Author Archives: Emily Gainer

Recordings & Speaker Slides from 2024 Annual Meeting Available

The 2024 Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting was held on Thursday (virtual only) and Friday (hybrid), May 16-17 with the theme of Archives for All: Enhancing Accessibility and Inclusivity.

Recordings for 9 session presentations, including the keynote speaker Dr. Lydia Tang, are now available on the SOA YouTube channel.

See the Annual Meeting page for more details and links to the speaker slides.

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

Ohio Archivist Fall 2024 Issue Available

The fall 2024 issue of Ohio Archivist, SOA’s biannual publication, is now available to download as a PDF! An image of the first page of the Ohio Archivist newsletter.

In this issue you will find information about the Fall SOA/OLHA Annual Meeting; a recap of the Spring/Summer Annual Conference; a new Feature article; and Climate Control, DEI, and Digital Discussions articles; and more!

Contents:
– Looking Back, Looking Forward: Annual Meeting 2024 Recap
– President’s Message
– Ohio History Day, Scholarship, & Merit Awards
– Feature:  Feeling Our Feelings by Sarah Aisenbrey
– OLHA/SOA Fall Meeting information
– Climate Control: Linear Growth in Archives by Eira Tansey
– DEIA: The State of Research by Michelle Ganz
– Digital Discussions: The Edward B. Taylor Collection by Karen D. Brame and Rachel Bussert
– News & Notes
– Editor’s Note

See all past Ohio Archivist issues on the publication’s page.

Questions? Contact Ohio Archivist Editor-in-Chief Jessica Heys.

Council Meeting Minutes from June 20, 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from June 20, 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.

You’re Invited to Takeover the SOA Instagram

The Marketing and Communications Committee invites you to takeover the SOA Instagram account!  An Instagram takeover is when someone takes over the posting on an Instagram account for a limited time to share content and interact with the account’s audience.

Read over the guidelines below and then sign up for a week that works for you.  These takeovers are intended to promote and share archives throughout the state! Continue reading →

Fall Meeting with OLHA: Registration Open

OLHA/SOA Fall Meeting, October 4-5, 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists is partnering with the Ohio Local History Alliance for the fall meeting, Truth and Consequences.  Join us on October 4-5, 2024, at Quest Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio.The front cover of the fall meeting brochure. A photograph of a young boy with an American flag crouches in front of a crowd, as part of the mile-long demonstration called "The March and Vote for Jobs and Freedom," which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 27, 1963.

Registration is now open through September 23!  Sessions and speakers will discuss how the theme of Truth and Consequences relates to the work of our member organizations in collecting, sharing, and commemorating Ohio’s local history.

The SOA track will take place on Friday, October 4 and will feature the following sessions:

  • 9-9:50am: Find Digital Ohio: Advocating and Promoting Your Digital Collections, Jenni Salamon, Ohio History Connection; Cari Hillman & Adam Wanter, MidPointe Library System
  • 10:10-11am: Crucial Conversations: Preserving Undertold Stories, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) committee
  • 11:20am-12:10pm: Designing and Sustaining an Institutional Archives, Brianna Treleven & Rachel Sykes, Shaker Historical Society
  • 12:30-1:45pm: Lunch & Keynote Address, Ulysses Grant Dietz
  • 2-4pm: Intersectional DEI Mini-Workshop, Michelle Ganz, Dominican Sisters of Peace

View full details on the conference brochure.  Attendees are welcome to attend any of the Local History Alliance sessions, luncheons, and other special events on both Friday and Saturday.

Questions? Contact the Educational Programming Committee Cochairs Sara Mouch and Michelle Sweetser.

Celebrating the Ohio State Fair History

by Collette N. McDonough, CA. Collette is a member of the SOA Advocacy and Outreach Committee.

As a young person, the summers meant many things to the city pool, mowing the grass, but the peak of summer fun was the fair. I was a 4-H kid, and the county and state fairs were a big deal for me. I participated in the animal science program, specifically the equine division. I loved going to the Washington County Fair each year and to the Ohio State Fair when I qualified. So, I’m happy to contribute this blog post about the Ohio State Fair that features materials from the Ohio History Connection.

Most Ohioans would assume that our state fair has always been held in Columbus, but the fair bounced around the state well into the 1880s, taking place in Cincinnati, Dayton, Newark, Toledo, Zanesville, Cleveland, Mansfield, Sandusky, and Springfield before its permanent and current home in Columbus was finished in 1886. The first Ohio State Fair was held in 1850, just outside of Cincinnati. Continue reading →

SOA Election Results 2024

During the recent Annual Meeting at Capital University, new council members were elected.

SOA would like to welcome the following new leaders:

  • Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University, President (2024-2025)
  • Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University, Vice President/President-Elect (2024-2025)
  • Sophia McGuire, City of Gahanna, Treasurer (2024-2026)
  • Jim DaMico, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Edward L. Pratt Research Library, Council Member (2024-2026)

A big thanks to the Nominating Committee. Also, thank you to everyone who participated!

Officer Transitions:

  • Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University, transitions from Vice President/President-Elect to President. Thanks to Matt for his continued leadership.
  • Melissa Dalton, Preserve It, LLC, transitions from President to Past-President. Thanks to Melissa for her work as President.
  • Brittany Hays completed her term as Treasurer. Thanks to Brittany for her work as Treasurer.

New co-chairs:

  • Advocacy and Outreach Committee: Welcomes Sarah Aisenbrey, as co-chair
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee: Welcomes Hannah Kemp-Severence, University of Akron, as co-chair
  • Marketing and Communications Committee: Welcomes Amber Bales, Ohio State University, as co-chair.
  • Membership and Awards Committee: Welcomes Stephanie Shreffler, University of Dayton, as co-chair.

Thanks to outgoing co-chairs: Collette McDonough (Advocacy and Outreach Committee); Penelope Shumaker (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee); Jane Wildermuth (Marketing and Communications Committee); and Jennifer Long Morehart (Membership and Awards Committee).

For more information see the Officer and Council Member roster, Committees & Task Forces page, and the Nominating Committee page.

Council Meeting Minutes Available, April and May 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from April 5 and May 17, 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.

JEDAI Committee seeks additional members

The Society of Ohio Archivists Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee seeks additional committee members!
The SOA Social Justice and Black Lives Matter Task Force transitioned into the JEDAI Committee in 2023. This committee’s current goal is to evaluate the internal processes of SOA and generate plans for improvement related to the topics of justice, equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. The JEDAI Committee meets virtually every month. The total time commitment is estimated to be 1-1.5 hours per month. Committee member terms are 2 years with an option to renew. Any member of SOA is welcome to serve!
Please contact JEDAI Cochair, Nicole Sutton, at [email protected] to volunteer or with questions.
Sincerely,
Devhra BennettJones, University of Cincinnati (2020-)
Madeleine Fix, The Ohio State University (2020- )
Hannah Kemp-Severence, University of Akron (2023- )
Arjun Sabharwal, University of Toledo (2023- )
Penelope Shumaker, State Library of Ohio (2020-, cochair 2023-2024)
Nicole Sutton, Columbus Metropolitan Library (2020-, cochair 2023-2025)

Ballot Available for 2024 Election

It’s time to vote for Society of Ohio Archivists Leadership!

All current members of SOA should have received an email with a link to the ballot for officers and Council members on April 26. The ballot will be available April 26-May 17 (noon). If you did not receive one, and you have checked your junk folder, check with SOA Liaison Betsy Hedler at ohioarchivists@ohiohistory.org regarding your membership status.

Please see the Candidates’ Statements on page 4 of the Ohio Archivist, spring 2024.

2024 Slate of Candidates

  • Vice President/President-elect: Jennifer Long Morehart
  • Treasurer: Sophia McGuire
  • Council (1 open seat): Jim DaMico

Thank you to the Nominating Committee for their work.