Operating Procedures Manual

The Records Committee is a Standing Committee of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union as defined in the Constitution of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union (Iowa Bird Life 55:116-119, 1985). According to the Constitution, "Appointments to standing committee [sic] shall be approved by the Board of Directors." and "Standing committees shall operate under bylaws approved by the Board of Directors and not inconsistent with this constitution." (see Appendix)

The "Bylaws of the Records Committee" were approved by the Board of Directors on 20 August 1985 (Iowa Bird Life 56:111, 128, 1986, see Appendix).

The following action by the Board of Directors clarified responsibilities for the Field Checklist: "... that the Treasurer be responsible for printing, selling, and financial record keeping of the field checklist." and amended "to include all other I.O.U. materials." (Board of Directors Meeting, 7 December 1991, Iowa Bird Life 62:61-62, see Appendix).

The bylaws were clarified by the following "amendment": "...to make the Records Committee officially responsible for archiving photographs submitted to the I.O.U. as well as records for all birds, whether officially reviewed or not." (Board of Directors Meeting, 7 December 1991, Iowa Bird Life 62:61-62, see Appendix).

Item 3 under committee structure in the bylaws was formally amended to preclude any retiring member of the committee from being reappointed for at least one year (Board of Directors Meeting, 7 November 1992, Iowa Bird Life 63:55-59, see Appendix).

Functions (paraphrased)

evaluate reports of rare and unusual birds in Iowa, including feedback to contributors and publication of an annual report.
maintain a file of records and physical evidence of birds sighted in Iowa whether or not the record is formally reviewed by the committee.
submit a new edition of the Official List of Iowa Birds to Iowa Bird Life at least every ten years.
prepare the Field Checklist of Iowa Birds for publication as needed.
provide guidelines for reporting rare and unusual species.
promote activities that improve the quality and quantity of knowledge of Iowa birds.
Committee structure and general procedures
The committee consists of six rotating members each with a staggered six-year term and a Secretary who serves at the pleasure of the other members.
The only required officer is the Secretary, other positions are at the discretion of the committee.
The committee may set up its own procedures, which is what this document is about.

The committee has, on occasion, used non-members to evaluate records, either as substitutes or as a special subcommittee. Previous members have been used for this function.

Committee decisions other than those on records (see below) are made by majority vote (four). If all members are not present at a meeting, four votes are still required. Four members constitute a quorum.

Appointment procedure

One new member is nominated each year by the committee, and the nomination is forwarded to the Board of Directors for approval.

Nomination is done at a committee meeting. A list of potential nominees is constructed, then discussed. By secret ballot, each member ranks two top choices. Four first place votes are required for nomination. If a nominee is not determined on the first ballot, the top two choices and ties are voted on until one receives at least four votes.

Terms technically begin after the Spring Meeting of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union in the year of appointment. From a practical standpoint, if feasible, new members vote on all records assigned to the year of their appointment, but do not have a vote on other functions until the time of formal appointment.

Vacancies are filled in the same manner as expiring terms. Nominees for vacancies may be determined before or after the nominee for a full term, but by separate ballot. A vacancy may be filled at any time.

Retiring members, whether from a full or partial term, cannot succeed themselves, but may be reappointed after one year.

Review of records of birds recorded in Iowa

Criteria for review of a record

For a current record, written or physical evidence (specimen, photograph, recording) must be available for review. Written evidence should be on a separate page or pages, preferably using the committee's documentation form or a facsimile of it. For computer generated documentations, the headings may be abbreviated or left out, but all of the information should be provided, preferably in the order used on the documentation form. Notes written within field reports are not satisfactory.

For records prior to 1980, the first published listing of the species and any subsequent mention of specific records have been or will be reviewed.

All reasonable and available evidence of Accidental and Casual species as defined at the time of review, will be evaluated.

Records of any species seen at a very unusual date or location will be reviewed at the request of Field Reports Editors and/or at the discretion of the Secretary.

Classification of records

A-S = Accepted record based on a specimen. One of the following conditions must be met: (1) The specimen currently exists in an accredited collection and the correctness of its identification and labeling verified by the curator of the collection or by a member of the Records Committee; (2) A specimen that was previously in a collection for which there is an identifiable published photograph or photograph in the I.O.U. Photo File; or (3) A specimen that was not kept or is not in an accredited collection that was verified as to date, place, and collector and was photographed by or under the direction of a Records Committee member.

A-P = Accepted record for which the identification is based at least in part on a photograph. Any type of image obtained with a "camera" is included in this category. The photograph must be labeled as to date, place, and photographer. The photograph must be published or otherwise available for future review, usually in the I.O.U. Photo File.

A-R = Accepted record for which the identification is based at least in part on a recording or sonogram. The recording must be labeled as to date, place, and person who obtained the recording. The recording must be available for future review, usually in the I.O.U. Photo File.

A-D = Accepted sight record based on written evidence. The evidence may be a published account, formal documentation, or in some other form that is acceptable to the committee.

NA = Not Accepted. The category covers all records that are not accepted in one of the other categories; i.e., the identification or location are not beyond reasonable doubt. Records in this category include records of birds that are not substantiated as being in Iowa, that do not have enough detail for committee members to make a valid judgment, that may be or probably are another species, that are probably or definitely escaped or released birds, and that are not seen long enough or well enough to confirm their identification. If the evidence definitely indicates that a bird is of a species different from that which it was purported to be, it will be designated to that species and accepted. The category Not Accepted does not necessarily mean that the identification was incorrect. It is the task of the committee to identify records of rare birds in Iowa that have been conclusively identified based upon the evidence available for review and the judgment of the committee.

Voting criteria for classification

On first review, a record shall be Accepted if all seven committee members vote Accepted (A-S, A-P, A-R, or A-D), or if six members vote Accepted and one member is unable to participate or for some other reason fails to vote. On first review, all records with one to three votes of Not Accepted will be rereviewed.

A record shall be Accepted after rereview if at least six members vote Accepted.

Upon rereview, a record that has previously been Accepted, will be changed to Not Accepted if at least four members vote Not Accepted.

The subclass of a record within the categories A-S, A-P, A-R, and A-D is determined by majority vote (four or more).

Submission of records to the committee for review

The most common method for submission occurs when the Field Reports Editors of Iowa Bird Life send the original copy of all documentations for the season to the Secretary of the committee. Documentations of Accidental and Casual species will automatically be reviewed. Other records will be reviewed at the request of the Field Reports Editor or at the discretion of the Secretary. The remaining documentations will be filed by species as part of the Records Committee's file of unreviewed documentations (see below). Every attempt should be made to obtain and maintain the original copy of documentations. Field Reports Editors should also submit all photographs and recordings to the Secretary so that they can be accessioned into the I.O.U Photo File (see below), which is the responsibility of the Records Committee.

Documentation and physical evidence other than specimens may be sent directly to the Secretary, but it is preferable that current records be sent to the Field Reports Editors.

Specimens should be sent to Iowa State University or other museum licensed to receive specimens.

Any old published record that has not been previously reviewed will be reviewed as soon as it is brought to the attention of the Secretary.

Any person may request the rereview of a record by writing a letter to the committee that indicates the reason for the request such as new evidence, new interpretation of the evidence, or interpretations of the committee based on incorrect evidence. Requests for rereview should not be done in an attempt to get a more favorable vote on a second try. The Secretary may deny the request for rereview by requesting that more evidence for rereview be presented. The denial may be appealed and overturned by a majority vote of the committee.

Process of review

Each record and all documents and physical evidence associated with it will be given a unique number (see below for photo numbers). For current records (records of birds seen within a current year), the four digit record number will comprise the last two digits of the year plus a dash (-) plus a two digit sequence number (01, 02, 03, etc.). Within each batch sent out for review, the records will be sequenced in taxonomic order. For old records, the first two digits will be the year that the record is first reviewed, and the last two digits will be an alphabetic sequence (AA, AB, AC, etc.).

Any subsequent review of a record or labeling of additional evidence will use the original record number.

The first review of any current record will be done individually by members of the committee with written votes and comments. Members shall not discuss the records with each other prior to voting, but may discuss the records with non-committee members (assuming that the non-member is not acting as an intermediary for another committee member). Members should refrain from giving their opinion about a record that is under review to non-committee members prior to completion of the review, but they may seek additional information from such persons.

Reviews of old records or rereviews of current records will ordinarily be done individually with written votes and comments, but may be done at a committee meeting by secret ballot. For reviews of old records or rereviews, committee members are encouraged to discuss the merits of the records among themselves and to solicit outside opinions and new evidence.

The criteria for acceptance of records shall be that the bird is present and identified within Iowa, and the identification is beyond reasonable doubt. The boundaries of Iowa are as described by Kent (1985, see Appendix). A bird that is identified outside of Iowa and remains in continuous view until it enters Iowa is acceptable. The "identification" may be delayed or made by other individuals based on the written and/or physical evidence. "Beyond reasonable doubt" is the collective opinion of the committee members based on such factors as what was observed and/or heard, difficulty of identification, viewing conditions, physical evidence, probability of occurrence at the particular place and time, chain of evidence (firsthand, secondhand, etc.), whether notes were made promptly, and the experience and ability of the observers. Ultimately, members should base acceptance on what they can tell about the bird itself, weighing in the possible influence of the other factors. The record does not have to be perfect, just beyond reasonable doubt.

In general, records are evaluated in batches, usually at some time following each season when there is a sufficient number of records to make a batch. The Secretary prepares eight copies of each written page; the original and two copies remain with the Secretary for the permanent files, and six copies are distributed to the committee members. These copies are retained by the members for at least the duration of their term on the committee and are used for rereviews. When possible, at least four copies of each photograph are prepared. The original (or best duplicate available) is accessioned into the I.O.U. Photo File and labeled with the Photo File number (and the record number, if appropriate). One copy remains in the Photo File, one copy is filed with the original copy of the record, and two are circulated for review (successively to each of three members and back to the Secretary) and then filed with the two permanent copies of each record.

Each record is entered into a computer file. This file is used to enter the results of the vote and comments of reviewers. It also serves to print record summary sheets that are used to give feedback to the committee members and documenters, and to provide a record summary sheet to be filed with the original and the two copies of each record.

Feedback is sent to primary documenters in the form of a cover letter (see Appendices) and a copy of the record summary sheet. Feedback is usually sent upon completion of review of a batch of records.

Files associated with records reviewed by the committee.

Original file of records, which includes the record summary sheet, documentations, photographs, letters, articles, request for rereview, etc. Records are filed sequentially by record number in acid-free folders, ten records per folder.

Two copies of records, one filed by species in acid-free folders, and the other to be filed at some permanent safe location.

Original review sheets submitted by committee members. These contain the votes and comments of committee members; this information also appears on the record summary sheets. These are filed by batch and year and could be discarded at some future date.

Correspondence to the committee is filed by year. The original of letters pertaining to records are filed here, and duplicate copies are filed with each copy of the record to which they pertain.

The I.O.U. Photo File contains the "master" copy of photos that pertain to records. It may contain more photos of a bird than were used for review. Owing to the high cost of duplication, the number of photos duplicated is kept to the minimum needed for the review process. Sometimes, black and white or color xerographic copies are adequate for review. In the case of some old records, the photographs were published and were reviewed in that form. Others were shown at meetings without circulation. The I.O.U. Photo File is the "master" file, and all of the photographs in it may not have been reviewed by the committee. When possible, the photos reviewed by the committee are filed with each copy of the record.

Expectations of Records Committee members relating to review of records.

Members are expected to document any bird that they find or go to see that will or might be reviewed by the committee.

Members are expected to attend all meetings of the committee and to notify the Secretary at the earliest possible moment of any conflicts in date or time.

Batches of records should be reviewed within three weeks; if this cannot be done, the batch should be returned to the Secretary immediately so that an alternate can be designated. If photographs are being circulated with the batch, the associated records should be reviewed first and the photographs mailed to the next reviewer within a week.

All Not Accepted (NA) ~~and Accepted-Origin Uncertain (A-O)~~ votes need to be explained in comments.

Upon rereview, each reviewer should comment on the pros and cons for acceptance brought up by the previous review. In other words, reviewers should not repeat their original analysis, but rather address opposing points.

Comments should be directed toward the birds, not the observers, except in extreme circumstances when there is a serious problem that needs to be pointed out to the observer. This means that the observer should be neither praised or put down. The same concept is better expressed by listing the observations that were made or not made.

Comments on the age, sex, and plumage are highly appropriate.

Well-substantiated Accepted records need no comment. The lack of a comment indicates a well-described bird that is beyond reasonable doubt.

Borderline acceptable records likely to receive a mixed vote should have a comment that explains the reason for acceptance.

Comments should be presentable to documenters and others. Reviewers are urged to use complete sentences, to check spelling and grammar, and not to use abbreviations. Although the observers will read the comments, the comments are best addressed to the bird and not to the observer (especially not by name).

Bird records not reviewed by the committee.

Documentations not reviewed by the committee

These are filed by species. They date back to the 1970s when the process of documenting rare sightings came into vogue. Most of the documentations forms that have been received by the Field Reports Editors are in this file.

Original field reports submitted by contributors

These seasonal reports are filed in packets by year and season. They date back to the early 1970s. They are occasionally used to check on birds reported in the Field Reports. They contain more information than that which is published in the Field Reports section of Iowa Bird Life.

I.O.U. Photo File

Subject matter

The file contains photographs in various forms (slides, prints, negatives), videotapes, movie films, and recordings. Other forms of physical evidence may be added in the future.

Most of the photographs have been submitted to the Field Reports Editors with field reports. Some have been acquired in the process of Records Committee review of old records. Others are photos that have been submitted for publication in Iowa Bird Life.

Many of the photos pertain to rarities. There has been no attempt to build a file of high quality photographs of all of Iowa's birds.

File structure and maintenance

Most of the file consists of 35mm color transparencies (slides) and 3.5 x 5 inch color prints. These are filed in notebooks by species in archival quality 8.5 x 11 inch plastic protector sheets. There are some black and white prints and larger color prints, which are also kept in plastic protector sheets.

Most of the negatives are in the form of 35mm strips, and have been generated when slides were copied and prints made for use by the Records Committee in reviewing records, or when the photographs were to be sent to the Regional Editor of American Birds or used for publication in Iowa Bird Life. These strips are kept in 8.5 x 11 inch archival quality plastic protector sheets in a notebook. They are filed in the chronological order in which they are obtained with labels printed from the computer index file (see below).

When a new photograph is received, it is logged in by hand in an accession notebook, which serves as a backup in case the computer file is lost. A new photograph is one or more photos of a single bird by a single photographer. Each entry contains the accession number, species, date, place, contributor, and contributor's address. Accession numbers are assigned sequentially in the form P-####.

The accessioning information is entered into a computer file, usually in batches. The number and type of photos are entered. Labels are printed from the computer file and placed on the photographs before they are filed in the I.O.U. Photo File.

The most common and desirable photographs received are in the form of slides. Many of these need to be duplicated for use by the Records Committee, Regional Editor, and Iowa Bird Life. Typically, slides are taken to a photo shop where negatives and six prints from each are made. Labels are generated from the computer file for each print and negative. One print is filed in the I.O.U. Photo File, three are filled with the original and two copies in the Records Committee File, one is sent to the Regional Editor, and one is held for possible publication in Iowa Bird Life.

When prints only are received and duplicates are needed, there are several alternative means for duplication, each with increasing cost and quality: (1) black and white xerographic copy, (2) color xerographic copy (only less expensive if several done on one sheet), (3) a slide made from the print followed by the procedure in the preceding paragraph, and (4) obtain and return the original negative or slide from the contributor and use one of the preceding procedures.

LISTS OF IOWA BIRDS

Official Checklist of Iowa Birds

An updated complete list of Iowa birds is published in Iowa Bird Life periodically, at least every ten years.

The list is prepared for publication by the Secretary or some other designated individual(s).

Changes in the list are based on the actions of the committee on individual records, committee decisions on the status of species, published information on nesting status, and on changes in nomenclature and taxonomy made by the American Ornithologists' Union and American Birding Association.

Field Checklist of Iowa Birds

The Field Checklist is usually updated at the same time as the Official Checklist.

Camera ready copy is prepared by the Secretary and forwarded to the Treasurer for printing in field card format.

Items from Constitution and Board of Directors Minutes

1985. Constitution of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Iowa Bird Life 55:116-119 (from pages 117-118)

1992. Board of Directors Meeting. Iowa Bird Life 62:61-63 (from pages 61-62)

Sickels, S.A. 1993. Board of Directors Meeting. Iowa Bird Life 63:55-59 (from pages 55-56)

Kent. T. H. 1985. When is a bird in Iowa? Iowa Bird Life 55:79-80.

Letter to Nominee