In the summer of 2024, the Society started the process to develop a strategic plan as noted in Volume 53 number 3 of this Newsletter. One item included was a review and revision of the Bylaws. The strategic plan was adopted and is available on the Society website. to the Bylaws. This workgroup met over a dozen times to review and discuss modifications to the Bylaws. It also presented progress reports at each Board Meeting. A January 2026 Board Meeting was dedicated solely to the Bylaw revisions which were adopted by the Board. At the February 2026 Board Meeting a few changes were made to the text adopted in January.

In May 2025 the SIA Board of Directors created a four person workgroup, including two Directors to review the Society’s Bylaws and propose modifications. Prior to that, the Society for Industrial Archeology’s bylaws had not been reviewed in depth for at least 27 years. When the workgroup reviewed them, they found that there were areas needing clarification or further definition. There were a few items, never used, that have been removed. The working group also proposed creating a new document called the Administrative Procedures (AP) that can be modified more easily than Bylaws. The working group will move some things from the Bylaws into the AP as well as consolidate there policies and procedures adopted by the board that are scattered among decades of board minutes. This will clarify how the SIA works and enable us to adjust to a world that is changing ever more rapidly.

To help members understand the changes a comparison document showing the current Bylaws and the Revised one’s side by side can be downloaded here:

SIA Bylaws Current vs Revised Comparison

The revised Bylaws as adopted by the SIA Board can be downloaded here:

Board Adopted Revised SIA Bylaws

Some important changes are:

• Creation of an Executive Committee that can act for the Board of Directors in a limited manner between Board Meetings.
• Replacing the nonvoting Board members by Invitee that have the same ability to attend Board Meetings and bring up items for discussion.
• Changing the quorum for a member meeting from the default 10% of the membership to 25 members.
• Allow Directors to serve a second consecutive term.
• Changed the nominations timeline and eliminated the need to send a preliminary slate out 70 days before the election.
• Creation of a Governance Committee to manage the Handbook of Administrative Procedures.
• Defined member categories.
• Added the definition of a Local Chapter.
• Removed the Affiliates section as it has never been used.
• Moving the Local Chapter Committee definition to the Administrative Procedures (AP).
• Moving the Editors and Executive Secretary sections to the AP.
• The Board creates committees and the President appoints the chair and members of the committees.
• Removed the Society membership requirement for some Local Chapter activities.
• Streamlined the amendment process.

Some other changes include updating delays and communication methods to today’s electronic environment. Remove practices that are no longer current. Adding some definitions and purpose of the Society.

The next step is for the Society membership to approve the revised Bylaws at the Annual Business Meeting in Norfolk on May 30, 2026.