Don't forget, voting for next year's RAO leadership team will close in one week. Election information was distributed to members earlier this month via e-mail. To learn more about the candidates, and discover what's new with RAO, check out our Summer 2014 Newsletter (available online from our webpage):

http://www2.archivists.org/groups/reference-access-and-outreach-section

Included in this issue is information about the wonderful program in store for you at the Marketplace of Ideas III during our annual business meeting at SAA.

Results of the RAO Election

Greetings RAO Members,

I am delighted to announce the results of the recent SAA Reference Access and Outreach Section 2013 Election.

Lisa Sjoberg will be the vice chair/chair-elect and Matt Herbison and Jodi Allison-Bunnell will  be steering committee members for 2013-2015.

On behalf of the nominating and elections committee for RAO I send heartfelt  thanks the wonderful slate of candidates who tossed their respective  hats in the ring for this year's election.

Vice-chair/Chair-elect Candidates:

Greg Kocken

Lisa Sjoberg

Steering Committee  Candidates:

Rebecca Bizonet

Jodi Allison- Bunnell

Matt Herbison

Nora Murphy

The vibrancy of an organization is measured by the quality of candidates who seek to lead it!

Onwards and upwards!

Jill

Chair, RAO 2013

Have You Voted Yet?

On July 1, 2013, you should have received an email from the RAO listserv giving the following information on the election:

Greetings RAO members.  We have an excellent slate of candidates this year for the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect and for two open Steering Committee positions.  In addition, there is a ballot referendum on the bylaws, which cleans up some typos and a few changes that clarify and reflect current practice.  Specifically, the chief substantive revisions establish the position of Web Liaison as a voting officer of the section, and detail the broader range of duties performed by the Communications Liaison.

To review candidate statements/bios, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/RAO2013candidates

To review the proposed bylaws, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/RAO2013revisebylaws

To vote, please visit:  Only RAO members may vote, so we are not providing the link here.  If you did not receive the listserv email, or have deleted it without voting, please contact Kathryn Otto (kathryn.otto AT uwrf.edu).

Voting will close on July 15, 2013. Please vote now!

RAO Steering Committee Nominations: Nora Murphy

Bio:  Nora Murphy is the Archivist for Reference, Outreach and Instruction at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology Institute Archives and Special Collections. Since arriving in 2000, Nora has overseen public service. She runs the reference services and reading room, and has worked with many different types of researchers, from National History Day high school students to established historians. She works with faculty in different disciplines to introduce undergraduate and graduate students to primary sources. Nora routinely gives talks and presentations to alumni, staff and donors at MIT, and coordinates presentations by other staff. She collaborates on and curates exhibits (physical and virtual) is always eager to promote the use of the archives and special collections.

 

Prior to arriving at MIT, Nora worked with archives at the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives and Records Preservation, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, the Massachusetts State Archives, and on a number of grant-funded archives projects.

 

Statement: I bring a breadth and depth of experience in reference having worked with researchers in a variety of different archival repositories. I have initiated and collaborated on many outreach efforts, from newsletters, to presentations, to exhibits, and enjoy working with faculty in difference disciplines (including architecture, music, history and writing) to tailor instruction sessions to the needs of a class. Whether working in a one-person archives or in a larger repository, I have worked with professional colleagues and interns to make collections available for use as quickly as possible, and to find ways to share information about our holdings. I enjoy working in archives and learning from my colleagues. I hope for the opportunity to work more closely with my RAO colleagues to share ideas about how to inform and engage researchers and others about the amazing materials we curate.

RAO Vice Chair/Chair Elect Nominations: Lisa Sjoberg

Bio:  My current position is the College Archivist and Digital Collections Librarian at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Since I joined SAA in 2005 as a graduate student, I have been a member of the Reference, Access and Outreach Section. I have been fortunate to serve on RAO task forces (National History Day and currently as co-chair of the Teaching with Primary Sources working group). I have also served as the RAO Communications Liaison for two years, and am the editor of the RAO Newsletter.

Statement: My involvement in the RAO section has allowed me to work with amazing people and also to learn how the Section operates. This knowledge and experience is one of the skills that I will bring to the Section as the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect. Another skill I have to offer is passion. My archival bailiwick is promoting the use of collections. I am deeply invested in generating new methods and ideas for reference, access, and outreach not only at my place of employ, but in the profession more broadly. I love learning and pursuing new ideas, and I really enjoy looking at the big picture to innovate new practices and advance archives. Finally, as a lone arranger in my day job, I rely on collaboration to make progress on initiatives. Therefore, one of the best words to describe me is “connector” because I thrive on being in conversation with others and linking people to resources they are seeking whether that is information sources, people, or ideas to lead them on their path of discovery. Because of all of these interests, I have strong listening and interpersonal skills, and I enjoy serving others. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my involvement in the RAO Section, and I thank the RAO leadership for the nomination to serve as the next Vice Chair/Chair-Elect.

RAO Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Nominations: Greg Kocken

Bio: Greg Kocken is an assistant professor and Head of the Special Collections & Archives Department at W.D. McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  Prior to joining the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Greg served as a reference archivist at the American Heritage Center in Laramie, Wyoming and at the Wisconsin Historical Society before that.  He holds a B.A. degree in History, with an emphasis in Public History, and earned an M.A. degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Greg has served as a member of the RAO steering committee since 2011 and is actively engaged in issues related to reference, access and outreach.

Statement: Reference, Access and Outreach is constantly evolving, and as a community we must address challenges and embrace opportunities. If elected, I will provide the leadership necessary to strengthen existing RAO initiatives, and engage our community through new initiatives. Previously, I have been involved with RAO’s National History Day Committee and the Navigating Minimal Processing and Public Services working group. My experiences with these groups helps provide me with the foundation needed to lead RAO. An issue which I hope to address is how RAO can serve as a leader in helping our profession to address the challenges of providing access to born digital materials. RAO’s members have great ideas, and if elected I will channel those ideas to help us all better understand this and other important issues.

RAO Steering Committee Nominations: Rebecca Bizonet

Bio: My job for the past five years as part of the Ford Historical Resources Collaborative at The Henry Ford has been to provide research and reference services to my colleagues at the Ford Motor Company Archives, drawing on the significant collection of historical records and photographs that the company donated to us in 1964.  I’ve also facilitated public access to our collections during regular reference shifts in our reading room.  It’s been extremely helpful as a processor and cataloger (which I was in a former life, and still try to do when I can) to see how the collections I’ve described are actually being used.  In addition, for over a year now I’ve been the social media liaison for Historical Resources (which includes archivists, librarians, and curatorial, conservation, and registrar staff).  This involves coordinating blog posts — from recruiting writers, to educating, encouraging, and editing – along with serving as a resource on collections information for our institution’s social media manager. 

Outside of work, I’m the co-editor of Michigan Archival Association’s biannual newsletter, Open Entry, and am also a member of the MAA board.  In both roles, it’s been my mission to ensure that our members are well informed and have a voice in the organization.  As part of SAA’s Annual Meeting Task Force over the last two years, I’ve helped analyze current practices and formulate recommendations for updating and improving SAA’s annual meeting. Specifically, on the Online Access Subgroup of the task force (first as a member and later as its chair), my group and I researched and recommended ways to increase and modernize online access to the annual meeting.  Through it all, communicating our charge to SAA members and gathering and listening to their input was crucial.  The task force’s work continues this summer with the hosting of a forum for member discussion of our final report.  I’m also a member of MAC (Midwest Archives Conference), and I served on its 2011-2012 Nominating Committee.

Statement: Some running threads through my work in archives and in other professional activities, especially in MAA and SAA, have been a commitment to service, fostering constituent inclusion and participation, working as part of a team for the common good, and being on the lookout for creative ways to make things better.  As a research and reference archivist, I provide as good of an answer as I can on a sometimes tight deadline.  As an editor of both a blog and a newsletter, I relish providing a forum for many voices and shepherding my contributors’ work to completion.  I love getting the word out to a larger audience about things archival, whether it’s sharing stories about our collections with the public or promoting the work of my colleagues within the profession.  I look forward to being able to contribute my skills, interests, and enthusiasm to the RAO Section Steering Committee, and in turn to learning from my RAO colleagues.

RAO Steering Committee Nominations: Jodi Allison-Bunnell

Bio: Jodi Allison-Bunnell is the Program Manager for Northwest Digital Archives at the Orbis Cascade Alliance, where she has worked with archives and special collections repositories in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Alaska since 2007. Her prior positions were at Oregon State University, the University of Montana, and the University of Maryland. She holds an MA in American History and an MLS from the University of Maryland at College Park and a BA in English summa cum laude from Whitman College. She is active in the Society of American Archivists and Northwest Archivists. She is most likely the only archivist in the US with a cat and a vat of sauerkraut in her office.

Statement: I have observed the very dynamic activities of the RAO Section over the last four years with interest. With a broad charge and a rapidly changing landscape that brings many new opportunities, RAO is clearly in for more dynamism! I'd love to be a part of guiding and coordinating the activities of this section in these very interesting times, bringing my experience in coordinating many people across vast geographic distances and making things happen. 

RAO Steering Committee Nominations: Matt Herbison

Bio: Matt Herbison is the Reference& amp; Outreach Archivist at the LegacyCenter of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Matt writes, "I enjoy advocating for the rights of archives users—and for the obligation and right of archivists to actively cultivate and meaningfully engage as many new archives users as possible. I have a particular interest in working with K-12 and undergraduate students and teachers to bring primary sources into the classroom in both face-to-face and online settings, with the goal of building 'simple' document analysis skills all the way through to the complex task of intelligently incorporating archives into students' research processes.

Statement: For the last two-plus years, I've been working with the RAO Teaching withPrimary Sources (TPS) Working Group, as a member of the TPS Survey group and as a leader of the group creating the TPS Bibliography. I have also done stints as Web-person for MARAC and the SAA Museum Archives Section. I am active in local groups, including leading the THATCamp Philly organizing group, am a founding member of the Greater Philadelphia Digital Humanities Group (PhillyDH), and am currently Immediate Past Chair of the Delaware Valley ArchivistsGroup. I'm also a member of the 2013 cohort of the Archives Leadership Institute.

RAO Wants YOU!

Seeking a few good members to run for the RAO Steering Committee!

Please send us any nominations for Steering Committee for the Reference, Outreach, and Access Section. And of course, you’re welcome to nominate yourself!

Here are the (short) by-laws that explain the duties and terms of the officers: http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/rao/bylaws.asp

Serving as a section leader is a great way to get involved with—or continue to be involved with—SAA, and a chance to benefit your profession. The Nominations Committee would be glad to answer any questions you might have; please feel free to contact us!

Nominees should submit their name, a brief bio, and a short statement to a member of the Nominations Committee.  Deadline: May 31, 2013. 

 

Each nominee will get their own post here on the blog as their nominations come in. Plus we will be posting the short statements on the RAO website and in the next issue of the RAO newsletter.

~The Nominations Committee

Rachael Dreyer, rdreyer@uwyo.edu

Jean Green, jgreen@binghamton.edu

Kathie Otto, kathryn.otto@uwrf.edu

Election Results

Hello all. The RAO election votes (106) have been tallied and the results are:

Bylaw amendments passed (86 yes, 3 no, 18 abstentions)

Vice-Chair/Chair-elect:

Kathryn Otto, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

The two new steering committee members are:

Terry Baxter, Multnomah County

Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Iowa State University

We had a really terrific slate this year and I’d like to add my personal thanks to all those of you who agreed to run. Please consider doing so again next year. Amy Schindler, whose term as chair ends this year, will be chair of the nominating committee next year and so she’s the one to contact. In the meantime, if anybody would like to get more involved in RAO, please do let someone on the Steering Committee know. Lots going on, so lots of volunteer opportunities.

The link to the current steering committee member names is on the RAO site and if you log in, you’ll see their email addresses to contact them.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the election by running for office and/or voting!

Arlene

Arlene Schmuland, MA, CA

RAO 2010 Nominating Committee chair

Latest RAO Newsletter Now Available

The latest issue of SAA's Reference, Access, and Outreach Section's newsletter is now available.

Issue highlights include:

* an update from the Reference and Processing Collaboration Group

* the University of Texas at Arlington Library Special Collections' new exhibit "For All Workers: The Legacy of the Texas Labor Movement, 1838-2010"

* slate for the 2010 section elections

* a preview of the annual meeting at DC2010.

And remember that you can send submissions – announcements, press releases, articles - for the blog and the newsletter to the Communications Liaison at RAOnews@gmail.com.

Annual Meeting Recap: Roll with the Changes

Thank you to everyone who came to the Reference, Access, and Outreach Section meeting in Austin last week. There were a number of interesting competing section meetings and we hope those of you who attended found the meeting informative. A quick recap of the meeting for those who were not able to attend or for those like me for who the annual meeting can be a bit of blur.

The call for proposals for DC2010 was shared with the RAO members in attendance fully participating in the briefing. The only piece of information the crowd did not recall was the page number for more information in the program. Due date for proposals is September 24th and the Steering Committee looks forward to reviewing many for possible endorsement!

The report from SAA Council followed with a review of the advocacy agenda, strategic planning, increased transparency of Council meetings, and other news shared.

George Bain shared a call to compile a list of friends of the archives groups in the U.S. & Canada this year. Feel free to contact George directly or watch for his appeal coming in the near future.

Todd Kosmerick shared that an ARL Spec Kit on outreach has been approved. He and his co-author hope to utilize the section for feedback and other information. Expect announcements, drafts, etc. from the authors in the coming months!

Newsletter Editor Nancy Melley shared the results of the Newsletter Task Force and justification for amending the Section's by-laws (see pages 8-10 of the most recent RAO newsletter). The by-laws revisions were approved by the membership.

Past chair Lynn Eaton shared the slate of candidates with attendees and ran the election. Congratulations and welcome to new members of the RAO Steering Committee!

Vice-chair: Jim Gerencser, Dickinson College

Steering Committee Member (2009-2011): Beth Bensman, NARA
Steering Committee Member (2009-2011): Jill Severn, University of Georgia

Danna Bell-Russel provided an update on the section's National History Day efforts. Visit the RAO website for further updates and recent information.

Shannon Bowen Maier could not attend the meeting, but an update on the MPLP Task Force's continuing work was shared and will be distributed. An MPLP Best Practices Guide has been proposed (2008 report).

The remainder of the section meeting was spent in breakout sessions. Attendees chose from several topics including National History Day, MPLP, 2.0/Social Media, User Studies/Metrics, the Section's Mission, and the SAA Advocacy Agenda to share experiences with and discuss. The notes taken in these small groups will be shared on this blog and the Steering Committee hopes that those in attendance as well as those who could not attend will share further thoughts, suggestions, and reflections on these topics in the comments. This feedback will then be used by the Steering Committee in formulating the section's agenda and priorities as we move forward. If you have any thoughts on the small group discussion format or the annual meeting, feel free to share your thoughts here or with a member of RAO's Steering Committee.

If you were not able to attend the RAO meeting in Austin, we hope to see you in Washington, D.C. in August 2010.

Update: The notes from the discussion group of RAO's mission and metrics and user studies are now available with the others to follow.

Annual Meeting Reminder: This Time We Mean It

The Reference, Access, and Outreach Section's annual business meeting is Friday, August 14th at 1pm in room 400 at the Austin Hilton. The agenda includes:

-Welcome & news from the Chair (including 2010 program committee & Council)
-Update on National History Day (NHD)
-By-laws revision
-Election of new officers
-Breakout sessions on: NHD, MPLP, 2.0/Social Media, User Studies/Metrics, RAO Mission, SAA Advocacy Agenda

Hope to see you there, but if you are not able to make the meeting we will be posting a meeting summary here on the blog after the meeting.

Section Election: Live It Up

Sustainable Archives: AUSTIN 2009 is just around the corner and preparations for the Reference, Access, and Outreach Section annual meeting are reaching a fever pitch. RAO is again meeting in the post-lunch slot on Friday, August 14th from 1-3pm. One order of business always on the section's agenda is the election of new officers. We are very pleased to share this year's slate.

Vice chair/chair-elect:

• James Gerencser, Dickinson College

Steering Committee (2 positions):

• Beth Bensman, NARA
• Bridget Burke, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
• Jennifer Davis McDaid, Library of Virginia
• Jessica Lacher-Feldman, University of Alabama
  
• Blynne Olivieri, MLS Student, University of Washington – Seattle
• Jill Severn, University of Georgia

Thank you to everyone for volunteering to stand for election! Complete candidate biographies will be available on RAO's website and via the next issue of the newsletter coming out next week. Further information, including how you can vote, will also be distributed via the RAO listserv and here.

Update: Candidate bios and Section by-laws revision information are now available. Please log in to cast your ballot online by July 31st or if you prefer, you may vote at the RAO Section meeting (have we mentioned lately that it is Friday, August 14th at 1pm?).

Wheels are Turnin': RAO Seeking Nominations

Spring has sprung again, and so has the opportunity to become involved with RAO! The RAO Nominating Committee is asking for nominations (of others or yourself) for the position of Vice-President/President Elect and the Section's Steering Committee.

The Vice-President/President Elect will serve as the support to the Chair for the immediate following year after election, and then serve as Chair the next year. The Chair presides at the Section and Steering Committee meetings, and represents the Section in its relations with SAA in general and with SAA Council, among many other things. More information about this, and the Steering Committee may be found in the Section's By-Laws: http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/rao/bylaws.asp

Currently, there are two positions open for the 2009 - 2011 term on the Section Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is a good way to become better acquainted with the workings not only of the RAO itself, but also SAA as a whole. Committee members serve in an advisory capacity to the chair, and often review reports, etc. from SAA Council or other organizations within SAA. The Chair may assign specific responsibilities to Committee members, as the need arises. Another area of service is to aid the Chair in the planning of the annual meeting.

The election will be held during the section's annual meeting, during SAA in Austin. There will also be an opportunity to vote electronically prior to the meeting.

Please submit names by July 1st to either or both:

Lynn Eaton, RAO Nominating Chair: lynn.eaton@notes.duke.edu
Arlene Schmuland, RAO Chair: afabs@uaa.alaska.edu