaders.

C. Duties of Officers.

Officers shall fulfill those responsibilities specified in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual. Specifically, officers will perform the following duties:

• Identify and consider issues in which a significant number of members have an interest;
• Communicate to the SAA Council through reports, action items, and discussion items issues of priority to the Section;
• Coordinate the Section’s endorsements for the SAA Annual Meetings; 
• Request space and coordinate Section meetings for the SAA Annual Meetings;
• Communicate Section activity within the Section and to the Society at large.

D. Nominations.

The Co-Chairs shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for two Vice Chairs every May to all Section members through the Section's official email list and website. All candidates for election must be members of SAA and the section. A slate of candidates shall be established by the officers and announced 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.

Newly elected officers will assume office immediately following the conclusion of the Annual Meeting and will serve two-year terms. In the event that a position is vacated prior to the end of a two-year term, the Co-Chairs will appoint another candidate to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term, after which a normal election shall occur.

F. Appointments.

Section members may be appointed to additional leadership roles (e.g., newsletter editor, web liaison, ad hoc committee member, etc.) by consensus of the officers on a case-by-case basis.

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.