American Archives Month 2024

The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee is recognizing and celebrating archives month through a series of blog posts throughout October 2024.

by Christine Liebson, MLIS, CA, member of SOA Advocacy & Outreach Committee.

Since 1979, Archives Month has been a time to reflect on the importance and value of archives and archivists. Although SOA has been celebrating Archives Month/Week since 1993, October was officially designated American Archives Month by the Society of American Archivists in 1999. Continue reading →

Last Updated on October 15, 2024 by 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.

Last Updated on September 20, 2024 by Emily Gainer

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.

Last Updated on August 30, 2024 by Emily Gainer

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 →

Last Updated on August 23, 2024 by Emily Gainer

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.

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.

Last Updated on August 16, 2024 by Emily Gainer

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 →

Last Updated on August 23, 2024 by Emily Gainer

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.

Last Updated on July 3, 2024 by Emily Gainer

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.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on July 1, 2024 by Emily Gainer

2024 SOA Merit Award Winners

The SOA Membership & Awards Committee is pleased to announce the 2024 Merit Award recipients! The awards were presented at the annual meeting on May 17.

Congratulations to Greene County Archives, recognized for their work to preserve the vital records of Greene County through the new Online Catalog System and Digital Repository.

Congratulations to the Columbus Metropolitan Library and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, recognized for their work in preserving the archives of their hometown newspapers.

3 people holding awards

Photograph (left to right): Robin Heise, Greene County Records Center and Archives; Angela O’Neal, Columbus Metropolitan Library; and Larry Richmond, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.

Last Updated on May 28, 2024 by Amber Bales