Author Archives: Emily Gainer

2023 Ohio Archives Month Poster “Top 10” Voting Results

This year for the annual Society of Ohio Archivists’ October Archives Month poster we asked for archival images having to do with the theme of Transportation in Ohio.

The Advocacy and Outreach Committee is happy to announce the top ten photographs selected by you (SOA membership)!  These ten photos are in the running to be included in the final poster. Stay tuned for this year’s poster as we get closer to October and Archives Month. Posters will be mailed to members by the end of September.

Thank you to all that submitted! We could not do this without people / institutions who submit such interesting photographs.

Congrats to the University of Akron Archives and Special Collections and to Dayton History for their images being in the top 3.

The top ten images as selected by you were:

  1. NAACP Freedom Bus

    Historic black and white photograph. Group of people sitting and standing by an NAACP freedom bus.

    NAACP Freedom Bus. Courtesy of University of Akron Archives and Special Collections.

  2. Blimps over Cleveland

    Three Goodyear Blimps flying over Cleveland, Ohio skyline. Black and white photograph.

    Blimps over Cleveland. Courtesy of University of Akron Archives and Special Collections.

  3. Sleigh racing in Dayton

    Black and white photograph. Three sleighs pulled by horses on a snowy road.

    Sleigh racing in Dayton. Courtesy of Dayton History.

  4. High Wheeler Bicycle, Oberlin College

    Black and white photograph of a man operating a high wheeler bicycle.

    High Wheeler Bicycle. Courtesy of Oberlin College.

  5. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower waving from a B&O train as he leaves Defiance

    Black and white photograph of a man standing on a train platform and waving his hat.

    U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower waving from a B&O train as he leaves Defiance. Courtesy of Defiance College.

  6. Head Librarian at Dayton Public Library, Electra C. Doren

    Black and white photograph of seven women gathered around a mobile library.

    Head Librarian at Dayton Public Library, Electra C. Doren. Courtesy of Dayton Metro Library.

  7. First controlled, heavier than air flight

    Black and white photograph of an airplane on a beach. A man stands on the right facing the airplane.

    First controlled, heavier than air flight. Courtesy of Wright State University.

  8. Defiance College hot air balloon

    A red and white hot air balloon inflated with the basket on the ground. A group of people standing by the balloon's basket.

    Defiance College hot air balloon. Courtesy of Defiance College

  9. Cincinnati Canal boat and crew, late 1880s / early 1890s

    Black and white photograph of five men standing on a canal boat. Building line the canal in the background.

    9. Cincinnati Canal boat and crew, late 1880s / early 1890s. Courtesy of Cincinnati Museum Center.

  10. Defiance Men’s Glee Club on tour in 1926

    Black and white photograph of two men standing in front of a long car with men inside the car.

    Defiance Men’s Glee Club on tour, 1926. Courtesy of Defiance College.

Thank you,

Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee

Questions? Contact the committee at [email protected].

Meeting Scholarships Awarded for 2023

The Society of Ohio Archivists Membership & Awards Committee is pleased to announce four scholarships awarded at the Annual Meeting on May 12, 2023.

Scholarship awardees are:

  • Student Scholarship Award: Kirsten Dilger, Wright State University
  • Student Scholarship Award: Jacob Stickel, Wright State University
  • Ohio Preservation Council Scholarship Award: Colleen Badenhop, Kent State University
  • New Professional Scholarship Award: Paige Kinzer, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky
Four people posing for a photograph. They are the scholarship winners.

2023 Scholarship Awardees pose at the Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting on May 12, 2023 (L to R): Jacob Stickel, Kirsten Dilger, Paige Kinzer, and Colleen Badenhop

The scholarship consists of registration to the SOA annual meeting (including lunch), a one-year SOA membership, and a $100 travel stipend. Look for articles sharing their meeting experiences in the fall issue of the Ohio Archivist newsletter.

Merit Award Recipients 2023

The Society of Ohio Archivists Membership & Awards Committee is pleased to announce two Merit Award recipients. The awards were presented at the Annual Meeting on May 12, 2023.

Photograph of three people holding plaques. These are the SOA Merit Award winners.

2023 Merit Award recipients: Warren County Records Center & Archives, accepted by Jennifer Haney Conover and Jenifer Baker, and Adam Wanter

Adam Wanter is honored for his outstanding service and dedication to ensuring that the Society of Ohio Archivists thrives. For the past several years, Adam has gone above and beyond to lead SOA through challenging times. Elected as Vice-President/President Elect in 2019, Adam stepped up to serve as president for an additional year when the current president
resigned. In his first year, Adam shepherded SOA through a transition in its leadership structure. In 2020, he directed SOA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the murder of George Floyd. Under his watch, SOA pivoted to an online conference, increased its free offerings to members, began its hardship program, and oversaw the creation of the Social Justice Black Lives Matter Task Force. After finishing his extended term as president and time as past-president, Adam co-chaired the Educational Programming Committee which planned the 2023 Annual Meeting. For his efforts to lead and improve SOA, it is fitting that the Society of Ohio Archivists presents Adam Wanter with the 2023 SOA Merit Award.

The Warren County Records Center & Archives is honored for its work to make vital records such as birth, death, Commissioners’ Journals, and Common Pleas Court indexes available to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working from home, staff cropped, transcribed, and added metadata to these records, ultimately making well over 30,000 records accessible. Once back in the office, staff added metadata and images to the first twenty-four Commissioners’ Journals, which are key records to understanding the history of Warren County. They also finished a multi-year project to place all the Old Common Pleas Estate Packets online, a collection which included over 90,000 searchable images and is frequently requested by researchers.  For its efforts to make important county records more accessible to researchers, it is fitting that the Society of Ohio Archivists presents the Warren County Records Center & Archives with the 2023 SOA Merit Award.

Congratulations to the 2023 Merit Award recipients!  Visit the Merit Award page for more information and past award winners.

SOA Council Minutes for April 2023 Available

The Society of Ohio Archivists’ most recent leadership meeting minutes, from April 25, 2023, 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.

Ohio Archives Month Archival Spotlights: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Archives

View of Mitchell-Nelson Library, location of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Archives

View of Mitchell-Nelson Library, formerly the Pratt and Research Foundation Library, location of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Archives. Cincinnati Children’s.

Archival Spotlights: Post #3

The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee wanted to celebrate Archives Month in a new way, so we featured three archives in a series of posts we are calling Archival Spotlights. Since the Archives Month poster’s theme was “Ohio’s Healthcare Workers: The True Heart of it All,” we felt it a good idea to feature archives that focus on healthcare or have interesting collections related to healthcare.

About the Cincinnati Children’s Archives and its Collections

By A&O Committee member Erin Wilson, Ohio University Libraries

The Cincinnati Children’s Archives are a unique community resource, preserving the history of local patient care, institutional research, and developments in pediatric medicine. With collections dating back to the hospital’s founding in 1883, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) Archives document nearly 140 years of healthcare in the Queen City.

Color image of the 1st page of the Articles of incorporation of The hospital of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, 1883

Articles of incorporation of the Hospital of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, 1883. Cincinnati Children’s.

The Center’s first facility, the “Hospital of the Protestant Episcopal Church” was a rented home in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood with a capacity of fourteen beds. The hospital was cooperatively governed by a Board of Trustees and a Board of Lady Managers until 1921. The first annual report from 1884 concludes with a historically significant statement by the Board of Lady Managers affirming their commitment to patient admission and care regardless of faith, race, or ethnicity, “all being welcomed and treated alike…” Continue reading →

SOA Election Results 2022

Amy Rohmiller

Amy Rohmiller, President

For the third year in a row, the Society of Ohio Archivists held its normally scheduled election online. Results were announced at the Annual Meeting on May 20.

SOA would like to welcome the following new leaders:

Melissa Dalton

Melissa Dalton, Vice President/President Elect

  • Amy Rohmiller, University of Dayton, President (2022-2023)
  • Melissa Dalton, Greene County Records Center & Archives, Vice President/President-Elect (2022-2023)
  • Brittany Hayes, The University of Akron, Treasurer (2022-2024)
  • Sule Holder, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum – Library & Archives, Council (2022-2024)

A big thank you to Rachael Bussert and Matt Francis for running, and the Nominating Committee. Also, thank you to everyone who participated!

Sule Holder

Sule Holder, Council

Brittany Hayes

Brittany Hayes, SOA Treasurer

For more on the new officers and Council member, see the Candidate Statements beginning on page 5 in the Ohio Archivist, spring 2022. Continue reading →