Category Archives: SOA Committees

SOA Council Statement on Racial Inequality and Black Lives Matter

June 3, 2020—We, at the Society of Ohio Archivists, are profoundly saddened and outraged by the numerous, unjustified deaths of Black men and women in our country.  We grieve the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless more who have died because of police brutality fueled by hate. We grieve the brutal lynching of Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of vigilante white men, including a former police officer. We condemn the use of violence, vigilantism, and the weaponization of supremacy, and we denounce police violence against Black people.

As archivists, we know this problem is deeply rooted in the history and founding of our nation. It is also rooted in our institutions, including archives. We are committed to recognizing and breaking down systems of white supremacy within our own archives. For decades, the historical narrative has largely left out the stories of Black people in our country. Part of our work as archivists includes creating a space where we can collaborate and dialogue with those whose stories have been marginalized, ignored, and silenced. Our efforts and missions include learning from the past to prepare for the future. We can only do that if we include all voices. Continue reading

Newest Council Members and Council Liaisons

Although the SOA Annual meeting is over, we have a couple of new bits of information to share below:

The newest council members and treasurer have been announced!

Council Members:

  • Cate Putirskis – Special Collections Processing Manager, Ohio State University Libraries
  • Sherri Goudy – Ohio History Service Corps Member, Logan County History Center/Ohio History Connection

Treasurer:

  • Mark Bloom – Archives Associate, Senior, The University of Akron

We also have the new list of Council Liaisons (check the various committee pages for updates soon)

 

Updates from SOA President about Committees

In an effort to keep everyone up-to-date Council wanted to share a listing of our current committees, committee chairs and Council liaisons. You may note that we have five new committee chairs: Janet Carleton (Educational Programming); Andrew Harris (Public Information); Elise Kelly (Advocacy and Outreach); Collette McDonough (Educational Programming); and Cate Putirskis (Membership). Please join me in welcoming them to their new positions. I would also like to take this time to thank our outgoing chairs for their service: Shelley Blundell (Educational Programming); Ron Davidson (Membership); and Jennie Thomas (Advocacy and Outreach). We appreciate your service and enjoyed working with you over the past year!

If you are interested in volunteering to work with a committee, please contact the committee chair using the email address provided. To learn more about each of the committees, please visit: https://ohioarchivists.org/committees/. If you have previously served/are currently serving on a committee you should be hearing from your Committee Chair regarding current and upcoming projects.

We are looking forward to working with all of you over the coming year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email me using my contact information listed below.

Committee Chairs and Liaisons

• Advocacy and Outreach
o Council liaisons – Ron Davidson and Robin Heise
o Committee co-chairs – George Bain ([email protected]) and Elise Kelly ([email protected])

• Awards
o Council Liaison – Lonna McKinley
o Committee chair – Devhra BennettJones ([email protected])

• Educational Programming Committee
o Council Liaison – Sasha Griffin
o Committee co-chairs – Janet Carleton ([email protected]) and Collette McDonough ([email protected])

• Membership
o Council Liaison – Mark Bloom
o Committee chair – Cate Putirskis ([email protected])

• Nominating
o Council liaison – Judith Wiener ([email protected])

• Public Information Committee
o Council Liaison – Jennifer Brancato
o Committee chair – Andrew Harris ([email protected])

Thank you,

Jillian Carney
SOA President 2015-2017