Author: SGA Communications Director

SGA 2012 Call for Submissions

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The Society of Georgia Archivists Program Committee announces a call for presentation proposals for the 2012 SGA Annual Conference.

The SGA Annual Conference will take place this year in beautiful Saint Simon’s Island, Georgia, on November 8th and 9th, 2012.

The conference theme is Brave New World: Next Steps in the Archives Profession.

The Program Committee is soliciting presentation proposals for sessions touching on a variety of topics under this theme, including:

  • Practical and theoretical foundations for new archivists, including appraisal, accessioning, arrangement and description, and public service approaches
  • Making digital resources accessible by creating useful descriptive metadata, promoting interoperability standards for the distribution of digital content, investigating content management software, strategies, etc.
  • Project Management- from various angles for anyone managing any kind of project, including personnel management, project life cycle, concrete tools and techniques, strategic planning, etc.
  • Electronic Records Primer- intro covering the appraisal, maintenance, use, and preservation of born-digital records, and ways to address the challenges of technological change and format obsolescence
  • Self Assessment-  tools and methods archivists use to self evaluate and measure our impact, determine needs for improvement, prove value, and structure workflow
  • Electronic Preservation Case Studies- examples from the archives community of working digital preservation strategies, including successes, failures and next steps.

Interested individuals should submit proposals here by March 30 for consideration. If you have any questions, please contact the SGA 2012 Program Committee at program@soga.org.

New exhibit: "Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting"

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Duluth Cadette Troop 1941 of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta invites you visit the new exhibit to “Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting.”

The exhibit will open February 3, 2012, through April 28, 2012. The public will be able to learn more about the history of Girl Scouting and view artifacts such as original handbooks and uniforms on loan from the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Archives.

An original uniform (not a replica), circa 1914-1928. When the girls earned badges, they sewed them on their sleeves instead of a separate sash or vest as you see today. Some of the very first Girl Scouts in 1912 even had to embroider the badge before sewing it on, since there was not a ready-made supplier. A large crowned hat with “GS” pin on the front band would have been worn with this uniform.


The exhibit at the Duluth City Hall will feature information regarding current troops and the service they perform within the community. An open house will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2012, from 3:00-5:00 pm at the Strickland House.

The Cadette troop also encourages the public to bring their memories and pictures to share of Girl Scouting in Gwinnett County, as they are compiling a more complete history of Girl Scouting in this area of Georgia. Artifacts from several local families are featured in the exhibit, including a 1930s era uniform.

Pocket from a Senior Girl Scout Mariner uniform. The program began in 1934 and is still active, although there are not very many Mariner troops left. In the program, the girls learned all about sailing, and often took weekend long trips in boats. Some of the volunteer Archives members were Mariners when they were younger, and recall sailing up and down the eastern seaboard. There was another program which began in 1941 called the Wing Scout Program. The girls in this program learned all about aviation, but was phased out in the 1970s.



The entrance to the Duluth Historical Society Museum is free for members, or $3 per adult and $1 per student. The Duluth Historical Society Museum is located at 2956 Buford Highway, Duluth, GA 30096, and can be reached at 770-232-7584.


*Photographs and captions courtesy of Pamela Nye.

Show Your Support for Georgia Archives Month!

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It’s time to begin the celebration of Georgia Archives Month with a proclamation from the Governor!

The Georgia Archives Month Committee is going to have a photo op on Thursday, September 1st with Governor Nathan Deal.  We will be celebrating his proclamation of October as Georgia Archives Month. Please come and join us at 10:30 a.m. at the Governor’s Office (Room 203) at the State Capitol.  This is a great opportunity to publicize our cultural institutions statewide.
For further information, please contact the Georgia Archives Month committee at ga.archivesmonth@gmail.com

*Too see more photographs of last year’s GAM presentation by Governor Sonny Perdue, like the photograph included above, please visit  http://tinyurl.com/3t2zjhb

SGA at SAA

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Attending the SAA Annual Meeting in Chicago this month? Meet up with other current, new and prospective SGA members on Thursday, August 25.

SGA Office Hours are 6:30-7-30 p.m. at the SAA Exhibit Hall. Stop by the SGA Booth and say “Hello!” We will be promoting our Annual Meeting (November 3-4, 2011), encouraging contributions to Provenance and handing out our fabulous SGA mechanical pencils!

SGA Mixer is at 8:30-9:30 p.m. at the Sweetwater Tavern and Grille. The Sweetwater is a comfortable, fun bar just a short walk from the conference hotel. Come buy your beverage of choice and have a good time catching up with other Georgia archivists and friends.

DIRECTIONS FROM THE CONFERENCE HOTEL: Exit the Hyatt Regency using the E. Wacker Dr. entrance. Turn left out of the hotel and walk 1 block. Turn left onto N. Michigan Ave. and walk 1 block. Cross S. Water St. The Sweetwater will be on your left at 225 N. Michigan Ave.
See you Chicago!
Marie Force
Chair, SGA Membership Committee

NAGARA/CoSA Joint Annual Meeting

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The NAGARA/CoSA Joint Annual Meeting will be held July 13-16, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Two SGA members will be presenting at the meeting: Kaye Minchew (Troup County Historical Society and Archives) and David Carmicheal (Georgia Archives). Ms. Minchew will be speaking about Friends of Archives groups, while Mr. Carmicheal will be a part of a panel discussing the CoSA/NAGARA/SAA Joint Task Force for the Preserving the American Historical Record (PAHR) Act.

You can learn more about the annual meeting, or register, at http://www.nagara.org/displayconvention.cfm

SGA President’s Award

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Nominations Accepted June 1 – July 15, 2011
Award Presented in November 2011 during Annual Meeting Reception
The President’s Award recognizes an individual, organization, or institution outside the archival profession that makes significant contributions to the archival profession.   Contributions may take the form of advocacy, publicity, legislation, financial support, or a similar action that fosters archival work or raises public consciousness of the importance of archival work. Contributions should have broad, long-term impact at the state level or beyond.  
The SGA President is currently accepting nominations for the 2011 President’s Award.   Nominations should include full contact information including address, email and telephone numbers, as well as a brief narrative justification (less than 250 words) about why you are nominating the particular individual, institution, or organization. 
Nominations can be emailed, faxed or mailed to:
Christine Wiseman
SGA President, 2011
Georgia Archives
5800 Jonesboro Road
Morrow, GA 30260
678-364-3761 (tel)
678-364-3860 (fax)
cwiseman@sos.ga.gov

Edward Weldon Scholarship

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Are you planning to attend the SAA Annual Conference in Chicago, August 22-27? Consider SGA’s Edward Weldon Scholarship, which includes the cost of registration. The deadline to apply is June 1, 2011.
This scholarship covers the early bird registration fee for the annual meeting of SAA for one SGA member.  All SGA members (as of February 1, 2011) and Georgia residents are eligible. Preference will be given to applicants who do not have access to institutional support.
The scholarship recipient is responsible for registering prior to the early-bird deadline. After the SAA meeting, the recipient will be asked to write a short article about the experience for the SGA Newsletter.
The Edward Weldon Scholarship was established in 2000 in honor of Ed Weldon, the first Georgian to serve as president of SAA and a founding member and first president of SGA.  Weldon worked to preserve and provide access to Georgia’s historical records. During his almost twenty years at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Weldon was a driving force behind the creation of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board, which provides funding for valuable projects.
To apply, visit http://soga.org/scholarships/weldon.

Outreach Collaborative Idea: Providing “Real World” Client Experience

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This collaboration began in the fall of 2010 and continued through the spring of 2011, with plans to continue due to its success as an experiential learning experience and promotional tool for Special Collections.


Special Collections of Georgia College & State University deems promotion and outreach an important goal as it is more important than ever to validate the significance of archival materials and services, especially during current economic difficulties. To achieve this, collaborations were implemented to provide educational experiences for authentic learning and impactful promotion of the department’s rotating exhibit and special projects. Generally, the department works with history, English, political science and other liberal arts majors. However, a simple conversation brought together an unlikely pairing; Special Collections and a (Marketing/Communications) Publications Design class. 

Special Collections and the class teamed up to create a “real-world” client-based experience. In this collaboration, students learned about the importance of primary source research and the function of archives. Special Collections then tasked the students to design two posters (using the department’s photographs) advertising a future exhibit, “Health Education in Review” and the department’s oral history initiative, “The Legacy Project.” A week after projects were assigned, students presented their proofs to Special Collections staff members who critiqued posters for clarity of information and visual impact. The students then spent two weeks editing their work. Special Collections’ personnel made a final visit to select the two winning poster designs which were showcased on campus and throughout the local area. 

Special Collections would like to thank Professor Macon McGinley for providing the opportunity and enthusiasm for this exciting experience and to congratulate 2011’s two winners, Michele McGuire and Diane Health. McGuire said, “I loved the creative freedom associated with designing a poster for Special Collections’ Legacy Project. As a student, I am sincerely appreciative of the educational opportunity and the recognition of my design as it is showcased around the Milledgeville community.” Heath stated that “the ‘Health Education in Review’ exhibit is full of books and lessons that our alumni were taught. It was interesting to see what information was taught back then to help students stay healthy in every aspect of their lives.”



Please contact Special Collections for further information about the Legacy Project, exhibit, or collaboration by calling (478) 445-0988 or by emailing scinfo@gcsu.edu.


*Contributed by Katherine Pope, Georgia College & State University.