Charter

1. Name

The name of the organisation shall be Porta Historica. A Network of Scholars and Institutions Editing Historical Sources.

2. Objective

The Network shall bring together, at the international level, scholars and institutions that are involved or interested in editing, publishing (in print or digitally) and analysing historical sources in a broad sense (editions, reference works, databases etc.). The object of the Network shall be to promote cooperation among these scholars and institutions and to increase their expertise.

3. Members

3.1. Membership shall be open to individual scholars and institutions that are active or interested nationally or internationally in the area, as referred to in clause 2, and that accept the Charter of the Network.

3.2. The membership of the Network is free and can be obtained by subscription to the secretary general of the Network.

3.3. In case of misuse of the website of the Network the board can decide to suspend  the membership  of a scholar or an institution from of the Network.

4. Board

4.1. The Network shall have a board consisting of nine members from different countries. Each of the five institutes which started the Network has the right as one of the founding fathers to appoint a member of the board. This could be a member of the staff of the institute or otherwise a scholar from its own country. The five founding fathers shall nominate the other four members. They shall be elected from among the members of the Network.

4.2. The chair shall be elected annually by and from among the members of the board. The chair shall be eligible for re-election.

4.3. The board shall promote and stimulate the development and the activities of the Network. It shall draw up a programme of activities and shall supervise the activities of the Network.

4.4. The board shall hold an annual meeting. It shall report to the members on the activities and the status of the Network by publishing the minutes of the annual meeting. It may make recommendations regarding the development and the activities of the Network.

4.5. The board shall set up committees to carry out specific tasks, including committees to:

- make the necessary preparations for the annual meeting.

- manage the content of and provide support for the website. This committee shall consist of the member responsible for managing the website and a further two members of the board.

4.6. The board shall arrange its own activities.

5. Finances

For so long as the Network does not have its own financial resources, its activities shall be carried out on a decentralised basis. This means that activities shall be carried out by the members of the board of the Network in turn.

 
6. Activities

The Network shall in any event engage in the following activities:

6.1. A conference for members and other interested scholars shall be organised every second year.

6.2. The institution that hosts the annual meeting of the board is responsible for its organisation, in consultation with the secretary general (see clause 8).

6.3. Activities shall be developed in the area of the exchange of information and expertise.

6.4. The Network shall stimulate members to set up and carry out joint projects.

 
7. Common language

The common language of the Network shall be English.

 
8. Secretary General

8.1. The Network shall have a Secretary General. The Secretary shall support the Network and the Board by promoting the exchange of information and by assisting with the organisation of the activities of the Network. The position of Secretary General shall be filled on a rotating basis by one representative of the members of the board for a period of three years. The Secretary General shall be appointed by the board of the Network. The Secretary may be reappointed at the end of his or her term of office.

9. Website

The Network shall raise its profile by means of a website. This shall support the aims of the Network. The website shall in any event contain information about the Network, its members and its activities, and shall be managed by one of the members of the board for a period of three years. The member that shall be responsible for managing the website shall be appointed by the Board. The member that manages the website may be appointed again.

 
10. Amendment of the Charter

The Charter of the Network may be amended by a majority of the votes cast by members at the annual meeting of the board as referred to in clause 4.4.


11. Transitional provision

While the Network is being remodelled, the following provisions shall apply:

- up to and including the annual meeting in 2013, the board of the Network shall consist of the following representatives of the institutions that established the Network:

* Vacancy, École Nationale des Chartes (Paris);

* Eef Dijkhof, Huygens Institute of the History of the Netherlands (The Hague), secretary general;

* Guy Vanthemsche, Commission Royale d’Histoire/Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis (Brussels);

* Andrea Rzihacek, Institut für Mittelalterforschung (Vienna), chair;

* Jane Winters, Institute of Historical Research (London).