The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes, from October 27, 2022, 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 Jen Johnson.
Last Updated on December 19, 2022 by janet_carleton
The Society of Ohio Archivists Nominating Committee would like to announce a call for nominations for the following 3 seats: one Council member, Secretary, and Vice President/President-Elect.
Self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged, as are peer nominations. All positions begin terms after the Annual Meeting adjourns, May 2023.
All positions are for two-year terms of office, with the exclusion of the VP/President/Past President cycle which is one year in each position (3 year commitment total). Continue reading
Last Updated on January 25, 2023 by janet_carleton
The Society of Ohio Archivists is planning for a hybrid annual meeting in 2023, on Thursday, May 11 (virtually) and Friday, May 12 (in person) at the Dayton Metro Library in Dayton, Ohio!
This year we welcome proposals that explore the theme of Forward Together as it relates to community partnerships and public service in support of a more inclusive and equitable society.
The committee welcomes submissions relating directly to the theme, along with a broad array of other topics.
Deadline to submit proposals (updated): Friday, January 27, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. See the Annual Meeting page for much more detail and the submission form.
Questions? Contact Educational Programming Committee Cochairs Matt Francis and Adam Wanter.
Last Updated on February 6, 2023 by janet_carleton
In November, Society of Ohio Archivists members voted overwhelmingly to raise membership dues effective January 1, 2023. A vote by membership to waive the bylaws for this action was required in order for the change to be put in effect for the 2023 membership year.
SOA had not raised dues since 1996 while we worked to keep costs to members as low as possible. Even during the height of the pandemic we committed to offering free and low-cost programs for members and non-members alike, but rising inflation and costs have taken their toll on our finances.
The new dues structure will be:
We are also committed to continuing our hardship program for those in need in these times of cuts to professional development funding and other struggles. Anyone who wants to renew their membership or join SOA but is struggling with the cost can contact the Membership & Awards Committee cochairs to access this program.
Thank you again for your continued support of SOA!
SOA Council
Last Updated on December 8, 2022 by janet_carleton
By A&O Committee member Natalie Fritz, Clark County Historical Society
This month during American Archives Month, the Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee decided to spend most of the month sharing three blog posts that highlight medical collections found in Ohio Archives. This theme was in keeping with the 2022 Ohio poster theme for Archives Month: Ohio Healthcare: The True Heart of it All.
Our final blog post for Archives Month is more in keeping with the spooky October season, focusing on spooky and scary things found in the archives. The committee invited other Ohio archives to share stories and items from their collections online using #ScaryOHArchives.
Today, while I may be highlighting some things that I personally find spooky or scary from the collections of the Clark County Historical Society at the Heritage Center in Springfield, Ohio, I also wanted to point out the subjective nature of what one may find to be scary. Continue reading
Last Updated on February 10, 2023 by janet_carleton
View of Mitchell-Nelson Library, formerly the Pratt and Research Foundation Library, location of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Archives. Cincinnati Children’s.
The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee wanted to celebrate Archives Month in a new way, so we featured three archives in a series of posts we are calling Archival Spotlights. Since the Archives Month poster’s theme was “Ohio’s Healthcare Workers: The True Heart of it All,” we felt it a good idea to feature archives that focus on healthcare or have interesting collections related to healthcare.
By A&O Committee member Erin Wilson, Ohio University Libraries
The Cincinnati Children’s Archives are a unique community resource, preserving the history of local patient care, institutional research, and developments in pediatric medicine. With collections dating back to the hospital’s founding in 1883, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) Archives document nearly 140 years of healthcare in the Queen City.
Articles of incorporation of the Hospital of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, 1883. Cincinnati Children’s.
The Center’s first facility, the “Hospital of the Protestant Episcopal Church” was a rented home in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood with a capacity of fourteen beds. The hospital was cooperatively governed by a Board of Trustees and a Board of Lady Managers until 1921. The first annual report from 1884 concludes with a historically significant statement by the Board of Lady Managers affirming their commitment to patient admission and care regardless of faith, race, or ethnicity, “all being welcomed and treated alike…” Continue reading
Last Updated on October 31, 2022 by janet_carleton
View of Dittrick Medical History Center Archives. Dittrick Medical History Center, Case Western Reserve University.
The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee (A&O) wanted to celebrate Archives Month in a new way, so we are featuring a handful of archives in a series of posts we are calling Archival Spotlights. Since the Archives Month poster’s theme was “Ohio’s Healthcare Workers: The True Heart of it All,” we felt it a good idea to feature archives that focus on healthcare or have interesting collections related to healthcare.
By A&O Committee Member Amy Czubak, Ohio History Connection.
Have you ever wanted to read a letter written by Charles Darwin? Examine intricately detailed medical drawings? Maybe see inside of a Civil War era amputation kit? The Dittrick Medical History Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, has all of these things and more! Named after the first curator, Dr. Howard Dittrick (1877–1954), the museum and archives has been collecting medical history for nearly 100 years and has the most comprehensive collection concerning medical instruments and implements in the United States.
Diagrams found in the Dittrick Medical History Center Archives include this one of a disk oxygenator. The disk oxygenator removes carbon and gasses from the blood and adds in oxygen.
Disk oxygenator diagram engineered by Richard Jones, PhD. Dittrick Medical History Center, Case Western Reserve University.
The Cleveland Medical Library Association, established in 1894, developed a historical committee in 1898. At its helm was a prominent Cleveland area surgeon named Dr. Dudley Peter Allen (1852–1915), who was tasked with caring for and preserving donations given to the Cleveland Medical Library Association by Dr. Allen and other members of the Association. A new medical library built on land donated by Western Reserve University, and funded by money donated by Dr. Allen’s widow, was established in 1926 and featured a third floor museum gallery.
Continue reading
Last Updated on October 25, 2022 by janet_carleton
The fall 2022 issue of Ohio Archivist, SOA’s biennial publication, is now available to download as a PDF!
In this issue you will find information about the Joint Fall Meeting on the theme Be the Change, the Archives Month poster, a recap of the spring Annual Conference, a Digital Discussions article, and much more!.
Contents:
– Archives & Sustainability: Annual Meeting 2022 Recap
– President’s Message
– Be the Change: Joint Fall Meeting
– Archives Month Poster
– Student Scholarship Award Recipient: Kasandra Fager
– New Professional Scholarship Award Recipient: Bridget Retzloff
– Digital Discussions: “Analyzing Your Analytics” by Jenni Salamon
– News & Notes
– Election Results
– Editor’s Note
See all past Ohio Archivist issues on that publication’s page.
Questions? Contact Ohio Archivist Editor-in-Chief Jessica Heys.
Last Updated on October 7, 2022 by janet_carleton
Ask An Archivist Day 2022 graphic from SAA
Who here in Ohio is planning on taking part in #AskAnArchivist Day?
This is an opportunity to talk with the public so they can learn about archives and archivists. Questions vary widely but we hope you will hop on Twitter and respond to questions tweeted with the hashtag #AskAnArchivist. We hope to see you there, next Wednesday, October 12!
More information and resources at the Society of American Archivists #AskAnArchivist Day page. They also have a signup to be on the list of those participating.
This post part of Archives Month activities from the Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee.
Last Updated on October 6, 2022 by janet_carleton
Athens Mental Health Center Administration building, winter 1981. Tom O’Grady. Athens Mental Health Center collection, Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, Ohio University Libraries.
The Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy and Outreach Committee wanted to celebrate Archives Month in a new way, so we will be featuring a handful of archives in a series of posts we are calling Archival Spotlights. Since the Archives Month poster’s theme was “Ohio’s Healthcare Workers: The True Heart of it All,” we felt it a good idea to feature archives that focus on healthcare or have interesting collections related to healthcare. The first archive to be featured is the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, focusing on their Athens Mental Health Center collection.
By A&O Committee Chair Collette McDonough, Kettering Foundation.
The Robert E. and Jean R. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, part of Ohio University Libraries in Athens, Ohio, contains the Ohio University Archives, Rare Books, Manuscript Collections, and the Documentary Photography Archive. The Mahn Center’s mission “is to support the education, research, and creative endeavors of Ohio University, or broad community of researcher, and anyone with an interest in the preservation of cultural heritage.” Ohio University is in the rolling foothills of Southeast Ohio and is a center for arts and culture in the area.
Athens is renowned for what is now known as The Ridges. Originally called the Athens Lunatic Asylum and later named the Athens State Hospital, The Ridges opened in 1874. The Athens Mental Health Center collection documents its evolution.
Plan for buildings and grounds of Athens Lunatic Asylum, 1872. Athens Mental Health Center collection, Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, Ohio University Libraries.
This fold-out map from 1872 was pasted into some copies of the first annual report of the Athens Lunatic Asylum. The construction of the campus started in 1868. The grounds were designed by Herman Haerlin, who was also the landscape architect of the Oval at The Ohio University. The architect was Levi T. Scofield. Continue reading
Last Updated on October 11, 2022 by janet_carleton