Bylaws, Visual Materials Section, Society of American Archivists

Last Adopted 1990 August 31
Seattle, Washington

Revised, 2004 January
Boston, Massachusetts

Revisions adopted, 2004 August
Boston, Massachusets

Article 1. Name.

The name of this section shall be the Visual Materials Section of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), hereinafter referred to as the Section.

Article 2. Objective.

To promote greater communication among visual materials archivists and to represent and promote appropriate care, management, and use of visual materials collections to the greater archival community through annual meetings and publications, including a newsletter reporting on the Section's activities and other matters related to visual materials collections.

Article 3. Membership.

Membership is open to any member of the Society of American Archivists who elects to join.

Article 4. Officers.

1. The Section shall be guided by a Chair and a Chair-elect.
2. Terms of office.

1.      The Chair and Chair-elect shall serve a term of one year each.

2.      The Chair may not be elected to serve as Chair-elect in the year immediately following his/her term of office.

3.      The Chair and Chair-elect shall assume office at the close of the annual Section meeting in which they are elected, and shall serve until their successors have taken office.

3. Nomination and Election.

1.      Nomination

a.       The Elections Committee shall call for nominations for Chair-elect on the VisualMat listserv and the second newsletter of each year.

b.       Only individuals who have consented to nomination may be listed on the slate of candidates.

2.      Election.

a.       The Elections Working Group shall prepare a ballot for distribution at least 2 months preceding the annual Section meeting and for distribution at the meeting. This ballot shall include provision for a write-in candidate.

b.      The Elections Committee shall collect, validate, and count all ballots and report the results of any election at the annual Section meeting and in the newsletter following the election.

c.       Ballots may be submitted by mail or at the annual Section meeting.

3.      Vacancies in Office.

a.       Chair. In the case of vacancy in the office of Chair, the Chair-elect shall assume the office and duties of Chair.

b.      Chair-elect. In the case of vacancy in the office of Chair-elect, the office shall remain vacant until the next annual Section meeting, at which time a new Chair and Chair-elect shall be elected. The Chair shall assume the duties of Chair-elect in the interim, although the Chair may ask a member of the Section to assist in fulfilling the duties of Chair-elect.

4. Duties of the Officers.

1.      Chair. The Chair shall preside over Section meetings, and with the advice and assistance of the Chair-elect and Committee and Working Group Chairs, shall direct the Section's activities. The Chair appoints Committee Chairs, Working Group Chairs, and Liaisons; submits the final Three-Year Plan and summary to SAA Council after receiving a draft from the Three-Year Plan Working Group chaired by the Chair-elect; submits budget requests to SAA Council; and turns over the records of his/her administration to the Chair-elect.

2.      The Chair-elect shall advise and assist the Chair in conducting the Section's business. Chair-elect. In the absence of the Chair, the Chair-elect assumes the duties of Chair. The Chair-elect will chair the Three-Year Plan Committee and submit a draft plan to the Chair for approval and submission to SAA Council.

Article 5. Business.

1. Meeting times. The Section shall meet once a year at the time of the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. The time of and agenda for this meeting shall be announced in the newsletter immediately preceding the meeting.
2. Other meetings. Additional Section meetings may be scheduled at the call of the Chair. Such meetings shall be announced on the VisualMat listserv and in the newsletter preceding the meeting.

1.      A report of a meeting called by the Chair must be published in the newsletter immediately following the meeting and posted on the Section web site.

2.      Decisions proposed during any meeting called by the Chair must published in the newsletter immediately following the meeting, posted on the Section web site, and approved by the membership at large during the annual meeting by a plurality of members voting at the annual meeting.

3.  Voting. All policy decisions shall be determined by a plurality of members voting at the annual meeting.

Article 6. Committees and Working Groups.

1. Elections Working Group.

1.      The Elections Committee shall consist of the two most recent, available, past Chairs. Members of the Working Group shall serve for no more than two consecutive years. Members of the Working Group may not nominate themselves or each other for office.

2.      The Working Group shall prepare a slate of candidates for election reflecting the diversity of the Section's membership, especially in terms of location, size, and type of employing institution. The Working Group shall request of nominees consent to candidacy and a brief biographical and position statement for publication in the newsletter immediately preceding the annual Section meeting.

2. Newsletter Working Group.

1.      The newsletter Editor is the Chair of the Working Group as appointed by the Section Chair. The Editor may appoint assistant Editors from among the Section members. Prior to publication, the newsletter shall be prepared and reviewed by the Editor and Assistants and forwarded to the Section Chair for approval.

2.      The newsletter shall be published in compliance with the SAA Guidelines for Section and Roundtables.

3. Committees and Working Groups. The Chair may appoint or dissolve other Committees and Working Groups as needed. Each Committee and Working Group shall have a written charge and a specified period of service. Committees shall report on their activities at the annual Section meeting or in the newsletter prior to the annual Section meeting.

Article 7. Policy for Revision of Bylaws.

Bylaws shall be reviewed every 4 years by the Chair, Chair-elect, Committee and Working Group members. All proposed changes to the bylaws shall be published in the newsletter and posted on the Section web site prior to the annual meeting. Changes shall be determined by a plurality of members voting at the annual meeting.

Article 8. Parliamentary Authority.

Roberts Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern the proceedings of the Section, except as otherwise provided for in the bylaws of the Section, or in the constitution, bylaws, or other special rules of the Society of American Archivists.