A. Requirements for Local Chroniclers
B. Creation/Removal/Resignation of Local Chroniclers
C. Financial Responsibilities of Local Chroniclers
D. Reporting Responsibilities of Local Chroniclers
E. Producing and Distributing a Local Newsletter
......1) Definition of a Local Newsletter
......2) Frequency of Publication
......3) Courtesy Copies
......4) Electronic vs. print newsletters
F. Local Newsletter Contents
......1) Required Contents
......2) Suggested Contents
......3) Things You May Not Print
G. Resources
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1. Baronies and provinces must have a warranted chronicler and must produce a regular newsletter. Shires, cantons, and other small groups are not required to have a warranted chronicler, nor are they required to produce a newsletter, but they may if they wish.
2. Local chroniclers must be paid members of the SCA, Inc., and must have regular access to Pikestaff. They are also expected to read the Kingdom Chronicler's column in Pikestaff. Updates to these policies will appear in Pikestaff and the local chronicler is responsible for following them.
3. Recommended qualifications for office include: The ability to produce a satisfactory newsletter on a regular basis. The ability to write reasonably clearly and correctly, and/or a proofreader who will tell you what to fix before you print the newsletter. Access to reasonably priced photocopying services. The ability to keep good financial and subscription records, or a deputy who you trust to do this for you. Being financially solvent enough to print an issue and then submit a request to the exchequer for reimbursement (this is not required, but will make life easier for both you and the exchequer.
1. Authority to Create and Remove. The final authority to create and remove local chroniclers rests with the Kingdom Chronicler. Local seneschals may make recommendations, which will usually be followed. However, they do not have the authority to take unilateral action regarding the creation or removal of a local chronicler.
2. Appointment of Local Chroniclers: When a local group needs a new chronicler, they should follow their customary local selection process. The new chronicler should then contact the Kingdom Chronicler. If by email, the new chronicler should send name, full contact info, SCA membership number and expiration date (from the membership card or a recent Pikestaff label), and subscription information. The local seneschal should also send an email verification that the chronicler is acceptable to the group. If the new chronicler prefers to do this by regular mail, please include a letter signed by your seneschal, along with photocopied proof of membership, contact information, and subscription information for your newsletter.
A local chronicler is officially warranted when the newsletter information starts to appear as part of the Regnum listing in the back of Pikestaff. If it doesn't appear in a reasonable amount of time, please contact the Kingdom Chronicler. If you see outdated information, let me know!
3. Resignation of Local Chroniclers: Local chroniclers may resign at any time. If possible, they should attempt to find a replacement before leaving the job. Outgoing chroniclers are required to turn over all files, financial records and other supplies promptly and in good order.
4. Removal of Local Chroniclers: A local chronicler may only be removed by the Kingdom Chronicler. If a local group is unhappy with its chronicler, they may request the chronicler's resignation. The chronicler is free to decline. Should they be unable to come to a mutually agreeable resolution of the situation, they may then request that the Kingdom Chronicler remove the local officer.
Acceptable reasons for removal of a local chronicler include: Non-performance of duties. Repeated failure to produce the newsletter on schedule, depending on the frequency and severity of the failures. Violations of the East Kingdom or Society Financial Policies (detailed below) Use of copyrighted material without permission. Repeated inclusion of inappropriate material. Repeated omission of required information. Politicizing the office. Failure to provide courtesy copies of their newsletter as required. Other valid reasons for removal may exist, depending on circumstances.
Removal from office is a last resort. The first resort should always be discussing the situation between the involved parties. The Kingdom Chronicler will not take action until resolution has been attempted at the local level. No local chronicler will be removed from office without first being warned and given an opportunity to explain or correct the problem.
C. Financial Responsibilities of the Local Chronicler
Local chroniclers must maintain financial records and handle subscriber moneys in accordance with the East Kingdom Exchequer's and the SCA's financial policies. All moneys must be placed in an SCA bank account, usually the one opened by the local group. Subscription checks must be made payable to SCA, Inc. - <local group>. All reasonable requirements imposed by the local exchequer must be complied with. Disputes regarding what is reasonable in this area should be directed to the Kingdom Exchequer, as the Kingdom Chronicler has no authority over your local exchequer.
From the Society Chronicler's Policy, C.6.a.: "The funds which a branch accepts from a subscriber for a newsletter create an obligation on the part of the branch, which must then publish the promised number of newsletters and make a reasonable effort to deliver them to the subscriber. If it cannot do so, it must promptly refund to every subscriber an amount equal to the remaining subscription liability. If a group has not published a newsletter for which they are holding funds at least every six months or such lesser period as determined by the Kingdom Chronicler, they must make an earnest effort to return all subscription funds in their keeping."
From the Society Chronicler's Policy, C.6.b.: "Funds collected for a newsletter must be held in the local branch bank account, to be disbursed by the treasurer at the chronicler's request. The chronicler should provide receipts for funds spent, and account to the local branch treasurer regularly. These reports must be made at least once per year and may be required more frequently. Each local chronicler must keep up-to-date records of subscribers, the amount they have paid, and how many issues remain in each subscription. These records must be made available to the local treasurer for reporting purposes."
In addition to the newsletter copies sent to the Kingdom Chronicler, local chroniclers are
required to report to the Kingdom Chronicler annually on Dec. 15. E-mail reports are acceptable.
The report should consist of: the chronicler's name (legal and SCA), contact info., and proof of membership (for e-mail reports, include membership type, number, and expiration date), and
newsletter specifics (name, group, issues per year, price, number of subscribers). Failure to report by Jan. 15 will result in a warning. If no response is forthcoming within 30 days, the local chronicler will be suspended, and their local seneschal informed that they should select a replacement.
1. Definition of a Local Newsletter: From the Society Chronicler's Policies: C.2. "A local branch or organizational newsletter is an official publication of a recognized group or educational organization within the SCA, Inc. It cites that local group or educational organization as its publishing authority, keeps its funds in an official SCA, Inc. branch bank account, and has as its editor a chronicler who is warranted by the Kingdom Chronicler. No other publications are considered official for the purposes of this policy. Local chroniclers who are not warranted by the Kingdom Chronicler cannot use branch funds for the publication of the newsletter."
3. Frequency: The primary responsibility of a local chronicler is the production of a useful newsletter for their group. It may appear as often as they and the group deem useful, with quarterly being the minimal acceptable frequency.
4. Courtesy Copies: Courtesy copies of all local newsletters, in paper format, must be sent to the Kingdom Chronicler, Kingdom Seneschal, and Their Royal Majesties.
In addition, baronial/provincial newsletters must send a courtesy copy to the Society Archivist (address available in Pikestaff Regnum).
Courtesy copies must be mailed at the same time as your regular subscriptions. Optionally, if your group can afford it, please consider sending copies to: Their Royal Highnesses, the Kingdom Historian, and your Regional Seneschal.
5. Electronic vs. print newsletters: Newsletters may take the form of printed copy or electronic text. Certain conditions apply to electronic newsletters: paper copies *must* be mailed to the Kingdom Chronicler, Kingdom Seneschal, and Royalty. A paper copy must be kept for the group's archives. And, paper copies must be available from the local chronicler upon request. Chroniclers who do not send out the required paper copies will not be warranted. Electronic documents made available to the general public at will, such as web pages, do not count as newsletters; in other words, to count as an electronic newsletter, it must be *sent* to an interested list of recipients.
Further, In accourdance with Society Policy:"C.4.a If a subscription fee is charged for the local group newsletter then it may not be provided for free in an electronic form. If the local newsletter is provided free of charge to any and all members of the populace that ask for a copy, then the newsletter may also be provided in an electronic form to those members of the populace that desire it. Specific permission to publish electronically must be received from each contributor and the electronic newsletter must also adhere to the provisions found in the Electronic Publications Policies."
1. Required Contents:
a. Disclaimer: The official standard disclaimer from the Corporate Publications Policy: "This is the <publication name>, a publication of the <name of branch or other organization> of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc). <Publication name> is available from <real name and address of chronicler>. It is not a corporate publication of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., and does not delineate SCA Inc. policies." (This disclaimer must be included verbatim.
If you feel a desire to include additional humorous disclaimers, feel free, as long as you don't stick them in the middle of the required text.)
If you do not publish this disclaimer, you may not collect subscription funds in the name of the SCA, and you may not publish official communications from Society officers.
b. Copyright Statement: The official standard copyright statement from the Corporate Publications Policy: "Copyright 2005 Society for Creative Anachronism Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles or artwork from this publication, please contact the chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors."
c. List of Local Officers: The full names, addresses and phone numbers of the local officers. Email addresses are desirable if available.
d. Subscription Information: This should include the frequency of the newsletter; the cost if any; an address to which to direct the request for a subscription; and the statement "Make checks payable to SCA, Inc. - <group>" if there is a charge for the subscription.
2. Suggested Contents:
a. Information about local and nearby events, such as fighter practices, dance practices, regular group meetings. This serves both to publicize these activities to your local group, and to designate them as being SCA-sponsored activities, with coverage from the SCA's insurance policy.
b. Information about activities which are relevant to the purposes of the SCA, but are not SCA sponsored events such as museum exhibits, performances of medieval works, craft demonstrations, etc. They should be clearly marked as not being SCA-sponsored activities to insure that no possible confusion will result from publishing them in your newsletter.
c. Articles and artwork with a medieval or SCAdian theme, by local contributors.
3. Things you may not print:
a. Advertising. The Corporate Publications Policy explicitly forbids local newsletters from accepting paid ads of any type. Local newsletters should not run ads "for free" that look like they might be paid ads. Anything that mentions a price for an item, service, or performance is considered to be an ad (unless it's an event-related fee) - don't print it. Items that encourage people to patronize certain merchants, whether SCA or not-SCA, even if a fee is not mentioned, might also be ads - be very careful. In this case, try to include the information in a longer article or officer's column - for example, the MoAS might mention that so-and-so will bring beginning calligraphy kits for sale "at cost" to the next event (without mentioning price), or the Marshal could mention that the local hardware store has a sale on duct tape (again without mentioning price). Local newsletters may not run items that look like "classified ads", even if they're free, for the purpose of selling personal or group items, or services such as babysitting at events. When in doubt, please check with the Kingdom Chronicler first.
b. Copyrighted material without permission. Printing copyrighted material in your newsletter without permission could result in very serious legal charges, both against the offending local chronicler and the SCA itself. If you print copyrighted material without the appropriate permission from the author, I will give you one warning. If it happens again, I will suspend your warrant, and your group will be asked to select a replacement.
In general, you need permission to reprint anything that is not being submitted directly by its author. If the article contains a blanket permission to reprint in SCA publications, or non-profit publications in general, that is sufficient. If you have obtained permission to reprint from the author, you should indicate this clearly either before or after the article. If the item is from a commercial source, you should send a copy of the permission letter to the Kingdom Chronicler for the files in case of later problems concerning the item. Please be careful when taking articles from the Internet. Many of these are also under copyright.
c. Inappropriate Material. From Section B.13.a of the Society Chronicler's Policies:
"All editorial material, both text and images, must conform to the goals and objectives of the
Society, and portray the Society and the Kingdom in a positive light. No content, including
official kingdom announcements, is exempted from this requirement. There is no way to
anticipate all the types of material which may be objectionable; what follows is a representative list:
1) Policies of the Kingdom Chronicler: Printed Policies are available upon request from the East Kingdom Chronicler, or from the East Kingdom Website, Law and Policies page.
2) Policies of the Society Chronicler: Printed Policies are available upon request from the Society Chronicler, or from this website: http://www.sca.org/officers/chronicler/welcome.html.
3) To learn more about the SCA_Chroniclers group, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA_Chroniclers
4) Email the Kingdom Chronicler,Lady Shannon Gallowglass.
5) Email the Society Chronicler, Magistra Nicolaa de Bracton.
(End of Chronicler's Policies for Local Newsletters.)