Merit Award Recipients 2023

The Society of Ohio Archivists Membership & Awards Committee is pleased to announce two Merit Award recipients. The awards were presented at the Annual Meeting on May 12, 2023.

Photograph of three people holding plaques. These are the SOA Merit Award winners.

2023 Merit Award recipients: Warren County Records Center & Archives, accepted by Jennifer Haney Conover and Jenifer Baker, and Adam Wanter

Adam Wanter is honored for his outstanding service and dedication to ensuring that the Society of Ohio Archivists thrives. For the past several years, Adam has gone above and beyond to lead SOA through challenging times. Elected as Vice-President/President Elect in 2019, Adam stepped up to serve as president for an additional year when the current president
resigned. In his first year, Adam shepherded SOA through a transition in its leadership structure. In 2020, he directed SOA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the murder of George Floyd. Under his watch, SOA pivoted to an online conference, increased its free offerings to members, began its hardship program, and oversaw the creation of the Social Justice Black Lives Matter Task Force. After finishing his extended term as president and time as past-president, Adam co-chaired the Educational Programming Committee which planned the 2023 Annual Meeting. For his efforts to lead and improve SOA, it is fitting that the Society of Ohio Archivists presents Adam Wanter with the 2023 SOA Merit Award.

The Warren County Records Center & Archives is honored for its work to make vital records such as birth, death, Commissioners’ Journals, and Common Pleas Court indexes available to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working from home, staff cropped, transcribed, and added metadata to these records, ultimately making well over 30,000 records accessible. Once back in the office, staff added metadata and images to the first twenty-four Commissioners’ Journals, which are key records to understanding the history of Warren County. They also finished a multi-year project to place all the Old Common Pleas Estate Packets online, a collection which included over 90,000 searchable images and is frequently requested by researchers. For its efforts to make important county records more accessible to researchers, it is fitting that the Society of Ohio Archivists presents the Warren County Records Center & Archives with the 2023 SOA Merit Award.

Congratulations to the 2023 Merit Award recipients! Visit the Merit Award page for more information and past award winners.

Last Updated on May 30, 2023 by Emily Gainer

SOA Council Minutes for April 2023 Available

The Society of Ohio Archivists’ most recent leadership meeting minutes, from April 25, 2023, 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 May 30, 2023 by Emily Gainer

SOA Council Meeting Minutes for February & March 2023 Available

The Society of Ohio Archivists’ most recent leadership meeting minutes, from February 28, March 17, and March 28, 2023, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on May 2, 2023 by janet_carleton

Annual Meeting 2023 Virtual Registration Closes 5/10

Pre-registration ends on Monday, May 1 for the full conference experience (Day 1 virtual/Day 2 in person). Those choosing the all-virtual option have until May 10 to register online. On-site day of registration will be available, but without lunch. See the Annual Meeting page for all the details.

This May, the Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting will be traveling to Dayton, Ohio! You are invited to join us on Thursday, May 11 for virtual sessions, and on Friday, May 12 at the Dayton Metro Library Main in downtown Dayton, Ohio, for a full day of in-person presentations, networking, and exciting featured speakers.

Mackensie Wittmer, Morning Keynote speaker.

Yes, this year we are going hybrid! The virtual registration option will provide access to two standalone virtual sessions on Thursday May 11 (also available to attendees with the in-person option) and live streams of select sessions from the Friday May 12 slate. As our first attempt at a hybrid conference this will be a learning opportunity for all of us, so please bear with us if we encounter any unexpected kinks/challenges.

Keynotes: Hear from two featured speakers on Day 2! In our Morning Keynote, Mackensie Wittmer will be welcoming attendees to the Dayton-Miami Valley area and presenting on the impact and importance of collaboration within the cultural heritage community. For the Afternoon Keynote, Rosemary Pleva Flynn will be discussing what it means to be an archivist, focusing on the intersection of archival work among memory workers, storytellers, community archivists, and “traditional” archivists, and the role we all play in preserving culture and knowledge.

Rosemary Pleva Flynn, Afternoon Keynote speaker.

In sessions, learn from panelists in the SOA Justice, Equity, Diversity, Access, and Inclusion Task Force sponsored session focusing on the diverse history of Ohio. Dig into description remediation for Civil War letters. Get inspired to advocate for “your own slice of the pie.” Hear updates on the Warren Harding presidential papers and Toledo’s Attic projects. Participate in a mini-workshop on how you can help Ohio’s America 250 commission highlight the importance of archives and records. And from poster sessions, find out about the School of Information at Kent State University’s new Archival Studies concentration.

Questions? Please feel free to contact the 2022-2023 Educational Programming Committee Cochairs Matt Francis and Adam Wanter. We can’t wait to see you in Dayton!

Last Updated on May 15, 2023 by Emily Gainer

Ballot Available for 2023 SOA Election

It’s time to vote for Society of Ohio Archivists Leadership!

All current members of SOA should have received an email with a link to the ballot for officers and Council members on April 19. The ballot will be available April 19-May 12 (noon). If you did not receive one, and you have checked your junk folder, check with SOA Liaison Betsy Hedler at ohioarchivists @ohiohistory.org regarding your membership status.

Please see the Candidate Statements in this 4-page extract from the Ohio Archivist, spring 2023.

2023 Slate of Candidates

Vice President/President-elect: Matt Francis
Secretary: Shelby Beatty
Council (1 open seat): Kristen Newby

Thank you to the Nominating Committee for their work.

Last Updated on April 26, 2023 by janet_carleton

Cast Your Vote: 2023 Ohio Archives Month Poster Images

Help select the images to be used for the 2023 Ohio Archives Month Poster!

This year for the annual Society of Ohio Archivists’ October Archives Month poster we asked for archival images having to do with the theme of Transportation in Ohio.

Transportation of all varieties including bicycles, trains, cars, airplanes, blimps, and even spaceships were sent in by many SOA members and non-SOA members. Ohio’s history goes hand-in-hand with transportation and we hope you find these images to be interesting. We are happy that we had submissions from all over the state and we hope you enjoy seeing them.

We had great submissions this year from more than 26 Ohio institutions plus one family archivist! The top 10 images to receive the most votes will be sent on to the designer for consideration in the final poster design.

Here’s how to vote:

View images and submit your votes in our Google Form!
Vote for up to 10 images.
Please only vote once.
Voting runs April 14-May 14, 2023.
(View past posters here)

Thank you,
Collette McDonough
Chair, Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee

Questions? Email [email protected].

Last Updated on April 14, 2023 by janet_carleton

SOA Annual Meeting May 11-12, 2023 is Hybrid! Register Now!

Registration is now open for the 2023 Annual Meeting: Forward Together: Community Partnerships and Public Service!

Color photo of exterior of the Dayton Public Library, Main Library

Dayton Public Library, Main Library. Courtesy Dayton Public Library.

This May, the Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting will be traveling to Dayton, Ohio! You are invited to join us on Thursday, May 11 for virtual sessions, and on Friday, May 12 at the Dayton Metro Library Main in downtown Dayton, Ohio, for a full day of in-person presentations, networking, and exciting featured speakers.

Continue reading →

Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by janet_carleton

Call for Image Submissions: 2023 Ohio Archives Month Poster

This year for the annual Society of Ohio Archivists’ October Ohio Archives Month poster we are looking for archival image submissions having to do with transportation in Ohio.

Transportation has been important to Ohio since our founding. So, if your institution has images that you think are interesting and that have an interesting back story, please send them to us for a chance to be on the poster this year.

We are of course expecting the photos of planes, trains, and automobiles, but we hope you also send in all sorts of modes of transit such as canal boats, electric street cars, motorcycles, sternwheelers, horses pulling carts, or blimps. You might also want to submit images of a local car factory, or patent drawing for an invention that involves transportation. We hope to get submissions from all over the state! Continue reading →

Last Updated on April 27, 2023 by janet_carleton

SOA Council Meeting Minutes for December 12, 2022 & January 30, 2023 Available

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes, from December 12, 2022 & January 30, 2023, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Jen Johnson.

Last Updated on March 2, 2023 by janet_carleton