The 1930s saw an unprecedented amount of archival activity in the United States: the
establishment of the National Archives (1934); the organization of the Historical Records
Survey and the Survey of Federal Archives (1936-1937); and the establishment of the Society
of American Archivists (1936), the first professional organization of archivists in North
America.
At the December 1935 meeting of the American Historical Association (AHA), a conference of
fifty-one participants met to discuss the possibility of forming a national professional
organization of archivists. Conference attendees unanimously agreed to establish such an
organization at the next AHA meeting and charged a steering committee to draft a
constitution. The "Committee of Ten on the Organization of Archivists" was chaired by Solon
J. Buck and included Ruth Blair, Theodore C. Blegen, Alexander C. Flick, Curtis W. Garrison,
R.B. Haselden, Waldo G. Leland, A.R. Newsome, Margaret Cross Norton, and James A.
Robertson.
Attendees of the December 1936 AHA meeting, held in Providence, Rhode Island, approved the
draft constitution, and elected officers and a five-member Council. Newsome served as SAA's
first president, Norton as vice president, Philip C. Brooks as secretary, and Julian P. Boyd
as treasurer. Council members included Blair, Blegen, Buck, Victor H. Paltsists, and
Lawrence C. Wroth. The constitution provided for the establishment of twelve committees on a
wide variety of topics, including international archival affairs, maps and charts,
membership, public relations, reduction of archival material, and terminology. The number of
committees was more than the active membership could sustain, and many were inactive for a
number of years or eventually allowed to lapse. At this time, the constitution restricted
membership to "those who are or have been engaged in the custody or administration of
archives or historical manuscripts or who, because of a special experience or other
qualifications, are recognized as competent in archival economy." A pro forma election of every applicant for membership was also required.
The first annual meeting was held in Washington, D.C. in June 1937. By this time, 226
individuals had been elected to the Society, one third of whom were women. SAA was largely
an east coast organization, with a great number of its leaders coming from the National
Archives. It was incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1945.
SAA's first publication was a 104-page volume of the proceedings of the 1936 organizing
meeting and the 1937 annual meeting. The first issue of The American
Archivist followed in January 1938. Under the editorship of Theodore C. Pease,
professor of history at the University of Chicago, the journal focused more on the use of
archives in writing history than on archival administration. This emphasis upset members who
felt that The American Archivist should be a trade
publication, not a scholarly journal. Tensions over this and other matters led to Pease's
resignation in 1945 and the appointment of Margaret Cross Norton, state archivist of
Illinois.
During WWII, SAA concentrated on issues relating to the preservation of records not only
for historians, but also for the war effort. Several committees reflected these new
interests. They included the Collection and Preservation of Materials for the History of
Emergencies Committee, the History and Organization of Governmental Emergency Agencies
Committee, the Emergency Transfer and Storage of Archives Committee, and the Protection of
Archives Against the Hazards of War Committee. At the end of the war, SAA supported the
formation of the International Council on Archives (ICA) as a means of rebuilding ties among
archivists around the world.
In order to legitimize itself as the national association of archivists, SAA forged
relations with other national organizations to discuss issues of mutual concern. A joint
committee with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) on historical
manuscripts eventually led to the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. Meetings
with the National Association of State Librarians later led to the formation of the Joint
ALA-SAA Committee on Library-Archives Relationships. SAA's status as a national organization
was signaled in other ways, as well. In 1947, the annual meeting was held west of the
Mississippi for the first time, in Glenwood Springs and Denver, Colorado.
By 1957, membership grew to 648 individual members (as separate from institutional members
or subscribers). It reflected an increasingly diverse geographical distribution, with a
greater number of members coming from regions other than the east coast. To encourage
membership growth, Council passed an amendment in 1955 to accept individuals who are or have
been "engaged in the custody, study, teaching, or control of records, archives, or private
papers," and those "who wish to support the objectives of the Society." The requirement of a
pro forma election of every applicant was also discontinued.
During the mid-1950s, SAA took steps to honor members who made significant contributions to
the theory and practice of archival administration, and who thereby encouraged others to
improve the standards of the profession. In 1956, the Professional Standards and Training
Committee recommended that Council establish "a special class of members of the Society
known as Fellows of the Society of American Archivists." A constitutional amendment to that
effect was approved at the 1957 annual meeting.
SAA honors the contributions of individuals and archival agencies in other ways. In 1963,
the State and Local Records Committee recommended the establishment of the Distinguished
Service Award to recognize a North American archival institution, organization, education
program, or nonprofit or governmental organization that has given outstanding service to its
public and has made an exemplary contribution to the archival profession. Other awards have
included the Gondos Memorial Award; the Waldo Gifford Leland Prize; and the Philip M. Hamer
Award.
Committees played an important role in advancing SAA's mission, but by the late 1960s it
was apparent that various factors hobbled the efforts of committees to communicate and work
effectively. Committee members were scattered across the country, conducted most of their
work by correspondence and telephone, and usually met only at annual meetings. In his
1968-1969 report on the committee system, Secretary Gerald F. Ham explained that many
committees had vaguely defined areas of responsibility or no longer met the needs of the
membership. In an attempt to remedy the situation, Council approved a revised structure of
standing and ad hoc committees at the December 1969 meeting. In this major reorganization,
several committees were abolished, others were consolidated, and the functions and
responsibilities of still others were broadened. Additionally, new committees on
machine-readable records; oral history; urban and industrial archives; and reference,
access, and photo-duplication policies were created. These changes made the committee
structure more responsive to the needs of the membership, but they did not help committees
work more effectively. The problem of ineffective and inactive committees would be addressed
in different ways in the following years.
In 1970, President Philip P. Mason appointed the Committee for the 1970s to "analyze the
present structure of the Society, its program and objectives, its relationship with other
professional organizations, and most importantly, its needs during the coming decade."
Recommendations made by the committee had a decisive impact on the future direction of SAA.
The committee focused on eight areas: SAA's organizational structure and operations;
relations with other professional groups and organizations; the committee system; SAA
publications; membership relations and development; education and training; annual meetings,
conferences, and symposia; and finances. An interim report of the committee was distributed
to the membership in September 1971, and the final report published in the April 1972 issue
of the American Archivist.
Following the recommendation of the Committee for the 1970s, the membership approved an
amendment that allowed the elected secretary to be replaced by an executive director.
Secretary Robert M. Warner had already served a year of his term when he agreed in 1972 to
serve an additional year as the appointed (but unpaid) executive director. In 1973, Warner
resigned, and Judith A. Koucky served as acting secretary until a replacement could be
found. Ann Morgan Campbell was hired in July 1974 as the first paid executive director, and
offices were established on the Chicago Circle campus of the University of Illinois.
Following other recommendations of the Committee for the 1970s, SAA began publication of
the SAA Newsletter in 1973 (renamed Archival Outlook in 1993), and established an executive committee to operate for
Council between meetings.
In October 1978, Council made another effort to remedy the problem of inefficient and
inactive committees. Acting on the recommendation of the Committee on Committees, Council
adopted a three-part organization of committees, task forces, and professional affinity
groups (PAGs). Standing and joint committees were assigned the function of ensuring the
regular conduct of SAA's affairs or representing SAA on inter-association committees with
affiliated professions. Task forces were created to address specific issues or questions
facing SAA. PAGs were established on the basis of institutional affiliation and/or
functional responsibility, and provided members with an opportunity to meet and work with
others of similar backgrounds and professional interests. PAGs convened for the first time
at the September 1979 annual meeting. All PAGs became known as sections at the end of the
annual business meeting in 1983. A fourth unit of SAA, roundtables, was added in January
1985. Like sections, roundtables provided members with similar professional interests the
opportunity to meet and work together. Unlike sections, they required a minimum of only
twenty members.
