MayDay-Protecting our Archives in Ohio

MayDay is almost here!  SAA has designated May 1st as MayDay, a day for archivists to take personal and professional responsibility for doing something small, but significant to protect their collections in the event of a disaster.  Repositories in Ohio are being proactive and preparing for a potential disaster before it occurs.

MayDay Activities Across the State

Denison University will be celebrating MayDay by holding a viewing party for the Connecting to Collections webinar, “After Disasters.”  The hosting group is “DERT”, which stands for Disaster and Emergency Recovery Team.

Greene County has invited local firefighters to visit the Greene County Records Center and Archives on May 1st.  This visit will give the firefighters an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the facility, the types of records that are in the collection, as well as consider how they could most effectively fight a fire at this location.  Greene County is also planning to go through their Disaster Kit and inventory their emergency supplies and make sure that they are prepared for a potential disaster.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) recognizes MayDay each year by preparing and distributing two different wallet sized cards.  This project is led by the NMUSAF Disaster Response Team (DRT).  The wallet sized cards include phone tree cards for DRT members and Disaster Information Cards for all staff that includes names and phone numbers of DRT members to call in the event of an incident.

One of the ideas listed on the SAA website is to make sure that all collections are in boxes and up off of the floor.  Bowling Green University and the Akron Summit County Public Library are holding workshops on “Learning to Preserve Valuable Collections Using Basic Enclosures.”  Properly constructed enclosures can provide protection from a variety of threats.

Is your repository prepared for a potential disaster?  Use this opportunity to do something, no matter how simple, to protect your collections!  When is the last time you had a fire drill, updated your staff emergency contact information or inventoried your emergency supply kit?  Have you been putting off revising your Disaster Preparedness Plan?  The time to complete these projects is before a disaster occurs!!

 It’s not too late to get involved!  The SOA Advocacy & Outreach Committee would like to encourage all Ohio repositories to participate in MayDay, this Friday, May 1st.  Remember, even a simple activity can have a significant impact on the response to a disaster.  If you’re not sure what to do, SAA provides a list of potential MayDay activities.

Last Updated on April 29, 2015 by

SOA and Congressional History Caucus Effort—Member Help Is Needed

The National Coalition for History (NCH) is trying to help create a Congressional History Caucus in the US House of Representatives. The Society of Ohio Archivists is a member of NCH and the SOA Advocacy group of the Advocacy & Outreach Committee supports the effort.

For more information on this effort, go to the NCH web site www.historycoalition.org and the related “Dear Colleague” letter in the House to see the purpose and goals for the caucus.

NCH’s goal is to have 50 members signed on before Congress breaks for the Memorial Day recess. The SOA Advocacy group would like to see SOA members to invite members of the Ohio delegation to become members of the caucus. We need for SOA members (plus friends and associates too) to contact your representatives—or their staff members—to encourage them to join. Phone calls, e-mails, visits to the district offices are all good. We ask that you make the contacts before the SOA spring conference. For information on House members from Ohio go www.house.gov/representatives/ and to the list for Ohio. Most members have a web site that includes phone numbers for both the DC and district offices. And once you do make the contact please let either Robin Heise ([email protected]) or George Bain ([email protected]) know so we can assess how well we are doing and what we can expect from this. Thanks.

Last Updated on April 27, 2015 by

SOA Award Recipients 2015

Congratulations to the recipients of the SOA Merit Awards, New Professional Scholarships, and Student Scholarships to the SOA Annual Meeting!  The awardees will be recognized at the upcoming Annual Meeting on May 15th, at OCLC in Dublin, Ohio.  Their hard work and accomplishments are greatly appreciated by Ohio archivists, and they serve as excellent role models in our profession.

New Professional Scholarships:

  • Shawnee Yvette Murrain
  • Maren McKee

Student Scholarships:

  • Nina Ann Herzog
  • Shelby Dixon

Merit Awards:

  • Gillian Marsham Hill
  • Janet Carleton

Last Updated on May 13, 2015 by

Register for the 2015 SOA Annual Conference

The Society of Ohio Archivists invites you to attend the 2015 Annual Spring Conference to be held on Friday May 15 at the General Session Room at the OCLC Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio.

This year’s theme, Archives Amplified, will explore ways in which archivists are increasing outreach, challenging issues of space, and making digitized records more accessible to researchers. We are pleased to announce that Jenny Robb of The Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum will serve as our plenary speaker. Robb will discuss the Cartoon Library and Museum’s new $14 million facility and their ambitious exhibition program. As always, the conference will also feature a silent auction benefiting student and new professional scholarships. New this year will be a Speed Networking session to encourage conversation and collaboration among attendees.

To register, please visit http://www.ohiohistorystore.com/soa/2015-annual-conference.aspx. The registration fee is $45 for members, $65 for non-members, and $30 for students. Continental breakfast, lunch, and beverages are included in the cost of the conference, but advanced registration is necessary to guarantee lunch. Advanced registration ends Friday, May 8. To see the complete program and session descriptions, visit the meeting website at Annual Conference page

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the Suzanne Maggard Reller at [email protected] or Kristin Rodgers at [email protected].

Last Updated on December 6, 2022 by

Advocacy & Outreach Committee Participates in Statehood Day

Several members of the SOA Advocacy & Outreach Committee will be participating in Statehood Day on March 4, 2015 in an effort to promote and support the CARMA (County Archivists and Records Managers Association) Legislative Committee’s proposal to amend ORC 149.43. This proposal would lift any access restrictions on records with permanent retention after 100 years from the date the record is finalized and closed.

Statehood Day is a day to celebrate the history of the State of Ohio as well as a day to advocate on legislative issues that may impact archival repositories throughout the state. Committee members will be available and working with the CARMA Legislative Committee to promote their proposal and answer any questions that participants may have. Committee members will also be encouraging participants to bring this issue to their local legislative representative and to explain the importance of this proposed amendment.

Important records such as: Adoptions, Lunacy, County Home Registers, Children’s Home Registers, Witness Dockets, Juvenile Court Cases, and Veteran’s Relief Records are some of the records that would become open to the public if this proposal is adopted. These records are important to researchers as they provide valuable insight into our collective history as a state, as a society, and as families. For more information on the CARMA proposal, please visit the SOA Advocacy & Outreach Committee at Statehood Day.

For more information please visit Ohio History Connection’s page for Statehood day.

Last Updated on June 24, 2022 by janet_carleton

DEADLINE EXTENDED! SOA Call for Posters and Session Proposals

We’ve extended the deadline to submit both poster proposals and session proposals for the SOA Spring 2015 meeting!  Poster and session proposals from both students and professionals are welcome.  Please submit your proposals by Friday January 23 at 5:00 pm.

Call for Session Proposals and Posters

Archives Amplified

Society of Ohio Archivists Spring Meeting

Friday May 15, 2015

The SOA 2015 Program Committee is seeking a broad array of creative proposals related to archival work today and into the future.  This year we are accepting both session proposals and poster proposals at the same time.  All proposal topics are welcome.  Possible ideas include, but are not limited to:

  • Tools for Archival Discovery, Maintenance, and/or Marketing
  • Outreach and Instruction efforts
  • Student, Intern, and Volunteer Experiences and Projects
  • Funding for Archival Projects or Archival Facilities
  • Unique Collection Development Ventures
  • Preservation, Description, and Access to Traditional, Born-digital, or Hybrid Collections

Proposals of traditional panel sessions, student and professional posters, and alternative formats such as lightening rounds, pecha kucha, fish bowl sessions, and other session formats that allow for interaction between presenters and attendees are encouraged.

The Program Committee encourages proposals from students, new professionals, first time presenters and attendees, as well as individuals from related professions.

The deadline for proposal submission is Friday December 12, 2014.  DEADLINE EXTENDED to Friday January 23 at 5:00pm.

 Proposals must include the following information:

  • Session or Poster Title
  • Session Type (Traditional Panel, Student Poster, Professional Poster, Fishbowl, Lightening Round, Debate, Mini-workshop, World Café, etc.)
  • Abstract of 250 words or less describing the session or poster and how it will be of interest to SOA attendees
  • Session or Poster Description for the SOA program (50 words or less)
  • Session Contact Person (Name, Institution, Title or Degree Program, Telephone Number, Email Address)
  • Other Participants and Contact Information (Name, Institution, Title or Degree Program, Telephone number, email address)
  • A/V or Technology Requirements
  • Additional Special Needs

 Please submit the above proposal information via email to Suzanne Reller at [email protected] or Kristin Rodgers at [email protected]

Last Updated on April 10, 2015 by

Membership Renewal 2015

The Membership Committee invites you to join us in renewing your membership in the Society of Ohio Archivists for 2015. With your support, SOA is able to exchange information, coordinate activities, and improve professional competence in Ohio’s archives and manuscript repositories.

For your convenience, you are able to renew your membership online. Secure, online renewal with a credit card is available through the Ohio History Store at the Ohio History Connection.

If you would like to renew by check, the 2015 Membership Invoice can be printed from the SOA website and mailed to Treasurer, Emily Gainer.

With your support in 2014, SOA provided:

  • education and networking at the Spring Annual Meeting and the joint SOA/OLHA Fall meeting
  • design and distribution of the Archives Month poster, “Ohio in the Depression”
  • scholarships for two high school students at Ohio History Day
  • access to The Ohio Archivist, the society’s online newsletter
  • recognition to two outstanding organizations through the Merit Award
  • support to the National Coalition for History through an organizational membership

SOA will continue to offer similar activities and opportunities during 2015!

Individual and Student members receive discounted rates at events and voting rights at the annual meeting. Patron and Sponsor levels include Individual membership benefits, plus your extra contribution provides support for special projects. Institutional members receive discounted rates at events for up to two employees.

Dues are annual January 1 through December 31. If you have joined or renewed since July 2014, your membership is current through 2015.

Thank you for your continued support,
SOA Membership Committee
Ron Davidson, chair

Last Updated on July 22, 2020 by

Deadline Extended–Call for Session Proposals & Posters

Call for Session Proposals and Posters

Archives Amplified
Society of Ohio Archivists Spring Meeting
Friday May 15, 2015

The SOA 2015 Program Committee is seeking a broad array of creative proposals related to archival work today and into the future.  This year we are accepting both session proposals and poster proposals at the same time.  All proposal topics are welcome.  Possible ideas include, but are not limited to:

  • Tools for Archival Discovery, Maintenance, and/or Marketing
  • Outreach and Instruction efforts
  • Student, Intern, and Volunteer Experiences and Projects
  • Funding for Archival Projects or Archival Facilities
  • Unique Collection Development Ventures
  • Preservation, Description, and Access to Traditional, Born-digital, or Hybrid Collections

Proposals of traditional panel sessions, student and professional posters, and alternative formats such as lightening rounds, pecha kucha, fish bowl sessions, and other session formats that allow for interaction between presenters and attendees are encouraged.

The Program Committee encourages proposals from students, new professionals, first time presenters and attendees, as well as individuals from related professions.

The deadline for proposal submission is Friday December 12, 2014.
DEADLINE EXTENDED to Friday, January 16, 2015 at 5:00pm.

 Proposals must include the following information:

  • Session Title
  • Session Type (Traditional Panel, Student Poster, Professional Poster, Fishbowl, Lightening Round, Debate, Mini-workshop, World Café, etc.)
  • Session proposal abstract of 250 words or less describing the session or poster and how it will be of interest to SOA attendees
  • Session Description for the SOA program (50 words or less)
  • Session Contact Person (Name, Institution, Title or Degree Program, Telephone Number, Email Address)
  • Other Participants and Contact Information (Name, Institution, Title or Degree Program, Telephone number, email address)
  • A/V or Technology Requirements
  • Additional Special Needs

Please submit the above proposal information via email to Suzanne Reller at [email protected] or Kristin Rodgers at [email protected]

Last Updated on January 19, 2015 by

Society of Ohio Archivists 2015 Merit Award

The Society of Ohio Archivists Merit 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.

Applications should include the following information:

  • Name of nominee;
  • Nominee’s employer or institution;
  • Nominee’s mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address;
  • Brief reason for nomination;
  • The nominator’s contact information so that the awards committee may contact you for additional information;
  • Applications are due by February 15, 2015.

Applications and inquiries can be sent via e-mail or mail to Devhra BennettJones.  Email: [email protected]  Address: Lloyd Library, 917 Plum Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

The award will be presented at the Society of Ohio Archivists Annual meeting on Friday, May 15, 2015 at the OCLC Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio.

Last Updated on July 19, 2020 by janet_carleton

Society of Ohio Archivists 2015 Spring Meeting Scholarship Awards

The Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) is pleased to announce four scholarships available to students (2 awards total in this category) and new archival professionals (2 awards total in this category) with three years or less experience in the workplace to attend their annual spring meeting on Friday, May 15, 2015 at the OCLC Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio.

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

 Applications should include the following information:

  • Applicant’s name, mailing address, and e-mail 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;
  • Applications are due by February 15, 2015.

Applications and inquiries can be sent via e-mail or mail to Devhra BennettJones.  Email: [email protected]  Address: Lloyd Library, 917 Plum Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

Last Updated on November 11, 2014 by