Blog and Newsletter

Society of American Archivists

Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award

The Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award Subcommittee of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) seeks nominations for the 2019 award.

This Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award recognizes an archivist, editor, group of individuals, or institution that has increased public awareness of a specific body of documents (which can be a specific archival collection or thematic aggregation) through compilation, transcription, exhibition, or public presentation of archives or manuscript materials for educational, instructional, or other public purpose. Work that has impact on a local, regional, national, and/or international level is welcomed.

Recent winners include:

• 2018: Find & Connect, eScholarship Research Centre

• 2017: Center for Home Movies

• 2016: South Asian American Digital Archive

• 2015: The Legacy Center, Drexel University College of Medicine, for Doctor or Doctress?

• 2014: Emma Goldman Papers Project

• 2013: Densho, The Japanese American Legacy Project

• 2012: Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota for Digitizing Immigrant Letters

Eligibility:

Individual archivists and editors, groups of individuals, organizations. This award is open to nominees within and outside of the United States, and is not limited to SAA members.

Prize:

A certificate and a cash prize of $500.

Application Deadline:

All nominations shall be submitted to SAA by February 28 of each year.

For more information on this award, including the nomination form, please go to http://www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-hamer.  

For more information on SAA awards and the nominations process, please go to https://www2.archivists.org/aboutsaa/awardsandscholarships.

Small Museums Scholarships

2019 AASLH Annual Meeting and Online Conference

Philadelphia, PA

DEADLINE: 15 May 2019

The American Association for State and Local History will hold its Annual Meeting and Online Conference in Philadelphia, PA from 28-31 August 2019. This year’s theme, What Are We Waiting For?,examines the personal, communal, and organizational journeys that lead to vibrancy, authenticity, social change and sustainability. 

Unfortunately, many working in our nation’s small museums feel as if we can only dream of attending this meeting. In a perfect world, boards would grant every request to fund our professional development. Institutions of modest means, however, may not have the resources to help us become effective stewards of our community’s memory.

Websites, listservs, and social media constantly offer new sources of technical and psychological support, but nothing is better than sharing challenges, strategies and successes face-to-face. Every year, increasing numbers of Annual Meeting sessions address issues specifically affecting small museums. These sessions can be as practical and wide-ranging as training, marketing, and strategic planning. Other sessions focus on creative ways to forge and re-energize relationships with the surrounding community.

Now in its fourteenth year, AASLH’s Small Museums Committee is offering scholarships to any AASLH members who are full-time, part-time, paid, or volunteer employees of small museums. Each $700 scholarship will cover the cost of both the conference registration and the Small Museums luncheon. Any remaining funds may be used to offset travel and/or lodging expenses. Recipients, though, must submit a post to the AASLH blog, Big Ideas for Small Museums, about their Annual Meeting experience.

To qualify, the applicant must work for a museum with a budget of $250,000 or less. They also must either be an individual AASLH member or work for an institutional member. Application forms are available at www.aaslh.org

The deadline for applications is 15 May. The committee will email award winners by 1 June. For questions, please contact Bruce Teeple, Small Museum Scholarship Subcommittee Chair at mongopawn44@hotmail.com, or Aja Bain, AASLH Program and Publications Coordinator, at abain@aaslh.org

TheJ. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award Subcommittee of the Society of American Archivists is asking you to create a nomination for the 2019 J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award.

https://www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-jameson

Established in 1989, this award honors an individual, institution, or organization that promotes greater public awareness, appreciation, or support of archival activities or programs.  The individual's or institution's contributions may take the form of advocacy, publicity, legislation, financial support, or a similar action that fosters archival work or raises public consciousness of the importance of archival work.  Contributions should have broad, long-term impact at the regional level or beyond.

Eligibility: Nominees must be from outside the archives profession.  Individuals directly involved in archival work, either as paid or volunteer staff, or institutions or organizations directly responsible for an archival program are not eligible for this award.

Nominations should be sent through the online submission system by February 28, 2019 at https://app.smarterselect.com/programs/45853-Society-Of-American-Archivists.

Recent Winners Include:

2018:  Yvonne Lewis Holley AND Brad Meltzer

2017:   Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI)

2016:  Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ron Chernow

2015:   Adrena Ifill Blagburn

2014:   LGBT Center of Central PA History Project AND National History Day

2013:   AARP Virginia and Dr. Warren Stewart

2012:   Eve Kahn, Bebe Miller, Phillip Stewart

2011:  “Who Do You Think You Are?” (NBC)

2010:  The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation

2009:  Ross King (Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board)

Society of American Archivists Distinguished Service Award

Deadline: February 28, 2019

Purpose and Criteria for Selection: The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an archival institution, education program, nonprofit organization, or government organization that has provided outstanding service to its public and has made an exemplary contribution to the archives profession. The institution being nominated should have achieved distinction in one or more of the following ways:

• Demonstrably contributing to archival theory and the development of new archival practice.

• Serving its constituency in an outstanding fashion.

• Showing extraordinary ingenuity and resourcefulness in improving efficiency of operations or methods of work.

• Going well beyond the normal performance requirements expected of an archival agency and thus providing a model for others.

• Developing over a period of years an archives program of such depth and scope as to warrant special recognition

Eligibility: Any archival institution, archival organization, records center, or manuscript repository, archival education program, or nonprofit or government organization providing service or support to the archives community in North America.

Nomination Requirements: In addition to a completed nomination form, each nomination must include letters of support from three SAA members, each representing a different institution. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

Submission Deadline and Nomination Form: Click here to preview the nomination form and/or to start a nomination. All nominations must be submitted by February 28, 2019.

National History Day (NHD) in Maine, is looking for volunteer judges!!

If you are unaware, NHD is a nationally recognized academic program that promotes the study of history in middle and high school classrooms. Participating students develop research papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, or websites on a topic they select connected to an annual theme.  This year’s theme is “Triumph and Tragedy in History.”  For more information about our program please visit our webpage.

We currently need judges for the following events (registration closes 3 weeks prior to the event):

March 8 Lewiston Regional Contest at Museum LA

March 23 Bangor Regional Contest at John Bapst Memorial High School

April 27 University of Maine State Contest in Orono

Judge registration can be found under the “Contest Registration” header on our webpage (link above)!

No experience required.  There is a judge orientation on the day of the contest.  It’s roughly a 3-4 hour commitment and we provide meals for our judges. This is our first year hosting regional contests, and any help would be appreciated! Please remember that you can judge multiple events.

For more information contact State Coordinator John Taylor (john.m.taylor@maine.edu)

Native American Library Services Grants Now Available

Application Deadline is April 1, 2019

Washington, DC— The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for the Native American Library Services Basic Grants program through Monday, April 1, 2019. Native American Library Services Basic Grants are one-year grants of $6,000 to $10,000, which can include $3,000 in eligible education and assessment activities or travel. The grants are available to federally recognized Native American tribes and Native Alaskan villages and are designed to support existing operations and maintain core services of tribal and Native village libraries. Grants may be used to buy library materials, fund salaries and training, provide internet connectivity and computers, or develop public and private partnerships with other agencies and community-based organizations, among other things. Libraries may request up to $3,000 for staff to attend library courses or training workshops; attend or present at conferences related to library services; or hire consultants for onsite professional library assessments. Application materials can be found on the grant program page. To Learn More Before applying, IMLS recommends interested applicants participate in the following webinars for Native American Basic Grants to learn more: Wednesday, January 23, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, February 12th, 2019, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET IMLS uses the Blackboard Collaborate system. For first-time users of Blackboard, please see the webinar page for technical information. These events will also be recorded and made available on-demand on the IMLS website. Program Contacts: For questions about project activities, eligibility, and allowability of costs, contact: Dr. Sandra Toro, Senior Program Officer 202-653-4662 storo@imls.gov For questions about application requirements and deadlines, contact: Chelsea Cole, Program Specialist 202-653-4719 ccole@imls.gov Sarah Boonie, Program Specialist 202-653-4761 sboonie@imls.gov

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The University of Maine’s Digital Curation graduate program has a few spots left in these spring online classes:

* DIG 510 (Metadata) shows how metadata standards can help you manage your files and your audience discover information about your collection.

* DIG 550 (Digital Preservation) examines both practical and cutting-edge preservation, to help you rescue your collection from future obsolescence and oblivion.

More on these courses at http://digitalcuration.umaine.edu. They start on 23rd January.

Film and history buffs may be interested to know our DIG 510 professor John Bell just won two of the highly selective NEH digital humanities grants in the last cycle. These grants will support his work at Dartmouth in improving access to early cinema and civil rights footage from across the US. More at:

http://mediaecology.dartmouth.edu/wp/archives/600

http://mediaecology.dartmouth.edu/wp/archives/605

The Rufus Porter Museum, founded in 2005 and located in Bridgton, Maine, seeks a part-time Museum Assistant (16 hours/week to start) to assist the Museum Director-Curator in the day-to-day operations of the museum. The Museum Assistant will support all aspects of museum operation, including administrative, customer service, and collections and exhibitions. Schedule is flexible, but some Saturdays and occasional evenings are required when the museum is open (June to October).

Qualifications: Demonstrated administrative and customer service skills required. Museum experience a plus. Preferred candidate will have strong organizational skills and the ability to work both independently and in a team. Familiarity with databases such as PastPerfect, DonorSnap, and accounting software like Quickbooks desired. Must be able to comfortably walk up and down stairs and be able to lift minimum of 20 lbs.

To Apply:

Please send resume with cover letter including references to Karla Leandri Rider, Museum Director-Curator, Rufus Porter Museum, director@rufusportermuseum.org

Qualified candidates will be contacted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. For additional information, please visit www.rufusportermuseum.org.

Librarian II - Cross-Functional Data Librarian

 

SALARY:  $14.90 – $19.91 hourly

OPEN:  December 20, 2018

CLOSES:  January 18, 2019

Website: https://mainebhr.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk0jjtm/

 

This is a unique opportunity for an individual to perform professional services work for three Maine cultural institutions in a shared capacity.  The Maine State Library, Museum, and Archives seek a dynamic individual who has the interest and the experience to work with a variety of collections at each agency and to make them accessible through cataloging, digitizing, metadata tagging, and inventorying.  Work is performed under limited supervision.

 

REPRESENTATIVE TASKS:  (A position may not be assigned all the duties listed, nor do the listed examples include all the duties that may be assigned).

·         Catalogs, classifies, and indexes books, documents, periodicals, artifacts and other printed or digital matter in order to properly place them in the various collections of respective agencies.

·         Assists with digitizing collection items and uploading them into a digital repository.

·         Assigning metadata to digital items so they may be used as part of a digital archive.

·         Creating inventories of materials and prioritizing such materials for cataloging and digitizing.

·         Researches provenance, genealogical and or historical significance of items.

 

KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:  (These are required to successfully perform the work assigned).

·         Knowledge of professional library, museum, and archival techniques, systems, procedures, and tools.

·         Knowledge of artifact handling.

·         Knowledge of software systems related to digital imaging, management, access, and preservation.

·         Knowledge of methods, techniques, and materials used in the care and preservation of permanent records in hard copy and electronic copy

·         Knowledge of metadata standards relevant to the archival control of digital collection materials.

·         Knowledge of collection development and maintenance principles and practices.

·         Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

·         Ability to use and explain the use of catalogs, guides, indexes, bibliographies, and other such materials.

·         Ability to perform original cataloging and classification of represented materials.

·         Ability to use a variety of modern office and audio-visual equipment.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  (Entry level knowledges, skills, and/or abilities may be acquired through, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO the following coursework/training and/or experience).

A Bachelors’ Degree in Library Science and two (2) years’ experience in professional library work -OR- an acceptable equivalent combination of related experience and/or training.

Hello from your Maine state rep for the AASLH Leadership in History Awards  program! Over the years, a number of Maine organizations have been recognized for their outstanding work through this program, including last year's honoree, the Seal Cove Auto Museum. It would be great to have a Maine recipient every year, and it is my job to help you through the nomination process. I am including the full press release below, which includes links to all the details. Please do no hesitate to contact me, Julia Gray, at riversidemuseumsolutions@gmail.com, if you have any questions, and let me know if you are putting together a nomination.

Call for AASLH Leadership in History Awards Nominations

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) invites nominations for the 2019 Leadership in History Awards. Now in its 70th year, the Awards Program is the most prestigious national recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of local, state, and regional history. AASLH initiated the Awards Program in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout America.

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards Program recognizes exemplary work completed by state or federal historical societies, institutions, or agencies; regional, county, or local historical societies, institutions, or agencies; specialized subject societies in related fields such as oral history, genealogy, folklore, archaeology, business history, etc.; junior historical societies; privately owned museums or foundations; individuals; and organizations outside the field of traditional historical agencies. Awards are given for exhibits, public and educational programming, special projects, publications, multimedia, and individual achievement. Nominees need not be members of AASLH to qualify. See a list of 2018 winners.

Informational Video

To learn about the program and why you should apply, no matter what your budget size, AND get tips for how to put together an award-winning nomination watch this video of the informational webinar from 2018 which will give you an overview of the program, as well as providing tips for submitting a nomination (54 minutes).

Nominations are due on March 1, 2019. A list of state award representatives who can advise nominees can be found at the AASLH website. Nominations are then reviewed by a national committee in the summer of 2019 with a formal presentation of the awards made during the AASLH Annual Meeting, August 28 to 31, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

About the American Association for State and Local History
The American Association for State and Local History is a non-profit association for state and local history, with a primary focus on history professionals, history volunteers, museums, historical societies, and other history-related organizations and public history professionals. AASLH provides leadership and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history to make the past more meaningful.