Ohio Archivists: News & Notes Spring 2025

Submissions are now being collected for the News and Notes for the Spring 2025 issue of the Society of Ohio Archivists’ newsletter Ohio Archivist.

You do not have to be a member of SOA to submit your news – all Ohio archives, records, and special collections news is welcome!

Think you don’t have anything to share? Think again!

  • Upcoming events: Did you create a great new exhibit or host an interesting conference or program?
  • Institutional news: Did you receive an important collection or write a successful grant? Did you embark on a digitization project or do something cool with social media?
  • Personal news: Did you change jobs? Did you earn a promotion or award? Did you speak at a major conference or have an article published?

These are just a few examples, but you get the idea! You can check the News section of previous issues of the Ohio Archivist to get ideas of the kinds of things we are looking for.

Make sure to include who, what, when, where, and why, as well as how readers can access more information. Please see the Ohio Archivist Submission Guidelines.

Also, the more photos to illustrate your news, the better! Please send images in high resolution of at least 300dpi.

Submissions should be under 250 words and are due to news editor Jessica Heys, [email protected], no later than Monday, February 24, 2025.

Last Updated on January 16, 2025 by Emily Gainer

Join us for Coffee Chat on Jan 15, 2025

Grab a hot beverage and join us for the first Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) Coffee Chat on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 10-11am on Zoom! These casual gatherings are an opportunity for SOA members to network, share challenges and successes in their work, and bounce ideas off colleagues outside of the Annual Conference.

This first Coffee Chat will be a conversation about what we want these gatherings to look like (round robin, topical discussions, etc.) and how often they take place. This is your chance to shape a benefit of SOA membership! We hope to see you there. Please register to join the conversation. If you are unable to attend but would like to help shape what these meetings look like, please complete the survey.

Questions?  Contact Kristen Newby and Jim DaMico, SOA Council Members.

Last Updated on December 13, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Council Meeting Minutes from Oct 25, 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from October 25, 2024, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on December 13, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Renew Your SOA Membership for 2025

Dear SOA Member:

The Membership & Awards Committee invites you to renew your SOA membership or join as a new member in 2025. Membership may be renewed online through the secure site provided by the Ohio History Connection’s Ohio History Store or by mailing the PDF invoice with check or money order. SOA continues its hardship membership program for those experiencing uncertainty. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions or interest in the program.

Thank you for supporting the Society of Ohio Archivists during the past year. Your dedication enables SOA to provide community, networking opportunities, professional development, funding, and advocacy efforts for archivists and aspiring archivists. Highlights from the past year include:

  • Providing professional development events through the SOA’s hybrid Spring Annual Meeting and the joint SOA/OLHA Fall meeting
  • Commitment to the work of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee
  • Recognizing students, archivists, and organizations through awards and honors
  • Collaborating with the Ohio Local History Alliance, Ohio Preservation Council, Ohio History Connection, and others to provide professional development, scholarships, and awards
  • Coordinating the creation of the Archives Month poster, “O-H-I-Olympics” and special blog postings recognizing and celebrating Archives Month
  • Publishing the Ohio Archivist newsletter
  • Creating community and fostering communication about cultural heritage activities, internships, funding opportunities, and advocacy efforts through the SOA blog, listserv, and social media

Thank you again for your support, and we are glad to help with any questions.
Stephanie Shreffler and Helen Conger
SOA Membership & Awards Committee co-chairs

Last Updated on December 10, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Call for Proposals 2025. Show Me the Money: Sustaining Archives and Archival Programs

Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) Annual Meeting 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists is planning a hybrid Annual Meeting on Thursday (virtual only) and Friday (hybrid), May 15-16, 2025. The in-person portion of the conference (Friday, May 16) will be held at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

This year we welcome proposals that explore the theme of Show Me the Money: Sustaining Archives and Archival Programs. We encourage presentations that address any one (or more) of the ways in which archives find the support they need to sustain their operations.  

Proposals may speak to any or all of the following topics:

  • How to effectively advocate for and communicate our needs to resource allocators and/or donors;
  • Examples of creative kinds of fundraising activities;
  • Examples of partnerships with others to raise funds (or friends) for the organization (e.g., development officers, friends organizations, board members);
  • Tools or strategies for successfully writing grant applications; 
  • Examples of successful grant projects, grant projects in progress, and/or your experience with the grant process; or
  • Other presentations of interest to SOA members and fellow archivists.

Proposals will be evaluated on interest, creativity, relevance, diversity of content and speaker representation, and completeness of proposal. The Educational Program Committee also encourages proposals from students, new professionals, first-time presenters and attendees, individuals from related professions, as well as those from outside the state of Ohio. Deadline to submit proposals: Friday, January 31, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

Proposals must include:

  • Session title and type;
  • Preference (if any) for an in-person or virtual session;
  • Abstract (250 words) describing the session/poster and how it will be of interest to SOA attendees, how it relates to this year’s theme, and how presenters will engage with participants;
  • Session description (150 words) for the program;
  • Contact information for the primary presenter and any other participants;
  • A/V or technology requirements; and
  • Any additional special needs.

The Educational Programming Committee encourages proposals of panel sessions, student and professional posters, as well as alternative formats such as a debate, fish bowl, lightning, mini-workshop, Pecha Kucha, world café, and other session formats that encourage interaction between presenters and attendees. Please see the proposal form for more detailed information about alternative sessions. If you are curious about the proposal form, a PDF version is available for reference.

Presentation time slots typically run 45-60 minutes. We welcome proposals from presenters who may not be able to complete a time slot on their own and will work to combine presentations, where possible. Please indicate on the proposal form if you would like to be combined with another presentation to round out a slot.

Proposals must be submitted by January 31, 2025, at 5 p.m.  

Further meeting details will be posted on the meeting website as they develop. Accepted presenters will receive a discount on registration fees at a rate to be determined.

Questions? Please contact Sara Mouch or Michelle Sweetser, Co-Chairs, Society of Ohio Archivists Educational Programming Committee. 

Follow the conversation online at #soaam25.

Last Updated on December 9, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Save the Date: Annual Meeting on May 15-16, 2025

Mark your calendars! The Society of Ohio Archivists is planning another hybrid Annual Meeting on Thursday (virtual only) and Friday (hybrid), May 15-16, 2025. The in-person portion of the conference (Friday, May 16) will be held at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

The theme for 2025 is Show Me the Money: Sustaining Archives and Archival Programs. A call for proposals will be posted next week. Follow the conversation online at #soaam25.

We hope to see you all in May,
Sara Mouch and Michelle Sweetser, Co-Chairs, Society of Ohio Archivists Educational Programming Committee

 

Last Updated on December 6, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Council Meeting Minutes from Sept 27, 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from September 27, 2024, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on December 9, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Ohio Archives Month: Special Olympics

The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee is recognizing and celebrating archives month through a series of blog posts throughout October 2024.

By: Stacy Crouse (Local Coordinator, Allen County Special Olympics Ohio) & Collette McDonough (SOA Advocacy and Outreach committee member).

The mission statement of the Special Olympics is to provide “year-round sports training and competition opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.” This is very true, but the Special Olympics is so much more. The athletes who participate not only learn new sports skills, but they also make lifelong friends. The athletes are celebrated for what they can do. The athletes, coaches, and volunteers all train together at practices and invest in each other. Athletes learn that they can trust and count on the coaches and volunteers to encourage them and be their biggest fans. Continue reading →

Last Updated on November 5, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Ohio Archives Month – Olympic Memories

The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee is recognizing and celebrating archives month through a series of blog posts throughout October 2024.

Even if we haven’t been to the Olympics, most of us still have memories associated with them. We asked our Advocacy and Outreach Committee members about their favorite Olympic memories. Here’s what they said: Continue reading →

Last Updated on November 5, 2024 by Emily Gainer

Council Meeting Minutes from Aug 23, 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from August 23, 2024, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on October 9, 2024 by Emily Gainer