tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14169964664985125832024-03-15T21:09:49.078-04:00l'Archivistal'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.comBlogger598125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-69061130105694567682017-07-29T23:59:00.000-04:002017-07-30T03:15:56.312-04:00SAA: Sex is history<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6AGGJHvP7Q/WX1y7-mMGKI/AAAAAAAAC_w/kLFK9ZBU1AwJRwcq-s9m2_EgKZNkmnEFwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6AGGJHvP7Q/WX1y7-mMGKI/AAAAAAAAC_w/kLFK9ZBU1AwJRwcq-s9m2_EgKZNkmnEFwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5326.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tilikum Crossing as seen from the west side of the Willamette River, Portland, Oregon, 29 July 2017. This cable-stayed bridge opened in September 2015 and was the first American bridge of its kind that doesn't allow for the passage of automobiles; traffic is limited to light rail, streetcars, bicyclists, and pedestrians.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final day of the 2017 annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists consisted of the <a href="https://www2.archivists.org/am2017/program/liberated-archive-forum">Liberated Archive Forum</a>, a series of sessions and presentations that sought to empower activists seeking to document their own communities and enable professional archivists to ensure that we assemble a truly comprehensive documentary record. I stayed for part of the forum, and I was particularly impressed by an hour-long discussion on "Sex, History, and Controversy" led by author and activist <a href="http://www.susiebright.com/">Susie Bright</a> and Cornell University <a href="https://rare.library.cornell.edu/HSC">Human Sexuality Collection</a> curator Brenda Marston. I've <a href="http://larchivista.blogspot.com/2011/08/leather-archives-and-museum.html">long argued</a> that archivists committed to creating a comprehensive historical record must grapple with issues of sexuality, and today's session led me to focus anew upon this issue.<br />
<br />
Key takeways:<br />
<br />
1. Sexuality is a vast, varied, and integral component of the human experience, and failing to document adult sexuality in all of its complexity and messiness means that we are failing to create a comprehensive historical record. At the same time, documenting sexuality poses numerous internal and external challenges for archivists. Archivists are embedded within the culture they seek to document, and our culture privileges some forms of sexual expression, condemns others, and often wants to sweep sexuality under the rug altogether. Archivists need to grapple with these cultural impulses when they come to the fore -- either from without or from within, and the process of doing so is likely going to be a lifelong one.<br />
<br />
2. Several people expressed concern about the possibility that consent given at the time a given record was created might not extend to permanent preservation of that record. For example, there's a distinct possibility that at least some of the people who appear in sexually explicit photographs that were taken in the 1980s might now regret their decision to be photographed and would be appalled to learn that an archives had acquired the images and planned to share them with researchers. Bright responded that in such cases, closing such materials to researchers for a fixed period of time should minimize the risk of privacy violations. She also emphasized that, in many instances, materials documenting activities such as prostitution and pornography help to capture the lives of poor and working-class people and sexual minorities. If we discard materials that document their involvement in sex work or communities centered around sexual expression, their lives might otherwise be completely undocumented.<br />
<br />
3. Archives are filled with records that document all manner of truly horrible things. Why do people who object to archival materials that contain sexually explicit words or images think it's acceptable for archives to document war or genocide? In our culture, pleasure -- and in particular sexual pleasure -- is surrounded by stigma in a way that widely condemned phenomena such as slavery are not. We need to be aware of and push back against this stigma in order to do our jobs effectively.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-10364956327099800362017-07-28T23:59:00.000-04:002017-07-29T03:29:19.016-04:00SAA 2017: records management, the web, and open data<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6ldL3hSdus/WXwvAT0CfsI/AAAAAAAAC_k/k821oP9L0EANqonvCHTbpXgphijrRwNwwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6ldL3hSdus/WXwvAT0CfsI/AAAAAAAAC_k/k821oP9L0EANqonvCHTbpXgphijrRwNwwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5068.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtyard of Tranquility, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland, Oregon, 26 July 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What follows is a quick stab at outlining a few ideas that came to the fore during two sessions -- one of which I was a participant and one in which I was an audience member -- and during the Government Records Section's annual meeting. Some are my own, and some are other people's, and all of them concern in some way our profession's inability to explain the value of records management programs, and in particular government records management programs, to the broader public:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Government archivists and records managers have tried for decades to get public officials, policymakers, journalists, and the public at large to understand that government records management and archives programs are essential to ensuring government accountability, efficiency, and transparency. We haven't gotten a lot of traction, and I'm increasingly convinced that our lack of success is because we frame our arguments in ways that make sense to us but not to the vast majority of our fellow citizens. Why do we keep doing the same thing and expecting different results? Why aren't we working with public relations professionals and other people who are adept at crafting simple, resonant messages and communicating them to broad audiences? How would Don Draper sell records management? </li>
<li>As one archivist in a session I attended this morning noted, governments that release the data they gather or create as open data -- data that third parties can use, reuse, and redistribute subject only, at most, to the requirement that the source of the data be identified may not pose much of a records management challenge. For example, this archivist's public sector employer, which has begun sharing datasets it has created with the public in an effort to be proactively transparent, treats the versions of the datasets it posts on its open data website as convenience copies. However, as other archivists pointed out during the annual meeting of the Government Records Section, the <a href="http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/07/25/what-happened-trump-war-data-000481">controversy</a> and wave of "citizen archiving" initiatives that ensued when the new presidential administration removed certain types of information from federal government websites suggests that at least some members of the public have come to expect that information posted online will remain readily accessible in perpetuity. I have the feeling that, in the coming years, we're going to devote a lot of energy to coming to grips with this expectation. Will we give into it and focus on harvesting and preserving web content, or will we ramp up our efforts to explain that managing government records appropriately may mean removing and disposing of data that was once freely available online? Or will we preserve tons of web content and explain that, in some instances, we work with agencies to identify and acquire additional, related records that are not available online and that, in others, we capture only snapshots of web content? </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-45267023265228321642017-07-27T23:59:00.000-04:002017-07-29T02:49:54.468-04:00SAA 2017: Local Government Records Section<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ARcFJiCaBPw/WXriMSuDoBI/AAAAAAAAC_U/uvKKmV4NwNUsqbDzGt20FC8in-edxjdFgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ARcFJiCaBPw/WXriMSuDoBI/AAAAAAAAC_U/uvKKmV4NwNUsqbDzGt20FC8in-edxjdFgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4998.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water lily in Lake Zither, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland Oregon, 26 July 2016.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Greetings from Portland, Oregon and the 2017 annual meeting of the <a href="http://www.archivists.org/">Society of American Archivists</a>. Thanks to a happy accident of scheduling, this afternoon I was able to attend the meeting of the Local Government Records Section, which consistently punches well above its weight. Today's meeting focused on documentation of citizen activism in local government records and featured Mary Hansen (Archives and Records Management Division, Portland, Oregon), Christina Bryant (City Archives and Special Collections, New Orleans Public Library), Jamie Seemiller (Denver Public Library), Anne Frantilla (Seattle Municipal Archives), and John Slate (Dallas Municipal Archives). Local government records don't always get a lot of respect from researchers, the public, or -- sadly -- some archivists, and this quintet highlighted just how varied and compelling they can be. Key takeaways:<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Activism often involves some form of engagement or interaction with government, and local government records are a particularly rich source of such interactions. In addition, they contain information about local groups and local topics of concern and citizen perspectives (e.g., those of homemakers or street musicians) that might not be well documented in other collections.</li>
<li>During the middle decades of the twentieth century, urban police departments created surveillance files detailing the activities of suspected communist groups, labor unions, civil rights organizations, women's groups, and other known or suspected radicals. Although many of us might find the fact of their creation objectionable (and late twentieth-century courts in many states ordered the police to stop creating such file), they are a rich source of information about activist groups.</li>
<li>City council minutes are an excellent source of information about local and grassroots organizations. Members of these groups offer formal testimony at meetings, and some city councils have "open mike" times that enable any citizen who wishes to speak on any topic to do so. Council records also include citizen petitions and other materials submitted by local activists.</li>
<li>Localities' efforts to manage demonstrations are documented in records created by city, town, and village councils and boards, mayors or city managers, police departments, and departments of public works. Commissions established to study the aftermath of demonstrations in which participants clashed with police or caused substantial property damage also generate significant records.</li>
<li>In some instances, local government officials and local government bodies are themselves consciously activist, and their activist work is reflected in the records. Council minutes, for example, may document female members' efforts to combat discrimination against women in municipal employment.</li>
<li>Evidence of activism may pop up in the unlikeliest of places. For example, records maintained by parks departments in localities that practiced <i>de facto</i> or <i>de jure</i> racial segregation may contain letters and petitions from African-Americans seeking improvements in parks situated in their neighborhoods or seeking equal access to municipal recreational facilities.</li>
<li>The records of historic preservation commissions and zoning boards amply document grassroots support for and opposition to preservation efforts and land use policies.</li>
<li>Some local government archivists proactively solicit donation of materials documenting activist activity -- and discover that doing so means shifting from a focus on researchers to a focus on donors that may be a bit disorienting. Such shifts require proactive efforts to secure deeds of gift and quietly cull donations in ways that avoid offending or injuring the donors. Archivists working in collecting repositories are accustomed to doing these things, but those working in government repositories may be less adept at doing so.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>Update, 28 July 2016: post title changed to reflect content of post. ("Day two" is not a compelling title.)</i></div>
</div>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-64356367559727346692017-07-27T02:33:00.000-04:002017-07-29T02:49:13.753-04:00SAA 2017: the importance of professional ethics<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7PGJMrH1aU/WXmIq81JBMI/AAAAAAAAC_A/4ZP7fy5mgqsOnF91gBv9kgjDo2EVATQrQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7PGJMrH1aU/WXmIq81JBMI/AAAAAAAAC_A/4ZP7fy5mgqsOnF91gBv9kgjDo2EVATQrQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5057.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragonfly at rest, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland, Oregon, 26 July 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Greetings from Portland, Oregon, the host city of the 2017 annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists (SAA). It's late (at least by the standards of my internal clock, which is loosely set to Eastern Daylight Time) and I'm headed to bed in a few minutes. However, I'm feeling the need to share just one thing that plenary speaker Greg Eow (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) highlighted this afternoon. It's a quote from historian Timothy Snyder's new book, <i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/on-tyranny-9780804190114">On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century</a></i>, and it should be of interest to any archivist or records manager who is alarmed by recent developments in numerous nations:<br />
<blockquote>
Professions can create forms of ethical conversation that are impossible between a lonely individual and a distant government. If members of a profession think of themselves as groups with common interests, with norms and rules that oblige them at all times, then they can gain confidence and indeed a certain kind of power.</blockquote>
Eow didn't include in his presentation the two sentences that immediately follow the above quote, but they, too, warrant consideration:<br />
<blockquote>
Professional ethics must guide us precisely when we are told that the situation is exceptional. Then there is no such thing as "just following orders."</blockquote>
Good night.<br />
<br />
<i>Update, 28 July 2016: post title changed to reflect content of post. ("Day one" is not a compelling title.)</i>l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-8633709371098886412017-04-06T23:13:00.000-04:002017-04-06T23:13:56.718-04:00New York State Archives seeks an Archives and Records Management Specialist 2 If you're an archivist or records manager who relishes the thought of working with lots of records creators and appraising a wide array of records, want to work for a
large yet dynamic repository, isn't afraid of running into me on fairly regular basis, and would like to live and work in the historic
Hudson Valley, the <a href="http://www.archives.nysed.gov/">New York State Archives</a> may have <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_1004_26042.htm">a job</a> for you:<br />
<blockquote>
The New York State Education Department’s State
Archives is seeking candidates to fill an Archives & Records
Management Specialist 2 position within the State Archives’ Government
Records Services program. The Government Records Services Program
provides archives and records management assistance and support to state
agencies and local governments. Duties of this position include, but
are not limited to, the following:
<br />
<ul type="disc">
<li>Provide advice, assistance and technical support to state
agencies and local governments in the management of records and
recordkeeping systems; </li>
<li>Develop and revise retention schedules for state agencies and local governments;</li>
<li>Conduct onsite appraisals of State and local government records
to determine archival value and prepare reports of evaluations; and</li>
<li>Develop and present both online and onsite workshops on records management to state agencies and local governments.</li>
</ul>
<b>MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: </b> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b>Reassignment: </b>One year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service as an Archives and Records Managements Specialist 2. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b>Section 52.6 Transfer</b>: One year of
permanent competitive or 55b/c service in a title SG-16 or above deemed
eligible to transfer under Section 52.6 of the Civil Service Law. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b>Provisional Appointment</b>:
Candidates must have either 1) one year of permanent competitive or
non-competitive 55b/c service as an Archives and Records Management
Specialist 1; OR 2) master's degree in history, government, business or
public administration, political science, American studies,
library/information science, or archival administration <b>AND </b>two years of professional experience in which the majority of duties involved one or more of the following:
<br />
<ol>
<li>Analyzing or appraising records and information systems to
develop recordkeeping and/or records retention plans for an
institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Providing education, training, grant-in-aid, or direct
technical assistance services in records management and/or archives
administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Developing or implementing guidelines, standards, policies and
procedures concerning records management and/or archives
administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Evaluating available information technology to support
recordkeeping needs and requirements of an institution, governmental
body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Acquiring, controlling, preserving, making available, or
promoting use of archival records, whether in electronic, paper, or
other form for an institution, governmental body, or corporation.</li>
</ol>
<b>PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: </b>Special consideration will be given to candidates who possess the following qualifications:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Demonstration of experience with core archival and records
management practices including scheduling/appraisal, archival
description and preservation, digital preservation and electronic
records, and references services to a wide range of users including
state and local government agencies, academics, educators,
genealogists, local historians, and the general public. </li>
<li>Experience with records management methods and techniques, especially in a government setting. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
The starting salary for this position is $54,406 and, at least according to the current <a href="https://www.cs.ny.gov/businesssuite/Compensation/Salary-Schedules/index.cfm?nu=PST&effdt=04/01/2016&fullScreen">salary schedule</a>,
the salary will gradually increase to $69,182 based on annual
performance advances. These figures are established by a collective
bargaining agreement and are non-negotiable; they may also change
slightly as a result of future contract negotiations. In addition,
the State of New York offers a comprehensive array of <a href="http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/members/index.php">retirement</a>, <a href="http://www.cs.ny.gov/employees/state/">health</a>, and other benefits.<br />
<br />
The deadline for applying for this position is <b>12 April 2017</b>. For more information and application instructions, consult the <a href="http://The starting salary for this position is $53,339 and, at least according to the current salary schedule, the salary will gradually increase to $67,827 based on annual performance advances. These figures are established by a collective bargaining agreement and are non-negotiable; they may also change slightly following the next round of contract negotiations. In addition, the State of New York offers a comprehensive array of retirement, health, and other benefits. The deadline for applying for this position is 20 October 2016. For more information and application instructions, consult the job posting. ">job posting</a>.
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-64223939694010604892017-01-05T00:32:00.000-05:002017-01-05T00:34:00.065-05:00California State Archives is hiring a Deputy State ArchivistIf you're a seasoned archivist or records manager who relishes the thought of putting your supervisory and administrative experience to good use, has at least some electronic records experience, lives or would like to live in northern California, and want to work with some great people, you may be the Golden State's next <a href="https://www.jobs.ca.gov/Public/JobPosting.aspx?q=oQyckEw7gsra5q0GyHNvzrU7UdF4CiyIdCAAa4ZlHlhdEma0pOLhpnLWnldptxgIgHiyCVEKcO0ZZwmyRupHyt0CVbipXebveZpDBwk2BG%2bsHP7mQ7Iwldo%2bBuY8qa7%2fCq2xr%2fvi4igoCOiwS9VVUKvaamV8g%2fOybFlY7KZKc9E%3d">Deputy State Archivist</a>. Details:<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Department Information</b><br />
The Secretary of State is seeking a
full-time, permanent Staff Services Manager II [Deputy State Archivist]. Under the general direction of
the Chief, <a href="http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/">Archives Division</a>, the incumbent supervises and evaluates program
activities of a staff of professional archivists, records management analysts,
as well as records management staff, administrative staff, technicians, and
support staff; assist in the formulation, implementation, and administration of
archival and records management programs and planning; assists the Division
Chief in the formulation of policy and procedures; oversees public relations
and community programs; attends conferences, meetings and hearings; and work with
the Division Chief to implement the mission of the Division. The position is
located in downtown Sacramento, near Light Rail, K Street Mall, and other
amenities.<br />
<br />
<b>Job Description and Duties</b><br />
Administering the Division’s budget;
formulates and implements Division policy and procedures; oversees public
information activities that impact on the knowledge and understanding of the
public affected by the programs of the Division; oversees development,
implementation and promotion of automated systems that access archival information
services and database; serves as security officer for the division and
maintains the security manual; gathers information from staff relating to
facility issues and concerns and contacts SOS-Business Services; Supervising
and directing the work of archivists, records management analysts, records
management staff, administrative staff, technicians and support staff;
evaluating the performance of staff; reviewing monthly workload reports;
directing difficult and complex historical research; recommending legislative
proposals and reviewing proposed legislation relating to the Division; in the
absence of the Division Chief, representing the Secretary of State at
conferences, meetings, and legislative hearings on matters relating to the
Division.<br />
<br />
<b>Special Requirements
</b><br />
<i>Supplemental Questionnaire. </i>The response to the Supplemental Questionnaire questions listed below shall be not more than two pages in length. Must be typed in Times New Roman or Arial font, 12-point, single spaced, and with margins set at one inch (1”) on each side. The response must clearly state the professional experience relevant to the Archives program area. <i>Applications submitted without a Supplemental Questionnaire will not be considered</i>.<br />
<ol>
<li>Describe a situation in which you took a lead role to identify and resolve a conflict within your organization. </li>
<li>Explain the essential principles and purpose of the management archival records. </li>
<li>Describe your knowledge and experience with managing, preserving and maintaining electronic records and other items of historical significance. </li>
<li>Share your knowledge and experience with supervising, coaching, mentoring, and directing other employees or teams. </li>
<li>Describe the key competencies and characteristics you find most critical for a successful leader then explain how you have demonstrated these competencies in your current role.</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
The <b>application deadline is 20 January 2017</b>. The successful candidate will earn between $6,005.00 - $7,462.00
per month, and the State of California offers a comprehensive suite of <a href="http://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/pages/salary-and-benefits.aspx">employee benefits</a>. If you have not already taken California's Staff Services Manager II <a href="https://www.jobs.ca.gov/JOBSGEN/9PB16.PDF">civil service examination</a>, you must demonstrate that you have applied to do so (the exam is offered continuously) when you submit your application. The successful candidate must attain a satisfactory score on this examination. For more information and application instructions, consult the <a href="https://www.jobs.ca.gov/Public/JobPosting.aspx?q=oQyckEw7gsra5q0GyHNvzrU7UdF4CiyIdCAAa4ZlHlhdEma0pOLhpnLWnldptxgIgHiyCVEKcO0ZZwmyRupHyt0CVbipXebveZpDBwk2BG%2bsHP7mQ7Iwldo%2bBuY8qa7%2fCq2xr%2fvi4igoCOiwS9VVUKvaamV8g%2fOybFlY7KZKc9E%3d">position description</a>. l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-31712818432303814862016-12-28T00:18:00.000-05:002016-12-28T00:18:14.346-05:00NASA seeks Chief ArchivistIf you're comfortable working with paper and digital records, relish doing historical research as well as supporting the multi-faceted research of others, excel at editing draft publications, know or want to know a lot about the history of space exploration, and live or want to live in the Washington, DC area, the <b><a href="http://history.nasa.gov/">History Division</a></b> of the <b>U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</b> may have <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/460663300">a really cool job</a> waiting for you. Please note that the <b>application deadline is 30 December 2016</b> (i.e., two days following the date of this posting), that the position is open only to U.S. citizens, and that the successful candidate must pass a background check.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Summary</b><br />
The Archivist position serves as
the lead for policy guidance on archival issues across the agency,
reporting to the Chief Historian in the History Division within the
Office of Communications. Provides historical archival and technical
information to the aerospace field. The archivist is responsible for
managing, maintaining, and enhancing the NASA Headquarters Historical
Reference, the historical reference service available to NASA personnel,
NASA-sponsored historical researchers, and researchers in other
agencies, universities, the media and the general public.<br />
<br />
<b>Comments</b><br />
This position may be filled at the GS-12 or GS-13 grade level.<br />
<br />
The full performance level for this position is GS-13.<br />
<br />
This
position is being announced in conjunction with Merit Promotion vacancy
announcement number <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/460664300">HQ17C0041</a> [consult this posting if you are already employed by the federal government]. Current and former Federal employees,
disabled Veterans, candidates with 3 or more years of active duty
military service, and candidates eligible for special hiring authorities
wishing to be considered under merit promotion procedures may apply to
vacancy announcement HQ17C0041. Only one position will be filled as a
result of these two vacancy announcements.<br />
<br />
Please list your General Schedule (GS) equivalency on your resume for every federal position you have held.<br />
<br />
To
receive consideration, you must submit a resume and answer
NASA-specific questions. The NASA questions appear after you submit your
resume and are transferred to the NASA web site. If you successfully
apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your
status is 'Application Status Not Available', you have not successfully
applied. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful
application. Only an email from NASA confirms a successful application.<br />
<br />
<b>Duties</b><br />
This position serves as
Senior Archivist and Technical Information Specialist responsibility for
the acquisition, analysis, indexing, updating, management, accessing,
and retrieval of all materials in the NASA Historical Reference
Collection. Responsible for the identification, evaluation, and
description of all NASA Documents, including digital records, that may
have historical value.<br />
<br />
Manages NASA's archival activities by
collecting, appraising, arranging, accessioning, inventorying,
recording, preserving, and archiving historical materials into the NASA
Historical Reference Collection. Manages the physical and intellectual
control over the holdings of the collection, ensures the coherency and
optimal maintenance of the collection; ensuring ready access for
researchers. <br />
<br />
Provides expert policy guidance and
recommendations on procedures relating research services,
identification, analysis, evaluation, processing, description, indexing,
preservation, storage, and retrieval of NASA historical documents for
research and reference purposes. Collaborates with NASA Records
Management officials in ensuring the historical collection,
preservation, and the digital records process are in compliant with
regulatory requirements, policies and procedures. <br />
<br />
Conducts and
manages comprehensive, retrospective, complex information, literature
and data searches for NASA and other Federal officials, academic
institutions, media, and private sector organizations, and the general
public. Edits a variety of historical publications as required to
include books, manuscripts, and professional journals and media
articles. Represents NASA at aerospace information activities for
ensuring the agency's collections and processes are in compliant and
consistent with policies and procedures. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b>Job Requirements</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Key Requirements</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>A one-year probationary period may be required</li>
<li>Applicants must possess at least a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent</li>
<li>Position subject to pre-employment background investigation</li>
<li>Position subject to a pre-employment drug test</li>
<li>Selectee must complete a financial disclosure statement</li>
</ul>
<div class="content" id="qualifications">
<i>Qualifications</i><br />
Applicant must have one
year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, which
has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies needed to
successfully perform the duties of the position described above.<br />
<br />
Specialized experience to qualify at the GS-12 grade level for this position includes:<br />
<ol>
<li>Manages the physical and intellectual control over the holdings of the agency's historical collection.</li>
<li>Recommends edits for a variety of historical communications to include
publications, books, manuscripts, and professional journal/media
articles.</li>
<li>Collaborates with management officials on ensuring
the historical collection, preservation, and digital records are within
regularity guidelines, policies and procedures.</li>
</ol>
Specialized experience to qualify at the GS-13 grade level for this position includes:<br />
<ol>
<li>Manages and provides policy guidance on digital and born-digital documents of historical value.</li>
<li>Manages and provides expert policy guidance on the identification,
evaluation, and description of all NASA's documents that has historical
value, and serves as the Agency's authority in historical documentation
matters.</li>
<li>Edits a variety of historical communications to
include publications, books, manuscripts, and professional
journals/media articles.</li>
</ol>
Your resume must fully support how you meet the specialized experience in order to be found qualified for this position.</div>
</blockquote>
The salary range for this position is $77,490.00 to $119,794.00 per year, and the federal government offers employees a <a href="https://www.usa.gov/benefits-for-federal-employees">comprehensive suite of benefits</a>. For more information about this position and application instructions, consult the <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/460663300">position posting</a> (or, if you are already employed by the federal government, the <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/460664300">promotional posting</a>). And remember: the <b>application deadline is 30 December 2016</b>.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-91366896691856555862016-10-06T23:29:00.000-04:002016-10-06T23:29:07.368-04:00New York State Archives seeks an Archives and Records Management Specialist 2If you're an archivist or records manager who has substantial technical skills and knowledge of various metadata standards, wants to work for a large yet dynamic repository, isn't afraid of collaborating with me every now and then, and would like to live and work in the historic Hudson Valley, the <a href="http://www.archives.nysed.gov/">New York State Archives</a> may have <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_995_26374.htm">a job</a> for you:<br />
<blockquote>
<div align="justify">
The New York State Archives is seeking to fill an
Archives & Records Management Specialist (ARMS) 2 position within
the Information Technology Services Unit. The Information Technology
Services Unit has responsibility for the development, integration, and
support of all New York State Archives information systems. Under the
direction of an Archives and Records Management Specialist 3, duties
of this position include, but are not limited to, the following: </div>
<div align="justify">
<ul type="disc">
<li>Participate in the evaluation, implementation and
integration of standards based public access tools for archival
records, including an encoded archival description based finding
aid catalog, digital Collections, and name index; </li>
<li>Develop web content and features;</li>
<li>Support the development of the State Archives electronic records program; </li>
<li>Support the integration of records management systems with archival management systems;</li>
<li>Advise on the technical implementation of professional standards; and</li>
<li>Work with State Archives staff and vendors to identify and implement web based solutions.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div align="justify">
<b>MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: </b><br />
<b>Reassignment:</b> One year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service as an Archives and Records Management Specialist 2.<br />
<b>§52.6 Transfer: </b>One year of permanent competitive
or 55b/c service in a title SG-16 or above deemed eligible to transfer
via §52.6 of the Civil Service Law. </div>
<div align="justify">
<b>Provisional Appointment: </b>Candidates must have<b> </b>either
1) one year of permanent competitive or non-competitive 55b/c service
as an Archives and Records Management Specialist 1 <b>OR </b>2) a<b> </b>master's
degree in history, government, business or public administration,
political science, American studies, library/information science, or
archival administration <b>AND</b> two years of professional experience in which the majority of duties involved one or more of the following:</div>
<div align="justify">
<ol>
<li>Analyzing or appraising records and information systems to
develop recordkeeping and/or records retention plans for an
institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Providing education, training, grant-in-aid, or direct
technical assistance services in records management and/or archives
administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Developing or implementing guidelines, standards, policies and
procedures concerning records management and/or archives
administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Evaluating available information technology to support
recordkeeping needs and requirements of an institution, governmental
body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Acquiring, controlling, preserving, making available, or
promoting use of archival records, whether in electronic, paper, or
other form for an institution, governmental body, or corporation.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div align="justify">
<b>PERFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: </b>Special consideration will be given to candidates who possess the following qualifications: </div>
<div align="justify">
<ul>
<li>Participation in the implementation/maintenance of public access tools and/or records management systems. </li>
<li>Familiarity with systems designed to support access to archival
records, such as ARCHON, Archivist’s Toolkit, CollectiveAccess, XTF,
etc. </li>
<li>Participation in the implementation/maintenance of web content. </li>
<li>Knowledge and understanding of the standards used to provide
access to and manage archival records including EAD, EAC and TEI. </li>
<li>Experience with core archival and records management practices
including scheduling/appraisal; archival description and preservation;
digital preservation and electronic records; references services.</li>
<li>Background on/or knowledge of emerging trends and best
practices related to information technology and architecture in
archival settings.</li>
<li>The ability to be adaptable, flexible and collaborative in a dynamic working environment.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</blockquote>
The starting salary for this position is $53,339 and, at least according to the current <a href="https://www.cs.ny.gov/businesssuite/Compensation/Salary-Schedules/index.cfm?nu=PST&effdt=04/01/2015&fullScreen">salary schedule</a>,
the salary will gradually increase to $67,827 based on annual
performance advances. These figures are established by a collective
bargaining agreement and are non-negotiable; they may also change
slightly following the next round of contract negotiations. In addition,
the State of New York offers a comprehensive array of <a href="http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/members/index.php">retirement</a>, <a href="http://www.cs.ny.gov/employees/state/">health</a>, and other benefits.<br />
<br />
The deadline for applying for this position is <b>20 October 2016</b>. For more information and application instructions, consult the <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_995_26374.htm">job posting</a>. l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-20404859255570235672016-08-06T03:33:00.003-04:002016-08-06T03:40:48.525-04:00SAA day two: electronic records<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rw-nmKt5hjs/V6WSMil6yCI/AAAAAAAAC9E/OMhXEMOQqxArhtZ6TZJIYWTId6hKKjAWgCLcB/s1600/GAaq_2016-08-02_d1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rw-nmKt5hjs/V6WSMil6yCI/AAAAAAAAC9E/OMhXEMOQqxArhtZ6TZJIYWTId6hKKjAWgCLcB/s640/GAaq_2016-08-02_d1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comb jellyfish at the Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia, 2 August 2016.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even though I always make it a point -- at least when I'm paying my own way -- to attend a few Society of American Archivists conference sessions that have nothing to do with my current job responsibilities, I also seek out electronic records sessions that intrigue me or push me a little past my comfort zone. I attended two such sessions this morning: session 309, "DWG, RVT, BIM: A New Kind of Alphabet Soup, with a Lot More Heartburn," and session 409, "Working Together to Manage Digital Records: A Congressional Archives Perspective."<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I'm writing this at 2:30 AM on Saturday because I'm too wound up to sleep, I've been up since 6:15 AM yesterday, and I'm working from notes that I pulled together during a mid-afternoon gap in my schedule, so I'm going to limit myself to identifying some key takeaways from both sessions and then calling it a night. (Or a morning.)<br />
<br />
My repository holds only a few Computer Aided Design (CAD) records, but it's certainly conceivably that more will come my way in the reasonably near future. "DWG, RVT, BIM: A New Kind of Alphabet Soup, with a Lot More Heartburn,"which focused on CAD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) records, drew to my attention several things that hadn't made it onto my radar:<br />
<ul>
<li>SAA's Architectural Records Roundtable established a <a href="http://www2.archivists.org/groups/architectural-records-roundtable/cadbim-taskforce#.V6WDLa41dFU">CAD/BIM Taskforce</a> that produced a bibliography of related projects, surveyed archivists working in design firms and in other repositories that held design records, and added several entries about common CAD file formats to the PRONOM file format registry maintained by the National Archives of the United Kingdom. In the future, the group may explore software-based preservation (i.e., emulation), identify use cases, and reach out to companies that create CAD software. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Migration-based preservation strategies simply don't scale well. Emulation will likely be the only approach suitable for design firms and repositories that hold large quantities of digital design records.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>For a variety of reasons, architects often create easily accessible derivatives at various stages of the design process. As a result, archivists who accession records documenting architectural design projects should seek to obtain all of the files associated with a given project, not just the final versions maintained by the firm or delivered to the client. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Some archivists have argued that in the absence of clear-cut, practical preservation strategies for preserving three-dimensional CAD and BIM files, creating and preserving two-dimensional PDF files is the most feasible approach. If all you're attempting to do is document the appearance of a structure or landscape, PDFs might suffice. However, if you're attempting to document the changing nature of architectural education and practice or need to preserve records needed for ongoing building maintenance, you need to preserve the original, three-dimensional files.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Archivists responsible for describing CAD/BIM files must know how to use the software needed to render them. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>BIM models are so detailed and comprehensive that reference archivists need to be aware that disclosing complete versions of these models might pose security concerns. They also need to have the technical skills that will enable them to remove sensitive data from public access copies of the files. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If your repository holds only a handful of CAD/BIM files and you simply want to view them, free readers that can render the most common CAD file formats are available; however, these readers are rarely supported over the long term. If you have a large body of CAD/BIM files or want to see your files in their native environment, don't hesitate to contact the appropriate software company and indicate that you are non-profit organization doing research. If your repository is situated within an academic institution that houses an architecture or engineering program, you may not need to obtain your own software license.</li>
</ul>
My repository holds a relatively small quantity of legislative records. However, "Working Together to Manage Digital Records: A Congressional Archives Perspective" struck me as interesting, and I'm glad I chose to attend it. Key takeaways:<br />
<ul>
<li>A growing number of Senate committees are hiring their own archivists, and this practice is producing noticeable improvements in the management and preservation of committee records.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In an environment characterized by intense work and rapid turnover of staff at all levels, stressing to managers that good records management is essential to efficiency and productivity is often more effective than stressing that records management is a legal obligation. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Archivists working in Congressional offices are using a variety of tools that could be of use to in a variety of settings: <a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ee851678.aspx">Robocopy</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RichCopy">RichCopy</a> (no longer supported) for file copying, <a href="http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/manage-information/preserving-digital-records/droid/">DROID</a> for file format identification and checksum generation, <a href="http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/jdiskreport/">JDiskReport</a> for determining how much space files and directories take up on hard drives, <a href="http://www.pstscanner.com/">PstScanner</a> for analyzing e-mail archives, and <a href="http://kernel-outlook-pst-viewer.software.informer.com/">Kernel</a> for e-mail processing.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Archivists working in collecting repositories that acquire the papers of departing members of Congress need not only to find "the right person to talk to" but also to ensure that subordinate staff know that transfer plans have received senior staff approval. Given that most staff responsible for closing down a legislator's office are in the process of looking for other jobs, ensuring that such approval is conveyed to subordinates can be a real challenge.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Congressional Papers Roundtable established an Electronic Records Committee in 2009. It brings together archivists and records managers who work with Congressional records at all stages of the lifecycle and has produced a series of <a href="https://cprerc.wordpress.com/case-studies/">case studies</a> and <a href="https://cprerc.wordpress.com/electronic-records-modules/">step-by-step processing instructions</a> that are likely of interest to archivists working with the records of state or local government legislators or other types of electronic records.</li>
</ul>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-36605310197317604222016-08-04T23:59:00.000-04:002016-08-05T01:17:27.384-04:00SAA day one: diversity and inclusion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wpTgCVBD8ZI/V6PzY35h6YI/AAAAAAAAC80/VhcLHoYLYQMu4G8-pGujsLvuI4OqyI4kACLcB/s1600/GAaq_2016-08-02_c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wpTgCVBD8ZI/V6PzY35h6YI/AAAAAAAAC80/VhcLHoYLYQMu4G8-pGujsLvuI4OqyI4kACLcB/s640/GAaq_2016-08-02_c1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atanta skyline, as seen from the steps of the Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia, 2 August 2016.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As has often been the case in recent years, I'm attending the <a href="http://www2.archivists.org/am2016">annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists</a> on my own dime. Doing so has some obvious drawbacks, but it does have one very real advantage: I don't feel obliged to limit myself to attending only those sessions that relate directly to my current job responsibilities. Instead, I seek out those sessions that align with my other archival interests or promise to illuminate how the profession is changing.<br />
<br />
Today, I attended a plenary session and two program sessions that, in various ways, focused on the necessity of and challenges associated with creating institutions that are truly serve all of the communities that make up our pluralistic, stratified society and collections that reflect our varied, complex, and unequal history. <br />
<a name='more'></a>In an intriguing but regrettably short plenary presentation, Chris Taylor, the <a href="http://www.mnhs.org/">Minnesota Historical Society</a>'s Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement, made a number of excellent points:<br />
<ul>
<li>There's a difference between "diversity" and "inclusion." The former is a noun, and the latter is an active process. If you're not actively making people feel welcomed and valued on their terms, your diversity initiatives will be little more than window dressing. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Inclusiveness is a business imperative. The United States is becoming less and less "white," the LGBTQ movement has made great political and social strides, and American society is changing in a variety of other ways. The dominant culture that cultural heritage institutions have customarily served is on its way to becoming a minority culture; I would argue that this culture is itself in the process of changing in both positive and negative ways. If we avoid grappling with these changes, we are condemning ourselves to irrelevance. (FWIW, I've long been of the belief that lack of inclusiveness is only one of the things that threatens to render the archives profession irrelevant. When I chose to become an electronic records archivist in 2004, I did so in large part because so many other archivists were responding to the digital revolution in record keeping with fear and avoidance. I wanted to do my part to ensure that my beloved profession wouldn't devolve into rarefied antiquarianism. We've gotten a lot better at coming to grips with the challenges of managing and preserving digital records, but we still have a long way to go.) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>When cultural heritage institutions try to become more "diverse," their first instinct is to turn outward and develop special programs that target marginalized groups. However, we need to focus first on getting our internal affairs in order. We need both to increase the diversity of our staff and create an organizational culture that makes all of our staff feel valued and supported. Hiring diverse staff and then failing to retain them because they feel pressured to assimilate into our existing organizational cultures isn't helpful or sustainable. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Groups that have been marginalized will not readily flock to us, but we rarely attempt to figure out why they are reluctant to engage with us. We need to be prepared to build authentic partnerships, to recognize that marginalized communities want and need to be treated as full-fledged stakeholders, and to acknowledge that we and our institutions will likely be changed as a result of these efforts. (A couple of my lunch companions indicated that they would have appreciated some nuts-and-bolts advice about creating partnerships, and I pointed them to a presentation that my former colleague John Suter delivered during a <a href="https://www.statearchivists.org/programs/cosa-webinar-series/webinar-presentation-materials/">recent Council of State Archivists webinar</a>.) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It's hard for leaders to accept that they don't know what they don't know or that other people may be better at doing some things. If you're a leader, find the people in your organization who are passionate about inclusion and give them the freedom to run.</li>
</ul>
Owing to some Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Committee business that commanded some of my time this morning, I sadly missed about a third of session 106, "Collaborative Approaches to Collecting and Preserving LGBTQ Materials." However, I did get to hear about a couple of innovative, community-based LGBTQ archival initiatives that could serve as models not only for additional LGBTQ projects but for other communities seeking to ensure the documentation of papers and records documenting their own history:<br />
<ul>
<li>Sam Bruner discussed the origins of the <a href="http://www.lgbtarchivesla.org/">LGBTQ+ Archives Project of Louisiana</a>, a non-profit organization that began as an oral history project that grew into a much broader initiative that is led by a combination of LGBTQ community members and professional archivists. The project focuses on educating people about the importance of preserving materials that document Louisiana LGBTQ history, maintaining a directory of archival repositories that hold LGBTQ+ materials and are interested in acquiring additional collections, and raising money to support the processing of materials donated to repositories. It is not affiliated with any one repository, and it does not accept archival collections or make decisions about where collections will be housed; although the project will provide information about repositories' collecting strengths and priorities, decisions regarding whether and where to donate collections remain firmly in the hands of the people who created them. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Carmel Curtis detailed the work of the <a href="https://xfrcollective.wordpress.com/">XFR (pronounced "transfer") Collective</a>, a non-profit organization of multimedia archivists who volunteer to digitize at-risk audio and video materials created by artists, activists, other individuals, and organizations. The collective, which grew out of a <a href="http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/xfr-stn">2013 New Museum exhibit</a> focusing on preservation of artworks created on obscure media, is particularly interested in preserving materials that document the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities and in demystifying preservation work by setting up publicly visible digitization workstations whenever it can. The collective <a href="https://archive.org/details/xfrcollective">uploads</a> copies of the digital files that it creates to the Internet Archive.</li>
</ul>
This session also highlighted one possible solution to a problem that many archivists working in many contexts have faced: donors don't always transfer their collections before they die, and they don't always communicate their intentions to their executors or their families. Anyone seeking to collect LGBTQ materials knows of at least one instance in which a treasure trove of materials that was lost because the donor died before transferring it to a repository and the relatives who cleaned out the donor's house either didn't appreciate that it had value or threw it out in disgust. In an effort to minimize such losses, the <a href="http://www.mazerlesbianarchives.org/">June Mazer Lesbian Archives</a> and the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/">Transgender Archives</a> at the University of Victoria give prospective donors specially marked boxes that have deeds of gift attached and instruct donors to start placing their materials in these boxes. If a donor dies before transferring the materials, the presence of the deed of gift alerts relatives that the materials have been promised to an archives. Deeds of gift won't do much to sway the resolutely bigoted, but at least some of the relatives who encounter them will honor the deceased's intentions. This is a superb idea that should be of use to all kinds of collecting repositories.<br />
<br />
Session 207, "Why Do We Have That? Successes in Documenting the Distasteful" focused on the challenges associated with preserving and providing access to materials that strike institutional administrators and community members as gratuitously shocking, offensive, or simply unworthy of "serious" study, but in the process it brought to the fore a number of issues relating to diversity, inclusion, and construction of a comprehensive, equitable historical record:<br />
<ul>
<li>Benn Joseph, formerly of Northwestern University, focused on the <a href="http://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/catalog/inu-ead-spec-archon-1527">Michael McDowell Death Collection</a>, an artificial collection of funeral photographs, suicide notes, letters of condolence, postmortem photographs ("mourning portraits"), spirit photographs, wanted posters, hair wreaths and other hair work, undertakers' licenses, photographs of "atrocities" and war crimes, funeral cards, and other materials assembled by the late novelist and screenwriter Michael McDowell as he was researching his doctoral dissertation on death and mourning customs. Some of these materials, most notably the postmortem photographs and the hair wreaths and other hair-based mementos, strike us as ghastly, but in their day they were prized possessions that were proudly displayed. As Joseph was speaking, it struck me that the archival commitment to inclusion must be retroactive: even though we may find past customs and practices mystifying or disturbing, we should not allow our feelings to keep us from documenting their existence or meanings. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Noting that sexual expression is an integral component of LGBTQ history, Joanne Black of the GLBT Historical Society highlighted some of the "explicit" materials in the society's collections and how they illuminate the nature of sexual relationships, sexual practices, and the meanings attached to sexual activity within specific LGBTQ communities. She also made what I thought is an essential point: if we're going to assemble a comprehensive historical record, we need to document the nature of and meanings attached to sexual behavior. (As Black also pointed out, the controlled vocabularies we use to describe our holdings are largely silent about sexual matters. We need to work on these omissions.) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Amanda Lanthorne of San Diego State University detailed how the <a href="http://library.sdsu.edu/scua/new-notable/panzram">Carl Panzram Papers</a>, which document the life of an alleged serial killer who befriended and entered into a lengthy correspondence with a prison guard, sheds light on prison life in the 1920s, prison reform activism, and American social history generally. It has also been used to cultivate undergraduates' critical thinking skills and foster insight into the lives of individuals who grew up in abusive environments. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Susanna Leberman of the <a href="https://hmcpl.org/spcoll">Huntsville-Madison County [Alabama] Public Library</a> detailed how her institution, which is charged with meeting the needs of all of the members of a diverse community and which has exhibited local history materials that range from Ku Klux Klan signs and flyers to racy (at least by the standards of the day) postcards sent and received by area residents during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, offered a compelling explanation of the importance of documenting the Klan and other oppressive groups and institutions: if you don't document what, for example, the civil rights movement was fighting against, you rob the movement's participants of their struggles and their triumphs. I would argue that every mass organization -- even as one as repulsive as the Klan -- warrants documentation in its own right; if our aim is to assemble a comprehensive historical record, we're going to have to document a lot of really ugly things.</li>
</ul>
It would be remiss of me not to note that Joseph, Black, and Leberman placed great emphasis on the importance of presenting these collections in ways that minimized titillation and shock. When working with undergraduates, Joseph always gave them the option of not examining the "atrocities" and war crimes photos in the Mark McDowell Collection. Black noted that the GLBT Historical Society refrains from posting sexually explicit materials on its website, notifies visitors to its museum that they may see sexually explicit materials, and requires that minors who visit the museum facility be accompanied by an adult. Leberman asserted that archivists need to present materials likely to elicit outrage or horror in a thoughtful, context-rich manner that compels people to reflect upon what they're seeing instead of exploding or withdrawing: "provoke people into thinking, rather than just forcing them to remember or memorize, and it makes you [i.e., the archives] more relevant in their lives."<br />
<ul>
</ul>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-81707319330799989372016-08-01T21:15:00.001-04:002016-08-01T21:15:36.328-04:00A spy in the archives<i>I began working on this post in May, put it aside, and figured I would get back to it once life stopped getting in my way. And now it has: I'm en route to the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists and am three hours into a five hour flight delay. What follows is by no means earth-shattering, but at least my to-do list is one item shorter.</i><br />
<br />
One of the things I love about being an archivist is talking with researchers about their interests and what they find in our records. My reference duties have brought me into contact with people who are incredibly gracious and enthusiastic, and I find their warmth and zeal contagious. At the same time, I'm always mindful that, as archival security experts frequently caution, researchers who seem eager to establish rapport and trust may have ulterior motives. Cases in point:<br />
<ul>
<li>Barry Landau, who stole presidential and other documents from historical societies, university libraries, and government archives on the East Coast, <a href="http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-07-12/news/bs-md-ci-historical-theft-folo-20110712-27_1_jason-savedoff-maryland-historical-society-landau">brought cookies</a> to one state historical society he and his accomplice repeatedly visited and gave cupcakes to the staff of the Maryland Historical Society shortly before he and his accomplice were caught stealing documents from the facility. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>John Mark Tillman, who made a career of preying on antique dealers, museums, and archives throughout the Canadian Maritimes, was able to spirit documents out of the Dalhousie University Archives in part because he spent years <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/hes-turned-into-one-of-canadas-most-infamous-antique-thieves/">winning the trust</a> of the former chief archivist and becoming familiar with the repository's holdings and routines. Tillman was able to <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/police-working-with-thief-to-recover-thousands-of-stolen-artifacts/article18135758/">steal the keys</a> to the facility's vault, duplicate them, and return them without being detected. He and his then-girlfriend entered the university library just before it closed, hid out in a women's restroom until the wee hours of the morning, and then entered the vault and stole letters written by George Washington, General James Wolfe, and other prominent people. </li>
</ul>
Landau and Tillman seem to have been driven by a mixture of greed, arrogance, and collecting impulses run amok. However, other thieves have been propelled by other drives.<br />
<br />
In April of this year, the British Broadcasting Corporation announced that it had found in the archives of the Stasi, the intelligence and secret police agency of the former German Democratic Republic, a video recording of a speech that <a href="http://www.britannica.com/biography/Kim-Philby">Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby</a> gave to Stasi officials in 1981. In it, Philby, a British double agent whose spying for the Soviets resulted in the deaths of Western agents and Central and Eastern European anticommunists, discusses his life and his work. Despite his upper-class background, Philby became a communist while at Cambridge University and was recruited by Soviet intelligence shortly afterward. After covering the Spanish Civil War for a London paper, he was hired by the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, and was initially charged with monitoring German espionage in Spain and Portugal.<br />
<br />
Philby very quickly began funneling information to his Soviet handlers, and much of the information he provided came right out of the MI6 archives. How was he able to gain access to vast quantities of intelligence records without arousing suspicion? He befriended the man who was in charge of the organization's documents room:<br />
<blockquote>
I came to the point where, every two or three times a week, I'd meet him after office hours for drinks. He became a close friend, had full confidence [?] in me, and so I could ask for papers which had nothing to do with German espionage in Spain or Portugal, but which he would nevertheless send me as a friend whom he trusted . . . . Every evening, I left the office with a big briefcase full of reports which I had written myself, full of files taken out of the actual archives. I was to hand them to my Soviet contact in the evening. The next morning, I would get the files back, the contents having been photographed, and take them back early in the morning, and put the files back in their place. That I did regularly, year in, year out.</blockquote>
(The above transcription is mine, and Philby's discussion of his relationship with this MI6 employee begins at 11:40 in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b076v1zq">this BBC Radio 4 broadcast</a>.)<br />
<br />
In retrospect, it seems easy to regard this records officer -- a <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/28/philby">former police officer</a> with a serious drinking problem -- as a fool. However, Philby fooled everyone. His superiors thought him impressive, and many of his colleagues thought that he might one day become the agency's head. Moreover, as Philby's biographer <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2014/0729/A-Spy-Among-Friends-is-an-absolutely-captivating-book-about-the-Kim-Philby-case">has argued</a>, MI6 traditionally regarded its operatives -- almost all of whom were recruited from the upper echelons of British society -- as being inherently trustworthy because they and their families all moved within the same social and professional circles. It wasn't until 1951, when two other MI6 agents who had been recruited by Soviet intelligence while studying at Cambridge defected to the Soviet Union, that the agency began coming to grips with the fact that having "the right sort" of background was no guarantee of loyalty. Philby, who was a close friend of both of these double agents, was rather gently investigated and forced to resign in 1955, but he was allowed to rejoin MI6 several years later. British authorities began closing in on him in earnest late 1962, but MI6 put a longtime friend in charge of the internal investigation and kept him under cursory surveillance. Philby slipped away and defected to the Soviet Union, where he lived until his death in 1988.<br />
<br />
<br />
I am no expert on MI6's internal security procedures -- and if I were, I almost certainly wouldn't be blogging about it -- but I think it's safe to say that access to MI6's documents rooms -- and servers -- is now sharply limited and carefully scrutinized. However, even those of us who don't work in national security settings should never forget that a few of the kindly, supportive researchers we encounter are in fact seeking to exploit us and the records in our care. Records that either have intrinsic value or contain information that could be used to facilitate identity theft or other crimes abound in archives, and those of us who care for records have to ensure that our desire to be friendly and helpful never compromises our efforts to protect our collections and the restricted information found within them.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-46690669167855283692016-06-14T01:49:00.001-04:002016-06-14T01:49:35.121-04:00NYAC 2016: Careers in Archives<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mx8WdPwNPv8/V1-JFXi7n4I/AAAAAAAAC8k/qGvZfHNI_LkkykMu5UYYDcjY2FIdQpiewCLcB/s1600/Plattsburgh_2016-06-07_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mx8WdPwNPv8/V1-JFXi7n4I/AAAAAAAAC8k/qGvZfHNI_LkkykMu5UYYDcjY2FIdQpiewCLcB/s640/Plattsburgh_2016-06-07_7.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bronze statue of Samuel de Champlain atop Plattsburgh, New York's Champlain Monument overlooks the lake that bears the explorer's name, 7 June 2016. Champlain never visited what is now Plattsburgh, but many of the area's inhabitants are descendants of the French settlers who arrived in his wake. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whenever I attend a conference, I make it a point to attend at least one session that isn't directly relevant to my job responsibilities or my career path. It gives me the chance to put aside my preoccupations for a bit and to look at my profession from a slightly different perspective, at least for a little while, and I always find it refreshing.<br />
<br />
When I was at the 2016 meeting of the New York Archives Conference in Plattsburgh, last Friday, I attended "Careers in Archives: The Ins and Outs," which focused on the varied career paths within archives and brought together five experienced archivists and allied professionals who have taken on archival responsibilities:<br />
<ul>
<li>Jane Subramanian, SUNY Potsdam (emerita) </li>
<li>John Thomas, Jefferson Community College </li>
<li>Susannah Fout, Lake Placid Olympic Museum </li>
<li>Anastasia Pratt, SUNY Empire State College and Clinton County Historian </li>
<li>Susan Hughes, American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association </li>
</ul>
The session was aimed at graduate students and new professionals, but I found it quite useful from the perspective of a mid-career archivist who regularly works with interns, dispenses the odd bit of career advice to graduate students, and who occasionally sits on a hiring committee. If you're new to the field or come into contact with people who are just finding their professional footing, I'll think you'll find the points that the panelists made extremely interesting. In the interest of brevity, I've organized them thematically.<br />
<br />
<u>Securing one's first professional job</u><br />
<ul>
<li>An MLS/MIS degree from an American Library Association-accredited school remains the gold standard. If you want a job in a specialized library, specialized coursework is a good idea. However, if you insinuate yourself into an institution or find yourself taking on archival work without having had formal training, you can now pursue an MLS/MIS online. </li>
<li>If you're committed to working in a given institution or a given region, you might have to take a related job and bide your time. One panelist who wanted to work with an archives/local history collection took a librarian position within the same institution, waited until the archives/local history librarian retired, and then approached the library director about transferring into the position. </li>
<li>There are a lot of small museums, historical societies, and libraries out there, and there's a very good chance that you will be employed by such an institution at some point in your career. </li>
<li>Do not limit yourself to archives-specific or library-specific jobs; archival skills translate very well to registrar and collections manager positions. </li>
<li>You need to know how historians do research. If you can fit a historical research methods course into your schedule, by all means do so. </li>
<li>If you're interested in working in a corporate archives, look for job postings on their websites, the American Association of State and Local History website (especially for internship positions), and <a href="http://www.indeed.com/">www.indeed.com</a> as well as archives-specific listservs and websites. News of openings is sometimes spread by word of mouth, so network with board members if you can. Private businesses hire staff more quickly than non-profits, so proactively submitting a resume never hurts. </li>
<li>A number of organizations provide grants to local governments and historical records repositories, and working as a short-term consultant or project archivist is one way to get your foot in the door; however, you should be aware that consulting work, in particular, has serious income tax implications. Contact grant funders and ask if they maintain a list of consultants. Watch their websites for news of awards and contact recipients as soon as announcements are made; recipients often don't hire a consultant until after they have received a grant and may need to get their project started quickly. </li>
<li>Familiarize yourself with the organization to which you're applying; look at its website and its finding aids. Hiring committees can tell if you haven't done your homework. </li>
<li>Have someone else proofread your resume or curriculum vitae; most of the panelists indicated that they have seen resumes that contained multiple errors – and promptly discarded them. </li>
<li>If asked to submit a resume, do not send a curriculum vitae – and vice versa. </li>
<li>Your cover letter is your chance to distinguish yourself from all the other candidates. Be sure that it addresses all of the main points in the job posting. Again, have someone else proofread it. </li>
<li>Search committees are not looking for people who know everything. They are looking for people who know what they do know, what they don't know, and have some ideas about how they're going to learn what they don't know. (This is such an important point. The archival learning curve is infinite, and I would be deeply wary about hiring anyone who seemed convinced that s/he already knew all s/he needed to know.) </li>
<li>A job interview is a two-way process. At the same time it gives your prospective employer a chance to evaluate you, it gives you the chance to evaluate your prospective employer. (Having heard my fair share of horror stories, I offer the following advice: if you walk out of an interview with the sense that your prospective employer is dysfunctional, think very, very carefully before accepting a job offer!) </li>
<li>Walking out of an interview wishing you had said X is a very common experience. A post-interview thank you letter allows you to say it. </li>
<u>
</u></ul>
<u>Succeeding in one's first (or second, or third . . . ) professional job</u><br /><ul>
<li>If you are working in a smaller organization, be prepared to wear many hats. In smaller institutions, the roles of curator, registrar, and archivist are often rolled into one. You may also have fundraising, research, publicity, social media, tourism promotion, and ticket sales responsibilities. You will almost certainly have at least some IT responsibilities. In academic settings, you may have both library and archival responsibilities. </li>
<li>Being pulled in multiple directions can be frustrating, but it can also enable you to learn new skills and make valuable contacts. One panelist who held a joint library/archives appointment found that the extensive faculty contacts she developed in her capacity as a librarian proved very handy when she decided she wanted to start an archives instruction program for undergraduates. </li>
<li>Seek ways to make your collections more visible and accessible. Space is always limited and administrators are always looking to ensure that it is used as effectively as possible, so you want to be sure that your collections are being used. </li>
<li>Making connections and pointing people to resources held by other repositories will be an essential component of your job. Depending upon your repository's collecting scope and researcher community, you may need to acquaint yourself with the staff and the holdings of repositories not only in your region but also in other states or nations. </li>
<li>Continuing education is a must. Certificate of advanced study programs, online and in-person professional development workshops, and professional conferences will help you maintain and expand your knowledge and skills and make essential professional connections. </li>
<li>If you are your employer's first professional archivist, tackling an extensive processing backlog may be your first assignment. You'll need to be able to figure out how to establish appropriate legal and intellectual control over your holdings – and to do so without a lot of staff or money. Solid organizational skills are a must. </li>
<li>Prepare to steel yourself against poor-quality or out-of-scope donations – and to train colleagues and volunteers to do the same. </li>
<li>Don't be satisfied with your collections as they are. Know what you don't have, and be prepared to do the work needed to expand your holdings. </li>
<li>It's 2016. Even lone arrangers working in small organizations have electronic records in their holdings now. Be prepared to care for them.
</li>
</ul>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-82538245021074798842016-06-11T15:18:00.000-04:002016-06-11T15:18:19.909-04:00NYAC 2016: More Than the 40-Hour Work Week<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S00emEs-fTE/V1xBaq5BZjI/AAAAAAAAC8U/4hVhwgGmZpkdw70wyDnQry9do4xFY6lgwCLcB/s1600/Plattsburgh_2016-06-08_a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S00emEs-fTE/V1xBaq5BZjI/AAAAAAAAC8U/4hVhwgGmZpkdw70wyDnQry9do4xFY6lgwCLcB/s640/Plattsburgh_2016-06-08_a1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont as seen from the window at the end of the fourth-floor hallway of my Plattsburgh, New York hotel, 9 June 2016. Thanks to a zoom lens and some judicious cropping, you can't see most of the sprawl that surrounded my hotel or the windowpane condensation that affected a substantial portion of the view. When I got to the hotel, I was initially disappointed to find that my room window offered a commanding view of an access road and that the hallway window was badly fogged. However, the view from the hallway was in many respects akin to archival research: if you take imperfection as a given and deal with it creatively, you can find a lot of interesting and worthwhile things.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
In a former life, I was a graduate student interested the historical intersections of labor, gender, medicine, and public policy. Then I became an electronic records archivist . . . who is still interested in the historical intersections of labor, gender, medicine, and public policy. How could I resist the very first session listed in the 2016 New York Archives Conference program -- "More Than the 40-Hour Work Week: A New Look at Labor Records"? I was not disappointed: all three presentations concerned lightly used records that contain a wealth of information of interest to historians of labor. In the process, they highlighted several topics that cry out for scholarly attention.<br />
<br />
My colleague Emily Allen focused on the records of the <a href="http://www.perb.ny.gov/">New York State Public Employment Relations Board</a> (PERB), which administers the Taylor Law, which gives state and local government employees to unionize. PERB settles questions of union representation, provides mediation, fact-finding, and arbitration services in public employee contract disputes, and hears charges of improper practices by public employers, employees, and employee organizations. The New York State Archives holds thirteen series of investigation and case files created by PERB, but scholars have not made extensive use of them, in part because PERB's records are hard to access. PERB's website contains indexes to interest arbitration award case files (1974-2016) and PERB board decisions (1974-2014), and Westlaw's National Employee Reporter database indexes numerous case files, but those who lack a Westlaw subscription must consult multiple sections of the board's 48-volume <i>Official Decisions, Opinions, and Related Matters</i> in order to identify relevant case numbers and then ask the State Archives whether it holds the corresponding case files.<br />
<br />
The State Archives is trying to determine how to streamline this process and encourage use of PERB's records, which contain some fascinating files:<br />
<ul>
<li>In the early 1970s, inmates who were paid nominal wages to work in various state prison facilities repeatedly asserted that they were public employees and thus had the right to unionize. State courts ultimately ruled that prisoners were not covered by the Taylor Law, but such cases ought to be interest to historians interested in not only in prison labor and prisoners' rights movements but also in the historical evolution of the concepts of "employment," "employee," and "public employee." </li>
<li>In the mid-1970s, the New York City Department of Education attempted reduce the impact of the city's fiscal crisis on its operations by eliminating teachers' contractually mandated sabbaticals. The teachers' union appealed to PERB, and state courts ultimately determined that the department either had to honor the existing contract's sabbatical provisions or reach some sort of negotiated agreement with the union. Historians aren't used to thinking of sabbaticals as a condition of employment of importance to workers, but this case reveals that, at least in some instances, they were. </li>
</ul>
Jodi Boyle of the University at Albany, SUNY discussed several significant collections that document both worker and retiree activism and the manner in which researchers seem content to overlook significant aspects of historical figures' lives and work and significant issues that affect workers as they grow older and leave the workforce:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/findaids/apap102.htm">Helen Quirini</a> was a Schenectady, New York employee of General Electric who for over three decades held leadership positions in the unions that represented GE workers and for almost three decades agitated for improved benefits for GE retirees and for older people generally. Quirini's papers amply document both phases of her GE activism, but historians and graduate students gravitate toward the first half of her activist career. </li>
<li><a href="http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/findaids/apap025.htm">Eugene Link</a> was a founding member of United University Professions, the union that represents State University of New York faculty and was active in its retirees organization, but scholars have devoted little attention to his retiree activism -- even though relations between the union and its retiree organization were at times extremely strained. </li>
<li>The <a href="http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/findaids/apap015.htm">Civil Service Employees Association</a>, New York's public employee union, has transferred many of its older records but few of its retiree records. It has transferred some of its retiree newsletters, but researchers don't seem interested in them.</li>
</ul>
Boyle then outlined how archivists might nudge scholars into taking an interest in retiree records, among them:<br />
<ul>
<li>Being more persuasive with teaching faculty.</li>
<li>Actively collecting retirement records and making sure that prospective donors are aware of their value.</li>
<li>Resisting the temptation to glamorize strike activity and women's rights and stressing the importance of retirement issues in shaping workers' lives.</li>
<li>Making retirement records readily accessible. </li>
</ul>
Barb Morley of Cornell University's Kheel Center detailed how digitization might affect use of Kheel's large collection of collective bargaining agreements, which consists of approximately 350 cubic feet of paper records and <a href="http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/blscontracts/">approximately 2,000 PDF files</a>. Kheel receives most of these employer-union contracts from the United States Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards; it also receives <a href="http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/perbcontracts/">contracts from PERB</a>. Unfortunately, the Office of Labor-Management Standards organizes the contracts it collects in ways that makes them difficult to access; some are organized by company name, some by industry, and some by Department of Labor industry code number. As a result, the paper files have been consulted only 120 times during the past ten years. However, the 2,000 PDF files that Kheel has received from the Department of Labor are readily accessible via Kheel's website and have been downloaded 380,000 times over the past six years. Kheel got a grant to digitize an additional <a href="http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/blscontracts2/">1,600 agreements covering retail and education workers</a> and create enhanced metadata, and these files are also accessible online.<br />
<br />
Morley then outlined some potential new avenues of research afforded by these readily searchable, data-mineable digital surrogates:<br />
<ul>
<li>Integration of minorities and immigrant groups into the workforce as revealed by protections relating to clothing preferences, prayer times, language use, work hours, and specific holidays.</li>
<li>The impact of natural disasters, social crises, or terrorism on conditions of employment in schools (e.g., classroom size, numbers of teaching aides, special safety plans and training, building spaces, and water and food safety).</li>
<li>Social integration of LGBTIQ employees as revealed by definitions of "family member" in contract provisions relating to family and bereavement leave, family insurance coverage, and bathroom and locker room specifications.</li>
<li>The impact of technology, trade agreements, and tariffs on conditions of employment and on labor unions as a whole. </li>
</ul>
During the discussion that followed and one-on-one conversations with the presenters, my fellow attendees and I identified a number of topics that historians in particular have yet to explore:<br />
<br />
<i>The history of older Americans' activism on their own behalf.</i> Scholars have examined the old age pensions movement and the Social Security program that resulted from it, but they have traditionally viewed them in light of the Great Depression and the New Deal. One historian has examined the <a href="http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14626.html">Gray Panthers</a> movement, but scholarly histories of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and other advocacy organizations and of the pension activism of Quirini and others seems to have been given short shrift -- in part, perhaps, because we unconsciously see older Americans as being the pitiable objects, not the engaged agents, of social reform. As far as I can tell, AARP has yet to donate its organizational records to an archives, but a cursory Google search for "american association of retired persons" and "special collections" reveals that records of several chapters and papers of many activists have made their way into repositories.<br />
<br />
<i>Relationships between unions and their retiree organizations</i>.
Most unions have such organizations, and the nature of the relationship
varies from union to union. Studying a given union's relationship with
its retiree group will likely shed interesting light on its inner
workings. Moreover, as Jodi Boyle noted, relations between unions and
their retiree groups have at times been less than tranquil. Examining
how active and retired members' views converged and diverged might help
to illuminate how workers' perceptions and priorities shift as a result
of broad political shifts and structural economic changes. <br />
<br />
<i>Public employee unionism generally. </i>Although some excellent local studies have been done, no one seems to be looking at the rise of public employee unionism as a whole. In my opinion, there are five reasons for this.<br />
<ul>
<li>Public employee unionism is a relatively recent phenomenon. Unlike the craft unions of the old American Federation of Labor, many of which were established in the 19th century, and the industrial unions of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, which won stunning successes during the New Deal era, most unionized public employees won the right to bargain collectively during the last third of the 20th century. </li>
<li>Those of us who study the history of labor tend to focus on dramatic conflict and working-class resistance, but demonstrations and strikes mounted by public employees have rarely engendered mass violence. In addition, public employee strike activity is relatively rare; New York and many other states that recognize the right of public employees to unionize also bar them from striking. </li>
<li>Public employees span just about every category imaginable -- race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, economic status, job responsibilities -- and the image that comes to mind the word "worker" is uttered is -- despite several decades of "the new labor history" -- all too often that of a white, male industrial worker.</li>
<li>Public employee union activity is heavily shaped by state law, and looking at public employee unionism as a broad movement means diving into a lot of legal minutiae. </li>
<li>The American labor movement has taken a beating in recent decades. Although public employee unions in a number of states have recently suffered serious setbacks, they are, as a whole, faring better than their private sector counterparts. Studying the emergence of public employee unionism forces one to come to terms with today's dismal state of affairs.</li>
</ul>
At any rate, it's high time for more in-depth studies of individual public employees unions and the employee associations out of which many of them grew, of broader analyses of the role public employees and their unions have played in the American labor movement as a whole, and of the working lives of public employees -- unionized or not. Many repositories hold records created by public employees and oral histories, personal papers, and other materials documenting the lives and work of public employees.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-40040761063082013352016-04-13T23:55:00.000-04:002016-04-14T00:07:29.244-04:00New York State Archives seeks an Archives & Records Management Specialist 2Are you an archivist or records manager who has solid practical and theoretical knowledge of website development, archival collections management systems, and standards such as Encoded Archival Description and Text Encoding Initiative? Do you want to work with dedicated, talented people? Does the thought of living in the beautiful and historic Hudson River Valley appeal to you? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, my employer would very much like to hear from you.<br />
<br />
As noted below, the <b>application deadline is 22 April 2016</b>. And here's the <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_960_26221.htm">position announcement</a> in its entirety:<br />
<blockquote>
The <a href="http://www.archives.nysed.gov/">New York State Archives</a> is seeking to fill an Archives & Records Management Specialist (ARMS) 2 position within the Information Technology Services Unit. The Information Technology Services Unit has responsibility for the development, integration, and support of all New York State Archives information systems. Under the direction of an Archives and Records Management Specialist 3, duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
<br />
<ul>
<li>
Participate in the evaluation, implementation and integration of standards based public access tools for archival records, including an EAD based finding aid catalog, Digital Collections, and name index; </li>
<li>Develop web content and features including tools for using historical records in the classroom; </li>
<li>Support the development of the State Archives electronic records program; </li>
<li>Support the integration of records management systems with archival management systems; </li>
<li>Advise on the technical implementation of professional standards; and </li>
<li> Work with State Archives staff and vendors to identify and implement web based solutions. </li>
</ul>
<b>MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: For permanent appointment </b>candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or non-competitive 55b/c service as an Archives and Records Management Specialist 1 <b>OR</b> have one year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service in a title SG-16 or above in a title deemed eligible for transfer under Section 52.6 of the Civil Service Law. For provisional appointment, candidates must have a Master's degree in history, government, business or public administration, political science, American studies, library/information science, or archival administration and two years of professional experience in which the majority of duties involved one or more of the following:
<br />
<ul>
<li>
Analyzing or appraising records and information systems to develop recordkeeping and/or records retention plans for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Providing education, training, grant-in-aid, or direct technical assistance services in records management and/or archives administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Developing or implementing guidelines, standards, policies and procedures concerning records management and/or archives administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Evaluating available information technology to support recordkeeping needs and requirements of an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Acquiring, controlling, preserving, making available, or promoting use of archival records, whether in electronic, paper, or other form for an institution, governmental body, or corporation. </li>
</ul>
<b>PERFERRED QUALIFICATIONS</b>: Special consideration will be given to candidates who possess the following qualifications:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Participation in the implementation/maintenance of public access tools and/or records management systems.
Familiarity with systems designed to support access to archival records, such as ARCHON, Archivist’s Toolkit, CollectiveAccess, XTF, etc. </li>
<li>Participation in the implementation/maintenance of web content.
</li>
<li>Knowledge and understanding of the standards used to provide access to and manage archival records including EAD, EAC and TEI.
Familiarity with XML, XSL and XLST. </li>
<li>Demonstration of experience with core archival and records management practices including scheduling/appraisal; archival description and preservation; digital preservation and electronic records; references services to a wide range of users including state and local government agencies. Academics, educators, genealogists, local historians, and the general public.
<b></b></li>
</ul>
<b>CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT</b>: This will be a permanent or provisional appointment. Promotions and transfers may change appointees’ negotiating unit. Applications should be aware that changes in negotiating units may affect their salary, insurance, and other benefits. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
*[Starting salary: $52,293] Leads to a salary of $66,494 based on annual performance advances. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b>APPLICATION</b>: Qualified candidates should send a resume and letter of interest by April 22, 2016 to ocejobs[at]nysed.gov (<b>email submissions are preferred</b>). You must include the Box number (OCE-960/26221) of the position in the subject line of your email and/or cover letter to ensure receipt of your application.
</blockquote>
Please note:<br />
<ul>
<li>The salary is established by a collective bargaining agreement and is non-negotiable.</li>
<li>The State of New York offers a comprehensive package of <a href="https://www.cs.ny.gov/employees/state/">health insurance</a>, <a href="http://osc.state.ny.us/retire/publications/vo1530/index.php">retirement</a>, and <a href="http://goer.ny.gov/employee_resources/Benefit_Programs.cfm">other</a> benefits. </li>
</ul>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-60203696407806450072016-02-22T23:26:00.001-05:002016-02-22T23:26:56.135-05:00Kansas State Historical Society is looking for a Government Records ArchivistIf you're a well-rounded records professional who enjoys working with all types of records, wants to work with some fantastic people, loves juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities, and lives or wants to live in the Sunflower State, the <a href="http://www.kshs.org/p/state-archives/18932">Kansas State Historical Society</a> may have <a href="http://admin.ks.gov/services/state-employment-center/job/job-postings?id=182948">the job</a> of your dreams. Here's what's involved, according to the detailed <a href="http://www.kshs.org/about/pdfs/pd_program_consultant.pdf">position description</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
This is specialized, professional archival and
records management work with statewide scope and
application. The employee assists in developing the strategic direction for the State Archives
Division’s public records program. The employee provides advice and assistance on records
management and preservation practices; develops records retention and disposition schedules for
state and county government agencies; provides technical assistance in planning, coordinating,
and evaluating public records program activities; identifies, appraises, acquires, arranges,
describes, and preserves Kansas government records (analog and digital) deemed to possess
enduring value; assists with workshops and other training activities; utilizes a variety of computer
databases; prepares statistics; assists in preparing grant applications; assists in evaluating
received grant applications; and participates in strategic planning.
The work is of a highly diverse and complex nature characterized by a broad range of activities and
frequently changing conditions, situations, problem
s, and standards/best practices. The employee
must exhibit independent judgment and participate in
major program changes
or policy decisions.
The employee must possess the ability to explain,
clarify, and interpret the program’s policies,
procedures, and practices to a diverse audience.<br />
<br />
<b>Records Management Consulting (Analog and Digital Records) </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Promotes the adoption of records management
methods and best practices for state and
local government records in all formats in compliance with applicable records laws. </li>
<li>Analyzes business processes and workflow
s to determine state and local government
agency functions and the resulting records series and information systems to develop
records retention and disposition schedules. </li>
<li>Prepares and revises state and local government retention and disposition schedules and
drafts appraisal reports for presentation to
the State Records Board. Appraisal
assessments require the employee to apply analytical thought and sound judgment to: </li>
<ul>
<li>recommend appropriate retention periods and
final dispositions for Kansas public
records to meet the legal, fiscal, or
administrative requirements of Kansas
government agencies; </li>
<li>identify public records that possess enduring
legal, fiscal, or administrative value to
the State of Kansas or its citizens; </li>
<li>determine the potential historical value
of public records by evaluating gaps in
existing State Archives holdings, uniqueness
of the information contained in the
records, preservation issues and concerns
, research trends, and anticipated future
use. </li>
</ul>
<li>Assists state government
agencies to develop Electronic Recordkeeping Plans detailing
strategies for ensuring that long-term electronic records (10+ year retention) are managed
and preserved for approved retention periods. </li>
<li>Evaluates, monitors, and proposes new or
revised state and local government agency
recordkeeping practices. </li>
<li>Provides assistance to state and local
government agencies in interpreting and applying
retention and disposition schedules. </li>
<li>Coordinates with others to develop enterprise guidelines and best practices for the
management of state and local government
records in analog and digital form. </li>
<li>Produces and presents written, oral, and multimedia training materials and workshops on
records and information management policies, procedures, and legal mandates </li>
<li>Develops and maintains positive working relationships with state and local government
agency staff. </li>
</ul>
<b>Public Records Preservation (Analog and Digital Records)</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Develops and implements plans to proactively identify and acquire state government
records with enduring value. </li>
<li>Coordinates the legal and physical transfer
of state government records with enduring
value to the State Archives. </li>
<li>Arranges State Archives holdings in accor
dance with professional archival practices. </li>
<li>Provides suitable housing and storage for State Ar
chives holdings to ensure preservation. </li>
<li>Reappraises records in the State Arch
ives holdings for possible deaccessioning. </li>
<li>Describes the content of State Archives holdings to aid researchers in identifying materials
appropriate to their area of inquiry through narrative finding aids and cataloging records
that are EAD- (Encoded Archival Description)
, DACS- (Describing Archives: A Content
Standard), MARC- (Machine Readable Cataloging), and Dublin Core-compliant. This is
done through the use of the agency’s collections
management software, digital archives
system, and other tools. </li>
<li>Processes content for the State Archives
Kansas Enterprise Electronic Preservation
(KEEP) trusted digital repository in accordance with established workflows and metadata
standards including: </li>
<ul>
<li>Open Archival Information System (OAIS); </li>
<li>Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories; </li>
<li>Producer-Archive Interface - Methodology Abstract Standard (PAIMAS) </li>
</ul>
<li>Ensures that new finding aids and other
access tools are added to the KSHS website and
databases in a timely manner. </li>
<li> Miscellaneous Related Duties</li>
<li>Serves on intra- and inter-divisional
committees, task forces, and teams. </li>
<li>Provides staff support to various boards
, including the State Records Board and the
Electronic Records Committee. </li>
<li>Trains, plans and oversees the
work of volunteers and interns. </li>
<li>Enhances professional knowledge and skills by: </li>
<ul>
<li>studying professional literature in the
fields of records management, archives,
government, history, information technology, and digital preservation;</li>
<li>participating in regional and national archives and records management
professional organizations;</li>
<li>attending in in-person and remote professional development training opportunities; </li>
</ul>
<li>Develops and presents new or revised content
for the State Archives Division web pages.</li>
<li>Performs other tasks assigned by the supervisor,
the State Archives Division director, or by
other Kansas Historical Society administrators in order to help carry out the general
mission of the agency. </li>
<li>Provides administrative and logistical support to the Kansas State Historical Records
Advisory Board (KSHRAB) by: </li>
<ul>
<li>contributing to the preparation of National Historical Publications and Records
Commission (NHPRC) grant proposals requesting funding for KSHRAB activities; </li>
<li>participating in KSHRAB meetings and strategic planning activities.
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b>Reference</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Provides reference and research assistance
to staff and patrons who visit the Research
Room or who send inquiries remotely using collections management system, narrative
finding aids, other published and unpublished resources, and personal knowledge of the
holdings of the agency according to established guidelines. This may include working the
occasional Saturday. </li>
<li>Performs specialized reference work involving
the locations of specific materials in large
collections of government records, personal
papers, business records,
etc. that does not
have detailed descriptions. This involves
applying knowledge of similar collections to
determine where relevant materials mi
ght be in these large collections. </li>
<li>Provides specialized reference and research
assistance to staff from other government
agencies requiring access to agency records
that have been transferred to the State
Archives. Occasionally serves as liaison between agency staff and reference staff at the
Kansas Historical Society. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
And here's what you need to bring to the table: <br />
<blockquote>
<b>Education or Training</b><br />
Master's
degree in history or library/information science with an archival
administration concentration, or a related field is preferred.<br />
<br />
<b>Licenses, Certificates, and Registrations </b><br />
Valid Kansas driver's license <br />
Certified Archivist credential preferred but not required.<br />
Digital
Archives Specialist certificate preferred but not required.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities</b><br />
<br />
Knowledge of:<br />
<ul>
<li>archival theories, methods, and best practices; </li>
<li>electronic information systems including document and/or content management systems, imaging systems, and
database management systems; </li>
<li>digital preservation methods and best practices; </li>
<li>metadata standards for archives, records management, and digital preservation including, but not limited to, the
following: </li>
<ul>
<li>Metadata Encoding Transmission Standard (METS) </li>
<li>Dublin Core </li>
<li>PREMIS (preservation metadata)</li>
<li>Encoded Archival Description (EAD)</li>
<li>Machine-Readable Cataloging Record (MARC) </li>
</ul>
<li>American history with special emphasis
on western and Kansas history; </li>
<li>records and information management methods and best practices; </li>
<li>international standards and best practices related to trusted digital repositories including, but not limited to, the
following:
o </li>
<li>Open Archival Information System (OAIS): ISO 14721:2012 </li>
<li>Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories: ISO 16363: 2012 </li>
<li>Producer-Archive Interface - Methodology
Abstract Standard (PAIMAS): ISO 20652:2006</li>
<li>archives and special collections reference techniques and best practices;</li>
<li>historical research methods; </li>
<li>Special Library and archives reference techniques and best practices. </li>
</ul>
Ability to:<br />
<ul>
<li>work with a variety of people and in a team environment; </li>
<li>balance multiple projects; </li>
<li>meet deadlines; </li>
<li>express ideas clearly, orally, and in writing to groups with varying expertise in the relevant subject matter.
</li>
</ul>
<b>Experience</b> <br />
Six months of
experience in planning, implementing and monitoring activities relevant
to the agency's programs. Education may be substituted for experience
as determined relevant by the agency.<br />
<br />
<b>Special Qualifications </b><br />
Physical
requirements of the position include climbing tall ladders to examine
or move records stored on high shelves; lifting or carrying boxes or
volumes weighing as much as 60 pounds which often must be placed on high
shelves and/or loading docks; and loading, and driving a large van. </blockquote>
The starting salary for this position is $36,171, and State of Kansas employees receive <a href="http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/sehp/">health insurance</a>, <a href="http://www.kpers.org/">retirement</a>, and other benefits.<br />
<br />
The <b>application deadline</b> for this position is <b>11 March 2016</b>. For more information and detailed application instructions, consult the <a href="http://admin.ks.gov/services/state-employment-center/job/job-postings?id=182948">job posting</a>.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-61831499916863381682016-02-05T12:00:00.000-05:002016-02-05T12:00:05.961-05:00Alabama Department of Archives and History is hiring an appraisal archivist/records managerIf you are comfortable working with both paper and analog records, like the idea of having dedicated colleagues who do amazing things with limited resources, and live or want to live in the South, the Alabama Department of Archives and History would like to hear from you. Here's what you need to know:<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Position:</b> 30430 Archivist – Appraisal/Records Management<br />
<br />
<b>Annual Salary Range:</b> $30,724.80 - $48,924.00<br />
<br />
<b>Date we will request a register from State Personnel: </b>February 29, 2016<br />
<br />
Currently, the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) seeks an Archivist/Records Manager for the appraisal and outreach program with state and local government agencies. Reporting to the head of the Appraisal Section, the archivist will be responsible for establishing retention requirements for state and local records in all formats, the acquisition of permanent state records for preservation in the Alabama Department of Archives and History, and records management outreach activities with core constituent groups. While
this is the only approved position for hire today, the archivist
position is a <a href="http://personnel.alabama.gov/Documents/Announcements/101276_A.pdf">continuous register</a> in Alabama and we anticipate an
additional hire in late spring 2016. The late
spring hire will include a collections archivist to work with serials,
photographs, and other special formats.
<b>If you are interested in any archival position with the State of Alabama,</b> <b>
we encourage you to submit an <a href="http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Downloads/StateApp.pdf">
application</a> to the Alabama State Personnel Department today.</b><br />
<br />
<div>
<b>Appraisal/Records Management Duties:</b></div>
<ul>
<li>Work
with state and local government officials to identify the legal,
fiscal, administrative, and historical value of records and submit
retention recommendations
to the State and Local Government Records Commissions.</li>
<li>Develop and provide training for state and local agency staff in the proper management of records
</li>
<li>Provide records-keeping support to state and local officials as well as keepers of historical records at local repositories.</li>
<li>Acquire state agency historical records for preservation at the ADAH.
</li>
<li>Work with local government officials to preserve records in local communities.</li>
<li>Work with all stakeholders to develop and/or revise policies, rules, and guidelines concerning the management of records, in all formats,<span style="color: black;"> based on national and international best practices.
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">Become familiar with current Alabama, other state, and national laws with regards to record keeping</span></li>
<span style="color: black;">
</span></ul>
<b>Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Knowledge of records management and archival core competencies.</li>
<li>Knowledge of the principles and practices involved with the appraisal, collection, and disposition of records.</li>
<li>Knowledge of electronic records and reformatting best practices.</li>
<li>Evidence of commitment to the archival profession by memberships and participation in professional associations.
</li>
<li>Record of ongoing professional development and contribution.</li>
<li>Ability to work well with all stakeholders</li>
<li>Ability to express ideas clearly, both orally and in writing.</li>
<li>Ability
to read, analyze, and interpret industry periodicals, professional
journals, technical procedures, and government regulations to keep
up-to-date with
new best practices and techniques</li>
<li>Ability to lift and carry heavy boxes weighing on average 40 pounds.</li>
</ul>
<b>Minimum Qualifications:
</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bachelor’s
degree in history, political science, government or a related field
plus – two graduate level courses in archival administration
or one year’s professional experience in archival or records management
work.</li>
<li>A valid driver’s license</li>
</ul>
<b>Montgomery and ADAH: </b><br />
Montgomery
and the River Region are home to friendly people, high-tech industry,
the State Capitol, and a major Air Force Base. The region is growing
quickly with over 360,000 people in Montgomery,
Prattville, Millbrook, Pike Road, Wetumpka and Tallassee and enjoys a
low cost of living. Located in central Alabama at the intersection of
Interstate Highway 85 (east and west) and Interstate Highway 65 (north
and south), Montgomery is:
<br />
<ul>
<li>161 miles southwest of Atlanta</li>
<li>92 miles south of Birmingham</li>
<li>168 miles north of Mobile and the Gulf of Mexico</li>
</ul>
Alabama
created the first state department of archives and history in the
United States. Founded in 1901, the Alabama Department of Archives and
History became a model for many other states.
Now in its second century of service, the Alabama Department of
Archives and History is mindful of its obligation to preserve the
records of its past and to serve the information needs of future
generations of researchers. The department continues the following
programs as priority services:
<br />
<ul>
<li>assistance to state agencies and local governments in the preservation of their records of historical value</li>
<li>work to preserve modern records in fragile formats, such as computer records, photographs, and video tapes</li>
<li>educational programs and tours to school children, tourists, and interested citizens</li>
<li>reference service</li>
<li>maintenance of the security of collections held by the Archives
</li>
<li>use of new information technology to extend the department's services.</li>
</ul>
<div class="yiv9821834291MsoListParagraph" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454640425520_2701" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br />
The ADAH is interested in filling this position as quickly as possible. If you are interested in applying, please:</div>
<ul>
<li>submit a State of Alabama Job Application form to State Personnel by the COB on Friday, February 26, 2016. </li>
<li>Find the class code for the position above or at
<a href="http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Documents/Announcements/101276_A.pdf">http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Documents/Announcements/101276_A.pdf</a>)
</li>
<li>Complete the State of Alabama Application form available at
<a href="http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Downloads/StateApp.pdf">http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Downloads/StateApp.pdf</a></li>
<li>Application process questions may be answered at
<a href="http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Downloads/OESHelpDoc.pdf">http://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Downloads/OESHelpDoc.pdf</a>)</li>
<li><b><i><u>In addition to</u></i></b> submitting the state application form, please send a resume to the
address below. The cover letter should include availability details and any salary requirements.</li>
</ul>
Becky Hébert<br />
becky.hebert[at]archives.alabama.gov<br />
Alabama Department of Archives and History<br />
PO Box 300100<br />
Montgomery, AL 36130-0100</blockquote>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-24058004719196754262016-02-04T22:57:00.000-05:002016-02-04T22:57:26.754-05:00New York State Archives is hiring *two* Archives and Records Management Specialist 2'sMy employer is on a hiring spree! Last week, I <a href="http://larchivista.blogspot.com/2016/01/new-york-state-archives-is-hiring.html">posted</a> about an Archives and Records Management Specialist 2 position that we're currently seeking to fill; this position is in our Information Services unit, and the deadline for applying is February 9. We are <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_944_26092.htm">now hiring</a> two more Archives and Records Management Specialist 2's:<br />
<blockquote>
The <a href="http://www.archives.nysed.gov/">New York State Archives</a> is seeking to fill two
Archives and Records Management Specialist (ARMS) 2 positions. Under
the direction of an ARMS 4 or ARMS 3, the ARMS 2 will carry out tasks
related to the scheduling, appraisal, arrangement and description,
and/or preservation of government records. Duties include, but are not
limited to, the following:
<br />
<div align="justify">
<ul type="disc">
<li>Schedule, appraise, arrange, and describe, and/or preserve state government records; </li>
<li>Provide advisory services to state agencies, local governments, and/or non-government repositories;</li>
<li>Participate in the delivery of services to on-site researchers
and the response to researcher inquiries via phone and email; and</li>
<li>Supervise staff assigned to tasks related to government records
and/or archival services, including planning projects, monitoring
work in progress, evaluating final products, and documenting staff
effort.</li>
</ul>
<b>MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS</b>: Candidates
must have one year of permanent competitive or non-competitive 55b/c
service as an Archives and Records Management Specialist 1 <b>OR</b>
have one year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service in a title
SG-16 or above in a title deemed eligible for transfer under Section
52.6 of the Civil Service Law. In addition, candidates must also
possess the qualifications listed below. For <b>provisional appointment</b>, candidates must have a Master's
degree in history, government, business or public administration,
political science, American studies, library/information science, or
archival administration and two years of professional experience in
which the majority of duties involved one or more of the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Analyzing or appraising records and information systems to
develop recordkeeping and/or records retention plans for an
institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Providing education, training, grant-in-aid, or direct technical
assistance services in records management and/or archives
administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Developing or implementing guidelines, standards, policies and
procedures concerning records management and/or archives administration
for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Evaluating available information technology to support
recordkeeping needs and requirements of an institution, governmental
body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Acquiring, controlling, preserving, making available, or
promoting use of archival records, whether in electronic, paper, or
other form for an institution, governmental body, or corporation.</li>
</ul>
<div align="justify">
If there are three or fewer qualified candidates in
the promotion field, a permanent appointment may be made via
non-competitive promotion pursuant to §52.7 of the Civil Service Law.
To qualify for non-competitive promotion, candidates must have one year
of permanent competitive or 55b/c service as an Archives and Records
Management Specialist 1. </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
Don't let the opaque civil service language in the "minimum qualifications" section spook you; it merely indicates that some people already employed by the State of New York may be eligible to transfer into these positions provided that they meet the specified qualifications.<br />
<br />The starting salary for both positions is $52,293 and, at least according to the current <a href="http://www.cs.ny.gov/businesssuite/Compensation/Salary-Schedules/index.cfm?nu=PST&effdt=04/01/2014&fullScreen">salary schedule</a>, will gradually increase to $66,494 based on annual
performance advances. These figures are established by a collective
bargaining agreement and are non-negotiable; they may also change
slightly following the next round of contract negotiations. In addition,
the State of New York offers a comprehensive array of <a href="http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/members/index.php">retirement</a>, <a href="http://www.cs.ny.gov/employees/state/">health</a>, and other benefits.<br />
<br />
The <b>application deadline</b> is <b>22 February 2016</b>. For more information and detailed application instructions, consult the <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_944_26092.htm">position description</a>. l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-44626663534023036592016-01-28T19:16:00.001-05:002016-02-04T22:57:44.596-05:00New York State Archives is hiring an Archives and Records Management Specialist 2If you're an archivist or records manager who has substantial technical skills and knowledge of various metadata standards, wants to work for a darned good archival program, isn't afraid of occasionally working with me (I don't bite, I promise), and would like to live in a small yet <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/news-event/albany-corruption-trials">colorful</a> upstate New York city, the <a href="http://www.archives.nysed.gov/">New York State Archives</a> may have <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_954_26303.htm">a job</a> for you:<br />
<blockquote>
The New York State Archives is seeking to fill an Archives and Records Management Specialist (ARMS) 2 position within the Information Services Unit. The Information Services Unit has responsibility for the development, integration, and support of all New York State Archives information systems. Under the direction of an Archives and Records Management Specialist 3, duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:<br />
Participate in the implementation, maintenance and integration of public access and records management systems;
Develop and manage New York State Archives web site content relating to government records services and to archival collections;
Provide advisement on the implementation of archival professional standards, including but not limited to EAD, EAC, Dublin Core and TEI;
Work with State Archives staff and vendors to identify and implement web-based solutions; and
Support development of the New York State Archives electronic records program.<br />
<br />
<b>MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS</b><br />
For <b>permanent appointment</b> candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or non-competitive 55b/c service as an Archives and Records Management Specialist 1 OR have one year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service in a title SG-16 or above in a title deemed eligible for transfer under Section 52.6 of the Civil Service Law. In addition, candidates must also possess the qualifications listed below. For <b>provisional appointment</b>, candidates must have a Master's degree in history, government, business or public administration, political science, American studies, library/information science, or archival administration and two years of professional experience in which the majority of duties involved one or more of the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Analyzing or appraising records and information systems to develop recordkeeping and/or records retention plans for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li> Providing education, training, grant-in-aid, or direct technical assistance services in records management and/or archives administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Developing or implementing guidelines, standards, policies and procedures concerning records management and/or archives administration for an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Evaluating available information technology to support recordkeeping needs and requirements of an institution, governmental body, or corporation; </li>
<li>Acquiring, controlling, preserving, making available, or promoting use of archival records, whether in electronic, paper, or other form for an institution, governmental body, or corporation. </li>
</ul>
<b>PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS</b><br />
Special consideration will be given to candidates who possess the following qualifications:<br />
<ul>
<li>Participation in the implementation/maintenance of public access and/or records management systems. </li>
<li>Participation in the implementation/maintenance of websites. </li>
<li>Knowledge and understanding of the standards used to provide access to and manage archival records including EAD, EAC and TEI. </li>
<li>Familiarity with XML, XSL and XLST. </li>
<li>Demonstration of experience with core archival and records management practices including scheduling/appraisal; archival description and preservation; digital preservation and electronic records; references services to a wide range of users including state and local government agencies, academics, educators, genealogists, local historians, and the general public. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
The starting salary for this position is $52,293 and, at least according to the current <a href="http://www.cs.ny.gov/businesssuite/Compensation/Salary-Schedules/index.cfm?nu=PST&effdt=04/01/2014&fullScreen">salary schedule</a>, the salary will gradually increase to $66,494 based on annual performance advances. These figures are established by a collective bargaining agreement and are non-negotiable; they may also change slightly following the next round of contract negotiations. In addition, the State of New York offers a comprehensive array of <a href="http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/members/index.php">retirement</a>, <a href="http://www.cs.ny.gov/employees/state/">health</a>, and other benefits.<br />
<br />
The <b>deadline</b> for applying for this position is <b>9 February 2016</b>. For more information and application instructions, consult the <a href="http://www.oms.nysed.gov/hr/flyers/OCE_954_26303.htm">position description</a>.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-75165613957860314312016-01-27T20:00:00.000-05:002016-01-28T01:10:52.436-05:00Oregon State Archives seeks a Records Analyst 1Are you an experienced electronic records archivist or electronic records manager? Do you relish the thought of ensuring the continued development of a <a href="http://media.govtech.net/GOVTECH_WEBSITE/EVENTS/PRESENTATION_DOCS/2013/Oregon_DGS_2013/ORDGS13_Electronic_Records_Management_Herkert.pdf">successful, statewide electronic records management system</a>? Do you live or want to live in the Pacific Northwest? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, the <a href="http://sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/default.aspx">Oregon State Archives</a> may have <a href="http://sos.oregon.gov/SiteAssets/Pages/employmentopportunities/RecordsAnalyst.pdf">a job</a> for you:<br />
<br />
This position advises and assists state and local government agencies in records management. This is accomplished in part, but not limited to:<br />
<ul>
<li>Design business processes, record types, records classifications and work flow strategies for the maintenance, access and retrieval of data in the Oregon Records Management Solution (ORMS). </li>
<li>Act as point of contact for the day-to-day operations of the Oregon Records Management Solution.
Develop methods for quality control of the Oregon Records Management Solution. </li>
<li>Coordinate the creation, maintenance, retrieval, protection, retention, storage and disposition of all records (electronic and manual) in accordance with State Policy and legal, financial, governmental and historical requirements. </li>
<li> Provide training and general assistance to state and local government agencies regarding effective records management practices. </li>
<li>Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, work cooperatively with internal and external customers and provide quality seamless customer service. </li>
<li>Research and write administrative overviews and program descriptions of state and local government agencies when a schedule is developed or revised providing history and current status. </li>
</ul>
In order to be considered for this position, you must have:<br />
<ul>
<li>A Master’s Degree in history, public administration, archives and records administration or a related
degree that demonstrates the capacity for the knowledge and skills
AND </li>
<li>One year of professional level experience in records management or archives</li>
</ul>
OR<br />
<ul>
<li>A Bachelor’s degree in history, public administration, archives and records administration or a related
degree that demonstrates the capacity for the knowledge and skills AND </li>
<li>Designation as a Certified Records Manager (CRM)</li>
</ul>
The salary range for this position is $3,365 - $4,899 per month, and the <b>application deadline</b> is <b>2 February 2016</b>. For more information about this job, the Oregon State Archives, fringe benefits, and the Salem area, consult the very attractive <a href="http://sos.oregon.gov/SiteAssets/Pages/employmentopportunities/RecordsAnalyst.pdf">position description</a>. l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-48326801381545020532016-01-26T23:52:00.002-05:002016-01-26T23:52:27.466-05:00Ohio History Connection seeks an Electronic Records ArchivistIf you have both electronic records management and digital preservation experience and want to live in a Midwestern city that's surprisingly energetic and appealing, the <a href="https://www.ohiohistory.org/learn/archives-library/state-archives">Ohio History Connection</a> would like to hear from you. (I'm an Ohio native, so I'm allowed to say that Columbus -- a city I've repeatedly enjoyed -- is a lot more more interesting that it seems at first glance.) Here's what you need to know:<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Summary</b><br />
This position within the State Archives is responsible for the appraisal, transfer, accessioning, management, description, preservation and access of electronic public records acquired by the State Archives of Ohio.<br />
<br />
<b>Essential Duties and Responsibilities</b><br />
<ul>
<li>In consultation with the State Archivist, establish and implement electronic records policies, goals and objectives. </li>
<li>Carry out professional archival work focused on the appraisal of, description of, preservation of and access to electronic records transferred to the State Archives. </li>
<li>Review options and make recommendations for the accessioning, ingest, potential conversion, storage, preservation of and access to electronic records transferred to the State Archives. </li>
<li>Assist in the development of records retention and disposition schedules for government records. </li>
<li>Develop and deliver training on electronic records management and preservation. </li>
<li>Serve, as required, on national and statewide working groups, committees and task forces such as the Ohio Electronic Records Committee. </li>
<li>Serve as liaison between the State Archives and the Ohio History Connection Information Technology staff. </li>
<li>Other duties as assigned. </li>
</ul>
<b>Supervisory Responsibilities</b><br />
The Electronic Records Archivist supervises staff archivists in their duties of appraisal, preservation, arrangement and description of electronic records as well as the associated processing efforts of interns and volunteers.
Qualifications
Education and Experience:<br />
<br />
<i>Required</i>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Master’s degree in library science, archival administration or information technology. </li>
<li>Thorough knowledge of electronic archival and records management principles and practices. </li>
<li>Understanding of archival systems, document imaging and conversion systems, document management systems, and records management. </li>
<li>Knowledge of metadata standards.</li>
<li>Experience with electronic records preservation activities.</li>
<li>Excellent project management skills and ability to carry out essential job requirements and produce efficient and effective results. </li>
</ul>
<i>Preferred</i><br />
<ul>
<li>A minimum of four years of records management and/or archival experience and relevant experience managing a successful electronic records program.</li>
<li>Experience appraising government records.</li>
<li>Experience conducting archival training and outreach.</li>
<li>Working knowledge of state and local government organizational structures, operations and functions. </li>
</ul>
<b>Certificates or Licensures</b><br />
Must possess valid driver’s license. Certified Archivist or Certified Records Manager designations, Society of American Archivists Digital Archives Specialist or Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA+) certifications preferred.<br />
<br />
<b>Language Skills</b><br />
Ability to follow complex written or oral instructions. Must be able to effectively explain complex records management, archival and information technology issues to non-technical audiences, including staff, associates, government entities and the public orally and in writing.<br />
<br />
<b>Mathematical Skills</b><br />
Requires basic mathematical skills.<br />
<br />
<b>Technical Skills</b><br />
Must have a comprehensive knowledge of archival and records management techniques, electronic records management and preservation practices, document imaging and management systems, and emerging electronic technologies.<br />
<br />
<b>Reasoning Ability</b><br />
Ability to pay attention to detail. Ability to determine and employ the most efficient and effective methods in order to achieve desired results.<br />
<br />
<b>Note</b><br />
Position will remain open until filled. All interested applicants should submit a professional cover letter, resume with salary requirements to: applicant[at]ohiohistory.org or fax to Human Resources at 614-297-2293.<br />
<br />
<b>Contact</b><br />
Human Resources Office<br />
Ohio History Connection<br />
800 E. 17th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43211<br />
Fax: 614-297-2293<br />
E-mail: applicant[at]ohiohistory.org </blockquote>
l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-52428718046417930582015-10-21T23:59:00.000-04:002015-10-22T00:12:02.944-04:00Best Practices Exchange: day three<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3mgi2HeXqY/VihWYbqR1zI/AAAAAAAAC6w/lcSVcR-vrYo/s1600/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3mgi2HeXqY/VihWYbqR1zI/AAAAAAAAC6w/lcSVcR-vrYo/s640/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_5.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial Hall, Pennsylvania State Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 21 October 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 2015 <a href="http://www.bpexchange.org/">Best Practices Exchange</a> (BPE) ended just before noon today. I spent most of the afternoon and early evening driving home, and I need to spend the rest of this evening unpacking and getting ready to go to work tomorrow, so I'm going to put up a few more substantive posts in the coming days. However, one of the things that I love about the BPE is that it often makes one look for connections between seemingly disparate things, and this morning I took a look around the museum and noted that our very surroundings seemed to be reinforcing points made in various presentations.<br />
<br />
This year's BPE sessions took place in the Pennsylvania State Museum building, and attendees repeatedly passed through the Museum's Memorial Hall, which is dedicated to the vision of Pennsylvania founder William Penn as they made their way from one session to the next. Memorial Hall features a mammoth, strikingly modernist sculpture of Penn, a reproduction of Pennsylvania's original colonial charter, and a mural by <a href="http://cpc.state.pa.us/history/artists/vincent-maragliotti.cfm">Vincent Maragliotti</a> depicting the state's history from the colonial era to the mid-1960s.<br />
<br />
Painted beneath the mural are quotations from over a dozen prominent Pennsylvanians. I scanned them this morning as I was heading to a session, and several of them seemed strikingly resonant.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agT7lg8ZfzU/VihXTNo56iI/AAAAAAAAC7A/nUigUEVKBOY/s1600/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agT7lg8ZfzU/VihXTNo56iI/AAAAAAAAC7A/nUigUEVKBOY/s640/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_a1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
BPE attendees tend to be thoroughly practical, in part because we've all seen large-scale information technology projects end miserably. Doug Robinson, the executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, noted during a plenary address that the spectacular failure of numerous government IT projects -- failures rooted in the desire to solve all problems at once and in repeated changes in project scope and direction -- is finally moving state CIOs toward an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development">agile</a>, incremental approach to software and system development.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P47Y2TfeTl4/VihZqQNNgrI/AAAAAAAAC7M/zi__BOc3JDU/s1600/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P47Y2TfeTl4/VihZqQNNgrI/AAAAAAAAC7M/zi__BOc3JDU/s640/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The BPE exists because archivists, librarians, and other people recognize that the processes and policies that worked so well in an analog world don't work so well in the digital era. This year, many presenters detailed how they're developing and documenting new processing workflows and drafting new preservation and records management policies. We're creating these things not because we wish to sow discord or promote ourselves but because our mission -- preserving and providing state government and other born-digital content -- demands it of us.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K4FAyEpCewM/VihaMSoU-dI/AAAAAAAAC7U/blni1d-c4Eo/s1600/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K4FAyEpCewM/VihaMSoU-dI/AAAAAAAAC7U/blni1d-c4Eo/s640/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
BPE attendees have always stressed that failure can be just as instructive as success, and Kate Theimer stressed in her plenary address that we need to create organizational cultures in which failure is recognized as part and parcel of innovation. I would argue that demonstrating a certain degree of compassion is part and parcel of this effort. Most of the people who self-select to become archivists and librarians were conscientious students who took pride in having the "right" answer, and we have to keep gently reminding our perfectionist peers that failure itself is neither unusual nor a sign of incompetence. Failure to learn from a failure is far more damaging.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grS5mtgKhmk/VihaX1MLzkI/AAAAAAAAC7c/4ponHs53_bo/s1600/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grS5mtgKhmk/VihaX1MLzkI/AAAAAAAAC7c/4ponHs53_bo/s640/Harrisburg_2015-10-21_6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I don't know whether the "irresistible right arm shall divide the waves," but as Pennsylvania State University records manager Jackie Esposito emphasized in this morning's plenary address, those of us who are actively grappling with digital preservation and electronic records management are doing so in part because the risks associated with not doing so -- financial losses, legal sanctions, tarnished institutional reputations, inability to conduct business -- are even greater than the risks associated with wading into the deep waters of digital preservation and electronic records management. We don't have any choice but to keep going forward, even if the only right -- or left -- arms pushing against the waves are our own.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-30247716562421057702015-10-20T23:59:00.000-04:002015-10-22T00:11:42.002-04:00Best Practices Exchange 2015: day two<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_v_BPjCF7J0/Vicf2O6hixI/AAAAAAAAC54/8XEyFCyxRR4/s1600/Harrisburg_2015-10-20b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_v_BPjCF7J0/Vicf2O6hixI/AAAAAAAAC54/8XEyFCyxRR4/s640/Harrisburg_2015-10-20b1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utility marking in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, North Third Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 20 October 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The experiences I had today at the 2015 <a href="http://www.bpexchange.org/">Best Practices Exchange</a> (BPE) highlighted highlighted precisely why I love this conference so much: I listened as other people shared some thought-provoking insights, discussed how my own institution is addressing some electronic records challenges and encouraged others to share how their organizations are tackling the same problems, learned about some great new tools and their uses, and spent lunch and dinner catching up with friends I rarely get to see.<br />
<br />
It's late, tomorrow's plenary starts at 8:30 AM, and as a result I'm going to devote this brief post to Kate Theimer's incisive plenary presentation. Kate's planning to post the full text of her talk -- and, perhaps, the full text of an alternate version she opted against writing for the BPE -- on <a href="http://www.archivesnext.com/">her own site</a>, and I don't want to steal her thunder. As a result, I'm simply going to underscore what, in my view, was her most essential point:<br />
<b><br /></b>
Archivists don't set out to be innovative, and "innovation" isn't the preserve of the library or archival profession's elite. Innovation is what happens when we try to figure out how we can do our jobs more effectively. In most instances, innovation occurs when we're confronted with some sort of problem or challenge and decide that we're going to try to do something about it. If you've figured out some way to improve your organization's processes or services, you're an innovator -- even if your solution is less than perfect.<br />
<br />
Good night.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-38259079227183415342015-10-19T23:04:00.002-04:002015-10-19T23:04:47.749-04:00Best Practices Exchange 2015: day one<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mzGEjNarbUg/ViWuxU__XfI/AAAAAAAAC5o/MzsT5wv3UDY/s1600/PA-StateMuseum_2015-10-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mzGEjNarbUg/ViWuxU__XfI/AAAAAAAAC5o/MzsT5wv3UDY/s640/PA-StateMuseum_2015-10-19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light fixture, Pennsylvania State Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 19 October 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 2015 <a href="http://www.bpexchange.org/">Best Practices Exchange</a> (BPE) got underway at the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg earlier today. The BPE is a conference that brings together archivists, librarians, information technologists, and other people who seek to preserve born-digital state government information, and it emphasizes sharing lessons learned (i.e., lessons taught by failure) as well as success stories. It's my favorite conference, and I always leave the BPE feeling energized and inspired.<br />
<br />
I'm a little under the weather and am still thinking through some of the things I heard about today, so this post is going to be brief. However, I did want to pass on something that really piqued my interest:<br />
<ul>
<li>A group of Michigan archivists and librarians doing hands-on digital preservation work have formed a grassroots organization, Mid-Michigan Digital Practitioners, that meets twice a year to exchange information. The group has no institutional sponsor, has no formal leadership structure, and charges no membership dues; however, the website of Michigan State University's Archives and Historical Collections <a href="http://archives.msu.edu/about/pastmeetings.php?about_conferences_pastmeetings">includes</a> information about and presentations delivered at past meetings. Mid-Michigan Digital Practitioners has capped its size in an effort to ensure that it remains small enough to allow members to form a tightly knit, geographically concentrated community of practice, and I think that this is a good thing. Local and regional professional organizations and regional, national, and international communities of practice are all incredibly valuable, but local, less formalized communities can propel enduring collaboration and can be far less intimidating to people who are just beginning to grapple with digital preservation issues. I would love to see lots of little, unstructured, and locally based digital preservation groups pop up all over the place.</li>
</ul>
I also want to share a couple of key points that a pair of experienced professionals made about making the case for electronic records management and digital preservation:<br />
<ul>
<li> The technologies we will use to manage and preserve archival records are the same technologies we will use to preserve records that are not permanent but which have lengthy retention periods. When making the case for digital preservation to CIOs and other high-ranking, we should consider focusing less on the former and emphasizing that we can help care for the latter. If we create an environment in which people are comfortable sending records that have long retention periods to an archives-governed storage facility -- just as they are currently comfortable sending paper records that have long retention periods to a different archives-operated storage facility -- we can easily take care of preserving those records that warrant permanent preservation.</li>
<li>All too often, we think in terms of what records creators must do in order to comply with regulations, laws, or records management best practices. We should instead assess the environment in which records creators operate, identify the problems with which creators are struggling, and then stress how we can help to solve these problems.</li>
</ul>
Finally, one attendee made a comment that struck me as being so basic that it's often overlooked:<br />
<ul>
<li>When we talk about "electronic records," many people simply assume that we're advocating scanning paper documents and then getting rid of all paper records. We need to make sure that people understand that we're focusing on those materials that are created digitally and will be managed and preserved in digital format. How do we do this?</li>
</ul>
More tomorrow. l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-14236749373661876662015-08-24T23:47:00.000-04:002015-08-24T23:47:14.846-04:00SAA 2015: Cleveland Digital Public Library<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LUe4Pt6BJh4/Vdvk6PNgMqI/AAAAAAAAC5Q/6eQs-qkR1xc/s1600/CLE_2015-08-22_B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LUe4Pt6BJh4/Vdvk6PNgMqI/AAAAAAAAC5Q/6eQs-qkR1xc/s640/CLE_2015-08-22_B1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main lobby, Cleveland Public Library, East 3rd Street and Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015-08-22. This is what a library should look like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists ended early Saturday afternoon. I then visited the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library. I fell in love with this library as an undergraduate, and I was pleased to see that the original building, a Beaux Arts beauty, has received some much needed care and that a sparkling 21st century addition now sits immediately to the east of the library's reading garden.<br />
<br />
I was particularly pleased to discover that earlier this year, the library launched the <a href="http://cpl1.tru-m.com/clevdpl/">Cleveland Digital Public Library</a>, which supports <a href="http://cplorg.cdmhost.com/index.php/cdm">digitization</a> of historically significant materials owned by the Cleveland Public Library, other cultural heritage institutions, and organizations and individuals in the Cleveland area. Cleveland was one of four large public libraries that received Library Services Technology Act and Ohio Public Library Information Network <a href="http://oplin.org/node/585">funding</a> that supported the purchase of high-resolution scanning equipment and storage, and Cleveland's program is <a href="https://ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/Reports/2015/Cleveland_Public_Library_14-Cuyahoga.pdf">unique</a> in that it allows community members to use its scanning equipment and to add copies of the resulting image files to the library's permanent digital collections.<br />
<br />
I know that the Cleveland Public Library isn't the first institution to create and maintain digital images of manuscript and archival materials that remain in the hands of their creators, but it may be unique in that it puts community members in charge of determining whether their materials should be added to the library's collections and enables them to create and donate copies of their materials at their convenience. Almost all of the other "scan and add" projects with which I'm familiar have sought to collect copies of materials that focused on a given event (e.g., the Civil War) and make their scanning services available to community members for only a few hours or a few days at a time.<br />
<br />
I imagine that, in at least a few instances, the community-created images added to the Cleveland Public Digital Library's collections will strike archivists, librarians, and other members of the community as less than preservation-worthy. However, judging from the videos embedded in the Cleveland Digital Public Library's web page, this program will help to ensure that some fascinating Cleveland lives and stories are preserved and made broadly accessible. It pleases me deeply that the Cleveland Public Library is taking a 21st century approach to collecting and facilitating access to the city's historical record.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416996466498512583.post-27038643681414852922015-08-23T01:12:00.000-04:002015-08-23T01:12:14.110-04:00SAA 2015: thinking about access<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kEqZRo0d6w/Vdk2go9PPAI/AAAAAAAAC48/R7RzDRmZasc/s1600/CLE_2015-08-22_A1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kEqZRo0d6w/Vdk2go9PPAI/AAAAAAAAC48/R7RzDRmZasc/s640/CLE_2015-08-22_A1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass globe (1925) based upon a drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci, main branch of the Cleveland Public Library, East 3rd Street and Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015-08-15.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The <a href="http://www2.archivists.org/am2015#.VdPGfM41dFU">2015 meeting</a> of the Society of American Archivists ended early yesterday afternoon, and I spent the remainder of the day thinking about . . . well, a lot of things, but mainly about the conference and my hometown.<br />
<br />
By my count, there were five sessions -- four listed in the preliminary program and a fifth "pop-up" session that came together shortly before the meeting began -- that focused on making born-digital records accessible to end users. I heard a little grumbling about the weight given to this particular topic and to electronic records generally, and I also heard some griping about the timidity and complexity of the access solutions and systems that were discussed. As I walked through the <a href="http://www.cpl.org/">Cleveland Public Library</a> this afternoon and visited various suburban bookstores this evening, the subject of access to records kept popping into my mind. <br />
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I agree that in some instances, we allow fear -- of embarrassment, of reprisals, of vague and undefined consequences -- to play an inordinately large role in shaping our access policies and procedures. I also agree that it's quite easy to develop online access mechanisms that force users to jump through additional hoops instead of providing a seamless entree into one's digital holdings. However, it's important to remember that our hangups regarding access aren't merely the product of fear.<br />
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In some instances, access restrictions are the result of negotiated agreements with donors. In other words, we've made a promise that we need to keep -- in part because it demonstrates our trustworthiness and in part because -- generally -- it's the right thing to do. One can argue that the terms embedded in a given agreement are excessive, needlessly complex, or downright unreasonable, but I don't think that any archivist would assert that we should treat donor agreements lightly.<br />
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In other instances, restrictions are imposed by law. Is every law that might bear upon access to records well written, easy to enforce, and in alignment with archival principles. No, no, a thousand times no. However, archivists generally seek to operate within the bounds established by law and those working in government repositories may have a legal as well as an ethical obligation to uphold the law.<br />
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Moreover, upholding laws relating to records access is, in some instances, a matter of social justice, particularly when public records are involved. Over the course of my career, I have encountered records that a) concern individuals who are quite likely still alive and b) contain detailed documentation of injuries and illnesses, identify victims of sexual assault, document psychiatric histories, or plumb the family histories of minors who came into contact with the criminal justice or social welfare systems. Releasing such records might very well do these individuals substantial psychological harm. If the records document abuses that these individuals suffered while being "served" by government-operated facilities and programs, their improper disclosure may rightly be regarded as perpetuation of that abuse.<br />
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On one of the sessions (I forget which one), one of the panelists (again, I forget which one) said that she thought it would be a good idea if archivists focused less on the harms that inadvertent disclosure might cause ill-defined third parties and more on advocating for the interests of end users. Keeping in mind the perspective of end users is absolutely appropriate, but we need to remember that some of the people documented in our holdings have claims that may be even more compelling.l'Archivistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221275016915480999noreply@blogger.com0