If you are a member of the Society of American Archivists, don’t forget to vote in the current SAA Elections! Voting is open now until April 11, 2010. Vote here.
Did you know that a SGA member is up for election? Kaye Lanning Minchew of the Troup County Archives (LaGrange, GA) is a candidate for Council. Learn about her and her plans for SAA here. You can find out what Kaye and her crew are up to at the Troup County Archives webpage.
Over the past few years, some SGA members have expressed the desire to have a state-wide EAD project. Given the University of Georgia’s and the Digital Library ofGeorgia’s recent successes in developing finding aid databases, we are wondering if now might be the time to leverage our expertise to develop a state-wide EAD database. As a first tentative step we’d like to gauge interest and basic institutional needs before deciding whether such a project might be feasible. We would greatly appreciate it if SGA members at Georgia repositories would take a few minutes to fill out our brief (only 10 questions) survey.
The survey can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2FNDJ3X .
We appreciate your feedback. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shiela McAlister at mcalists@uga.edu.
Now that the Preserving the American Record (PAHR), has passed in the House, it’s time for archivists all over the country to start working on the Senate.
For those who are unfamiliar with PAHR, it is “a bill to provide federal formula grants to every state for projects that preserve historical records and make them more accessible.”
No matter what facet of the archival/library/museum world you work in, PAHR affects YOU!
To learn more about the bill, and how to contact your Senators to ask for their support, visit the PAHR page on the SAA website.
Coming soon: SGA’s own “Legislative Action” page!
Sorry you missed the More Product, Less Process presentation at the annual meeting?
Want to know how to alleviate backlogs in your repository?
Join SGA as we co-sponsor our annual Spring Workshop with the Society of American Archivists. “Implementing More Product, Less Process” will be given on May 17, 2010, location TBD. Check the SGA website for registration details soon.
SGA’s Scholarship Committee awards the Banks Scholarship to an SGA member who would like to attend. Check out http://www.soga.org/banks to learn about how to apply.
SAA’s description of the workshop:
Backlogs don’t have to weigh as heavily as they do! Focus on implementing concrete strategies for increasing processing rates and reducing backlogs, as outlined in the Greene-Meissner article, “More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing,” and learn as you share information and experiences with fellow workshop participants. Topics include appraisal, arrangement, description, digitization, and preservation, as well as development of processing plans, policies, and benchmarks. This array of topics is addressed through lecture, case studies, and group discussion.
Workshop objectives:
Who should attend? Archivists who process archival collections or manage archival processing programs and administrators interested in processing procedures within their repositories (introductory to intermediate levels).
For more information, contact the SGA Education Committee at education@soga.org
SGA is very close to meeting the David B. Gracy Award challenge to raise $1,000 by March 2010. So far, we have raised $792.92.
Congratulations to Brittany Bennett Parris, SGA Webmaster and archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, on being included in SAA’s Archival Haiku publication!
*Image “courtesy” of eHow.
What is it?
The SGA Mentoring Program was created to help archivists at all career levels establish a personal learning relationship with other archivists around the state. By matching mentors and mentees based on geographic location and areas of professional interest, the goal is to encourage growth and help participants develop competencies and create a stronger, more cohesive group of archivists in Georgia at the same time. By sharing a little time and knowledge with a colleague, everyone benefits.
What topics can you learn about or share with others?
acquisition, appraisal, arrangement, description, outreach, access, reference, preservation, cataloging, metadata, exhibits, management, lone arranging, congressional records, academic archives, records management, digital collections, private archives, corporate archives, religious archives, rare books, new technologies, special collections and libraries, museums, manuscripts, visual resources, local and state government, and audio/moving image resources.
(Don’t see a topic of interest? Make a note on your application.)
Who can participate? Anyone!
Mentees –
If you are new to the profession or a student and would like establish a personal relationship with an established, experienced archivist, consider applying for a mentor.
If you are a mid-career archivist looking for extra guidance and another growth spurt in your professional development, consider applying for a mentor.
If you are in the final stretch of your career and are interested in taking the time to learn about newer initiatives and trends or just refreshing yourself on the basics, consider applying for a
mentor.
Mentors –
If you have at least three years of experience in the archival profession or extensive knowledge in a particular area of archival expertise (see the list above) and want to share your knowledge, please consider applying.
When will the program take place?
Mentoring matches made in this program will last for one calendar year, although mentors and mentees have the option of extending the match. Applications are due at the end of January and matches will be made by the end of February. Mentors and mentees will spend the rest of 2010 working together. All program participants who attend the SGA Annual Meeting in Augusta will receive recognition for their hard work.
How to apply
Visit www.soga.org/mentor and fill out a PDF application to be a mentor or mentee. Email the application to mentoring@soga.org or print and mail it to the address at the bottom of the page.
For more information or questions….
Visit www.soga.org/mentor, contact the Mentoring Committee at mentoring@soga.org, or feel free to contact any of the committee members listed below.
2010 SGA Mentoring Committee
Kristy Dixon, University of Georgia
Allison Hughes, Atlanta University CenterCynthia Lewis, The King Center
Nora Lewis, Georgia Historical Society
Luciana Spracher, City of Savannah Archives
Renna Tuten, Chair, University of Georgia
*Image “courtesy” of Texas State University Mentoring and Support Programs.
Start 2010 off right with a visit to the SGA web site!
sogablog.org 