News & announcements

Here is a list of webinars to help Library, Archives, and Museum (LAM) professionals get through the rest of 2020. The webinar topics are: reimagining archival outreach, grant writing, creatively delivering collections to communities, and effectively attracting and training volunteers. These are all free to attend. Details can be found here: https://rachaelcristine.com/2020/10/12/a-list-of-webinars-for-the-remainder-of-2020/

NWA Board has approved the Local Arrangements Committee proposal to organize a completely online conference to be held the first two weeks of May 2021. The Olympia, Washington based Committee, chaired by Charles Hilton (Washington State Archives), along with committee members Anna Trammell (Pacific Lutheran University,) and Adriana Flores (University of Puget Sound,) and Josh Smith (Pacific Lutheran University,) recommended an online conference due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and budget crises that have caused many institution to reduce support for conference travel.

The Committee is excited to explore innovative approaches to connect members and produce a conference with a variety of offerings, such as paper sessions, panels, keynote speakers, poster sessions, committee and affinity meetings/roundtables, and virtual repository tours. The online conference, with reduced or no registration fee, aims to increase conference attendance and NWA membership.  

CALL FOR PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBERS

We are now seeking members from all regions of the Pacific Northwest to serve on the Conference Program Committee. The Program Committee will work with the Local Arrangements Committee and the NWA Board to plan and host the online conference. Review the Policies and Procedures Manual for details on the customary roles and responsibilities of Committee members, but keep in mind that planning and hosting a virtual conference will allow for unprecedented innovation and creativity. Please contact me to express interest in serving.

Anne Jenner
NWA President
ajenner@uw.edu

THE SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT IN SONG

CENTENNIAL OF SUFFRAGE CONCERT PROGRAM
TELLS THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE THROUGH VINTAGE MUSIC

All-new program in 2020 commemorates the ratification of the 19th Amendment

PORTLAND, OR: Centennial of Suffrage tells the story of women’s fight for the vote through the songs that reflected the struggle as it was being waged, opening an entertaining and illuminating window on a critical moment in American history. Singer, composer, historian and international bestselling author Cecelia “Cece” Otto created Centennial of Suffrage to commemorate one of the great civil rights struggles in American history on the eve of its 100th anniversary. She will be giving performances throughout the year in Oregon, with these special events scheduled in March:

Livestream concert of "Centennial of Suffrage"
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 7pm

This free online concert is made possible through the generosity of the Friends of Lake Oswego Public Library. Special thanks to the Oswego Heritage Council for providing a beautiful venue for Cece to Livestream from. YouTube link (you can set a reminder here): https://youtu.be/R_OravuOBTA. A full write up is here: https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/remote-lopl/online-first-tuesday-music-featuring-centennial-suffrage-song-revue-cece-otto?date=0.

McMenamin’s Grand Lodge History Pub at Pat's Corner

Sunday, August 23rd at 6:30pm (5:30pm doors). Cece will be performing “Centennial of Suffrage” for this concert as well. Free admission. This is an outdoor, socially-distanced event. Link is here: https://www.mcmenamins.com/events/221875-centennial-of-suffrage-a-concert-commemorating-the-19th-amendment

History that Entertains and Inspires

Centennial of Suffrage consists of more than a dozen songs that reflect the fight to secure the right to vote for American women, a goal finally realized when the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. Otto performs each song with its full original lyrics as it would have been heard at the time it was composed, interspersed with commentary that frames each song in the wider context of the suffrage movement.

Songs of Struggle and Courage

“The earliest song I sing in the program is ‘Let Us All Speak Our Minds if We Die for It,’” she says, “which was published right in the middle of the Civil War — and sounds like it could have been written today. By the time we reach the 20th century, Tin Pan Alley is in full swing, and you see the issue reflected in the songs of the day. Pop songs were like newspaper editorials set to music, and I wanted the program to reflect all perspectives, both for and against. So I perform ‘I’m Going to Be a Suffragette’ as well as ‘The Anti-Suffrage Rose,’ for example.”

While professional composers churned out new tunes, suffrage activists often found it useful to repurpose old ones. “For the women involved in this struggle, maintaining morale was crucial,” says Otto. “Having a song to sing while marching or protesting kept everyone’s spirits up, and it made sense to recycle songs everyone already new. So you have ‘America, the Beautiful’ re-written with pro-suffrage lyrics, or ‘Keep Woman in Her Sphere’ — actually a pro-suffrage song — which is sung to the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne.’”

An American Songline®

Created by Otto in 2013, An American Songline is an ongoing project dedicated to preserving and sharing the story of America through unique, experiential musical performances. American Songline performances entertain, educate and delight thanks to Cece’s unique ability to engage modern audiences with the songs and stories of a simpler time. “Bringing history to life through music is my calling,” she says. “You can learn so much about a place and time through its songs, and this program offers a unique way of examining and reliving such a crucial moment in history.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                       Contact: Dan Wiencek                                                       

Phone: 303-995-5009                                                                                                    

Email: info@americansongline.com

Did you prepare a paper or plan to be part of a session or a panel discussion at the 2020 Western Archives Meeting in San Francisco? We want to hear your presentation! Each month between July 2020 and March 2021, NWA will host an NWA MVP - Monthly Virtual Presentation on Zoom. All member of Northwest Archivists will be invited to attend and join in the Q&A. 

Register to present your own conference paper or as the representative of your planned session or panel. What a great way to connect and share your work with other members!

Dear Colleagues,

The SAA Spotlight Award Subcommittee invites nominations for the 2020 Spotlight Award.  This award "recognizes the contributions of individuals who work for the good of the archives profession and of archival collections, and whose work would not typically receive public recognition."  Nominees do not have to be members of SAA.  Please share this message as you think appropriate.  I hope you will consider recognizing a colleague (or yourself!) in this way.  Additional information about the criteria and process is found below.  

Purpose and Criteria for Selection: Established in 2005, the Spotlight Award recognizes the contributions of individuals who work for the good of the archives profession and of archival collections, and whose work would not typically receive public recognition. The nominee(s) should have achieved distinction in one or more of the following ways:

 *   Participating in special projects.
 *   Exhibiting tireless committee or advocacy work.
 *   Responding effectively to an unforeseen or pressing need or emergency.
 *   Contributing innovative or creative ideas to the profession.
 *   Performing extraordinary volunteerism.
 *   Quietly but effectively promoting the profession.

Eligibility:  Awarded to an individual archivist or a group of up to five archivists who have collaborated on a project. Preference is given to archivists working in smaller repositories, especially those without institutional support for professional activities.

Prize:  A certificate and complimentary registration for the individual recipient or group (of up to five individuals) to the SAA Annual Meeting occurring in the year in which the award is presented.

Nomination Form: Click here to preview the nomination form and/or to start a nomination.

Submission Deadline: February 28, 2018. 

Best regards,
Cristina Ribeiro Horak, Chair

I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware that these SAA two workshops are up and ready for registration during pre-conference days for the Western Archives Meeting in April. Can you please include on your News and Announcements page or in another appropriate place? Thanks very much.

Appraisal of Digital Records (4/20/20)

Email Archiving (4/21/20)

Susan Goldstein, City Archivist

San Francisco History Center/Book Arts and Special Collections

San Francisco Public Library

100 Larkin Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

415-557-4563

Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound is delighted to be hosting the second annual archival screening night at the 2020 Western Archivists Meeting in San Francisco! We're soliciting submissions for moving image content on the theme of the immigrant experience. For more information, including how to submit your material, please visit: https://mipops.tumblr.com/post/190571144346/call-for-submissions-for-2020-screening-night

The Society of California Archivists is excited to announce that registration for the 2020 Western Archivists Meeting is now open! 

Join us April 22-25 at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco, California, for the Western Archivists Meeting (WAM) of the Society of California Archivists, Conference of Intermountain Archivists, Northwest Archivists, and Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists.

The Western Archivists Meeting happens only once every five years, so don’t miss this chance to interact with archives colleagues from across the western United States in the spectacular City by the Bay. This year’s meeting includes a full program of over 30 sessions centered on the theme of Labor, Power, and Privilege; poster sessions; an opening reception on the hotel’s heated Pacific Terrace; a film night; and numerous opportunities to meet and mingle on local tours, vendor exhibits, Gourmet Night, and a Mission District Taco Tour.

Three pre-conference workshops will also be offered: Protocols 101: A Case-study Intensive on How to Start the Conversation at Your Institution; What Can I Do With This?: Enabling Ethical Re-Use of your Content; and The Community Archiving Workshop: Audiovisual Collections Care and Management.

Registrants will be treated to a plenary address on Thursday by Mark Matienzo, and Friday’s All-Attendee Luncheon will feature Wendy Giddens Teeter, Curator of Archaeology of the Fowler Museum at UCLA, in conversation with Liza Posas, Head, Research Services & Archives at the Autry Museum and L.A. as Subject.

To view this year’s full schedule please visit https://wam2020.sched.com/    

Registration: https://calarchivists.org/WAM2020Registration 

Early bird registration is available until April 1, 2020. Discounted rates are available for students and for members of the Society of California Archivists (SCA), Northwest Archivists (NWA), Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists (SRMA), and Conference of Intermountain Archivists (CIMA).

Question about registration? Please contact the WAM Local Arrangements Committee (localarrangements@calarchivists.org)

WAM Hashtag: #WAM2020

We look forward to seeing you there!

WAM 2020 Local Arrangements Committee

Call for Nominations: 2020 SAA Waldo Gifford Leland Award 

Please help us to recognize the best in our profession!

Have you read a great new book about archives? Encountered a new documentary publication that is head and shoulders above the rest? Has a new web publication really stood out to you?

If you have, please consider nominating it for the Society of American Archivists Waldo Gifford Leland Award. Nomination forms, a list of previous winners, and more information are at http://www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-leland. The deadline for nominations is February 28, 2020.  

The annual Leland Award – a cash prize and certificate – recognizes “writing of superior excellence and usefulness in the field of archival history, theory, and practice.”  (Please note that periodicals are not eligible.)  

Established in 1959, this award honors American archival pioneer Waldo Gifford Leland (1879-1966), president of the Society of American Archivists in the1940s and one of the driving forces behind the founding of the National Archives.

Announcing Guidelines for Developing and Supporting Grant-Funded Positions in LAM

Members of the DLF Labor Working Group's subgroup on Contingency and Precarity are pleased to announce our recommendation document: "Do Better" - Love(,) Us: Guidelines for Developing and Supporting Grant-Funded Positions in Digital Libraries, Archives, and Museums

You can read it on https://dobetterlabor.com/ 

or download the PDF at https://dobetterlabor.com/download/Do-Better-Love-Us-Grant-Guidelines.pdf 

We are grateful to the community members who provided feedback during our open comment period and those who joined the group for the final revisions.

In solidarity,

Ruth Tillman