Society of Southwest Archivists

News

  • 08 Mar 2017 9:47 AM | Melissa Gottwald

    Registration is open for the annual meeting in Fayetteville, May 24-27.


    Visit the annual meeting page to register, download the program, and find out more about what the annual meeting has in store for you!

  • 29 Nov 2016 11:27 AM | Melissa Gottwald

    The SSA Program Committee has extended the deadline for 2017 annual meeting proposal submissions!


    Complete this online form http://bit.ly/2ehMjtU by December 16th and your session could be on the program in May. Please send any questions to Jennifer Day at jennifer.day@okc.gov

  • 16 Aug 2016 11:11 AM | Rebecca Russell (Administrator)

    Rice University is hosting a SAA-DAS course on Command Line Interface on Friday, October 7, 2016.


    For more information and to register, please visit http://saa.archivists.org/events/command-line-interface-1731/710/


    Do you think working in the command line interface isn't for you?


    If you need free, easy to install, trusted software tools that are robust and can help you confidently preserve and make accessible digital materials, then yes it IS for you!


    Gain some great skills and get to know other archivists who are already using these tools.


    In this course you will learn hands-on skills for working with digital archival objects at the most basic levels: files, data, and the computer operating systems in which they live. These basics establish manual and automated capacities for protecting the bits, automating/extracting metadata, and preparing for the next steps of building and managing digital archives.


    This course is less about a specific processing approach and more about providing archivists with basic computing skills that will help them make use of any tools that come their way and will help them speak the native language of the computing environments in which files (archival objects) reside.


  • 12 Aug 2016 9:54 AM | Patricia A. Threatt

    Call for Program Proposals

    2017 Annual Meeting

    Fayetteville, Arkansas May 24-27 The Chancellor Hotel


    The 2017 Program Committee invites submissions for 60 or 90 minute sessions. Proposals are welcome on any subject or skill relevant to the archives profession. Current issues and recently completed projects are also of interest. Proposals will be evaluated on the completeness of the description, diversity of speakers and topics. All aspects of archives and records management are encouraged. The deadline for submission is December 16, 2016. Submit your ideas using the online form, or email to jennifer.day@okc.gov


    Specific areas of member interest include:

    ·        Software specific how-to: Archives Space, Excel, etc.

    ·        Encoded Archival Description in practice

    ·        Donor Relations

    ·        Community Outreach

    ·        Government Records

    ·        Legal Issues

    ·        Skills Training: conservation, digital conversion, basic coding

     

    If you have an idea you’d like to form a session around, use this spreadsheet to connect with other SSA members to present with! Post your issue, topic, or project and see what others are posting; then connect and collaborate to create your proposal!


    Session formats may include, but are not limited to:

    ·        Panel Discussion

    A traditional session with three to five speakers, each giving  10-15 minute presentations on a single theory or perspective on a given topic, followed by time for questions. Prepared papers are not required, the Moderator/Chair is usually one of the speakers.

     

    ·        Roundtable Discussion

    Less formal than a Panel Discussion, a Roundtable session consists of one to three presentations of 10 minutes each that describe a theory, issue, or initiative followed by small group discussions where participants and speakers share ideas. A session Chair is not required.

     

    ·        Lightning Talks

    A large panel of eight to ten speakers that deliver 5 minute talks on a common theme or issue, keeping a lively pace and sharing relevant take-away ideas. A session Chair is required to compile presentation materials and maintain the time schedule.

     

    ·        Skills Training

    Are you a whiz at making phase boxes? Know how to use Excel like a pro? Have experience building exhibits of paper items? Share your skills with other members in a mini-workshop setting. Focus on one or two skills that can be shared in a 60 or 90 minute session. Skills Training sessions can have one or two speakers, and a moderator to assist with materials. Proposals should include details of the speaker’s relevant experience or training.

     

    ·        Lunch meeting/discussion

    Are you part of a state or local archival organization that would like to meet up at SSA? Use this form to let us know! Want to start a book club or a study group? Get your special interest on the program to reach more potential members.

    Thank you from the 2017 Program Committee

    Jennifer Day, Chair           The City of Oklahoma City, Office of City Clerk
    Elizabeth Dunham            Archives & Special Collections, Arizona State University, Tempe
    Lynn Gates                         Thomas C. Donnelly Library, New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas
    Michele King                     University Libraries University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
    Sarah Milligan                   Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater
    Timothy G. Nutt                Univ. of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Library, Little Rock

    Michelle Riggs                   Archives & Central Louisiana Collections, Louisiana State Univ., Alexandria

    Betty Shankle                    University & Labor Collections Archivist, Univ. of Texas, Arlington Libraries

    John H.  Slate                     Dallas Municipal Archives, City Secretary's Office, City of Dallas

    Ann E. Smith Case             Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans

    Karin Strohbeck                 Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth

    Andy Taylor                        Knowledge Management Librarian, Tulsa Community College

    Benna Vaughan                 The Texas Collection, Baylor University, Waco

    Carolina Villarroel            Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project, University of Houston
    Caitlin Wells                       Rio Grande Historical Collections, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces
    James Williamson             Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist University, Dallas

     

  • 11 Apr 2016 3:45 PM | James Williamson

    Register now for the 2016 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries (#tcdl2016) to get discounted early registration rates. Early-bird registration ends April 15th.


    TCDL 2016 will be held May 24-26 at the Commons Learning Center on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in Austin, Texas.


    Immediately following TCDL is the Texas Digital Humanities Consortium (TxDHC) Mini-Conference, to be held May 27th at the Commons Learning Center. 

    Attendees of TCDL receive a discounted registration rate to the TxDHC Mini-Conference, but space is limited.

    -------------------------

    About TCDL 2016

    The Texas Conference on Digital Libraries covers topics relevant to the creation, promotion, and preservation of research, scholarship, and cultural heritage digital materials.


    The goal of TCDL is to bring together those working on digital projects -- including outreach librarians, repository managers, catalogers, faculty members, staff, students, and others -- in order to guild a practical, usable, and sustainable model for digital libraries.


    Trevor Owens will serve as the keynote speaker for TCDL 2016. Trevor is the Senior Program Officer responsible for the development of the national digital platform portfolio for the Office of Library Services at IMLS. He steers an overall strategy of encompassing communications initiatives, in support of the development of national digital services and resources in libraries. In 2014, the Society of American Archivists gave him the Archival Innovator Award, an award granted annually to recognize the archivist, repository, or organization that best exemplifies the "ability to think outside the professional norm."


    For more information about the event and program, please visit the TCDL 2016 conference website.

    -----------------------------------

    Conference Hotel Rooms Available

    TCDL 2016 has a limited number of hotel rooms available at the ALOFT Austin hotel in the Domain. The rooms will be available at a reduced rate of $169 per night through May 2, 2016. More details are available on the conference website.

     

    Questions about the conference can be directed to info@tdl.org or 512-495-4358


  • 02 Feb 2016 8:32 AM | Patricia A. Threatt

    Registration is open for Digital POWRR workshop

    Register now for the free Digital POWRR workshop:
    http://digitalpowrr04222016.eventzilla.net

    The workshop will be held Friday, April 22, at Arkansas Studies Institute, Little Rock, AR.

    This full-day workshop is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. The workshop was created as a result of an IMLS-funded study on identifying practical digital preservation solutions for small- and mid-sized libraries. We will not be addressing the “why” of digital preservation; rather, we are preparing for the “how.”...providing hands-on, practical experience. Attendees will practice the accession of a digital collection using a simple, open source tool; learn about several digital preservation tools and services; and create an institution-specific action plan for making progress towards digital preservation goals. (Digital POWRR, http://digitalpowrr.niu.edu/)

    ------------------------------
    Digital POWRR is offering travel assistance to SSA members. Please submit your application to the SSA Scholarship Committee. Mailed applications must be postmarked February 19, 2016. Emailed applications February 21, 2016. http://societyofsouthwestarchivists.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Scholarship-forms/application-POWRR2016.docx
  • 07 Jan 2016 8:27 AM | James Williamson

    Register now for the 2016 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries (#tcdl2016) to get discounted early registration rates. Early-bird registration ends April 15th.


    TCDL 2016 will be held May 24-26 at the Commons Learning Center on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in Austin, Texas.

    Immediately following TCDL is the Texas Digital Humanities Consortium (TxDHC) Mini-Conference, to be held May 27th at the Commons Learning Center. Attendees of TCDL receive a discounted registration rate to the TxDHC Mini-Conference, but space is limited.

    -------------------------

    About TCDL 2016

    The Texas Conference on Digital Libraries covers topics relevant to the creation, promotion, and preservation of research, scholarship, and cultural heritage digital materials.

    The goal of TCDL is to bring together those working on digital projects -- including outreach librarians, repository managers, catalogers, faculty members, staff, students, and others -- in order to guild a practical, usable, and sustainable model for digital libraries.

    Trevor Owens


    Trevor Owens (pictured above) will serve as the keynote speaker for TCDL 2016. Trevor is the Senior Program Officer responsible for the development of the national digital platform portfolio for the Office of Library Services at IMLS. He steers an overall strategy of encompassing communications initiatives, in support of the development of national digital services and resources in libraries. In 2014, the Society of American Archivists gave him the Archival Innovator Award, an award granted annually to recognize the archivist, repository, or organization that best exemplifies the "ability to think outside the professional norm."

    For more information about the event and program, please visit the TCDL 2016 conference website.

    --------------------------------

    Deadline for Proposals is February 7th

    The TCDL 2016 committee continues to accept proposals for presentations, panels, posters, and workshops through Friday, February 7th. See the fullCall for Proposals for more information about requirements and submission procedures.

    The TxDHC Mini-Conference 2016 committee is seeking presentation proposals through February 7th. For more information, see the TxDHC Mini-Conference Call for Proposals.

    -----------------------------------

    Conference Hotel Rooms Available

    TCDL 2016 has a limited number of hotel rooms available at the ALOFT Austin hotel in the Domain. The rooms will be available at a reduced rate of $169 per night through May 2, 2016. More details are available on the conference website.

    Questions about the conference can be directed to info@tdl.org or 512-495-4358


  • 01 Dec 2015 9:27 AM | Patricia A. Threatt

    The Society of American Archivists’ Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field of religious archives. Criteria for nomination include:

    ·         Involvement and work in the Archivists of Religious Collections Section (ARCS) of the Society of American Archivists.

    ·         Contributions to archival literature that relates to religious archives.

    ·         Participation and leadership in religious archives organizations.

    ·         Evidence of leadership in specific religious archives.

    Only individual archivists are eligible for nomination. The award is sponsored by the Society of Southwest Archivists, in conjunction with Society of American Archivists.  It is named in honor of Sister M. Claude Lane, the first professionally trained archivist at the Catholic Archives of Texas in Austin, who served there from 1960 until her death in 1974. The award finalist is recognized with a certificate from SAA and a $300 cash prize provided by the Society of Southwest Archivists at the annual Society of American Archivists meeting. 

     

    For more information on the Lane Award, including past winners, see:

    http://www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-lane

    To nominate an archivist for the Lane Award please follow the guidelines provided in the Nomination Form via the link on that page.

     

    All nominations shall be submitted to the Awards Committee by February 28, 2016.

     

    If you have any questions, please contact:

     

    Emily Hughes Dominick, CA

    Technical Services Archivist

    Special Collections

    University of Washington Libraries

    Box 352900

    Seattle, WA 98195-2900

    206-543-7890

    ehd5@uw.edu

  • 23 Nov 2015 8:41 AM | Patricia A. Threatt

    Position Statement Regarding the Legal Dispute between the Texas General Land Office and Daughters of the Republic of Texas

     

    The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) and Texas General Land Office (GLO) are in a legal dispute regarding the ownership of approximately 38,000 books, maps, flags, artwork, and manuscripts housed at the Alamo Research Center. Because employees of both institutions are members of the Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) and this case will ultimately be settled in the courts, the SSA Executive Board will not advocate for either the GLO or the DRT regarding this dispute. However, SSA does urge both parties to seek a resolution to preserve and provide continued open access to these important research materials, both during the court process and after custody has been established. SSA also urges its fellow archives professionals and its membership to follow best practices regarding accessioning gifts.

     

    The SSA Executive Board

  • 05 Nov 2015 2:59 PM | James Williamson

    The Donald Peterson Student Travel Award Subcommittee invites applications from archival science students and recent graduates of archival programs.  The award subsidizes travel to the SAA Annual Meeting for students presenting research or actively participating in an SAA-sponsored committee, section, or roundtable.

     

    Award and application information follow below.  The application deadline is February 28, 2016.  If you have any questions regarding the award or the application process, please contact Rachel Howard, Donald Peterson Student Travel Award Committee Chair, at rachel.howard@louisville.edu.


    Purpose and Criteria for Selection

    Established in 2005, this award supports students and recent graduates from graduate archival programs within North America to attend SAA’s Annual Meeting. The goal of the scholarship is to stimulate greater participation in the activities of the Association by students and recent graduates. This participation must include either a presentation of research during the Annual Meeting or active participation in an SAA-sponsored committee, section, or roundtable.

     

    Eligibility

    Awarded to an SAA member in good standing who is currently enrolled in an archival education program or who graduated from an archival education program in the previous calendar year. Applications are evaluated based on the merits of the applicant’s essay and letters of recommendation.

     

    Sponsor and Funding

    The Society of American Archivists, in honor of Donald Peterson (1908-1999), New York lawyer and philatelist, whose deep appreciation of world history and preservation developed early through his stamp collecting and held true throughout his life.

     

    Prize

    Up to $1,000 in support of registration, travel, and accommodation expenses associated with the SAA Annual Meeting.

     

    First Awarded

    2006

     

    Application Form and Documentation

    Submit three copies of the following to the address on the application form:

    A 500-word essay describing the applicant's career goals and potential impact on the archival profession.

    1. Unofficial transcript to verify student status or copy of graduate diploma.
    2. Two letters of recommendation from individuals having definite knowledge of the applicant's qualifications.
    3. Application form

    Application Deadline

    February 28, 2016


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