Registrars Committee Western Region bylaws

AS AMENDED BY APPROVAL OF THE MEMBERSHIP OCTOBER 08, 2023.

ARTICLE 1. NAME

This committee shall be known as Registrars Committee – Western Region (hereinafter “RC-WR”).

ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES

The RC-WR shall support and promote high standards of professionalism of museum Registrars and other collections stewardship professionals. The RC-WR has a special concern to contact personnel from all museums within the Western Region and to involve them in its activities. Committee activities shall include, but not be limited to, preparing programs and seminars of special interest to registrars for the annual meeting of the Western Museums Association (hereinafter “WMA”) or other relevant professional organizations, publishing a regional newsletter, facilitating regional workshops, providing stipends and other professional development opportunities, and in general initiating or supporting local activities and projects that help to create an atmosphere of understanding and respect, of communication and cooperation among Registrars, collections stewardship professionals, and professionals in related service fields.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Types. There shall be two types of membership: Voting and Non-Voting.

Section 2. Voting. Voting membership shall be open to those professionals who support the objectives of the RC-WR and who reside in the Western Region, (composed of the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington) such as Registrars, Collection Managers, Conservators, Curators, Administrators, Archivists, Corporate, Contract or Independent Registrars, students, volunteers, retirees, etc.

Voting members shall enjoy all rights and privileges of membership, including, but not limited to, the newsletter (Registrars Quarterly), announcements from the Regional Chairperson, notices from their State or Regional Representative, task force reports, invitations to local and regional meetings or seminars, stipend offerings, job postings, and other written materials as available.

Section 3. Non-Voting. Non-voting membership shall be open to professionals who live outside the Western Region, as defined in Section 2, who are vendors associated with a for-profit organization which provides goods/services for cultural institutions, or who are employees or affiliates of RC-WR Sponsors. Non-voting members shall receive all benefits of a Voting member, except they shall not be eligible to receive stipends, to vote, or to hold office.

Section 4. Dues. Each type of member must submit annual dues. Annual dues shall be due and payable to the Treasurer on January 1 of each calendar year and shall be considered in arrears if not paid by February 1. The Treasurer or Secretary shall prompt Members for payment of annual dues 30 days in advance of January 1. The amount of the dues and types of membership shall be determined yearly at the annual business meeting by a vote of majority of those present.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

Section 1. Elected and Appointed. There shall be four elected officers consisting of a Regional Chairperson (hereinafter “Chairperson”), a Vice Chairperson, a Secretary and a Treasurer. There shall also be appointed officers for sub- committees as needed, including but not limited to: Nominations, Communications, Membership Services, Programming and Professional Practices, and at least ten State or Regional Representatives (Northern California and Southern California each have a Representative).

Section 2. Terms. Each officer shall serve for a term of two years, except the Program Committee Chairperson, who shall serve for one year. No officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in any one office. The term of elected officers shall begin at the close of the annual business meeting at which their election is announced. The term of appointed officers shall begin on the date of acceptance of appointment. Incomplete terms of at least 6 months shall be considered as full terms.

Section 3. Eligibility. Only Voting members of the RC-WR, who are not members of the RC-WR Nominating Committee, shall be eligible for RC-WR elective office. The candidates for the elective offices of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson must be individual members in good standing with voting privileges of the RC-WR for at least one calendar year. If elected, the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, and Secretary must maintain their individual memberships. RC-WR appointed officers may be filled by any Voting member.

Section 4. Nominating Committee. Candidates for the RC-WR elective offices shall be selected by a three- person Nominating Committee appointed by the current RC-WR elected officers. The members of the Nominating Committee should, when possible, represent different museum or institutional disciplines, and should not be from the same local area. The person currently serving as Vice Chairperson shall be invited to run for the position of Regional Chairperson at the end of his or her two-year term.

Section 5. Nominations. The Nominating Committee shall present to Membership a slate consisting of at least two candidates for each office and shall obtain the consent of each candidate and reasonable assurance of his/her ability to attend national and regional meetings before including his/her name. Candidates will be apprised of the extent that RC-WR can be expected to defray travel costs associated with meeting officers’ responsibilities (See Section 8 regarding “…necessary and ordinary expenses incurred by RC-WR officers…”). Each candidate must submit a statement of candidacy which will be presented on the ballot to assist Members in deciding their vote.

Section 6. Electronic Voting Procedures. Elections of officers shall be by electronic ballot and shall be held every two years. An online polling site may be used to conduct voting so long as access to voting results is password protected and accessible to Nominating Committee members only. Ballots will be prepared and transmitted to the voting membership by the Nominating Committee via the Secretary at least 30 days before the annual business meeting of an election year. Ballots must be cast according to specifications laid out by the Nominating Committee and must be submitted prior to a specified voting deadline. Ballots must be tallied by the Nominating Committee. Election to office shall be by simple majority. The results will be announced at the annual business meeting.

Section 7. Duties. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the RC-WR, prepare a written agenda for all meetings, prepare an annual report for presentation at the annual business meeting, submit an annual budget for consideration and approval at the annual business meeting, appoint, in consultation with the other elected officers, the necessary appointed officers and such other temporary chairpersons and task force personnel as may be necessary to conduct the activities of the RC-WR. The Chairperson will work with other Board officers to procure annual sponsorships and donations, either financial or in-kind, for RC-WR. In the absence of the Chairperson at any of the required meetings, the Vice Chairperson will assume the Chairperson’s responsibilities.

The duties of the Vice Chairperson shall be to preside at or attend in the absence of the Chairperson, any professional meetings, as listed above, to fill the vacancy should the Chairperson be unable to serve a full term of office, and to assist the Chairperson in carrying out the objectives of the RC-WR. This position shall also act as the archivist for the RC-WR and, in consultation with the Chair, oversee various appointed positions and sub-committees. The Vice Chairperson will also act as liaison to State Representatives for planning and coordination of RC-WR sponsored events and workshops.

The duties of the Secretary shall be to record the minutes of the annual business meeting and any special business meeting called by the Regional Chairperson, and to provide a copy of these minutes to the Newsletter Editor for inclusion in the next Newsletter, to maintain the shared online files of active correspondence and records of the RC-WR, to maintain individual state membership lists and distribute them to State Representatives, to act as liaison between State Representatives and the Board, to distribute the newsletter to the membership every quarter, to validate results in the election of officers, and to facilitate amendments to the Bylaws as outlined in Article VI. The Secretary will also maintain the website job board and send a weekly email to membership with news, job postings, and other pertinent information.

The duties of the Treasurer shall be to maintain the accounts of the RC-WR funds, to be responsible for all receipts and disbursements of RC-WR monies, to prepare a financial statement for presentation at the annual business meeting, to assist the Regional Chairperson in preparation of an annual budget, to invoice members (when specifically requested) for annual dues, to notify members of dues in arrears, and to add all membership updates, additions, and renewals to the membership list.

Necessary and ordinary expenses incurred by RC-WR officers and members in the performance of their duties to the RC- WR shall be considered for reimbursement by the Treasurer from RC-WR funds provided for in the annual budget. As budget permits and as necessary, the RC-WR will provide financial assistance for the elected Chairperson (or in the Chairperson’s absence, the Vice Chairperson) to travel to the RC-WR annual business meeting and any other required professional meeting. Funding for the Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer to attend the RC-WR annual business meeting may be provided as required and budget permits.

The duties of the State or Regional Representatives shall be those enumerated in Exhibit A.

The duties of other appointed officers and sub-committee chairpersons shall be those enumerated in Exhibit B.

All officers shall have their files in order and ready to pass along to the new officers at, or soon after, the annual business meeting at which election results are announced and new officers are announced. Duties of each officer shall also include other responsibilities as specified in these bylaws or as assigned.

Section 8. Incomplete Term. If an elected officer cannot complete a term of office, the remainder of the term shall be completed by the next runner-up in the election. If the next runner-up is not available to serve, the last appointed Nominating Committee shall provide a slate of at least two candidates for the vacant office and a special electronic election shall be held with all due expedition.

If an appointed individual cannot complete a term of office the appointing Board officer shall choose a replacement for the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS

Section 1. Annual and Special. There shall be an annual business meeting for the presentation of a budget, reports from officers and committees, review of the year’s business, introduction of new officers and such other business as may be necessary. This meeting may be held during the annual meeting of the WMA, or any other regional meeting as deemed appropriate. Other meetings may be called by the Chairperson to deal with special business of importance to the membership. The minutes of such meetings shall be distributed promptly by the Secretary to the membership via inclusion in the following Registrars Quarterly.

Section 2. Topics and Agenda. Topics for consideration at the annual business meeting shall be submitted in writing to the Chairperson with reasonable notice in advance of the meeting. An agenda for this meeting shall be prepared by the Chairperson and distributed to all members at the annual business meeting.

Section 3. Orderly Meetings. The parliamentary procedures contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall assist in establishing and maintaining the orderly procedures by which meetings are governed in all cases where such rules are not inconsistent with these bylaws or any special rules or order which the RC-WR may adopt.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS

Section 1. At Annual Meetings. These bylaws may be amended at any annual business meeting by a resolution of a least two-thirds of voting members in attendance, provided that such amendments shall have been distributed by the Secretary to the membership no less than four weeks prior to the annual business meeting. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the collaborative Board Officers or by members or appointees.

EXHIBIT A TO BYLAWS

Duties of the RC-WR State or Regional Representative

Section 1. Appointment. The State or Regional Representative (hereinafter “Representative”) is an appointed position serving a term of two (2) years. The appointment is made by the officers of the RC-WR. Candidates who have demonstrated a track record of active involvement in the RC-WR, and are current Voting members in the Committee, may be considered for the position.

Section 2. Responsibilities. The Representative is responsible for establishing and maintaining communication with the constituents of his/her area to further the objectives of the RC-WR. The Representative will function as a clearinghouse of information, channeling questions and focusing interests for future activities. The Representative is also responsible for encouraging RC-WR membership in the region.

Section 3. Annual Meetings. When the WMA annual meeting is held in a Representative’s state or region, he/she is expected to be particularly involved in coordinating the RC-WR activities, such as a pre-conference workshop or volunteer event, in cooperation with local RC-WR members. All Representatives may be called upon to work with the RC-WR Chairperson to organize programs and seminars of special interest to membership attending the WMA Annual Meeting.

Section 4. Newsletter Contributions. The Representative is expected to make regular contributions to the RC-WR Newsletter regarding plans for activities and events of interest to the region and to provide the RC-WR Chairperson with a summary report of the state or Region’s activities one month prior to the annual meetings held by the WMA or other relevant professional meetings, as requested.

EXHIBIT B TO BYLAWS

Duties of Appointed Officials and Sub-Committee Activities

Communications

The duties of the Newsletter Editor shall be to prepare for distribution a regional newsletter, the Registrars Quarterly, which should include, but is not limited to, the following content gathered collaboratively by the Board officers: notices of the annual business meeting and other activities relevant to registrars, communications from the officers and members, reports from State Representatives on the activities of members, reviews from the New Reads Editor, advertisements for sponsors, and articles and other items of interest to Registrars.

The Website Manager shall be responsible for maintaining the rcwr.org website for the membership, and other website upkeep tasks as assigned by the Chair. Content for the website will be coordinated by the Chair and supplied by the officers as needed.

The New Reads Editor will provide, via Registrars Quarterly, book reviews of new and recently published books and/or articles pertaining to collection management and preservation issues. When possible, they will also provide a listing of additional resources. The New Reads Editor should submit at least one review per newsletter and be in contact with major publishers of books relating to the museum industry to maintain a current list that can be included in a newsletter and/or placed on the RC-WR website.

Membership Services

The duties of the Development Officers shall be to solicit contributions or underwriting of special activities as requested by the Chairperson, to work with the Treasurer in acknowledging all contributions, to encourage commercial services, vendors, and other professionals in for-profit businesses to become Non-Voting Members, and to suggest to Non-Voting Members ways in which they can participate or benefit from their membership in the RC-WR.

The Membership Coordinator will assist the officers in inviting colleagues to join the RC-WR. This position will work specifically with the Secretary in this capacity and with the Chairperson as needed.

Programming and Professional Practices

The duties of the Program Committee Chair shall be to develop (in consultation with the Regional Chairperson) programs, projects, seminars, etc. of special interest to registrars attending the WMA Annual Meeting or another relevant professional annual meeting.

The Museum Studies Liaison shall serve as a link to students of regional museum studies programs. They shall provide students with information about RC-WR and encourage them to join as members. They will invite and coordinate graduate students to submit their thesis papers as session proposals for WMA annual meetings, local state conferences, and other professional meetings. Once presented, the students will be asked by the Regional Chairperson to publish their papers in an upcoming newsletter. The Liaison shall also connect museum studies students with mentoring registrars in their local region.