Author: SGA Communications Director

Continuing Education Opportunities at the 2013 Tri-State Meeting

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The Society of Georgia Archivists, Society of North Carolina Archivists, and South Carolina Archival Association have collaborated to provide three wonderful educational opportunities at this year’s Tri-State Meeing in Greenville, SC.  See below for details and registration information for the SGA-sponsored oral history workshop. We look forward to seeing you in October!


Beyond Preservation: Oral History as a Dynamic Archival Tool

Question: What do archivists need to know about oral history interviews, and why?
Answer: The more, the better.   Archivists with a good working knowledge of oral history can be much more than preservationists: they can help to create dynamic, rich collections that have the potential to strengthen other archival holdings and generate more public interest.   In this day-long workshop, we will explore the process of creating and utilizing oral history interviews, from conception to dissemination.

Questions we will ask (and attempt to answer) include, for example: How can I find money to fund an oral history project?  What equipment should I use to record the interview, and under what conditions should I use it?  What kind of research and preparation should be done before conducting the interview?  What sorts of questions should I ask, and how should I deal with difficult or sensitive issues that come up during the interview?  What are the legal considerations in managing an oral history project?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of oral history interviews as research tools?   How can I use oral history collections to reach a broader public, and/or a more diverse demographic?
At the end of the day, you’ll be ready to launch an oral history project of your own.

Instructor:  Arwen Donahue
Participation limited to 30.
Cost: $85


Upcoming DAS Workshop: Appraisal of Electronic Records

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Date:
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Location:
Kennesaw State University Center
3333 Busbee Dr. NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144

Increasingly, archival records are created in electronic formats. As a result, archives of all types need to be responsible for the preservation of electronic records. After a review of the fundamental principles of archival appraisal and appraisal policies, you’ll be introduced to the unique issues that need to be addressed when appraising electronic records. Case studies will highlight the practical aspects of appraisal when dealing with electronic records.

Upon completing this course you’ll be able to:

  • Develop an appraisal policy for your archives.
  • Include electronic records on records retention and disposal schedules.
  • Address technical issues (such as metadata, software dependence, etc.) that arise when appraising electronic records.
  • Appraise electronic records for your archives.
Who should attend? Archivist Practitioners, Records Managers. Anyone responsible for the archival appraisal of electronic records.

What should you know already? Archival appraisal of records, as well as some basic knowledge about digital preservation and electronic records.

Workshop Fees

Registration Type Fees: Early-Bird / Regular
Full Registration #1337
SAA Member: $185 / $235
Employees of Member Institutions: $210 / $260
Nonmember: $235 / $285

Register for the workshop here.
Attendance limited to 35.

Help Stop Impending Budget Cuts at the NHPRC

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The NHPRC is facing severe budget cuts which could cripple the organization’s ability to carry out its legal mandate, which in turn seriously impedes the capacity of repositories nationwide to care for our nation’s heritage and make it available for use by our citizens.  I’m sure many of our repositories have benefitted in some way from NHPRC funding and so we understand the vital service that this organization provides.
Georgia Representative Tom Graves is a member of the Financial Services Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.  Georgia Representatives Jack Kingston and Sanford Bishop are also members of the House Appropriations Committee.  If you’re a constituent of one of these representatives, please take a moment to call Representatives Graves, Kingston and Bishop’s offices and voice your support for level funding for the NHPRC as part of the National Archives budget. 
If you are not a constituent of one of these representatives, or are not a resident of Georgia,  you can still contact Subcommittee Chair Ander Crenshaw (Florida) or Ranking Member Jose Serrano (New York) to express your support.  You can find contact information for the legislators here.
You can find more information about the budget cuts in the SAA Action Alert and in this article.

Call for Posters – Tri-State Conference

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Call for Posters – Tri-State Conference


Prepared in Mind and Resources:
Collaboration, Relevance, and the Re-Imagined Archives


The 2013 Tri-State Program Committee invites submissions for poster proposals for the annual meeting of the Society of North Carolina Archivists, South Carolina Archival Association, and the Society of Georgia Archivists at the Furman University’s Younts Center in Greenville, South Carolina, October 17-18, 2013. Submissions may address any perspective on this theme as it applies to current issues in the local, state, national, or international sphere of the archival field. Notification of Program Committee decisions will be made by June 28, 2013.

Proposals that incorporate any of the following are encouraged:
Collaboration – projects focused on working with non-archives professionals, historians, researchers, or other stakeholders
Relevance – innovative ways archivists continue to remain relevant through continuing education, outreach, advocacy, and diversity
Re-Imaging Archives – digital projects, virtual reference, changes to meet user needs

PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN
Monday, June 3, 2013

Please find the Poster Proposal Form and submission details online here.

The Future of Resource Sharing

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The Future of Resource Sharing
Friday, May 17
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Mercer University, Macon, GA
Presented by OCLC and Lyrasis

The world of archives and special collections has traditionally been what those both inside and outside the field would call “isolated.” The description, though commonly apt, is not intentional. Few archivists want anything more than increased access to, and greater use of, their collections. With this in mind, changes in resource sharing and the development of sophisticated tools and prescient systems and practices may offer far more to the archivist than meets the eye.

Toward that end, OCLC and Lyrasis are teaming to bring together resource sharing practitioners, systems and policy developers, archivists and librarians to share information, tackle questions and challenges, and initiate a broader discussion about access, dissemination, and cooperation. They will hold a FREE, one day conference May 17 at Mercer University in Macon.

Topics will include WorldShare (inheritor of Worldcat), metadata for cataloging, systems and tools, institutional repositories, statistics and copyright. Speakers from OCLC, Lyrasis, Atlas Systems, the Digital library of Georgia, among others will lead the discussion. Though initiated by the speakers, the discussion is meant to be as much of an open forum as possible.

The conference is designed for anyone with an interest in resource sharing, institutional partnership, or bringing greater access and visibility to their collections. This is an opportunity for archivists, librarians, tools and policy makers remove some barriers to communication, and begin to envision how we all may be able work together to meet the ever-growing demands of digital materials, and needs of the researchers who use them.

A link to the registration page may be found here:
https://www.lyrasis.org/pages/eventdetail.aspx?eid=22c594f8-cf90-e211-8d82-002219586f0d

And those interested may contact: russell.palmer@lyrasis.org.

Call for Session Proposals – SNCA/SGA/SCAA Conference 2013

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Prepared in Mind and Resources:
Collaboration, Relevance, and the Re-Imagined Archives

The 2013 Tri-State Program Committee invites submissions for session proposals for the annual meeting of the Society of North Carolina Archivists, South Carolina Archival Association, and the Society of Georgia Archivists at the Furman University’s Younts Center in Greenville, South Carolina, October 17-18, 2013. This year’s theme, Prepared in Mind and Resources, reflects the work of archivists, who often have to balance the theoretical and practical aspects of the profession. Submissions may address any perspective on this theme as it applies to current issues in the local, state, national, or international sphere of the archival field. Notification of Program Committee decisions will be made by June 7, 2013.

Download the proposal form here.

Proposals that incorporate any of the following are encouraged:
  • Collaboration – projects focused on working with non-archives professionals, historians, researchers, or other stakeholders
  • Relevance – innovative ways archivists continue to remain relevant through continuing education, outreach, advocacy, and diversity
  • Re-Imaging Archives – digital projects, virtual reference, changes to meet user needs
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN
Friday, May 3, 2013
Email proposals to:
Jennifer Motszko
j_motszk@uncg.edu

NEW Continuing Education Opportunity, May 3, 2013

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Making Sense of a Media Collection
May 3, 2013 in Athens

Workshop Description

This daylong workshop aims to demystify audiovisual media collections, giving archivists a nuts-and-bolts, practical overview of the issues facing audio and moving image materials. Topics covered will include:

  • Historical and current film, audio, and video formats
  • Film, audio, and video production practices, and how they are reflected in archival materials
  • Deterioration of film and magnetic media, recommended storage conditions, and appropriate handling practices
  • Triage and prioritization of a/v collections
  • Basic approaches to digitization
  • Online and other resources for guidance about a/v preservation

As part of the workshop, we will examine samples of unprocessed audiovisual collection materials, in order to provide real-world examples of the principles discussed.

In addition, participants will be able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the University of Georgia’s new Special Collections Libraries facility, including the audiovisual media lab dedicated to care of The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection.

Registration:
IMAP Members, SGA Members, UGA Staff: $100

Nonmembers: $150

Artists and Students: $50

To register, please visit the IMAP site.

For more information on the workshop, or to learn about other upcoming opportunities, visit the SGA Education page!

 

Attend the EAC-CPF Workshop, March 13

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Start the New Year with SAA education at no cost! How? Complete this scholarship application by January 18!

Encoded Archival Context – Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families (EAC-CPF)
March 13 in Atlanta

Workshop Description
How can EAC-CPF enhance your institution’s records – and how can you get started using it? In this workshop you’ll learn how to create EAC-CPF records, with hands-on application of the elements to existing data; discuss balancing existing data with additional data components as part of an implementation strategy; and examine existing projects to consider how EAC-CPF may be implemented locally, regionally, or nationally.

Upon completing this workshop you’ll have:

  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the EAC-CPF standard and the companion content standard ISAAR (CPF);
  • Explored the metadata scheme design, including elements and attributes defined to reflect that design:
    • XML techniques used to incorporate data from allied standards
    • Current XML techniques leveraged in the standard;
·  Created EAC-CPF record content from existing data structures, such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File, United List of Artists Names, biographical resources, and other related sources; and
·  Exposure to EAC-CPF projects underway in the United States and internationally.Who should attend? Practicing archivists who are interested in the development and design of the EAC-CPF standard, who want to learn more about this standard, and who want to consider how it could be implemented in their repositories or consortia.

    To see what other workshops and DAS courses SAA is offering, please visit our Education Calendar.

    Continued coverage of the Georgia Archives

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    A new story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details the ongoing transition of the Georgia Archives.While the story discusses the ongoing efforts of the Friends of Georgia Archives to raise awareness of the situation with state legislators, it does not mention the recently announced working group that will submit to the legislature a plan of transfer for the Archives to the University System of Georgia.

    Read the full story here: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/georgia-archives-supporters-remain-nervous/nTnxX/