I know, I know: we’ll actually be in Savannah for the 40th Anniversary and SGA Annual Meeting, and I’m not trying to persuade you to ditch the meeting and spend all of your time sight-seeing. But I imagine that more than a few SGA members will take the opportunity, while in the “Hostess City of the South,” to spend an extra day or two enjoying the city and all (or some) of the cultural and historical venues it has to offer. If you have never been to Savannah, or want to find out about all of the events that will be taking place while we’re in town for the annual meeting, check out the following links:

• Connect Savannah is the free weekly alternative arts and entertainment newspaper in Savannah.
• The wikipedia page for Savannah includes information about its history, points of interest, cultural activities, and sports and recreation
• Savannah Now, the site for the Savannah Morning News, provides information on local news, shopping and events
• The Savannah Area Convention and Visitors Bureau site includes information on tours and local festivals. They have a handy-dandy 124-page visitors guide available online, and can be followed on facebook and twitter or added to your RSS feed.
• Those of you with a weirder sense of adventure may want to check out the Savannah offerings on the Roadside America site (just search for “Savannah”)
• There are lots of cool videos about Savannah tourism, ghosts and history on YouTube, like this preview of a documentary on the First African Baptist Church

Enjoy planning your recreational time in Savannah! Can’t wait to see you there!

*Image courtesy of the Savannah Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website: http://www.savannahvisit.com/media_images.asp, last visited August 25, 2009.

NAME: Luciana Spracher

POSITION: Archivist

INSTITUTION: City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives

How long have you lived in Savannah and how did you come to live there?

15 years this September! I moved to Savannah to get my undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art & Design. It was not my intention to stay longer than the required 4 years, but I love Savannah and here I still am. Plus, it’s a great town if you’re interested in history.

What is the focus of the archives where you work?

The City of Savannh’s Library & Archives has three main functions: Municipal Research; Records Management; and Archives. The original mission of this department was to assisst City staff researching municipal issues they were dealing with. Over time, the department has also taken on the role as Records Manager for the City, assisting and training departments in records management principles and practices, administering the City Records Center, and overseeing annual records dispositions according to the State-issued retention schedules. Going hand in hand with that is our Archival collections component through which we house, preserve and describe the City’s archival and historical records, and assist the City staff and the general public in the use of those records.

What is your favorite thing in your holdings?

I’m partial to the Engineering Department’s m,aps, plans and drawings collections which document the growth and development of Savannah and its unique town plan and beautiful buildings.

What aspect of archival work are you most interested in, especially for the future of the profession?

I get great pleasure out of helping people access and use our collections, so anything that furthers that is of interest to me, be it new finding aids, amking collections available online, exhibits, hosting student groups, etc. I enjoy watching people find and discover.

What is you favorite bar or restaurant in Savannah and why?

Savannah is full of both! I don’t have one favorite. Dowtown, I like Saigon (Thai/Vietnamese) on Broughton Street; Olympia (Greek) on River Street; Mistown Sweet Potatoes is good (home cooking) on Water and Eisenhower; Bar Food is new and fun (fusion and tapas) on Habersham Street.

What is the one thing you think all SGAers should do or see in Savannah?

I think you just need to walk the downtown and explore the squares and Forsyth Park, look at the pretty houses and gardens, and browse the local shops on Broughton Street and Bull Street. You can do the tourist circuit and check out River Street, City Market and Tybee Island. We’ve got lots of great museums (visit the Coastal Museums Association website). I particularly like the Owens-Thomas House and Telfair Museum of Art.

*Image courtesy of the City of Savannah, Research Library &Municipal Archives.

SGA will represent at SAA

Join us on Friday, August 14, from 2:00-3:00 in the Exhibit Hall for the Society of Georgia Archivists’ office hours. We will be promoting our Annual Meeting (November 4-6, 2009) and the newly-launched Forms Forum.

Join us again at 6:00 on Friday for the unofficial SGA Happy Hour at the Driskill Hotel Bar.

The Driskill was built in 1886 as a showplace for a cattle baron. Today it is one of the most elegant hotels in the State of Texas. In addition to it’s convenient location (it’s a short walk from the conference hotel at 117 E. 7th Street), it is next to one of the most important monuments in Austin: the Angelina Eberly statue, commemorating the Texas Archives War. To see the statue (which is on Congress Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets) and learn more about the Texas Archives War, check out this video. There’s also a really good blog post about the Texas Archives War here.

*Image courtesy of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 64, No. 2, p. 178.

Speakers for the 2009 SGA Annual Meeting

Thanks to the wonderful work of the Program Committee (Lynette Stoudt, chair), we are pleased to announce that Beth Yakel has accepted our invitation to speak on the subject of archival metrics. For further information see: http://archivalmetrics.org/. Geof Huth has also accepted our invitation to speak on the subject of the future of electronic records. Here is his SAA bio: http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/instructor-bios/huth.asp. Our Keynote Speaker will be distinguished archivist, educator, and luminary David B. Gracy II (an SGA member for 38 years!).

Be sure to save the date for our Annual Meeting – November 4-6, 2009 at the DeSoto Hilton in Savannah.

GRANT WRITING for Archivists (Register Online)
May 8, 2009
9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Georgia Archives

With the new Obama administration, grant writing is in a transitional stage and archivists need to stay on top of the latest trends. There are more on-line grant applications, better designed evaluations and new social policies that determine grant opportunities. This workshop will help you to stay on top of the latest trends in grant writing as you learn timesaving techniques and shortcuts to help you increase your chances of winning competitive grants.

Students will receive a workbook and other handouts full of grant information and templates. Topics include: Hot fields in grant writing, Grant writing personality styles, Best places to access resources on the web, Key components of a proposal, Grant writing tips and strategies, Grant evaluation techniques, Systems to monitor and analyze grant activities

Instructor: Jack Smith, M.P.A.
Mr. Smith is a nationally recognized grant writer based in Atlanta,Georgia. Since 1987, his consulting practice has provided grant-writing services to more than 150 organizations. In addition, he has taught grant-writing skills for the state governments of Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Vermont and for agencies and clients of the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Cherokee Nation. He serves as adjunct instructor for professional development programs at the University of Southern Maine, the University of Georgia, Emory University, Duke University, and the U.S. CDC’s Management for International Public Health course.

Registration is limited to 30 participants.

Registration includes a box lunch and the class workbook.

To register by mail, download the registration form and mail to:
Society of Georgia Archivists
PO Box 133085
Atlanta, Georgia 30333

PLANNING NEW AND REMODELED ARCHIVAL FACILITIES
March 26-27, 2009

When faced with the task of renovating a building or planning a new one, archivists are often unfamiliar with the building process and information needed by architects and contractors. This 2-day workshop provides you with the knowledge and skills required to work successfully with architects, engineers, and/or facilities managers to design and build new or remodeled archival work, reference, storage, and public spaces designed to meet the needs of individual archival programs, their staff, and their users.

Using lectures, case studies and exercises, your instructor address these issues, including technical requirements, building renovation, equipment (e.g., shelving), and moving an archival collection into the facility. A tour of the Georgia Archives concludes the program on Day Two.

Participants: Archivists planning new or remodeled facilities who have a basic understanding of archival principles and procedures and how those interact with archival facilities. This workshop is also useful to managers of larger archival facilities who carry out minor or major renovation projects on an ongoing basis.

Instructor: Tom Wilsted, an archival consultant specializing in archival facilities and archival management.

For more details and to register, visit the continuing education section of the SAA website (http://www.archivists.org/menu.asp?m=education).

Members of the Society of Georgia Archivists are eligible for a $25 discount of the SAA nonmember rate. Please contact Elizabeth Russey at erussey@emory.edu for the promotional code.

Location for the SGA Happy Hour at SAA

Johnny Foley’s Irish House
243 O’Farrell St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-954-0777
www.johnnyfoleys.com

Friday, August 29
6-7 p.m.

DIRECTIONS FROM THE CONFERENCE HOTEL: Exit the Hilton San Francisco using the O’Farrell St. entrance. Turn right out of the hotel and walk less than 2 blocks. Foley’s Irish House is on the right, just past the Hotel Nikko. There’s a big “Irish House” sign marking the entrance. You can’t miss it!

It’s very close to the conference hotel, and it has a great, friendly atmosphere. Come buy your beverage of choice, and socialize with current, former, and potential SGAers!

SGA reception, office hours at SAA-San Francisco

I want to remind everyone about SGA’s reception at the SAA Annual Meeting in San Francisco next week. The reception is scheduled for Friday, August 29 from 6-7 p.m. in the Hilton San Francisco. We hope that everyone who’s attending SAA will come and socialize with us!

SGA will also hold office hours during SAA, on Friday, August 29 from 11 am-12 noon, during the Exhibit Hall Brunch. Drop by and see us, and encourage anyone interested in joining SGA to come by. We’ll have brochures, SGA pencils, and information on the SGA Annual Meeting, as well as a friendly welcome to all.

The exact location in the Hilton for the reception is not known yet, but the information will be on the SAA wiki of unofficial events (http://www.ibiblio.org/saawiki/2008/index.php/Unofficial_Events) and the SGA Facebook page by Wednesday evening (8/27). We will also have the location available at SGA’s office hours on Friday morning.

Please spread the word, and bring along any former, current, or potential SGA members. All are welcome!

See you in San Francisco,

Christine de Catanzaro
SGA Vice President/President-Elect
Chair, SGA Membership Committee