Category Archives: Awards

Call for Nominations: 2022 SOA Merit Award

The SOA Membership & Awards Committee seeks nominations for the 2022 Society of Ohio Archivists Merit Award.

The award is given to individuals or organizations that have by excellence in deeds, actions, or initiatives improved the state of archives in Ohio over the past year. The award will be presented at the SOA Annual Meeting, which will be held on May 20, 2022 in Columbus.

Applications are due by April 1 8th, 2022.

Nominations should include the following information:

Name of nominee;
Nominee’s employer or institution;
Nominee’s mailing address, phone number, and email address;
Brief reason for nomination;
The nominator’s contact information so that the awards committee may contact you for additional information.

See the list of past awardees on the Merit Award page.

Applications and inquiries can be sent via email or mail to Membership & Awards Committee Cochair Stephanie Shreffler, Roesch Library RM 304A, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1360. Due April 1 8th, 2022.

Download the 2022 flyer.

Call for Applications: 2022 SOA Scholarships

The Society of Ohio Archivists is pleased to announce four scholarships available to students (2 awards), and new archival professionals (2 awards) with three years or less experience in the workplace. The award will be presented at the SOA Annual Meeting, which will be held in person on May 20, 2022 in Columbus. Applications are due by April 8, 2022.

The scholarship consists of registration to the SOA annual meeting (including lunch), a one-year SOA membership, and a $100 travel stipend. Awardees are required to submit a photograph and write about their experience for publication in the Ohio Archivist newsletter.

The Membership & Awards Committee is responsible for soliciting applications and submitting recommendations to Council. Awards are announced and presented at the Annual Meeting on May 20.

How to Apply: Applications should include the following information:

Applicant’s name, mailing address, and email address.
Students should list their school’s name and academic program;
New professionals should list their employer and number of years working within the field;
Description about how the meeting will benefit the applicant professionally;
Brief description of the applicant’s scholarship and contribution to archives. This will be taken into consideration along with the applicant’s number of years in the field or academic study;
Statement of the applicant’s need for financial support to attend the conference;
Details: Scholarship page.

Download the 2022 flyer.

Register Now for SOA 2021 Annual Meeting: Archives in an Era of Change

Register now to join your colleagues (virtually) at the Society of Ohio Archivists 2021 Annual Meeting: Archives in an Era of Change, Monday June 7 & Tuesday June 8.

Two days of sessions on current topics, a virtual archives crawl, awards ceremony, annual business meeting, and a thoughtful plenary (all via Zoom). Plus registration is FREE for members!*

Much more, including the full schedule, on the Annual Meeting page. Continue reading →

2021 Winners for SOA History Day Award

The Society of Ohio Archivists Membership and Awards Committee is pleased to announce the 2021 SOA History Day Awards. The awardees were selected from submissions for the award, from among those advancing to the state finals competition which was held virtually on Saturday, April 24.

Junior Award: Angela D’Souza, Birchwood School of Hawken, for her junior individual documentary, “The Cleveland Free-Net: How a Case Western Reserve University Experiment Opened a New World of Communication.” Angela worked with archivists at Case Western Reserve University to obtain primary source documents and resources about the Cleveland Free-Net that she used in her documentary. She also interviewed the widow of the creator of Free-Net, who gave her additional photos and primary sources she used.

Senior Award: Brendan Zbanek, Mary Basilion, Zara Braun, Shaker Heights High School, for their senior group performance, “Tinker v. Des Moines: The Student Led Fight For Free Speech.” Brendan, Mary, and Zara researched the Supreme Court case files, and read books from the 1960s to fully understand the time period. They also conducted an interview with Mary Beth Tinker, the plaintiff in the case, and incorporated her firsthand knowledge of the case into their performance. Continue reading →

Registration Fees Set for SOA Annual Meeting 2021

Annual Meeting 2021 registration fees are now set, and once again the meeting will be FREE for all SOA members.*

So please join us for Archives in an Era of Change on June 7 & 8 (through Zoom) for two days of outstanding sessions!

Speaking of sessions, we are still accepting proposals through Friday April 16.

And there’s still time to apply for Student and New Professionals Scholarships, due Wednesday April 21.

*If not currently a member, you will have the opportunity to join SOA through the online meeting registration form by choosing that option within the Registration Type menu. And membership fees are just $5 (student) or $15 (individual).

Questions? Contact the Educational Programming Committee Cochairs Rachael Bussert and William Modrow.

Extended! Call for Applications: 2021 SOA Scholarships

The SOA Membership & Awards Committee seeks applications for the 2021 Society of Ohio Archivists Student and New Professionals Scholarships.

Scholarships are available to students (2 awards), and new archival professionals (2 awards) with three years or less experience in the workplace. The award will be presented at the SOA Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually on June 7-8, 2021. Applications due by ~~April 21,~~ Friday May 7, 2021.

The scholarship consists of virtual Annual Meeting registration, a one-year SOA membership, and a $100 stipend for professional development purposes, such as buying books or attending trainings. Awardees are required to submit a photograph and write about their experience for publication in the Ohio Archivist newsletter.

Applications should include the following information:

Applicant’s name, mailing address, and email address.
Students should list their school’s name and academic program;
New professionals should list their employer and number of years working within the field;
Description about how the meeting will benefit the applicant professionally;
Brief description of the applicant’s scholarship and contribution to archives. This will be taken into consideration along with the applicant’s number of years in the field or academic study;
Statement of the applicant’s need for financial support to attend the conference;

Extended! Call for Nominations: 2021 SOA Merit Award

The SOA Membership & Awards Committee seeks nominations for the 2021 Society of Ohio Archivists Merit Award.

Applications are due by ~~April 21,~~ Friday May 7, 2021.

Nominations should include the following information:

Name of nominee;
Nominee’s employer or institution;
Nominee’s mailing address, phone number, and email address;
Brief reason for nomination;
The nominator’s contact information so that the awards committee may contact you for additional information.

See the list of past awardees on the Merit Award page.

Applications and inquiries can be sent via email or mail to Membership & Awards Committee Cochair Stephanie Shreffler, Roesch Library RM 304A, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1360.

SOA Merit Award Winner: Licking County Records & Archives

The Society of Ohio Archivists Merit Award is awarded to individuals or organizations that have by excellence in deeds, actions, or initiatives improved the state of archives in Ohio over the past year.

Licking County Records & Archives entrance. Photo courtesy Licking County Records & Archives

This year the Awards Committee chose two recipients for the 2020 award. The winners were Cate Putirskis and the Licking County Records and Archives Department. In this post we feature Licking County Records & Archives.

In 2018, Licking County Records and Archives was tasked with removing more than 100 years of records stored in the Licking County Courthouse attic. After three days of work, staff had removed hundreds of boxes and more than 300 bound volumes, including historical books from the County Clerk of Courts, Treasurer, and Auditor. All of the books were either contaminated with mold, covered in bird and bat feces, or deteriorating from poor storage conditions. Continue reading →

SOA Merit Award Winner: Cate Putirskis

Cate Putirskis portrait. Photo courtesy The Ohio State University.

This year the Awards Committee chose two recipients for the 2020 award.The winners were Cate Putirskis and the Licking County Records and Archives Department. In this post we feature Cate.

Cate Putirskis is honored for her exemplary contributions to archival practices and the profession. She has developed and shared innovative approaches to technical services for archival collections as manager of Archival Description and Access at The Ohio State University Libraries. Cate employs agile methodology and project tracking software to manage a busy team of permanent, contractual, and student employees. This novel approach to archival processing has led to significant gains. Continue reading →

SOA Scholarships: Call for Applications for 2020 Annual Meeting

The Society of Ohio Archivists is pleased to announce four scholarships available to students (2 awards), and new archival professionals (2 awards) with three years or less experience in the workplace, to attend the annual spring meeting on Friday, May 15, 2020, at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Main Library in Columbus, Ohio. Applications are due by March 13, 2020.

The scholarship consists of conference registration (including lunch), a one-year membership to SOA, and a $100 travel stipend. Awardees are required to submit a photograph and write about their experience for publication in the Ohio Archivist newsletter. Continue reading →