Annual Conferences

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Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting 2025

Show Me the Money: Sustaining Archives and Archival Programs

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 in the Lancelot Thompson Student Union at the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio..

Follow the conversation online at #soaam25 on Instagram and Facebook.

COMMITTEE | HOTELS | KEYNOTES | LOCAL AMENITIES | PARKING | PROGRAM | REGISTRATION | SILENT AUCTION | VENUE

This May, the Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting will be traveling to Toledo, Ohio! The theme for the 2025 meeting is Show Me the Money: Sustaining Archives and Archival Programs. You are invited to join us on Thursday, May 15 (virtual), and on Friday, May 16 (hybrid) at the University of Toledo. Day one (Thursday) is comprised of all virtual sessions, available to all registrants. Day two (Friday) is a full day of in-person sessions with one session in each time block live streamed for virtual attendees.

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

Keynotes

Photograph of a woman against a red background. She is wearing glasses and a black jacket.We are excited to announce Patricia Hswe as our morning keynote speaker. Patricia Hswe is the program director for Public Knowledge at The Mellon Foundation. As the Foundation’s program area that supports libraries and archives, Public Knowledge makes grants that strive to increase equitable access to—and activation of—recorded knowledge that helps to build an informed, heterogeneous, and civically engaged society. Previously, Patricia worked in the libraries at Penn State University, where she co-founded the department of publishing and curation services (now the department of research informatics and publishing) and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was program manager for a set of grant initiatives funded by the Library of Congress and by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Originally a Russian literature scholar, Patricia holds a PhD from Yale University in Slavic languages and literatures. She also received an AB in Russian language and literature from Mount Holyoke College and an MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois. Patricia is currently a member of the board of trustees for the Metropolitan New York Library Council and sits in the advisory team for LibraryPAC.

Our midday keynote speakers are Jordan Cravens and Sara Bushong, who will describe a recent fundraising campaign that built support for the University Libraries at Bowling Green State University and discuss the power in building authentic relationships. 

Photograph of a woman with long brown hair. She is wearing glasses and a red jacket.Sara Bushong is the Dean of the University Libraries and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Bowling Green State University. She provides strategic leadership for the UL connected to the BGSU strategic plan FORWARD. Sara’s responsibilities as Dean include development/fundraising, donor stewardship, strategic planning, budget management, facilities and program planning, and statewide consortial leadership in OhioLINK. Sara began her tenure at BGSU as Head Librarian for the Curriculum Resource Center and then served as the Department Chair for Special Collection and Associate Dean before becoming Dean in 2011. Sara holds an undergraduate degree in music education and master’s degree in education from BGSU along with a master’s in library science from Kent State University. 

Photograph of a woman with long brown hair. She is wearing glasses and a gray jacket.Jordan Cravens ’09, ’13 is a senior director of development at Bowling Green State University. She provides fundraising leadership to the colleges of Education and Human Development; Health and Human Services; Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering; and the Division of Student Affairs. Jordan began her career in annual giving at BGSU with increasingly progressive roles in the organization. Prior to her work in advancement, she served on the BGSU volleyball coaching staff. She is a two-time alumna of BGSU with degrees in journalism and a master of education, specializing in sport administration.

Registration

Register online or mail-in in this form (PDF). Registration fees for both the full meeting and virtual-only option are tiered.

Early bird registration rates (Monday, March 24 – Monday, April 14):

  • $80 for members, $120 for non-members, and $30 for students

Regular registration rates (ends Wednesday, May 7, 2025)

  • $85 for members, $125 for non-members, and $35 for students

On-site registration rates:

  • $85 for members, $125 for non-members, and $40 for students

Virtual-only option rates (Monday, March 24 – Wednesday, May 14)

  • $40 for members, $80 for non-members, and $25 for students.

Program

Thursday, May 15 (Virtual Only)

8:45-9AM – Opening
9-10AM – Crucial Conversations: Focus on Funding for JEDAI Projects. Jeff Regensberger (State Library of Ohio), Penelope Shumaker (State Library of Ohio), Alyson Pope (Council on Library and Information Resources), Sharon Burney (Council on Library and Information Resources), Hannah Kemp-Severance (University of Akron).
10-11AM – Break
11AM-12PM – Unveiling Pauline Trigère Through Grant-Funded Digitization. Virginia Dressler, Edith Serkownek, Eve Fenn, Katie Gable (Kent State University).
12-1PM – Break
1-2PM – Concurrent Session: Highlighting Ohio Grant Opportunities for Cultural Heritage Organizations. Virginia Dressler (Kent State University), Jeff Regensburger (State Library of Ohio), Betsy Hedler (Ohio History Connection), Andy Verhoff (Ohio History Connection), Tina Ratcliff (Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board), Amber Bales (Ohio Preservation Council), Bill Modrow (Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board)
1-2:30 PM – Concurrent Session: Empowering Communities Through Effective Grant Writing (mini-workshop). Nesha Brown (WeConquer.org).

Friday, May 16 (In Person & Virtual)

8:30-9:30AM – Registration & Silent Auction
9:30-10:30 AM – Welcome: SOA President; Morning Keynote: Patricia Hswe (live streamed) 
10:30-10:45AM – Break
10:45-11:45AM – Concurrent Session: Find the Grants and Endeavor to Write! Shelby Beatty (Sinclair College) (live streamed)
10:45-11:45AM – Concurrent Session: Sustaining the Collection: A Case for Funding Environmental needs through Persistence, Data, and Teamwork. Eric Harrelson (Miami University).
11:45AM-12:30PM – Lunch & Business & Silent Auction
12:30-1:30PM – Afternoon Keynote: Building Authentic Relationships: How a Sprint Campaign Strengthened Momentum for Library Fundraising. Sara Bushong and Jordan Cravens (Bowling Green State University). (live streamed)
1:30-1:45 PM – Break
1:45-2:30 PM – Concurrent Session: Developing Rapport: Working with Advancement Professionals to Support Special Collections. Judith Wiener (Ohio State University Health Sciences Library). (live streamed)
1:45-2:30 PM – Concurrent Session: Finding the Perfect Fit: Grant Selection Strategies for Archives and Libraries. Kristen Newby (Columbus Metropolitan Library).
2:30-2:45 PM – Break
2:45-3:30 PM – Concurrent Session: A Different Perspective: Nonprofit Fundraising & Grant Writing. Kathy Selking (Toledo Lucas County Public Library), Sarah Wammes (The Sight Center of Northwest Ohio), Kristin K. McFadden (Taft Museum of Art).
2:45-3:30 PM – Concurrent Session: They Never Trained Me on That: Tips for Navigating Grant Research, Submissions, Management, and Reporting. Christopher Harter (University of Cincinnati) and Sophia McGuire (City of Gahanna). (live streamed)
3:30-3:45 PM – Break
3:45-4:30 PM – Crucial Conversations II

Venue (In-Person, Day 2)

In-person sessions on Friday, May 16, will be held in the Lancelot Thompson Student Union at the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio. See the campus map for more details.

Parking

Parking has been reserved at the University of Toledo in Lot 13 off Campus Road, which is accessed by Bancroft Street. See the campus map for more details. The Lancelot Thompson Student Union is directly east of the parking lot.

Sponsors

For sponsorship information, contact Sara Mouch or Michelle Sweetser, Co-Chairs, Society of Ohio Archivists Educational Programming Committee.

Hotels

If you are coming from out of town and intend to stay either Thursday night or Friday night, we recommend the following hotels that fit a range of budgets and needs:

Local Amenities Map

For more things local, check out our Local Arrangements Map. It includes hotels, lunch and dinner spots, local establishments of interest, and local attractions.

Silent Auction

Each year SOA offers four scholarships, two to current students and two to recent graduates, using funds from our raffle / silent auction. The scholarships consist of conference registration (including lunch), a one-year membership to SOA, and a $100 travel stipend. The funds raised from the silent auction are critical to SOA’s support of students and new professionals. This year we are putting together a fun group of items. You will be able to bid on the silent auction items in person on Friday.

Items for bid will be updated soon.

Committee

The Educational Programming Committee members have been working hard to bring you an amazing conference. Thank you to our committee members:

Meghan Crawford, Capital University
Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University (SOA President) 
Betsy Hedler, Ohio History Connection (SOA/OHC Liaison)
Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University (SOA Vice-President)
Riza Miklowski, Akron-Summit County Public Library 
William Modrow, Miami University 
Sara Mouch, University of Toledo (EPC Co-chair)
Michelle Sweetser, Bowling Green State University  (EPC Co-chair)
Adam Wanter, MidPointe Library System

If you have any questions, please contact the EPC co-chairs Sara Mouch or Michelle Sweetser. We can’t wait to see you in Toledo!

Last Updated on April 18, 2025 by Amber Bales