June 12, 2019—The Society of American Archivists Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force has drafted templates that will be publicly accessible for archival response when tragedy occurs within our communities. Our hope is that providing these templates will help offset some of the stress to those charged with archiving material created as a result of tragic situations involving loss of life within the community.

June 5, 2019—The SAA Council seeks member comment on proposed revisions to the SAA Code of Conduct and the Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy. These statements establish SAA's commitment to providing a safe and inclusive environment in both physical  and virtual spaces for all SAA members and participants. 

Four members of Congress are co-sponsoring legislation that would reauthorize the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the grant-making arm of the National Archives and Records Administration, at $15 million annually from fiscal years 2020 to 2025.  Authorization for the agency expired in 2009, but it has continued to receive funding at a much lower level (e.g., $6 million last year).

May 1, 2019—The Trump Administration’s proposed budget for FY20 includes drastic cuts in federal humanities funding, including elimination of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. NHPRC is a critical source of grants for preserving our heritage and making it accessible to the public.

Now is the time to urge your Members of Congress to support federal programs that are vital to our archives community!

May 1, 2019—SAA has joined with the Council of State Archivists, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and the Regional Archival Associations Consortium in endorsing the Texas Library Association's statement, HB 4181: An Assault on the Public’s Right to Know.

Take Action on MayDay!

Protecting our collections is one of our fundamental responsibilities as archivists. That's why SAA has long encouraged archivists to do something—even if it's something simple—that will make a difference when and if an emergency occurs in your repository. For ideas about what you might accomplish in just a day, see our MayDay web page.