Constitution

[Version adopted by the meeting held at SOAS (London, UK), 3 November 2006. Send comments to Linda Barwick, for circulation to the board]

1 Name:

The name of the organisation shall be the Digital Endangered Languages and Musics Archives Network (DELAMAN).

2 Objectives:

2.1 to support the ethical preservation of endangered languages and cultures through archiving;

2.2 to promote access to archival material by originating communities;

2.3 to explore the potential of digital technologies to support objectives 2.1 and 2.2;

2.4 to promote international best practice in digital archiving of recordings of endangered languages and cultures;

2.5 to provide a forum for members to share information on policies, technologies and practices to support implementation of the organisation's objectives;

2.6 to advocate with appropriate external bodies to support the organisation's objectives;

2.7 to encourage open access to research data wherever consistent with ethical practices, recognising that the long-term sustainability of digital resources can be enhanced through their active use and continuing relevance to communities of users.

3 The organisation will pursue its objectives through any appropriate means, including:

3.1 a website;

3.2 annual meetings;

3.3 publishing relevant documents on the website and in other appropriate forums;

3.4 contributing to public debate on issues relevant to its aims;

3.5 an email discussion list;

3.6 affiliation with other relevant humanities organisations.

4 Membership:

4.1 Membership is open to organisations and individuals who support the aims of DELAMAN and who are actively engaged in archiving or the development of archiving standards and practices.

4.1.1 Voting members are restricted to designated organisational members.

4.1.2 Each member organisation shall designate a voting representative.

4.2 Office bearers shall include a President and a Board, to be elected at the annual meeting. The Board shall consist of no more than twelve members.

4.3 DELAMAN especially invites membership from members of endangered language communities who are interested in setting up and managing digital archives.

4.4 Prospective members may apply to join by contacting a Board member. Membership will be voted on by the board.

4.5 DELAMAN will publish a list of its members and office-bearers on the website.

4.6 Membership fees if any ^* shall be determined from time to time by the Board.

5 Decision making:

5.1 Decisions of DELAMAN shall be ratified by a majority of the voting members present at the annual meeting, or between meetings by a vote conducted in circulation amongst the Board members.

^* At present there is no charge for DELAMAN membership.