The Georgia Archives Month Committee wants to help shine a “spotlight” on our fellow archives. To help promote your programs for Georgia Archives Month, apply for the 2014 Spotlight on Archives Grant. Applications will be accepted through June 1. Apply now: http://ow.ly/vzWEC
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Call for 2014 SGA Annual Meeting Session Proposals: Plans and Strategies for the Future of Archives
The Society of Georgia Archivists’ Program Committee proudly announces the theme for the 2014 annual meeting: Plans and Strategies for the Future of Archives.
The Committee invites you to attend the meeting, to be held at The Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, November 5-7, 2014.
Plans and Strategies for the Future of Archives pushes archives professionals to reflect on the various theories, strategies, and the preparations that go into the new and innovative approaches we take in conducting our work. For the 2014 annual meeting, the Program Committee is seeking presentations on the following topics:
- Unfinished projects or those still in the planning stages, discussing ideas and theories that were or are being discussed, or completed projects in which there was a significant and interesting strategies and paths that were pursued.
- Plans and ideas on how best to tackle issues that face archives and archivists, thoughts on best practices and reviewing standards whether it be new approaches to processing, offering access, or advocacy. How are archivists being innovative and are there better ways to use our resources.
- Digital projects, virtual reference, changes to meet user needs, new considerations, and thoughts on how to create better ways to interact with users. How are archivists molding technology to our own needs and to those of our users?
This year’s theme, Plans and Strategies for the Future of Archives, reflects the primary steps and considerations that face archivists when proposing new projects and programs.
Click here for SGA Session Proposal Form
Proposals must be submitted no later than Friday, May 2, 2014. Email proposals to: lstarratt [at] gmail.com.
National History Day Needs You! Submit Your Topic Ideas and Host a Round Up
National History Day (NHD) engages K-12 students in history through hands-on experiences, project-based learning activities, presentations, and competitions.
The NHD Mentoring Program at LaGrange College, in association with the Georgia Humanities Council, is organizing the first ever NHD Round Up in the state of Georgia. They are encouraging archives, museums, local historical societies, and libraries to open their doors to local NHD students during Saturdays in October. On “Round Up Saturdays,” these institutions will introduce NHD students to their facilities and holdings and assist them as they engage in research.
How your archives can get involved:
1) To help students develop topics, the NHD Mentoring Program is asking participating institutions to prepare a list of local and regional history topics relevant to their collections. The 2015 NHD theme, “Leadership and Legacy in History,” is particularly well suited to local and regional history topics. Your list should include both topics and the collections that address those topics.
2) Consider whether, in addition to providing a topic/collection list, your institution would be willing to host a Round Up day for NHD student researchers during the month of October. Saturdays are best, but if your institution isn’t open on Saturdays, you can designate a regular business day for the Round Up.
3) Email your institution’s topic/collections list and chosen Round Up date by July 15 to NHD Mentoring Program coordinator Dr. Kevin Shirley (kshirley [at] lagrange.edu), who will post them on the program’s website: http://www.lagrange.edu/nhd.
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About the NHD Mentoring Program at LaGrange College:
The NHD Mentoring Program at LaGrange College exists to promote the power and value of historical study, education and research through National History Day. Our program provides support to students and teachers throughout the process, from topic selection to competition preparation. We offer teacher and student workshops, serve as a web based clearinghouse for information, resources and ongoing education, answer research and project development queries from students and teachers, host the West Georgia Regional NHD Competition and provide support at the Georgia NHD State and National Competitions. Our goals are simple: (1) Help Georgia’s students experience as positive and powerful an experience through NHD as possible, (2) Help Georgia’s Teachers enjoy as much NHD success as possible, and (3) help Georgia become nationally known for the strength of it’s NHD program. Please visit the program’s website at www.lagrange.edu/nhd. If you have any questions about the program or would like to learn more about NHD and the ways in which you can help, please contact the program coordinator, Dr. Kevin Shirley at kshirley [at] lagrange.edu or by phone at (706) 880-8033.
WORKSHOP FULL: A Guerrilla Approach to Digital Archives workshop – March 14
A Guerrilla Approach to Digital Archives
March 14, 2014
Georgia Archives
Morrow, GA
10:00 – 4:30 p.m.
This workshop has reached participant capacity; registration is now closed. Thank you for your interest in SGA’s continuing education opportunities.
This one day workshop will introduce archivists to digital archives, explaining the basic concepts of curating and preserving electronic records in terms of traditional archival practice. Participants will learn practical things they can do to acquire, preserve, and provide access to electronic records with limited resources and technical expertise.
Creating and sustaining a robust, trustworthy digital archives is hard work. The problems are complex, and even more perplexing as technology evolves and presents new problems. At the same time, archivists don’t have to build an ideal system. Instead, a “guerrilla approach” looks for short-term tactics – inexpensive, simple steps that can help archivists move in the direction of the strategic ideal. Breaking digital archives into smaller pieces makes the problem manageable.
In this workshop, participants will discuss the core functions of digital archives and how they parallel traditional archives. Which records should be selected and acquired? How should those records be arranged and described? How should they be housed and preserved? And what about access? Participants will learn how their existing knowledge can be adapted to digital archives.
The facilitator, Richard Pearce-Moses, will lead participants through a series of questions, call for possible solutions, and suggest some of his own.
To get the most from the workshop, participants should understand the fundamentals of archival practice – appraisal and selection, arrangement and description, housing and preservation, reference and access. They should have a good computers skills – word processing, browsing the web, email, copying and renaming files, and creating folders. They do not need more advanced knowledge, such as programming, database design, programming, or web design. (Individuals with experience in digital archives or advanced skills are welcome to come and contribute to the conversation!)
Lunch will be provided for all participants!
Registration fee: $25.
Register here.
If you have any questions please contact Education Committee Chair Heather Oswald at hoswald@kennesaw.edu.
Governor Deal Requests Additional Funds for Georgia Archives in FY2015
Update on Governor Deal’s funding FY2015 funding requests for the Georgia Archives, from GeorgiaArchivesMatters:
“Gov. Nathan Deal recently released his budget requests for Fiscal Year 2015
The governor requested an increase of $476,041 for operating the Archives. The sum includes $460,000 to allow the Archives to open to the public five days a week and to hire six additional employees. The remaining funds would be used for adjustments to employees’ retirement, insurance and salaries.
In addition, the governor recommended an expenditure of $957,910 for maintenance of the Archives building.
[…]
The budget still must go through the legislative process, which generally does not end until near the end of the session.
[…]
Contact your legislators at least once during this session, just to let them know we are still watching. Thank the lawmakers, Gov. Deal and the Board of Regents for their support. They will be watching, too. Now that the Archives will be open five days a week, it is important that researchers use the facility we all have worked so hard to save.”
For details on the Governor’s request, see pages 69-70 of http://www.house.ga.gov/budget/Documents/2015_FiscalYear/FY_2015_Tracking_Govs_Rec.pdf.
CANCELED – Educational Opportunity – Digital Preservation for Video and Audio
(CANCELED) INDEPENDENT MEDIA ARTS PRESERVATION PRESENTS:
Two Full-Day Workshops:
DIGITAL PRESERVATION FOR VIDEO and DIGITAL PRESERVATION FOR AUDIO
DIGITAL PRESERVATION FOR VIDEO and DIGITAL PRESERVATION FOR AUDIO
November 1-2, 2013
10 AM – 4 PM
Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries
300 S. Hull Street
Athens, Georgia 30602
DIGITAL PRESERVATION FOR VIDEO
If content on videotape is to survive for the long term, tapes must be digitized: moved from unstable magnetic media on which the content is currently held, into the digital realm where—in theory—they can be preserved indefinitely and migrated forward as files rather than physical objects. Digitization, however, means more than simply selecting a destination file format. It requires a series of decisions that will determine the long-term viability of files created—and thus the fate of the valuable video content. This workshop will help participants understand the multiple factors that must be considered in developing a successful video digitization program.
Workshop topics include:
- Basic digital file creation
- Preservation and access file formats and codecs
- Software for file creation and playback
- Storage options
- Workflows for digitization
In addition, participants will examine case studies of small and large-scale digitization project in order to understand real-world applications of principles introduced in the workshop.
DIGITAL PRESERVATION FOR AUDIO
Many library and archival collections contain a wide array of audio materials, ranging from lacquer discs to multiple of tape and cassette formats. All are now faced with the increasing rarity of playback machines and the expertise needed to maintain them. Moreover, magnetic media is especially prone to physical degradation over time—degradation that can be very difficult to detect until a tape is played back. CD’s are also subject to rapid degradation and decay. This workshop is aimed at artists, archivists, and librarians who are tasked with the care of audio materials in their collections with the goal of helping them make the right choices for long-term preservation.
Workshop topics include:
- Identifying audio disc and tape formats
- Collection inspection, survey, and triage
- Proper storage for magnetic and optical media
- Determining preservation and access file formats
- Quality control and relations with outside digitization vendors
INSTRUCTOR Jeff Martin is a 2005 graduate of New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation MA program, and recipient of a post-graduate research fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution in 2007. Other recent projects include assessment of audiovisual materials in the archive of Nam June Paik, as well as collection care projects for the Seattle Art Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. In April 2012, he organized the symposium TechFocus II: Caring For Film and Slide Installation Art, at the Hirshhorn. He supervised preservation content for the online Media Art Resource developed by Electronic Arts Intermix, and IMAP—Independent Media Arts Preservation. He currently serves as IMAP’s Executive Director.
INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS
IMAP Members: $100
Nonmembers: $150
Artists and Students: $50
BOTH WORKSHOPS
IMAP Members: $175
Nonmembers: $250
Artists & Students: $75
Registration: www.imappreserve.org
Questions: imap@imappreserve.org
Continuing Education Opportunities at the 2013 Tri-State Meeting
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
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
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
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.
