The Mid-Atlantic archivist.

2011·2.5 MB·English

MARAC
Volume 40 No. 3
SUMMER |
2011
ISSN 0738-9396
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
MlcL-AtLaMtio Archivist
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FroHv tk& Chair
ED GALLOWAY
MARAC
Chair
I looked backto seewhat myesteemed predecessors wrote for their inaugural column as
MARAC chair to gain words ofwisdom and not embarrass myself.Theybasicallysaid the
same thing:"What? I got elected!?"And now I find myselfin the same position.With only
threeweeks havingelapsed sinceI learned ofmyelection and facing my first MAA column
deadline,bearwith me.
I couldwriteabout howgreat MARAC is (which it is!) orwhata great meetingAlexandria
was (which itwas...thanks MCC,LACand PC!) or lookahead and comment on the future
ofthearchival professional (anyoneknow?). Instead, I thought I'd introduce myselfa bit
more. Let me first sayhowveryproud I am tobe servingasyour chair ofthis organization.
Let me saythat again: I'myourchairandwill alwayswelcomeyourthoughts, opinions,comments,
and criticism.As I take on this responsibility,please knowthat I pledge to do mybest to serveyou well and
MARAC
represent asbest I can.
Sowhat shouldyouknowabout me? I'vebeen an archivist forthe past 18 years,establishing myentire
professional careerin Pittsburgh. Upon graduatingfrom the UniversityofTexas libraryscienceprogram in
1993, 1 accepted an appointment with Carnegie Mellon University. And you knowwhat I did in that same
year I arrived? I Joined MARAC. For the next seven years, I worked as the HeinzArchivist, processingthe
papers ofthe late Senator John Heinzas well as other Universitycollections. Some ofyou (Lauren Brown,
Rebecca lohnson Melvin, Karen Paul,etc.) remember when I showed up on yourdoorstep seekingadvice
and wisdom on howto deal with alarge political collection! I waspart ofa team at CMU who tackled the
daunting project ofdigitizingthebulkofthe congressional papers. Learningon thejob was onlyone part
ofthe equation,however,because I gained a networkofcolleaguesbyattending MARAC conferences and
makinga presentation or two.
Then the University LibrarySystem ofthe UniversityofPittsburgh lured me away in 2000 to managedigital
initiativesascoordinatorofits Digital Research Library (DRL). I served in this capacity for the next eight
years,buildingdigital collectionsbased on archival and special collections material.Throughout that time, I
was still a faithful MARAC member. In fact,when I lookback on myserviceto MARAC, most ofit occurred
duringthis time period,but it had changed to become more committee oriented.And this is where I learned
where the real action is!
Almost threeyears ago duringa library reorganization, I wasasked to become head oftheArchives
ServiceCenter...backtobeinga full-time archivist. I still oversee theworkofthe DRL and constantly feed
them material for scanning from the archivesand special collections'departments.And with the help of
Archivists'Toolkit (love it!) we havebeen proficientat gettingour findingaids online in an efficient manner
as possible. I trulylove myjob at Pitt and enjoy its myriad challengesand responsibilities.
So what else should you knowabout me? I am a firm believer in volunteer service to the profession and
community. In order to make a difference or make improvements,you must be engaged in an organization.
(In otherwords,don't complain ifyou're not involved.) Outsidework,I serve on the communityswim
team parent board (as president ironically), siton theborough's Recreation Board,host threewebsites for
communityorganizations, manage email communications for the local Boy Scout troop,and coordinate the
annual golftournament to raisescholarship funds for my kids'school.
And now I find myselfas MARAC chairservingyou. MARAC has provided mewith manyopportunities,
mainlygetting to knowsome ofyou.And what do I askofyou? Togetinvolved!To seek ways ofservingthis
organization. Besides HollyOtt (Kalbach),who worksonly 10 hours perweekfor MARAC,this isanALL
volunteerorganization. Come talk to me,email or call me ifyou are interested in serving MARAC in some
capacity, no matter howbigorsmall.We need you!
EcC Qaliourny
1
Present: Beth Alvarez, Danna Bell- D. Treasurer,includingFinance FindingAids
Russel, Sharmila Bhatia, Lauren Brown, Committee Report submitted.
Yvonne Carignan, Heather Clewell, Report submitted. MembershipDevelopment
Nat DeBruin, Laura Drake Davis, Jim Reminderto outgoingcommittee Report submitted.
Gerencser, Holly Kalbach, Brian Keough, chairs that budget requests willbe
Jennie Levine Knies, Dan Linke, Mary due in April. NationalCoalitionforHistory
Mannix,ValerieA. Metzler, JeffreyMoy, Report submitted.
Paige Newman, Liz Novara,Carolina E. Archivist
Palacios,Arian Ravanbakhsh, David Rose, Report submitted. NominationsandElections
Dorthea Sartain,and Charlotte Sturm. Fall 2012 willbe40th anniversary Report submitted.
ofMARAC. Discussion followed of Committee had difficulties filling
Call to Order fundraising campaign similar to the slate ofcandidatesdue to concernsof
Danna Bell-Russel called the meetingto "35 for35"at the 35th anniversary. time commitment.
orderat 11:13 a.m. $14,000-$15,000wereraised forthe
education fund through the"35 for Outreach
Approval ofAgenda 35"campaign.Will therebe special Report submitted.
The agenda was approved, (motion: events for the 40th anniversary?
Metzler,second:Alvarez) Suggestions included: oral history Publications
program; awarding40 scholarships Report submitted.
Approval of Last Steering duringthe anniversaryyear; and
Committee Minutes recognition ofthosewho havebeen State Caucus
The Fall minuteswere approved, (motion: members forover30 yearsand those NEW BUSINESSAND UPDATES
Novara; second: Mannix) who havebeen members for the Delaware
entire40years.The Program and Report submitted.
Officers' Reports LocalArrangements Committees for
A. Chair the Fall 2012 meetingwill need tobe DistrictofColumbia
1. Chair's Report aware oftheanniversaryand events. Report submitted.
Report submitted.
Operations manual is in progress, Standing Committee Maryland
with a goal ofcompletion bythe NEW BUSINESSAND UPDATES Report submitted.
Spring2011 meeting. CusterAward
Bylaw updateswill be in the next No report. NewJersey
Mid-AtlanticArchivist MicheleTourneyhas moved to Report submitted.
Boston but will continue to serve
2.Administrator's Report as chair. Junior Co-Chair,Glenn NewYork
Report submitted. Gardnerwill report. Report submitted.
Hollywill not be at the Spring201
meeting. Development Pennsylvania
Membership is down from this Report submitted. Report submitted.
time last year. Several factors could
be responsible includingeconomic DistinguishedServiceAward Virginia
factors,and thiswas the firstyearof Report submitted. Report submitted.
paperless renewals.
Education WestVirginia
B. ViceChair,includingMeetings Report submitted. Report submitted.
CoordinatingCommittee
Report submitted. Electronic Resources CONTINUING BUSINESS
Report submitted. Deferred until after New Business.
C. Secretary
No report.
1
St&erUuj Q)MMihtte& Minutes Friday, February 4, 20 1 I
Baltimore, Maryland
NEW BUSINESS A discussion ofthe roleofthe Adjournment
A. PreservationWeek Electronic Resources Committee and The meetingadjourned at 2:46 p.m.
YvonneCarignan introduced the the eventual goal ofa unified strategy (motion: Knies; second: Sturm)
American LibraryAssociation to unifyall effortsacross committees.
"Preservation Week",held in 201 Outreach and Electronic Resources
duringweekofApril 24-30. will work togetherto implement
BylawsChange solution.
(additiontoagenda)
Nominationsand Elections A focus on abroadervision of
Committee is an entirelynew advocacy is necessary,with a focuson
committee each year,with no archives.
continuityin membership.Ad
Hoc Committee for Revision to StrategicPlan
Bylawnumber 3 (Nominations and CoreValues
ElectionsCommitteeandAnnual [Duringthelunch, members of
Elections) was created and instructed steeringcommitteewereasked to
to report at Spring2011 meeting reviewa list ofcorevalues,and assign
with recommendations forthe prioritiesto the items on the list. The
composition and operations ofthe resultsare reflected in the discussion
committee. Members oftheAd Hoc below.]
Committee include Beth Alvarez,
Brian Keough, JeffreyMoy,Chairof Top two: Professional standards,
the Electronic ResourcesCommittee practices and ethics; High quality
(ex-officio),and the MARAC programming.
Archivist (ex-officio).
Next (in no particularorder):
B. ServiceAwards Community/collegiality;Advocacy;
ServiceAwards were suggested for Skill improvement/education.
the Program and LocalArrangement
Committee co-chairs forthe ProposedVision Statement:"To
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Meeting; promoteand sustain the archival
and Tammy Hamilton for herservice communityin the mid-atlantic
at the MARAC Conference Program byprovidingaffordable, high
Editor. qualityconferences and education
opportunities and thereby fostering
CONTINUING BUSINESS collegiality,collaboration and
A. OutreachCommitteeBlogand professionalism."Discussion on this
AdditionalOutreachActivities statement was deferred until later in
David Rose mentioned theblogthat the meeting.
an Outreach Committee member
hascreated forarchives month and Whatdowewanttoaccomplish in the
a discussion ensued about other next3-5years? Beforethiscan be fully
possibilities for theblog.With the addressed,thecorevaluesand the
creation ofthe Electronic Resources vision statement will beworked out.
Committeeto oversee theweb site,
theOutreach Committeechaircan Committee will workon
focusattention to outreach and "wordsmithing"the corevalues
advocacyactivities. electronically.
3
HOLLINGER
\
METAL EDGE
'
Archival Storage Materials
Join us for the
Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
MA&AC
2012
Sprung Confirmee,
We are pleased to announce that the Spring 2012 MARAC Conference will be held at beautiful and historic
Congress Hall in CapeMay,NewJersey,onApril 12th, 13th,and 14th, 2012. From its humblebeginnings in
1816 as a simpleboardinghouseforsummervisitors to its historyasasummer retreat forU.S. Presidents
aswellasitsyearsasaBible Conference Center,Congress Hall provides a unique and historic settingfor the
Spring2012 conference. Totallyrestored and redesigned in the late 1990s,Congress Hall is one ofthe
premier resort hotels in southern New Jersey.
The Program and LocalArrangements Committees arealreadyhard at work planning next
year's program and festivities.The preliminarytheme is"Faith, Frolic,and Fundamentals
at the NewJerseyCape."The program will focus on the rich historyand traditions ofthe
Cape,including itsVictorian architecture, itshistoryas a resort destination, and other
regional and historical topics ofinterest.Therewill also bespecial sessions on religious
archives and southern New Jersey historical religious activities,aswell as five special
sessions that emphasizearchival fundamentals for the ever-growingpopulation ofnew
archivists in MARAC.
The Local Arrangements Committee isbeingco-chaired byCape MayCountyClerk Rita
Marie Fulginiti and Cape MayCounty Public Records andArchives Manager Diana Hevener.
The Program Committee co-chairsareAlan Delozier, Head ofArchives at Seton Hall University,and
Bob Golon,Manuscript Librarian at the Princeton Theological Seminary.
More details to follow, but for now,
1 mark your calendars forApril I 2-1 4th, 20 1 2. See you in Cape May!
5
a
Tomv
Not-So-LbbtU Betkiekem
of
MARAC
Beckons uv October
Come to Bethlehem, PA,
October 20-22, forwhat promises to
bea livelymeetingfocused around four
themes: MUSIC,METADATA,METAL, and
MORAVIANS. Drawing from the rich social
and historical context ofthe LehighValley,the
Program Committeehascrafted a program
that explores music from its roots to itsdigital
future.Audio transfertechnologies,digital
preservation and curation,and theappropriate
application ofmetadata standards are all
de rigueurfor this hot topic.We havesome
excitingspeakerslined up tobringyou the
nutsandbolts ofdigital preservation formats,
capturing local historyin atime ofchange,and
planning foryour institution's reorganization.
Much more to come (including thedefinition
ofMoravians!)
Settingthe stage forthese explorationswith a
provocative plenarypresentation will be Seth Moglen,Associate Professor
ofEnglish at Lehigh University. He will argue that the transformation of
Bethlehem from a Utopian religiouscommunityto an industrial steel town
to thebrownfields and casinosoftodayconstitutesan American tragedy.
We'll lighten up the mood at the luncheon with a presentation from Dick
Boak, DirectorofArtist and Public Relations forthe C.F. Martin & Co.in
nearbyNazareth, PA,whowill talkabout Martin's historical contributions
to guitardesign and his collaborations with celebrityguitarartists to
design the signature models madebyMartin Guitar. Hewill bejoined
byMartin clinician and renowned guitarist,CraigThatcher,who will
provide musical vignettes on his Martin guitars.
Arriveearlyand take one offive edifyingworkshops on genealogical
research,audio preservation, electronic records,preservingscrapbooks,
—
orcatablogging. Orsign up foroneofourstellar tour offerings
walkingtour ofthe historic Moravian district that surrounds the hotel
if*
and a chance to experience a Moravian lovefeast; ora tourofthe old
Bethlehem Steel site and neighborhood; oravisit to Martin Guitar,
whereyou'll see the museum,archives,and factory. There will also
be an opportunityto seebehind-the-scenes at Backstage Library
Works,with a special tour oftheir Preservation Center right here in
Bethlehem. Repositoryopen houses will also be offered on Thursday
—
afternoon visit the archivesofthe Moravian Church or Lehigh's
humanities and special collections libraryon your own.
Top:BethlehemSteelWorksfromSouthBethlehem.Pa.Circa 1910.SpecialCollections,Lehigh University.Bottom:Hotel
Bethlehem.Bethlehem.Pa.Circa 1920 SpecialCollections.LehighUniversity.
A highlightofthe meetingwillbe the Friday
night member reception at SteelStacks,
Bethlehem's stunning newconcert, film,and
communityvenue extraordinaire,located at
the foot ofthe Bethlehem Steel's five iconic
blast furnaces.Watchingdarkness fall over
these hulkinggiantswill be an experience to
remember. Registerearlyforyourbest shotat
a room in the Hotel Bethlehem,the conference
hotelanda HistoricTrust hotel built in the
1920s.It is convenientlycloseto restaurants and
shops,includingtheworld's oldest continuously-
operatingbookstore,the Moravian Book Shop,
rightacross the street. Bethlehem isserved bycar,
—
bus,and plane train service isa distant memory.
Howeveryou get to Bethlehem,you're
sure to enjoythis autumnal gatheringof
archivists.
Toptobottom:MartinGuitarsocial.BethlehemSteel
advertisement.Circa 1950.SpecialCollections,Lehigh
University.SouthBethlehemandTheBethlehemSteel
Works.Circa 1910.SpecialCollections,LehighUniversity.
HotelBethlehem,Bethlehem,Pa.Circa 1920.Special
Collections,LehighUniversity.
7
News
State and Local
DELAWARE
Hagley Museum and Library
Hagley Museum and Library Executive
Winterthur Library DirectorGeoffHalfpennyhas announced
"The Butcher, The Baker, &TheTallow the appointment ofa newdirector forthe
Chandler: CraftingTangiblebut Hagley Library.Takingover the leadership
TemporaryGoods in EarlyAmerica"is as Director, LibraryServices,on July 1,
nowon view inside thelibrary. Curated 2011, is Erik P. Rau, Ph.D. Dr. Rau comes
WPAMC
byTyler Putman, 2011, the to Hagley from Drexel Universitywhere
exhibit highlights common items hewas an assistant teachingprofessor in
like meat,bread,and candles thatare the Department ofHistoryand Politics.
destroyed in use. See how published
guides and booksoftrades,craftsmen's Accordingto Mr. Halfpenny,"Asa
accountbooks, invoices, indentures, historian oftechnology, information,and
and even poetryenablethe recreation of organizations, Dr. Rau brings to Hagley
practicesand products ofhistoric trades. a keen understandingofthe issues now
facing independent research librariesand
Start at the case opposite the circulation the insight to guide the Hagley Library
desk to learn about butcheringand into the future."Dr. Rau serveson the
continuedown the staircase to read about board asvice chairperson ofthe Delaware
bakingand candle-making. Theshowwill Humanities Council and is project
beon viewthrough September directoroftheir Delaware Industrial SergeantStephenBuckson.Photo:DelawarePublicArchives.
History Initiative,a digital humanities
The FairyGarland,celebratingthe tenth program ofthe Delaware Humanities
anniversaryofEnchantedWoods, is now Forum.The initiative includes Hagley's ofBuckson,theletterswerewritten
onviewoutside thelibrary. Curated by "Industrial Brandywine"project. to Buckson's wife Harriett from 1862
Linda Eirhart,theexhibit showcases a He earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in the to 1864. Stephen Buckson enlisted in
selection ofpicture cards,postcards, Department ofHistoryand Sociology Wilmington in 1862 and eventually
calendars,and children'sbooks from the ofScience from the Universityof reached the rankofFirst Sergeant in the
Grossman Collection featuring images of Pennsylvania and a B.S. from Stanford Fourth Regiment ofDelawareVolunteers.
fairiesand floral ladies and children. The University. In theseletters,he asksfor information
showwill be up till the end ofJuly. about familyand friendswhile discussing
HagleyMuseum and Librarycollects, thedifferent places his unit had been,the
Temple University preserves, and interprets the unfolding terrible casualties sufferedbythe Union
"Marty Levitt,who teachesArchives at historyofAmerican enterprise. The forces,thedeterioratingcondition of
Temple Universityand is the Librarian HagleyLibraryis a member ofthe the ConfederateArmy; and his feelings
oftheAmerican Philosophical Society, Independent Research Libraries ofloss and isolation. Buckson waskilled
has accepted a Fulbright Specialist Association. Formore information,call duringan attackon the Confederate
appointmentoverpart ofthe summer of [phone]weekdays orvisit www. defenses near Petersburgon June 18,
2011. Levitt is in Kigali, Rwanda,where hagley.org 1864.Archives DirectorStephen M. Marz
he is helping to organize governance statesthat"this isa fascinating firsthand
and administrative structure that will Delaware PublicArchives account ofthe CivilWaras experienced
lead to the openingofthe first public In May, the Delaware PublicArchives bya Delaware soldier.Weare fortunate
library in that country. Rwanda suffered received a donation ofAmerican thatsuch a collection is nowhoused at
a terrible internal genocide in 1994,and CivilWardocuments consistingof the PublicArchives forall to see. It's such
thecountry is findingways to re-build approximately65 original letters a valuable addition to our existingCivil
its cultureand promote healingand written duringthe warbyStephen WarCollection that we've alreadyset upa
reconciliation. Taylor Buckson. Donated bya Florida displayin theArchivesabout these newly
woman who isthegreat-granddaughter acquired primarysource documents.