Blog and Newsletter

For folks planning to attend the MAM conference October 12-13 in person, discover the spreadsheet to share carpooling information, also linked under Transportation in "show details" section of the conference website.  Thanks for MAM program planners for making this tool available!

Hello Colleagues -- 

I am working with an historical society that is just getting their collections housed and described.  There is a small budget for supplies, and I'm hoping to supplement it with donations. If you have gently used cartons, records boxes, folders, book rests, or other supplies such as object cartons we will surely appreciate them!  If you do and can spare them, I am located in Mid-Coast and can drive to pick them up.  Or we can do a meet up at the MAM Conference in October. 

Very sincerely!  Kari Smith, Global Archivist LLC.  

Maine Archives and Museums is pleased to announce that Tia Doering is our new Administrative Coordinator.  Tia worked in donor relations at the Portland Museum of Art and currently is an assistant clerk with the State of Maine Judicial Branch.  The hiring committee was impressed with her energy and attention to detail.

The Board of MAM has split the traditional Executive Director position into two parts.  Tia’s charge is to run the administrative side of the operations.  When you email info@mainemuseums.org, Tia will be the one responding to your inquiries about MAM day to day operations, such as membership renewals or registrations for programming and conferences.  Although she will be behind the scenes for the most part, her diligence will be felt in the smooth operations of MAM.

Maine Archives and Museums is pleased to announce that Judy Ashby is our new Executive Director.  Judy was Bangor Public Library’s Head of Reference Services Department, and has worked in New York as a public school library media specialist, and regional school library system administrator.  The hiring committee was impressed with her energy, confidence, and enthusiasm to lead MAM into its next chapter of serving the collecting institutions of Maine.

The Board of MAM has split the traditional Executive Director position into two parts.  Judy’s charge is to be the visionary for the organization.  As MAM seeks to support our members in the archival, museum, and collecting community, Judy will create ties between and with members,  nurture a robust continuing education program, and represent our members’ interests to the broader society.  You will be hearing more from her at our annual MAM Conference and Annual Meeting in October, through our newsletters, and in personal communication.  Judy can be contacted via email at: executivedirector@mainemuseums.org

Maine Historical Society will be presenting its 2023 Maine History Maker Award to Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. for his immense contributions to Maine and the preservation of Maine history. The Award will be presented during a special evening at Hannaford Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Portland on Tuesday, May 16, 5-8pm.

Through his 40-year tenure as Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and as Maine State Historian, Earle has worked tirelessly with communities in every corner of the state to support the preservation, sharing, and celebration of their stories—the stories of Maine people, communities, and ways of life. Earle cherishes his relationships with local historical organizations, and I know that countless friends, colleagues, and admirers across Maine are deeply appreciative of his efforts.

Maine Historical Society invites you to join in on May 16 to celebrate and say thank you to Earle for all that he does for Maine.

We hope that you will consider:

• Forwarding this invitation to members of your community
• Joining us as an organizational sponsor. We have created a special sponsorship category for Maine historical societies and libraries that includes discounted sponsorship and tickets.

  We are pleased to announce that the Program for the 2023 BitCurator Forum is live and registration is open!  

Registration will be open to the public on Monday, February 6 through Friday, March 24. While the Forum can accommodate up to 500 attendees, enrollment for some workshops will be capped (with waitlists). We encourage you to register now via Eventbrite to secure your spot. 

Register now for the Forum and individual workshops at https://bitcurator-forum-2023.eventbrite.com/ 

We are proud to offer registration for BitCurator Forum 2023 at a sliding scale starting at $0. Again this year, we have group rates: discounted rates for groups of 3 or more people from the same organization. Individuals from groups will receive a code to be used at checkout, allowing them to register individually at the discounted rate. If you wish to register as part of a group, please fill out this form and a team member will provide you with your group rate and details on how to register: Group Registration Request. 

Sincerely, 

BCC Forum Committee:

• Lourdes Johnson, University of Miami, Leadership Team
• Katherine Martinez, The New School, Leadership Team
• Alice Prael, Yale University Libraries, Leadership Team
• Emily Sommers, University of Toronto Libraries, Leadership Team
• Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, University of California Irvine Libraries
• David Cirella, Yale University Libraries
• Brian Dietz, NC State University Libraries
• Elizabeth Dunham, Arizona State University
• Jessica Farrell, Educopia Institute
• Lara Friedman-Shedlov, University of Minnesota Libraries
• Kelly Phillips, Northern Arizona University
• Lori Podolsky, McGill University
• Kari Smith, Global Archivist LLC

The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) is excited to announce that applications are now open for the 2023 Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program with a deadline of February 28, 2023.

Participating institutions receive support for a general conservation assessment from a qualified collection and building assessor. The assessment is a study of all the institution's collections, buildings, and building systems, as well as its policies and procedures relating to collections care. The two assessors work collaboratively to provide institutions with prioritized recommendations for improved collections care. Assessments consist of preparatory work, a two-day site visit, a written report, and a one-year follow-up consultation. CAP is often a first step for small institutions that wish to improve the condition of their collections or develop a long-range preservation plan and can serve as a fundraising tool for future collections projects. The CAP program is open to small and medium-sized museums, zoos, aquariums, arboreta, and botanical gardens in the United States. Please visit the CAP website www.culturalheritage.org/cap for more information about the program.

CAP is administered by FAIC under a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award Committee invites nominations for the 2023 award.

The 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 had an impact on a local, regional, national, and/or international level is welcomed.

Recent winners include:

• 2022: San Diego Air and Space Museum

• 2021: California State University Japanese American Digitization Project

• 2020: Laura Wagner, Rubenstein Library, Duke University (Radio Haiti)

• 2019:  Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections for Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center

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, 2023. 

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. 

The Maine State Archives is pleased to announce that Heather Moran has been hired to fill our vacant Archivist III position.  Heather previously worked as the Archivist II at the Maine State Archives for 6 years. Heather holds an MLIS degree in Archival Management from San Jose State University and brings more than 17 years of experience working with collecting institutions across the State. She is a specialist in Civil War, Indian Affairs, and Land Office records at the Maine State Archives. Heather said, “I’m happy to have the opportunity to support Maine State Archives projects and initiatives as we work to make Maine’s history accessible to all.”

MAC is soliciting applications for the 2023 Archie Motley Memorial Scholarship for Students of Color (http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley). The scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to students of color pursuing graduate education in archival administration and to encourage ethnic diversification of the MAC membership and of the archival profession. Two $1,500 scholarships, accompanied by one-year memberships to MAC, will be awarded. 

To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must be of African, American Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander, or Latinx descent; must be a student currently enrolled in or accepted in a graduate, multicourse program in archival administration; and must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in their academic program. If the program is not listed in the SAA Directory of Archival Education, http://www2.archivists.org/dae, the applicant must provide proof of the multicourse standard by submitting copies of course descriptions from the institution’s current departmental catalog.

Applications are due March 1, 2023 and must include the following documents:

• Completed application form, available at http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley
• Transcript from the applicant's most recent academic program (unofficial transcript is acceptable)
• Essay of not more than 500 words outlining the applicant's interests and future goals in archival administration
• Two letters of recommendation.

Completed applications should be sent to:

Jolie Braun

Curator of Modern Literature & Manuscripts

The Ohio State University

braun.338@osu.edu

Applications must be emailed by March 1, 2023. 

Awards will be announced no later than June 1, 2023.