thumb|349x349px|Current S.A.A. President Helen Wong Smith in July 2023 at the Society of American Archivists and Council of State Archivists Joint Annual Meeting Open House at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Established in 1936, the organization serves upwards of 6,200 individual and member institutions.
thumb|349x349px|Terry Baxter, former President of the Society of American Archivists ('22–'23) at the Society of American Archivists – Council of State Archivists Joint Annual Meeting Open House at the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives in Washington, D.C., July 2023 ]]
The society supports its members and the archival profession through publication and professional workshop programs and semi-annual meetings. Currently, workshops are given all across the United States and attend to current archival concerns and issues such as Encoded Archival Description, the digitizing of archival materials, and preservation and conservation of materials, among others. The programs it offers include: Online On-Demand Programs, Online Real Time Programs and Face to Face Programs.
History
The Society of American Archivists was established in 1936 on the heels of the creation of the National Archives. The organization was born in the wake of the dissolution of the Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association. The early days of the organization were fraught with difficulty related to membership as well as professional identity. The American Library Association created a commission on archives, which founding president Albert R. Newsome found disrespectful. There was also tension between the public archives tradition championed by Margaret Cross Norton and the historical manuscripts tradition as the governing philosophy. Public archives tradition puts emphasis on records management and administrative aspects of archival work, whereas historical manuscripts focuses more on the preservation and maintenance of important documents for research purposes. The tension and debate between the two fundamental functions of archives would continue into the 1950s, spilling into elements like elections and where to hold annual meetings. After World War II, SAA joined with other international archivist societies to create the International Council on Archives and an archives for the United Nations. There was also a push for better professional resources as well as education standards. Coming out of the 1960s, there was a large movement of activist archivists, with members taking a greater interest in political and social issues. This forced SAA to take stances on different contemporary public issues that affected the profession. SAA also offers certification for Digital Archives Specialists, which allows for the profession to work within the emerging technological landscape and capture digital records.
In November 2017, SAA released a Strategic plan for 2018–2020, which outlined four major goal areas for the future: advocating for archives and archivists, enhancing professional growth, advancing the field, and meeting members' needs.
Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable
1970s
In the 1970s, the SAA began to collaborate with the American Association of Museums and the Association for State and Local History to form a Joint Committee on Opportunities for Minorities in Museums, Archives, and Historical Agencies. Phil Mason and Elsie Freivogel were appointed but outreach to minority members of the SAA was poor. Many minorities were unaware of the Joint Committee and expressed that there had not been any direct communications from the committee's representatives.
The final report of the SAA Task Force on Diversity states:<blockquote>In 1972 SAA adopted the report of its Committee for the 1970s. Included among the Committee recommendations was a positive injunction to the nominating committee to make the Council more representative of and responsible to the diverse interests of the SAA by considering "archival interest, age, sex, geography, nationality, ethnicity, and race in the selection of a slate of candidates."</blockquote>Also in the report, "no person should be nominated as a candidate for an SAA office who, in her or his job, flagrantly espouses or practices discrimination in regard to race, sex, nationality, or political or religious ideology."</blockquote>Many of these goals were met and the creation of the task force proved immediately to be a vehicle for broader minority participation in the SAA, especially in leadership.
1980s: Roundtable
In 1987, the task force dissembled, restricted in their effectiveness because of a lack of interest and support from the SAA. The task force made the recommendation that a roundtable be created for minorities, which was formed the same year. Nine SAA members helped to found the roundtable: Diana Lachatanere, Wilda Logan, Carol Rudisell, Karen Jefferson, Ervin Jordan, Clifford Muse, Thomas Battle, Jo Ellen El-Bashir, and Brenda Banks. These newsletters were available to anyone who was interested in African American archives, manuscripts and collections. In less than a year, Battle returned to the SAA with a high percentage of popularity and interest in the newsletter among not just African Americans but all archivists. This newsletter continued to be funded by Howard University and was later used as a model for other roundtables of the SAA.
Lachateñeré and Rudisell were the first editors and after the first year, Karen Jefferson and Ruth Hill edited the newsletter. Other editors over the years include Kathryn Neal, Cathy Lynn Mundale, and Jo Ellen El-Bashir, who served one of the longest tenures as editor. The award is sponsored by the AACR and funded through the SAA, named after Harold T. Pinkett who was the first African American archivist to serve at the National Archives.</blockquote>
Today
Many of the original goals of the roundtable exist today. On their website, they have stated their purposes as to "identify and address the concerns of archivists of African, Asian, Latino and Native American descent; promote wider participation of said archivists in the archival profession; and promote the preservation of archival materials that pertain to people of color."
In 2003, the SAA Council created a subcommittee to see the status of the SAA's diversity efforts. In May 2003, they reported that some of the recommendations by the Task Force on Diversity had been addressed while others had not, and the actions had not been effectively reported back to SAA members.
Women Archivists Section (WArS)
The Women Archivists Roundtable (WAR) monitors the status of women archivists and promotes the participation of women in the archives profession, specifically in areas of the Society of American Archivists.
History
Although many women archivists helped shaped the SAA, the status of women in the archival profession did not receive much attention until the 1970s. In 1972, the SAA established the Committee on the Status of Women in the Archival Profession. The committee sought to address under representation and identify the barriers and obstacles for advancement.
At the same time that the committee was created, the Women's Caucus was founded and began publishing The SAA Women's Caucus Newsletter.
In 1998, the Committee evolved into the Women's Professional Archival Issues Roundtable. In 2000, this name was changed to the Women Archivists Roundtable. In 2017, the name was changed once again to its current name, the Women Archivists Section (WArS), like the rest of the SAA groups.
Surveys
In 2000 and 2001, the WAR Steering Committee created a survey to analyze the relationship between women archivists and the archival profession. The survey was completed and published in August 2001 and included 227 women archivists. The survey found that most of the members (77.1%) came from East of the Rocky Mountains and 50.2% represented the academic sector as professional staff (69.6%) or archivist (53.2%). Yet Wikipedia does not show this. In 2016, research discovered that only 50 articles exist on Wikipedia for female archivists, compared to 260 for male archivists. Therefore, this survey reflected about one quarter of the SAA membership in 2017. Under their goals and objectives, they have aimed to:
- Monitor the status of women within the archival profession.
- Encourage the participation of women in all phases of SAA business and other activities as well as in the archival profession as a whole.
- Monitor gender balance on SAA programs.
- Nominate candidates for Fellow in SAA.
- Monitor the continuance of day care at the SAA annual meeting.
- Meet annually in conjunction with the SAA meeting.
- Conduct its business in accordance with Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual.
- Archival Outlook: formally the SAA Newsletter. Started in the 1970s, the newsletter is published 6 times a year and focuses on best practices of the profession, day to day concerns of the archivist, and updates on organization business. The highest honor is that of Fellow, a distinction awarded since 1957. Every year, there is a new Distinguished Fellows Class, which cannot exceed 5% of the total SAA membership in a given year. To qualify for nomination, a candidate must meet all the academic and technical requirements of the profession, be a member of the organization for at least 7 years, and make significant and high quality contributions in the form of scholarly writing, running workshops, and participating in the organization's leadership or other administrative roles.
In 1974, after the death of Sister M. Claude Lane, an award was sponsored in her name by the Society of Southwest Archivists. It is awarded annually by the SAA while being fully established, sponsored, and funded by the Society of Southwest Archivists.
The SAA also recognizes graduate students of color who are interested in the archival profession. The award was first established in 1993 and was later named after Harold T. Pinkett.
Presidents
Source:
- 2023 – 2024: Helen Wong Smith, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
- 2024 – 2025: Tomaro Taylor, University of South Florida
- 2025 – 2026: Derek Mosley, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Fulton County Library System
Prior meetings
Source:
Meetings of the Society of American Archivists are often held jointly with other organizations such as the Council of State Archivists (CoSA), and the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA).
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
!Meeting
!Date
!Venue
!Location
!Theme
!Joint meeting
|-
|89
|2025 August 24 - 27
|Hilton Anaheim
|Anaheim, CA
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2025
|
|-
|88
|2024 August 15 - 17
|Hilton Chicago
|Chicago, IL
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2024
|
|-
|87
|2023 July 26-29
|Washington Hilton
|Washington, DC
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2023
|CoSA
|-
|86
|2022 August 25-27
|Sheraton Boston Hotel
|Boston, MA
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2022
|
|-
|85
|2021 August 2-6
|Virtual
|
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2021
|
|-
|84
|2020 August 5-8
|Virtual
|
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2020
|CoSA
|-
|83
|2019 July 31-August 6
|JW Marriott Austin
|Austin, TX
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019
|CoSA
|-
|82
|2018 August 12–18
|Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
|Washington, DC
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2018
|CoSA, NAGARA
|-
|81
|2017 July 23–29
|Oregon Convention Center
|Portland, OR
|ARCHIVES 2017: alike/different
|
|-
|80
|2016 July 31-August 6
|Hilton Atlanta
|Atlanta, GA
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2016
|CoSA
|-
|79
|2015 August 16–22
|Cleveland Convention Center
|Cleveland, OH
|ARCHIVES 2015
|
|-
|78
|2014 August 10–16
|Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
|Washington, DC
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS: Ensuring Access
|CoSA, NAGARA
|-
|77
|2013 August 11–17
|Hilton New Orleans Riverside
|New Orleans, LA
|ARCHIVES New Orleans 2013
|CoSA
|-
|76
|2012 August 6–11
|San Diego Hilton Bayfront
|San Diego, CA
|Beyond Borders: San Diego 2012
|
|-
|75
|2011 August 22–27
|Hyatt Regency Chicago
|Chicago, IL
|ARCHIVES 360°
|
|-
|74
|2010 August 10–15
|Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
|Washington, DC
|ARCHIVES*RECORDS / DC 2010
|CoSA, NAGARA
|-
|73
|2009 August 11–16
|Hilton Austin
|Austin, TX
|Sustainable Archives: AUSTIN 2009
|CoSA
|-
|72
|2008 August 26–30
|Hilton San Francisco
|San Francisco, CA
|ARCHIVES 2008: Archival R/Evolution & Identities
|
|-
|71
|2007 August 26-September 2
|The Fairmont Chicago
|Chicago, IL
|ARCHIVES / CHICAGO 2007
|
|-
|70
|2006 July 31-August 5
|Washington Hilton
|Washington, DC
|DC 2006: Joint Annual Meeting of CoSA, NAGARA, and SAA
|CoSA, NAGARA
|-
|69
|2005 August 14–21
|Hilton New Orleans Riverside
|New Orleans, LA
|2005 Annual Meeting
|
|-
|68
|2004 August 2–8
|Boston Park Plaza Hotel
|Boston, MA
|2004 Annual Meeting
|
|-
|67
|2003 August 18–24
|Century Plaza Hotel and Tower
|Los Angeles, CA
|2003 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA
|
|-
|66
|2002 August 19–25
|Sheraton Birmingham Hotel
|Birmingham, AL
|2002 Annual Meeting in Birmingham, AL
|
|-
|65
|2001 August 27-September 2
|Washington Hilton and Towers
|Washington, DC
|2001 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
|
|-
|64
|2000 August 28-September 3
|Adams Mark Hotel
|Denver, Colorado
|
|
|-
|63
|1999 August 23–29
|Pittsburgh Hilton & Towers
|Pittsburgh, PA
|
|
|-
|62
|1998 September 2–6
|Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
|Orlando, Florida
|
|
|-
|61
|1997 September 3–7
|Fairmont Hotel
|Chicago, IL
|
|
|-
|60
|1996 August 24-September 1
|Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel
|San Diego, CA
|
|
|-
|59
|1995 August 24-September 3
|Washington Hilton & Towers
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|58
|1994 September 7–11
|Westin Hotel
|Indianapolis, Indiana
|
|
|-
|57
|1993 September 1–5
|Sheraton Hotel
|New Orleans, LA
|
|
|-
|56
|1992 September 12–17
|Le Centre Sheraton Hotel
|Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
|
|-
|55
|1991 September 25–29
|Adam's Mark Hotel
|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
|
|-
|54
|1990 August 30-September 3
|Westin Hotel
|Seattle, WA
|
|
|-
|53
|1989 October 25–29
|Clarion Hotel
|St. Louis, MO
|
|
|-
|52
|1988 September 29-October 2
|Westin Peachtree Plaza
|Atlanta, GA
|
|
|-
|51
|1987 September 2–6
|Grand Hyatt Hotel
|New York, NY
|
|
|-
|50
|1986 August 27–31
|Marriott Hotel
|Chicago, IL
|
|
|-
|49
|1985 October 28-November 1
|Hyatt Regency Hotel
|Austin, TX
|
|
|-
|48
|1984 August 30-September 3
|Capital Hilton Hotel
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|47
|1983 October 5–8
|Leamington Hotel
|Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN
|
|
|-
|46
|1982 October 19–22
|Boston Park Plaza Hotel
|Boston, MA
|
|
|-
|45
|1981 September 1–4
|University of California
|Berkeley, CA
|
|
|-
|44
|1980 September 30-October 3
|Netherland Hilton Hotel
|Cincinnati, OH
|
|
|-
|43
|1979 September 25–29
|Palmer House
|Chicago, IL
|
|
|-
|42
|1978 October 3–6
|Hyatt Regency Hotel
|Nashville, TN
|
|
|-
|41
|1977 October 4–7
|Hotel Utah
|Salt Lake City, UT
|
|
|-
|40
|1976 September 27-October 1
|Statler Hilton Hotel
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|39
|1975 September 30-October 3
|Sheraton Hotel
|Philadelphia, PA
|
|
|-
|38
|1974 October 1–4
|Royal York Hotel
|Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
|
|-
|37
|1973 September 25–28
|Chase-Park Plaza Hotel
|St. Louis, MO
|
|
|-
|36
|1972 October 31-November 3
|Columbus Sheraton Hotel
|Columbus, OH
|
|
|-
|35
|1971 October 12–15
|Sheraton Palace Hotel
|San Francisco, CA
|
|
|-
|34
|1970 September 29-October 2
|Shoreham Hotel
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|33
|1969 October 8–10
|Park Motor Inn
|Madison, WI
|
|
|-
|32
|1968 September 30-October 2
|Chateau Laurier
|Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
|
|
|-
|31
|1967 October 18–20
|LaFonda Hotel
|Santa Fe, NM
|
|
|-
|30
|1966 October 5–8
|Marriott Motel Hotel
|Atlanta, GA
|
|
|-
|29
|1965 October 6–8
|New York Hilton
|New York, NY
|
|
|-
|28
|1964 October 6–10
|Commodore Perry Hotel
|Austin, TX
|
|
|-
|27
|1963 October 2–5
|Hotel Sir Walter
|Raleigh, NC
|
|
|-
|25
|1961 October 5–7
|Continental Hotel
|Kansas City and Independence, MO
|
|
|-
|24
|1960 October 4–7
|Hotel Somerset
|Boston, MA
|
|
|-
|23
|1959 October 7–9
|Benjamin Franklin Hotel
|Philadelphia, PA
|
|
|-
|22
|1958 August 17–20
|Hotel Utah
|Salt Lake City, UT
|
|
|-
|21
|1957 October 2–4
|Deshler-Hilton Hotel
|Columbus, OH
|
|
|-
|20
|1956 October 11–12
|Willard Hotel
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|19
|1955 October 9–11
|Andrew Jackson Hotel
|Nashville, TN
|
|
|-
|18
|1954 September 12–14
|Williamsburg Lodge
|Williamsburg, VA
|
|
|-
|17
|1953 September 13–15
|Park Shelton Hotel
|Detroit and Dearborn, MI
|
|
|-
|16
|1952 October 27–28
|Hotel Lafayette
|Lexington, KY
|
|
|-
|15
|1951 October 15–16
|Carvel Hall Hotel
|Annapolis, MD
|
|
|-
|14
|1950 October 9–10
|Hotel Loraine
|Madison, WI
|
|
|-
|13
|1949 September 19–20
|Chateau Frontenac
|Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
|
|
|-
|12
|1948 October 27–29
|Hotel Sir Walter
|Raleigh, NC
|
|
|-
|11
|1947 September 3–7
|Hotel Colorado and State Museum
|Glenwood Springs and Denver, CO
|
|
|-
|10
|1946 October 24–26
|National Archives
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|9
|1945 November 6–8
|Hotel Severin
|Indianapolis, IN
|
|
|-
|8
|1944 November 8–11
|Penn Harris Hotel
|Harrisburg, PA
|
|
|-
|7
|1943 November 15–16
|Nassau Tavern
|Princeton, NJ
|
|
|-
|6
|1942 October 26–27
|Hotel John Marshall
|Richmond, VA
|
|
|-
|5
|1941 October 6–7
|Hotel Bond
|Hartford, CT
|
|
|-
|4
|1940 November 11–12
|Jefferson Davis Hotel
|Montgomery, AL
|
|
|-
|3
|1939 October 13–14
|Carvel Hall Hotel
|Annapolis, MD
|
|
|-
|2
|1938 October 24–26
|Abraham Lincoln Hotel
|Springfield, IL
|
|
|-
|1
|1937 June 18–19
|National Archives
|Washington, DC
|
|
|-
|}