2. Present Structure

2.1 Academicians

The Royal Academy of Culture of Valencia has four types of academicians, each with their rights and obligations clearly specified in the current statutes, in the same manner as it occurs in other similar academic organisations.

2.1.1 Full Members

The Full Members consititute the basis of the Royal Academy since they comprise the Governing Board and the General Assembly which is where the work of the academy is decided.

Full Member Academicians have a maximum number of forty and they are elected by the General Assembly among applicants, who must be Valencian as well as persons of recognised prestige in the cultural realm of Valencia. There are also the Honorary President and Vice-President, both representatives of the County Council and City Council.

To enter become a Full Member Academician, the applicant, when accepted, must make a public reading of an admission speech to which another Academician will reply.

2.1.2 Correspondents

Other than the Full Memembers, there are Correspondent Members who represent the Royal Academy in different cities and towns of Valencia. They must be elected by the General Assembly among applicants of recognised prestige that maintain a cultural link with the different places in Valencia. In this case, their number cannot exceed one hundred. They can attend the General Assembly and express their opinion, but do not have the right to vote.

Also, the Chroniclers of the Kingdom of Valencia can apply for integration in the Royal Academy as Correspondent Academicians, and hold the position as long as they hold their position as Chroniclers.

2.1.3 Honorary Members

These Academicians are elected by the General Assembly among the applicants in consideration to their achievements in their own field, be it artistic, literary or scientific in the culture of Valencia, who merit this distinction. Their number cannot exceed fifty.

The Honorary Members, just as the Correspondents, may attend the General Assemblies and have a voice, but not a vote.

2.1.4 Institutional Representation

Since it is a Public Foundation, the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture must have a representation of the public organisations that support it. To comply with this the President of the County Council is the Honorary President, and the Mayor of Valencia is the Honorary Vice-president. Besides, both will designate two members of the County Council and two members of City Council respectively and who will be able to attend the General Assembly meetings and exercise their rights as Full Members.

2.1.4 Members Elect

Members elect are those who have been elected by the General Assembly to enter as Full Members but who have not yet read their admission speech. The speech must be read within six months from the moment of their election.

2.1.5 Medals

At Admission Ceremony, after the new Full Member reads his speech and receives reply from another Full Member, the new Full Member is granted his Representative Medal which is engraved with the number to be held, and this number is comprised between one and forty.

2.2 Sections

In order to improve the operation and development of the different research projects undertaken by the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture, the General Assembly decides and creates, upon the proposal of the Governing Board, the sections considered necessary to carry out its objectives, and these sections can be permanent or temporary.

The person in charge of each Section must be a Full Member who acts as a Director. The Directors are nominated by the Governing Board and confirmed by the General Assembly in accordance with his specialty, studies or field of science. This Director may propose other Full Members for the section, and the proposal must be approved by the Governing Board and confirmed by the General Assembly.

However, the different sections can also include people of renown and prestige who may contribute to the research work of the Section with their specific knowledge. These will be called Associated Collaborators. For these, the approval of both the Governing Council and the General Assembly is also necessary, following the protocol above stated.

Finally, the Dean is the natural Director, ex-officio, of all the Sections.

The sections existing today are:

• Valencian Humanities and Sciences Chapter
• Economy
• Ethnography and Folk Culture
• Iberian studies
• Gastronomy, Oenology and Olive cultivation studies
• Genealogy and Heraldry
• History
• Language and Literature
• Musicology
• Artistic Heritage and Patrimony
• Prehistory and archaeology
• Publications
2.3.- Organisation chart.

The present structure of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture is determined by the Governing Board and the General Assembly, in charge of its management and of those decisions the organization may require.

The Royal Academy of Valencian Culture is ruled by the Governing Board, appointed by the General Assembly with absolute independence of the public institutions on which they may depend and free from politics and government at all times.

2.3.1.- Governing Council.

This Council is responsible for appointing the members to hold different positions, who are, in turn, are responsible for the organisation of the different sections.

The Governing Board is comprised by the Dean, the Second-Dean, the Secretary, the Under-Secretary, the Treasurer, the Director of Publications, the Librarian-Archivist, the Directors of the Sections and five other members who do not hold a given office, all of them elected by the General Assembly from among the applying Full Members.
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Its functions are:
• To promote the activities of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture in accordance with its foundational aims.
• To approve the draft bill of the budgets, liquidations, annual report and balance sheet of the previous fiscal year, to be submitted to the General Assembly.
• To authorise staff contracts for the Royal Academy.
• To authorise expenditures when these exceed the amounts allocated in the budgets.
• To manage the regular work of the Royal Academy.
• To carry out, in general, all the functions necessary for the administration, conservation, safeguard and defence of the assets and patrimony of the Royal Academy.
• To approve editorial and publication projects.

2.3.2.- General Assembly.

This Assembly is the maximum governing body of the Royal Academy and it is comprised by the Full Members. The Honorary and Correspondent members and Full Members elect, may attend its meetings. The President of the “Patronage of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture” and the President of the “Cultural Association of Friends of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture” may attend these meetings if summoned by the Dean.

Among the responsibilities of this General Assembly is the election of the members of the Governing Council.

Its functions are:
• To promote academic activities to favour achievement of the aims of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture.
• To elect the members of the Governing Board.
• To elect Full Members, Honorary Members and Correspondents.
• To create and cancel sections.
• To approve the yearly budget and the projects and activities for each Academic Course.
• To approve of liquidation of the yearly budget and balance sheet and the annual report corresponding to the previous fiscal year.
• The approval, if applicable, of the acts and contracts undertaken by the Governing Board.
• The compliance with any other responsibility derived from the Devolution Statutes and the current legislation.

2.4.- Library and Archives.

The bibliographic fund of the R.A.C.V. is approximately 18.0000 volumes which are distributed in the library itself, the reading hall and the different sections of the Academy. These are, mainly, on subjects concerning Valencia, and include volumes dating from the XVI Century, such as Lo Cavaller of 1532; the works of the poet Ausias March, in an edition of Valladolid of 1555; a Comprehensive Study of Mathematics by Thomas Vicente Tosca of 1727, among others.

Access to these books is public and free. They can be consulted in the Reading Hall, on the ground floor of the building.

2.4.1.- Bibliographic Fund.

The documentary body has been formed, in time, mainly through:

• Private donations: Historical donations of renown intellectuals and researchers. Esto quiere decir donaciones HISTÓRICAS porque marcan un hito, porque son de libros históricos, únicos, manuscritos... o libros de historia. Aquí, la traducción es del primer caso.
• Institutional donations: The County Council and City Council of Valencia and the Government of the Autonomous Region of Valencia as well as different universities the world over regularly contribute to the library with their publications.
• Bibliographic exchange: The Royal Academy of Valencian Culture has a bibliographic exchange agreement with most of the similar cultural centres and organisations in Spain, many of which comprise the C.E.C.E.L.; throughout Europe and even in other continents. Its contacts allow its prompt reception of the new publications of the different organisations.
• Publications of the Academy: The R.A.C.V. has been publishing from 1928 different monographs, collections, series and magazines mainly on Valencian culture and related subjects. All this material is available for those scholars and researchers who might wish to consult it. This material has become fundamental in study the Valencian culture in all of its aspects. The catalogue of publications of the RCAV ranges from the beginning of the XX Century and some of them are considered keystones for the study and understanding of our history, language, literature and culture in general.

2.4.2.- Photographic Archive.

The RACV has some very interesting photographic material.

The RACV works to constantly update a broad and complete photographic archive which allows having all the photographic material and post cards, a graphic history of Valencia, adequately identified and catalogued so that it can be consulted quickly, easily and effectively.