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.

Wanted:Hot Topics and Cool Demos

The 2014 RAO Program Committee seeks Hot Topics and Cool Demonstrations for provocative conversation and deep thinking at the SAA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.   On Thursday, August 14, 2014 from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, RAO will host its third annual Marketplace of Ideas and seeks purveyors of hot topics and cool demonstrations to sell their wares to a savvy audience of RAO archivists.

What is an RAO Hot Topic?
An RAO hot topic is an issue, a concern, an idea that has sparked recent attention in RAO circles.  It can be something that seems novel or cutting-edge; it can be an enduring issue that is garnering new attention or approaches. 

What Makes an RAO Hot Topic HOT?
An RAO hot topic can be provocative and even fractious; it can also be surprising and funny. Above all else, a hot topic should engender passion, engagement and excitement.   

What is an RAO Cool Demo?
An RAO Cool Demonstration is a presentation of an approach or technique that has enhanced services, simplified processes, or transformed workflows and approaches. It could be a simple fix or adaptation, or a reinvention of the wheel.

What Makes an RAO Cool Demo COOL?
An RAO Cool Demo should be widely applicable to RAO archivists and simple enough to explain in a low-tech manner in a short period of time.  Think of it as an app that works without a mobile device.

Make a Proposal…
Applying to purvey hotness and coolness is simple and easy:

1.       Draft a brief description of the demonstration or hot topic and explain how and/or why it relates to reference, access, or outreach archivists and their work. 

2.       Come up with a working title.

3.       Determine who will lead the demo or moderate the discussion (this may be you, so talk to yourself).

4.       Please go to this Google form [link] to complete the online proposal application.

5.    Deadline to apply is May 15, 2014.

 

 

 

2014 Session Proposals due by October 4th for Endorsement

As session proposal season continues, the RAO Steering Committee excitedly awaits receiving your proposals for endorsement. Next year’s theme is “Ensuring Access,” and we encourage you to continue using the RAO listserv as a means to brainstorm and collaborate on possible topics. The deadline for proposal submissions is September 30. To learn more about writing and submitting a proposal, see: http://www2.archivists.org/conference/2014/washington/call-for-session-proposals-archives-records-ensuring-access.

    

The Reference, Access and Outreach Section may endorse up to two session proposals. If you wish to seek endorsement from RAO, please send your proposals to sjoberg@cord.edu by October 4.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mary Manning, RAO Chair, or Lisa Sjoberg, RAO Vice-Chair. We’re happy to help however we can.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing your proposals!

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.