1. The name of this organization shall be the SOCIETY OF SOUTHWEST ARCHIVISTS. The region which the society encompasses shall include the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Society may elect to incorporate.
2. The Society of Southwest Archivists is a professional organization established to stimulate and make available the results of research in archival administration and records management; to promote the adoption of sound principles and standards for the preservation and administration of records; to promote opportunities for the education and training of archivists, records managers, and custodians of private papers; to maintain and strengthen relations with others in allied disciplines; and to cooperate with other professional organizations and institutions having mutual interests in the preservation and use of man’s recorded heritage.
3. Individual membership shall be open to those who are or have been engaged in the custody or control of records, archives, or private papers, or who wish to support the objectives of the Society.
4. Institutional membership shall be open to institutions or agencies that are concerned or substantially interested in the custody or control of records, archives, or private papers. An institutional member shall be entitled to representation at any meeting of the Society by one delegate. He may vote, but if he is also an individual member, he may not cast a second vote.
5. A member shall be enrolled upon receipt of the first payment of dues.
6. The officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice-President (President-Elect), a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Terms of office shall be one year for the President and the VicePresident (President-Elect) and two years for all other offices.
7. The Executive Board of the Society shall consist of the officers, the immediate past president, and six additional members elected by the Society. The additional members shall serve two year staggered terms. The outgoing President of the Society of Southwest Archivists will become a member of the Executive Board for not more than one year.
8. The Executive Board is empowered to conduct, within the general policies approved by a majority of the membership of the Society, all business between annual business meetings.
9. If a vacancy shall occur on the Executive Board or in any of the offices, except that of President, it may be filled by a majority of the Executive Board, and the person designated shall hold the position for the unexpired term of the person vacating it.
10. The Executive Board is authorized to adopt such Bylaws as needed to regularize the administrative practices of the Society. An up-to-date copy of the Bylaws shall be available to any member upon request to the President or the Secretary.
11. Dues shall be established by a majority vote of those members present, either in person or virtually, at the annual business meeting. Alternatively, if approved by the Executive Board, a vote to change dues may occur during the annual election of officers and requires a simple majority to pass.
12. The Society shall hold an annual meeting at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Board. If additional meetings are elected by the officers, at least one of them shall be for the purposes of discussing technical aspects and exchanging information.
13. The Local Arrangements Chairperson shall mail a notice of each annual meeting at least forty-five (45) days in advance.
14. The Executive Board shall meet in executive session at least twice a year and at such other intervals as it deems necessary.
15. An appropriate, non-tax-supported archival institution within the Society’s region shall be designated by the Executive Board as the permanent depository for the archives and non-current records of the Society.
16. All current records shall be transferred to the respective incoming officers.
17. Records shall be maintained as current for two terms of office. At the expiration of the second term, all records shall be sent directly to the permanent depository for appraisal and preservation.
18. In the event of the dissolution of the Society, its assets and records shall be turned over to the Secretary of the Society of American Archivists, if at that time it is an exempt organization under Section 5O1 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and if not, to any other association exempt under Section 5O1 (c) (3).
19.Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed in writing by five members and filed with the President. The President shall present the proposed changes to the Executive Board for approval. The President shall also present the proposed changes to the membership for a vote at the next annual business meeting or annual officer election, whichever is most administratively feasible to the Board. The Executive Board’s decision must be included with the proposed amendment when presented to membership. If the proposed amendment was approved by the Board, a simple majority vote of members attending, either in person or virtually, the annual business meeting or voting in the annual election shall be sufficient for adoption. Otherwise, a two-thirds vote of members attending, either in person or virtually, the annual business meeting or voting in the annual election shall be required.
Constitution adopted May 5, 1972. Amended 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1989, 2002, 2023