Category Archives: News

SOA Election Results 2025

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

SOA would like to welcome the following new leaders:

Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University, President (2025-2026)
Kristen Newby, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Vice President/President-Elect (2025-2026)
Shelby Beatty, Sinclair Community College, re-elected Secretary (2025-2027)
Darrell Blevins Jr., recent Public History graduate, Wright State University, Council Member (2025-2027)
Michelle Ganz, Dominican Sisters of Peace, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee Co-Chair with voting rights (2025-2027)
Hannah Kemp-Severence, University of Akron Archives and Special Collections, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee Co-Chair with voting rights (2025-2026)

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

Officer Transitions:

Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University, transitions from Vice President to President. Thanks to Jennifer for her commitment to SOA.
Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University, transitions from President to Past-President. Thanks to Matt for his continued leadership.
Melissa Dalton, Preserve It, LLC, completed her term as Past-President. Thanks to Melissa for her work on Council.
Kristen Newby completed her term as Council Member. Thanks to Kristen for her continued service to SOA as she moves to Vice President/President-Elect.

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

SOA Constitutional Amendment – Revision Proposal

Revision Proposal

Edit (April 25, 2025): Thanks to member feedback, proposed language changes linked below to the SOA Constitution will be modified and presented at the annual meeting before voting takes place.

After reviewing our governing documents, SOA Council recently approved an amendment to the SOA Constitution to align the Constitution with current SOA Council meeting practices and Ohio’s Revised Code. The proposed language change, rationale, and information from the Ohio Revised Code can be found here. The amendment will be voted on by members during the business meeting at the SOA Conference (Friday, May 16th, 2025), with a majority vote in the affirmative being required for approval. If desired there will be time for discussion of the proposed amendment during the business meeting. I also welcome all thoughts and questions by email prior to the meeting.

Thank you everyone, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our annual meeting in just a few weeks.

Matt Francis

SOA President

Women’s History Month – Celebrating Catholic Sisters

The Sisters of the Precious Blood in Dayton, Ohio, have always been women on a mission. Like other congregations of women religious in the United States, the Sisters of the Precious Blood have been integral members of the societies where they lived, worked, and prayed. They were often some of the first university-educated women in the country. They educated immigrants in the 1840s in the wilds of Northern Ohio – and they were immigrants themselves, coming mainly from Germany and Switzerland, leaving their homes for parts unknown, not knowing if they would ever see their families again. They were and continue to be teachers and educators, nurses and doctors, chaplains, housekeepers, weavers, painters, poets, advocates for justice and ecology, administrators, and so much more.

Because there are too many photos and stories to include in one blog post, I grouped the Sisters’ ministries into four photos from their archives. Each photo represents an aspect of the Sisters’ ministry over time: prayer, teaching, healthcare, and domestic arts.

In this photo, Sister Rosemary Laux prays in the Salem Heights Chapel in Dayton, Ohio, in 1994.

sister reading
The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was the catalyst for Mother Maria Anna Brunner to begin the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, and prayer has been central to their lives. Throughout their history, the Sisters have continued this tradition with nocturnal and perpetual adoration, writing prayer services, working as pastoral ministers and sacristans, and praying for thousands of requests from people worldwide. Continue reading →

Join us for Coffee Chat on April 8, 2025

Grab a hot beverage and join us for the next Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) Coffee Chat on Tuesday, April 8th 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 quarter we will be sharing how we’re handling the challenges of recent federal legislation and the tumultuous political climate, from how this has directly affected your work to how you’re supporting your staff. Please register here to join the conversation! We will send a Zoom link to all registrants the day before the meeting. We hope to see you there!

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

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.

National History Day at 50: A Salute

by George Bain and Connie Conner, Advocacy and Outreach Committee members.

The National History Day program was born in 1974, 50 years ago this year, as a modest venture in the area of Cleveland, Ohio under the direction of Case Western Reserve University History Professor David Van Tassel. But it was a dream that began to expand across the state and then over several years into other states and then became national in scope. Also known widely by its initials as well, NHD is an admirable educational entity that deserves recognition for stimulating the study of history. But why, as it celebrates its Golden Anniversary, is it of direct importance to the archival community? Continue reading →

Revision Proposal

Ohio Archivist Call for News and Notes