May/June

ne 2016 Published by the Societyy of

of American
Am
American Archivists
Archi

www.archivists.org
vists.org 12 Election Results 17 NARA Finds 19 Fiction Through
Th
2016 Missing Files Archiv Lens
an Archival
 May/June 2016

3 4 14

Studs Terkel If You Plan It, Big Bertha Websters

Radio Archives
This iconic Chicago broadcaster is
reaching new listeners as the archives
partners with open source and innovative
technology platforms to share the
collection and inspire creations.
Allison Schein and Grace Radkins
They Will Come
In just three years, Archives Month Philly
has become a fixture in the Philadelphia
archives community. Find out what they
do and how they do it.
Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, Hillary Kativa,
and Bayard L. Miller
Journey Back to Life
Sometimes archivists have to become
archaeologists, unearthing historical materials
and figuring out how they work. Read how
the Oklahoma Historical Society is restoring
obsolete playback equipment.
J.A. Pryse

FEATURES COLUMNS
2 Presidents Message
5 Sustainability in Business Rethinking Hiring Practices
Archives
Ted Ryan
17 From the Archivist of the
United States
6 Eat, Do, Love Atlanta A Special NARA Mission: Tracking
Down Missing Records
Courtney Chartier and Traci Drummond
28 From the Executive Director
8 The Music Man Keeping It Real
Peter Balestrieris Journey from Punk Rock Band
to Special Collections DEPARTMENTS
Teresa Brinati
18 Someone You Should Know
10 What Do Students and Patricia C. Franks

New Professionals Want? 19 Fiction Through an Archival Lens

Assessing Informal Educational Needs The World Before Us, The World Perceives Us
Alison Clemens
20 Kudos
12 Election Results 2016
COVER PHOTO

16 Permalink Service Adopted Parallel Universe. In 1938, progressive science fiction fans formed the
Science Fiction Committee Against Fascism. They circulated a leaflet
by SAAs Book Publishing explaining their opposition to fascism and their desire to join with more than
1,000 American scientists who had recently signed a similar statement. This
Program leaflet is signed by 18-year-old Ray Bradbury and Paul Freehafer, prominent
members of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. From the James L.
Christopher J. Prom and Anthony Cocciolo
Rusty Hevelin Collection at the University of Iowa, whose curator, Peter
Balestrieri, lived in a seemingly parallel universe as a saxophonist for a punk
rock band before entering the world of archives. Read about it on page 8.
Photo courtesy of University of Iowa Libraries and Special Collections.

A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 1
 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Dennis Meissner
dennis.meissner@mnhs.org

Rethinking Hiring Practices

G reetings, colleagues! In my previous Presidents Message, I

held up a crucial SAA valueensuring the diversity of our
membership and leaders, the profession, and the archival record.
drivers license, ormore criticallypossess an MLIS degree or
some equivalent. Each of those requirements may be essential in
particular situations, but are they all always necessary? Sometimes
I noted that we are making small steps in that direction, including we behave as though they are. But each of those requirements has
pursuing cultural competency training and some power to become a discriminatory hurdle,
resources for leaders and, eventually, all SAA and we should be very careful in wielding that
members. We may be power because we may be unintentionally
I want to stay with this theme, but take it in
unintentionally pushing pushing away people whom we very much
another direction. Working on ourselves to away people whom we would like to welcome into our profession.
more fully value and embrace diversity, and very much would like I think about some past hires who came in the
to practice inclusion, is the right place for us door lacking ideal educational credentials but
to start, at least on an individual level. But
to welcome into
who developed, with training and mentoring,
at the same time we need to be looking at our profession. into talented processing archivists. In those
our workplaces and, especially, at the policies
cases we achieved a good result by choosing
and practices that may hinder our progress in
to relax some threshold standards and, perhaps, giving more weight
achieving a diverse archival workforce in the years ahead.
to desire and aptitude.
One of the chief virtues of More Product, Less Product is that it
To root out systemic bias, we need to look at the jobs that are
encouraged us to reexamine workplace practices that, while they
critical to onboarding new talent and ask ourselves questions
may have made good sense at one time, were no longer helpful or
about the true skills required to perform those functions. We
sustainable in a changing environment. We need to apply that same
need to retain those parts of our work cultures that really make a
lens to the hiring and retention practices in our repositories, which
difference, while letting go of those aspects that are based in bias.
may suffer from various forms of systemic bias.
To a not inconsiderable extent, it is within our power to build the
I have been involved in hiring many entry-level archivists over the professional workforce that realizes our aspirationsand we should
years, and I have recently been rethinking some of the boilerplate take full advantage of that opportunity. When we keep using the
requirements that we make. We have traditionally demanded that same practices, we keep getting the same results. Its time to change
applicants be able to lift and carry 40-pound loads, or have a valid unhelpful practices.

ARCHIVAL OUTLOOK
Archival Outlook (ISSN 1520-3379) is published six
times a year and distributed as a membership benet
by the Society of American Archivists. Contents of
the newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part
provided that credit is given. Direct all advertising
The Society of American Archivists serves the education and information inquiries and general correspondence to: Abigail
Christian, Society of American Archivists, 17 North
needs of its members and provides leadership to help ensure the identification, State Street, Suite 1425, Chicago, IL 60602; 312-
preservation, and use of the nations historical record. 606-0722; toll-free 866-SAA-7858; fax 312-606-0728;
achristian@archivists.org; www.archivists.org.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nancy P. Beaumont
nbeaumont@archivists.org
W E B A N D I N F OR M AT IO N
S Y S T E M S A DM I N I S T R AT OR
Matt Black
mblack@archivists.org
E D U C AT I O N CO OR DI N AT OR DI R E C T OR OF E D U C AT I O N G O V E R N A N C E PR O G R A M CO OR DI N AT OR
Mia Capodilupo Solveig De Sutter Felicia Owens
mcapodilupo@archivists.org sdesutter@archivists.org fowens@archivists.org
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND E D U C AT I O N CO OR DI N AT OR SERVICE CENTER MANAGER
A DM I N I S T R AT IO N
Peter Carlson Brianne Downing Carlos R. Salgado
pcarlson@archivists.org bdowning@archivists.org csalgado@archivists.org

DIRECTOR OF PUBLISHING E D I T O R I A L A N D P R O D U C T I O N C O O R D I N AT O R S E R V I C E C E N T E R R E PR E S E N TAT I V E M E M B E R S E R V I C E R E PR E S E N TAT I V E

Teresa M. Brinati Abigail Christian Lee Gonzalez Michael Santiago
tbrinati@archivists.org achristian@archivists.org lgonzalez@archivists.org msantiago@archivists.org

2 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK May/June 2016
Studs Terkel
Radio
Archives
Allison Schein, Archivist, and Grace Radkins, Digital Content Librarian, Studs Terkel Radio Archive
T he WFMT Radio Networkin
partnership with the Chicago History
Museum and with great assistance from the
Library of Congress (which is digitizing the
collection)is working to create an online
repository of Studs Terkels radio shows.
In the last two years, the Studs Terkel
Radio Archive (STRA) has used cutting-
edge technology to make more than 400
programs and some of the most captivating
conversations of the twentieth century
available to the public. At the time of this
writing, $80,000 has been raised through a
Kickstarter campaign, the goal of which is
to upload an additional thousand programs
and enhance infrastructure. It is an exciting
time in STRAs young history.
May/June 2016
The iconic oral
historian and Chicago
broadcaster is still
getting the last word.
Terkel, who passed away in 2008 at the
age of 96, may be best known for his oral
history books, such as the Pulitzer Prize-
Above: Chicago radio broadcaster Studs Terkel
on the air. Photo courtesy of the Chicago History
Museum.
winning The Good War, but for nearly 50
How do we interest todays listeners
years he hosted a radio show on Chicagos
in a show begun in the 1950s? Terkels
WFMT. His experience growing up in a
unpredictable conversations are strikingly
Chicago rooming house sparked his deep
relevant to current issues of police brutality,
interest in people and their stories, and
race relations, abuse of governmental
he approached this interest from a variety
powers, and the shrinking voice of
of angles: first earning a law degree and
communities. These themes are explored
then acting before settling into radio
through our newsletter and blog, but the
broadcasting and writing. His radio show is
most exciting part of connecting the archive
known for featuring famous guests at the
with listeners comes from developing
timesuch as actor Shirley Maclaine and
outreach programs with STRAs technology
political activist Stokely Carmichaelas and education partners.
well as everyday people, echoing the tone
of his oral history books. Continued on page 21>>
A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 3
 IF YOU
PLAN IT,
THEY WILL COME
Archives Month Philly
Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, Hillary S. Kativa, Above: Haverford College students
learn about the challenges of digital
Chemical Heritage Foundation, and Bayard L. Miller, American Philosophical Society preservation at a Personal Digital
Archiving Workshop. Photo courtesy

J
of Archives Month Philly.
oin us at the local bar to grab a beer and talk about iron gall ink and inherent vice.
Follow us to a Victorian-era lecture hall for an old-fashioned magic lantern show. Lets swing by City Hall to
check out a community-curated exhibit on the history of transgender activism. Shall we chat with Terry Gross
after enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour of NPRs Fresh Air Archives? Or take the opportunity to get our online
lives in order with a workshop on personal digital archiving? All of this was part of Archives Month Philly 2015
and we have more in store for 2016. Its our way of celebrating American Archives Month each October.

Revitalizing the Celebration
Local Archives Month efforts were first
initiated in Philadelphia during the 1990s
as a week-long celebration known as
Archives Week. In 2013, members of the
Delaware Valley Archivists Group (DVAG)
decided to revitalize this once popular but
long defunct celebration, and Archives
Month Philly (AMP) was born. Now heading
into its fourth year, the month-long festival
in October is made up of independent events
celebrating all things archives, libraries, and
special collections. Operating with a modest
budget provided by DVAG, Archives Month
Philly is a volunteer-led effort, from event-
planning and website maintenance to social
media and promotion.
Over the past three years, the AMP
Planning Team has built up Archives Month
from relative obscurity into a recognized
brand that we hope will have a lasting
impact on Philadelphia. Since 2013, more
than seventy-five events and exhibitions
at over fifty institutions, ranging from
open houses and behind-the-scenes tours
to screenings, workshops, and lectures,
have been held. Each year attendance,
along with recognition from the local press,
has steadily increased, with close to 800
people attending twenty-six AMP events
and exhibitions in 2015. In the process,
Archives Month has become a fixture of
the Philadelphia archives community,
generating excitement and enthusiasm
among archivists each year as they conceive
of innovative programming for their
institutions.
A successful outreach event
geared toward the general
public can help change
perceptions of an institution
and its collections.
AMP events fit into two general categories:
centerpiece events and coordinated,
independent events and exhibitions.
Centerpiece events are intended to stand
out as highlights of the month-long festival,
generally involve multiple institutions,
and are developed collaboratively. AMP
volunteers play a strong role in shaping
the three to five centerpiece events per
season, which in the past have included
film screenings, trivia nights, and informal
presentations at a local bar. Coordinated
events and exhibitions are developed
independently at local institutions and
round out the Archives Month Philly
calendar. Common event types include
behind-the-scenes tours, workshops,
lectures, and document displays.
Our Philly-osophy
As the AMP brand has developed, several
guiding principles have emerged, which we
call our Archives Month Philly-osophy.
October is the time for outreach.
AMPs sponsoring organization, the
Delaware Valley Archivists Group, spends
eleven months of the year focused on
professional development and community-
building for archivists. In October, our
efforts are faced outwards, welcoming the
public into our institutions and inviting
people to discover what archives are all
about. We also reach out to experienced
archival users to show them a side
theyve never seen before. We encourage
programming that is accessible, fun, and
creative. In October, Philadelphia archivists
open up their doors and let down their hair!
Location matters. For security and
preservation purposes, archives are usually
protected by physical and symbolic barriers
Continued on page 22>>

4 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK May/June 2016
 Sustainability
in BUSINESS ARCHIVES
Ted Ryan, Archivist, The Coca-Cola Company

H ow can archives help to create a sus-

tainable world and support sustainable
brands? And how can we build archives that
welcomed attendees and introduced the
keynote speaker. To give the gathering a
firm foundation for the conversations
morning. Wynhoven set the tone for the
conference by rooting our discussions in
the goals of the UN Global Compact. She
thrive in an age of cutbacks? to follow, Ursula Wynhoven, chief legal began with a video of the Architects of a
officer and chief of Governance and Social Better World campaign (www.youtube.com
These were the questions at the center Sustainability of the United Nations /watch?v=kz2W68hyLMQ).
of the two-day annual meeting of the Global Compact, kicked off the first Continued on page 27>>
Section on Business Archives (SBA) of the
International Council on Archives (ICA) on
April 45. For the first time since SBA began
holding an annual program, the conference
was held in the U.S. and hosted by The Coca-
Cola Company. More than 130 business
archivists from sixteen countries gathered
in Atlanta, Georgia, to hear from colleagues
in premiere international archives on the
theme of Sustainable Archives.

A Global Conversation

On the first day, Alex Bieri, acting

chair of SBA and curator of the Roche Above: Nicolas Coupain, corporate heritage manager in Solvay, Belgium, presents at the SBA program.
Historical Collection in Basil, Switzerland, Photo courtesy of Becky Haglund Tousey.

May/June 2016 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 5
 v e A t l a n ta
D o , Lo
Eat, Courtney Chartier and Traci Drummond,
co-chairs of the Host Committee for ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2016,
asked their committee members to name the one thing they insist visitors to Atlanta do, their
favorite local dish or restaurant, and their best archives-related experience since they began
working in the city. Their answers do not disappoint . . .

Favorite Best Archives

Who Must Do
Grub Experience
John Bence Walk the Beltline! I live right next The Comfy Chicken Meeting regularly with other archivists as
Stuart A. Rose to the East Side Trail and its the Biscuit at Home Grown. part of the Atlanta Area Digital Archivists
Manuscript, perfect way to get to Piedmont Park group.
Archives, and and explore the neighborhoods it
Rare Book connects, like Midtown, Old Fourth
Library, Emory Ward, Inman Park, and Sweet
University Auburn.

Gabrielle M. Confession: I am a music snob so The Chocolate Sea I am tempted to say it was meeting my
Dudley Im not only picky about my music, Salt Popsicle at King of favorite writer and Emory donor, Alice
Stuart A. Rose but also music venues. I would Pops. Walker, but thats too easy. In 2015, fellow
Manuscript, insist that you try to catch a live archivists representing different archives
Archives, and show at The Tabernacle, Center in Atlanta re-formed a group focused
Rare Book Stage, or Terminal West. My favorite on issues and concerns around African
Library, Emory venue is Moods Music, a small American collections. Several of these
University record store in Little Five Points. archivists and I presented on a panel about
new research opportunities in Atlanta at
the Association for the Study of African
American Life and History conference last
September.

Justine I always recommend visitors go to
Fletcher an Atlanta Braves baseball game.
The Coca-Cola Especially since the Braves will
Company soon move from downtown, now is
Archives the perfect time to take in a game
and enjoy a hot dog and nice cold
Coca-Cola!
A chili dog at The Recently, our archives worked with The
Varsity. Atlanta History Center on the Atlanta in
50 Objects exhibit. It was a collaborative
project, not only with our archives, but
multiple repositories in Atlanta. This
fabulous exhibit showcases the spirit of
teamwork between archivists in the Atlanta
area and highlights some wonderful objects
from Atlanta.

6 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK May/June 2016
 Photos, left to right: Customers at The Varsity, photo by Gene Phillips, courtesy of ACVB and
AtlantaPhotos.com; vintage Coca-Cola billboard, courtesy of Special Collections and Archives
at Georgia State University Library; and Busy Bee Cafe, photo by Darren and Brad via Flickr.
Who Must Do
JoyEllen Go to Centennial Park. The park is
Freeman lovely in itself, but more importantly,
Kennesaw being in Centennial Park means you
State University are within walking distance from
Archives the Georgia Aquarium, the World of
Coke, The National Center for Civil
and Human Rights, the Ferris wheel,
the College Football Hall of Fame,
the CNN Center, Philips Arena, and
countless other event spaces, hotels,
and restaurants. If you want to do
Atlanta, start in Centennial Park.
Anne Graham Go to the Variety to see a show.
Kennesaw
State University
Archives
Andrea Visit the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Jackson National Historic Site, including
Robert W. a museum, the Ebenezer Baptist
Woodruff Church, and his birthplace home.
Library, Atlanta It is a moving experience about
University an Atlanta native and one of the
Center greatest leaders in the world.
Cathy Miller Take advantage of one of the city,
Cable News state, and national parks to go
Network (CNN) exploring in! The Atlanta Beltline is
Library an awesome way to get outdoors
while still having the city right
there at your ngertips. Outside
of the city, Panola Mountain State
Park and Sweetwater Creek State
Park give you a taste of the beauty
that is to be found in Georgia.
Or celebrate the National Park
Services 100th anniversary at Arabia
Mountain National Heritage Area
and Kennesaw Mountain National
Battleeld Park.
Kaye Minchew If I am in Atlanta with out-of-town
Archives company, I take them to the Sun
Consultant Dial Restaurant and Lounge, 72
oors above the Westin Peachtree.
My preference is to go for dinner
or drinks on a nice clear evening,
though lunch is fun, too. The lounge
rotates at the top. You can see so
many landmarks and get a feel for
the rolling hills and greenery of
Georgia.
May/June 2016
Favorite
Grub
For food, I love Caf
Sunower, which is a
delicious vegetarian
restaurant. I really like
the Mu Shu Vegetables
dish. For coffee or tea, I
enjoy Caf Intermezzos
peach tea.
5 Seasons Brewing
they have three
locations, one not far
from downtown.
A fried chicken plate
with macaroni and
cheese and collard
greens at Busy Bee Caf
in Historic Westside.
If youre looking for a
great margarita, though,
you cant beat Agave!
I love food truck food,
so the Atlanta Food
Truck Park is my idea of
food heaven!
There are too many
great restaurants to
choose a favorite
Atlanta dish, but I am
always partial to a
burger, onion rings, and
a Frozen Orange from
The Varsity. You know
you are in Atlanta when
you are at The Varsity!
Best Archives
Experience
Viewing the papers of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., at the National Center for Civil
and Human Rights and then landing an
internship at the Robert W. Woodruff
Library, Atlanta University Centerthe
repository that cares for these records
a year later. It was surreal.
Conducting an oral history interview with
Jon C. Greaves, one of our donors and a
founder of the Cobb Citizens Coalition,
who fought against the 1993 Cobb County
Commissions resolution to condemn
homosexuality.
I love the fact that there are so many
archival repositories throughout the
metropolitan Atlanta area. In addition,
many of the historical centers, cemeteries,
and museums utilize historical documents
in displays. History is found all around
the city!
My best archives experience was working
with all of the wonderful people at the
National Archives at Atlanta in Morrow,
Georgia, for ve years. Reference requests
sometimes led to exciting discoveries such
as nding switchblades, starting pistols,
and torn dresses led alongside records!
My best experience has to be the
satisfaction in ghting to keep the Georgia
Archives open when it was threatened
with being closed except by appointment.
Today, the archives is open and going
strong.
Continued on page 25>>
A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 7
 Peter Balestrieri s
Journey from
Punk Rock Band to
Special Collections
Teresa Brinati
SAA Director of Publishing

M usic has opened a lot of doors for

Peter Balestrieri, and one of those
doors led to the archives field.

The curator of Science Fiction and Popular

Culture Collections in Special Collections
and University Archives at the University
of Iowa Libraries took a long and winding
road to get there. For more than a decade,
Balestrieri played saxophone for the punk
rock band Violent Femmes, earning a Gold
Record in 1983 for the bands self-titled
album, Violent Femmes. He toured with the
band through the 1980s and early 90s,

the
jamming in front of more than 50,000

music
screaming fans at Riot Fest, Lollapalooza,
Summerfest in Milwaukee, and Navy Pier in
Chicago. Hes riffed in places like Albert Hall
in London, the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, and
the Peppermint Lounge in New York City.

man
Theres no venue of any size that you can
name that we havent played, Balestrieri
noted. Theres a feeling that youre part
of something really big. The joy of it is
having the best seat in the house, being
surrounded by sound and by the people
who are making it.

In the pecking order of cool careers, if rock

star is pitch perfect, then where is archivist
on the scale? And how does one go from
performing on a stage to presenting at
SAAs Archives 2015 conference in Cleveland,
which Balestrieri did?

8 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK May/June 2016
Prelude restricted areas. Theres nothing like being whose brother-in-law had a band that was
behind-the-scenes and seeing how things looking for a saxophonist. I told them I
I first worked in libraries when I was 18, work, he added. really cant play, and they said thats okay,
the burly and bespectacled Balestrieri its a punk band. So Balestrieri
admitted. Although there now is more salt Dead Mouse Moment joined them. It was 1978 and
than pepper in his beard, hes a youthful 63. punk was all the rage.
Thats also when Balestrieri experienced
his first dead mouse moment, which he A few years
Before libraries, there was music. He grew
later he started
up in Milwaukee, a second generation Italian describes as similar to how a cat will lay a
dead mouse at your feet to show you what sitting in on music
American whose grandparents on both
a great hunter they are. In library and sessions with
sides of the family hailed from Sicily. When
archives, its the box of materials youre another bandthe
he was ten years old he took saxophone
processing in which you discover something Violent Femmes
lessons for six months then dropped it. He
then toured full-
didnt pick up the instrument again until his special, Balestrieri explained.
time and recorded
sophomore year in high school and by senior
For Balestrieri that moment was when he with the group from
year he was improvising in a noise band.
found a first edition of Stendahls 1830 1983 through 1991.
novel, Le Rouge et Le Noir, in a box of reprint Building an audience
Then Balestrieri got another gignot in
house books. was a gradual process.
music but at a library.
The Violent Femmes
Thats when I began to love that process played small gigs that
I started in circulation and shelving at
of finding great stuff and sharing that eventually grew into
Milwaukee Public Library in 1972 and it discovery with somebody, Balestrieri added.
was lots of fun, Balestrieri said. He worked stadiums as their
there for two years, did some other things, music gained in
Music and Other Interludes popularity.
then returned to the library and got a job
in gifts and donations. For the first time Music intervened and the dead mouse
he was working with older materials in moments waned. He was dating a woman Continued on page 26>>

May/June 2016 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 9
 H O
AT D SAA members by conducting a survey about
building this type of resource. The survey
included questions on the following:

d
W
n t s a n t
MFWFM
PG
QSPGFTTJPOBM
FYQFSJFODF

u d e n a l s t
QPUFOUJBM
CFOFU
PG
B
SFTPVSDF
LJU
GPS

St ofessio
TUVEFOUT
BOE
OFX
BSDIJWFT
QSPGFTTJPOBMT
t
XIBU
LJOET
PG
JOGPSNBUJPO
XPVME
CF
NPTU

P r IFMQGVM
UP
JODMVEF
JO
UIF
LJU

New
t
QSFGFSSFE
GPSNBU
PG
UIF
LJU

WA N T ? t
PUIFS
UPPMT
UIBU
NJHIU
CF
EFWFMPQFE
GPS

TUVEFOUT
BOE
OFX
QSPGFTTJPOBMT
BOE
t
BOZ
PUIFS
DPNNFOUT

We distributed the survey to numerous

email lists, including the Students and New
Assessing Informal Educational Needs Archival Professionals (SNAP) Roundtable,
Archival Educators Roundtable, Archives
Alison Clemens, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Management Roundtable, Archives &
Archivists, and SAA student chapters.
Yale University, and Vice Chair, Committee on Education

The Survey Said . . .

E ver wonder how SAA can engage new
professionals and students? Or what
experienced professionals could share
with new archivists about developing their
careers?
The Committee on Education explored these
questions on professional engagement and
career development during a brainstorming
session in February 2014. We were
We received approximately 320 responses
particularly interested in how students and
from a wide range of individuals. Of these
new professionals might also benefit from respondents, thirty-five percent were
receiving information on these topics in professionals with five or fewer years of
a new formatan extensible educational
kit. Last summer we sought feedback from Continued on page 24>>

10 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK May/June 2016
THE ACADEMY OF CERTIFIED ARCHIVISTS

Why Becoming
Certified Matters > It provides a competitive edge.
It strengthens the profession.
It recognizes professional
achievement and commitment.

The next Certified Archivist examination will be held August 3, 2016 in

Ann Arbor (MI) Honolulu San Antonio
Atlanta Little Rock Seattle
Boston Los Angeles Syracuse (NY)
Chicago New York Tampa
Dallas Philadelphia Waco (TX)
Denver Raleigh Washington, DC

and wherever five or more eligible candidates want to take it.

The application deadline is May 15.

For the 2016 application and more information about

the Certified Archivist examination, go to the ACA website
(www.certifiedarchivists.org/get-certified) or contact the
ACA office (518-694-8471 or aca@caphill.com).
 E L E C T I O N R E S U LT S 2 0 1 6
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Tanya Zanish-Belcher
Elected Vice President
Tanya Zanish-Belcher, director of
special collections and archives at Wake
Forest University, has been elected
SAA vice president/president-elect for
20162017. She begins her one-year
term this August following the Annual
Meeting and will serve as the seventy-
third president in 20172018. Current
Vice President Nancy McGovern will
assume the 20162017 presidency in August.
A Fellow of SAA and co-editor with Anke Voss of Perspectives on
Womens Archives (Society of American Archivists, 2013), Zanish-
Belcher will continue to focus SAAs efforts and resources on issues
of advocacy for archives and archivists.
Advocacy is an essential goal for our Societyit is vital that we
collaborate with other allied groups to increase our voice and
participation in the public policy arena, but we need to also focus
our efforts on the local, state and regional communities whom we
serve, Zanish-Belcher wrote in her candidate statement.
Alongside advocacy, Zanish-Belcher highlighted many of the broader
issues concerning the profession, such as what role SAA should
play in the careers of its members, whether they are beginning,
NJEDBSFFS

PS
IFBEJOH
UP
SFUJSFNFOU
IPX
UP
CFTU
NFOUPS
ZPVOHFS
membership is willing to contribute their responses. It should be an
HFOFSBUJPOT
PG
BSDIJWJTUT
IPX
XF
EFOF
UIF
DVMUVSBM
SPMF
PG
SFDPSET

and how that relates to diversity, believing that it is better to achieve
some goals imperfectly, as opposed to delaying our efforts in the
quest for perfection and achieving nothing.
Zanish-Belcher will focus on how the organization, comprised of
committed volunteers and staff, communicates and effectively
listens. I will be calling on every individual and organizational SAA
member to help me as we discover who we want to be as a Society in
the twenty-first century. . . . If we prioritize our efforts and harness
our many talents, we can succeed in not only making SAA better,
but advancing our profession and consequently, improving the
world as well, Zanish-Belcher wrote.
WHO WOULD YOU SUGGEST ?
The newly elected Nominating Committee members are already on
the lookout for prospective candidates for the 2017 SAA election.
Suggestions are anonymous and condential. Submit the prospective
candidates name, institutional afliation, brief bio, and why you
think this person should be considered using the form at http://
www2.archivists.org/nominations-needed-for-2017-election.
12 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
Courtney Chartier, Erin
Lawrimore, Bertram Lyons,
Michelle Light to Join the
SAA Council
Courtney Chartier (Emory University), Erin Lawrimore
(University of North Carolina at Greensboro), and Bertram Lyons
(AVPreserve) have been elected to the Council for three-year terms
(20162019) and Michelle Light (University of California) has
been re-elected to the Council for a one-year term (20162017).
In their candidate statements, the newly elected explained how
they would utilize their skills and experience to help SAA thrive in
an environment that expects communication, collaboration, and
demonstrated action.
Courtney Chartier
One of my great pleasures as president
of the Society of Georgia Archivists was
to start a Strategic Planning Task Force.
SGA had never had one before, and while
the organization remained strong, our
growth was not strategic, and not neces-
sarily based on what members needed,
but on what the board identified as such. . . . Responsiveness is a
two-way street. . . . It does little to post pending decisions, send
surveys, and request comments when only a slim margin of your
ongoing goal for Council to find new ways to get member responses
in every possible medium. Most of all, Council should cultivate an
environment in which members feel both comfortable in contribut-
ing in a variety of ways, as well as compelled to do so.
Erin Lawrimore
I would like to see SAA leaders on
all levels participate in town hall
discussions with membership. At the
2014 Annual Meeting, I was excited
to organize a town hall discussion
with SAA leadership (then incoming
President Kathleen Roe and Executive
Director Nancy Beaumont). Members asked great questions,
and Kathleen and Nancy provided excellent responses that really
helped illuminate the work of the organization. In the vein of
AMA (Ask Me Anything) conversations on Reddit, I want to see
a regularly scheduled online discussion with many of the current
SAA leaders to discuss the work being done by their particular
groups. Taking the town hall concept online not only broadens the
audience, but it allows for a more timely discussion of key issues
affecting the membership.
May/June 2016
 E L E C T I O N R E S U LT S 2 0 1 6
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Bertram Lyons within SAA does not have to involve travel or extensive training and
experience, we could broaden where we discover our future leaders.
Of particular interest to me is Collaborating with other groups within SAA to identify and connect
continued support for archivists with potential candidates who represent under-served communities
transitioning into new responsibilities would be the first step. As a Nominating Committee member, I will
for electronic records and digital strive to find a successful and extensible solution that would encour-
collectionsnot to the detriment of age those who feel they have little to offer to step forward and repre-
longstanding archival methodologies, sent their groups within the organization, and in turn, also advocate
but as a method to broaden the for the profession as a role model within their communities.
roles archivists play in society as organizations, individuals, and
governments embrace digital technologies. As associate lecturer T-Kay Sangwand
with the University of WisconsinMadison SLIS, I combine hands-
on technical training with an understanding of the diversity of the SAA has made concerted efforts to cul-
archives profession so that students understand the history and tivate diversity in its membership and
variety of the archives landscape while simultaneously acquiring across the profession. I recognize that
technical skills that will be desired by future employers. these efforts resulted from the dedica-
tion of members across the organization
Michelle Light who pushed SAA leadership to move
forward on these initiatives and further
First, I would encourage the Council
developed as leaders themselves in the
to continue to publicize opportuni-
process. As a member of the Nominating Committee, I will aim
ties for member feedback in multiple
to identify a) a candidate slate that not only reflects the various
venues to ensure we reach and listen to
aspects of SAAs broad definition of diversity and b) candidates who
diverse perspectives. Second, I would
work towards diversifying archives and archivists as a core responsi-
work closely with leadership of sections,
bility within our profession, and not a niche concern.
roundtables, and other groups to gather
their representative opinions and to coach them on engaging their
members effectively. Third, I would help groups understand how Holly Smith
they might identify and craft issues of concern to bring forward I will collaborate with SAA leadership
to the Council. Finally, I would look for opportunities to cultivate as well as colleagues from different
new leaders to help spread engagement across the organization. affinity groups, committees, and the
general SAA membership to identify
a variety of candidates to serve as
SAA Nominating Committee leaders and advocates for SAA and the
Welcomes Melissa Gonzales, archival profession. It is critical to have
T-Kay Sangwand, and Holly Smith individuals who are active (or are interested in being more active)
in SAA, keep up with emerging trends and technology in the field,
and are interested in fostering collaborative relationships across
The 2017 Nominating Committee will comprise Melissa Gonzales
and beyond the profession. Having a dynamic group of individuals
(Witte Museum), T-Kay Sangwand (University of California,
invested in maintaining a diverse, collaborative professional
Los Angeles), Holly Smith (Spelman College), and two third-year
organization is vital to the long-term sustainability of SAA.
Council members selected by the Council at its May 2016 meeting.
Smith will serve as chair of the Nominating Committee. The
committee begins its service immediately and works through the
fall in preparing a slate of candidates for the 2017 election. The new
VOT ER PART ICIPAT ION TRENDS
members of the Nominating Committee defined their criteria for + + + + + + + + + + + +
choosing a slate of nominees in their candidate statements.
Eligible Percentage
Year Voters Ballots Cast of Voters
Melissa Gonzales
2016 5,837 1,298 22.2%
There is a vast pool of untapped leader-
ship within SAA and beyond that would 2015 6,056 1,467 24.2%
broaden diversity within the organiza- 2014 5,971 1,202 20%
tion, but these individuals may feel they
2013 5,900 1,008 17.1%
lack the experience or funding neces-
sary to take on roles. If we established 2012 5,675 1,337 23.5%
a way to emphasize that leadership
May/June 2016 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 13
 Big Bertha Websters
JOURNEY BACK TO LIFE
Restoring Obsolete Playback Equipment
J. A. Pryse, Digital Archives, Oklahoma Historical Society
A rchival archaeology or the unearthing of the historical evolu-
tion of materials through their creation, collection, preservation,
and, oftentimes, decayis routine for the Digitization Division at the
Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS).
For decades, OHS has preserved antiquated and obsolete playback
equipment dating from statehood through the present day, resulting in
a large collection of magnetic steel wire of various lengths, stored on
comparatively weighty metal spools. One of these obsolete machines
was a Webster-Chicago Electronic Memory Recorder, which lay
dormant, vacant of life, and entombed within the audiovisual vault,
preserved for future archival archaeologists.
This Webster-Chicago Electronic
Memory Recorder, respectfully named
Big Bertha Webster, weighs around
thirty-seven pounds without individual
recordings attached. She is accompanied
by a sturdy microphonethe size of
a childs handwith a heavy metal
designer casing attached by a peculiar
three-pin Cinch Jones connector.
Finding All the Right Pieces
Recently, Bertha was removed from
her ossuary for examination in the
Digitization Studio. Each knob, switch,
button, and mechanism had been
carefully designed to reflect its purpose
and the aesthetics of her erathe
beauty of Bertha stopped patrons and
staff in their tracks as they walked past.
Left: Big Bertha Websters exterior and inner
workings. Photo courtesy of the Oklahoma
Historical Society.
14 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
But the decision to resurrect Bertha in
order to learn more about the time she
represented came with complexities and
challenges. The family of short-lived wire
machines to which Bertha belonged stirred
intrigue, but also presented the challenge of
finding enthusiasts, long-retired archivists,
and elders who had firsthand knowledge of
how such machines worked. We vigorously
combed through storage and collection
repositories and placed a call for donations
of operational or non-operational wire
recorder machines.
The Digitization Studio slowly transformed
into a laboratory of mad science. Bertha,
now laid out, disemboweled, and poised
for autopsy, was accompanied by her new
companions. Electronic schematics
highlighted, starred, and strewn about
lent a feeling of inventive re-discovery.
Pieces were laboriously cleaned, oiled, and
repaired from each specimen. Each fuse,
lamp, and guide was tested for vitality. A
two-pin Jones plug was ordered from an
audio-enthusiast found online and wired
into Bertha, then patched into the jackfield
for digitization. Each piece found its proper
place within Berthas body to provide the
essential breath of life.
Sounds from the Past
Finally, she was ready. Turning the tone
switch in a clockwise direction caused
#FSUIB
UP
TUJS
B
MPX
IVNNJOH
BDDPNQBOJFE

a slight glimmer of light which struggled to
illuminate the clear glass bulb that signified
the machine was on. Inside the machine,
gears turned and wires fired.
Continued on page 23>>
May/June 2016
SPECIALISTS IN DIGITIZATION AND CONTENT LIBRARIES
Permalink Service Adopted
by SAAs Book Publishing Program
Christopher J. Prom, Chair, SAA Publications Board, and
Anthony Cocciolo, Associate Professor, Pratt Institute School of Information
A s archivists, we crave information and
evidence. But we havent always been
able to find it in our own literature.
For example, you may find yourself
reading a book about archives. The book
was published several years ago, and you
want to verify a statement or simply read
more about the topic. Unfortunately, the
cited web page leads to a page not found
error. Or if the page does load, it may have
changed drastically since the time the author
cited it. Understandably, you feel frustrated.
Thankfully, this scenario will be less
common, at least if you are reading future
books published by SAA. Beginning this
year, SAA books will include permalinks for
16 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
all cited web resources, not just those that
have been assigned a DOI or some other
permalink.
This is possible because SAAs book
publishing program recently joined forces
with perma.cc. SAAs participation in the
service is sponsored by the Digital Public
Library of America and we hope it sets
a model for other association publishers
outside of law journals, for which perma.cc
was originally developed.
Perma.cc in Action
While preparing the manuscript for his
forth-coming SAA book, Moving Image and
Sound Collections for Archivists, Anthony
Cocciolo started using perma.cc. Working
first without SAA sponsorship of his
perma account, he was able to permalink
ten pages. When he exhausted this limit,
SAA upgraded the account, allowing him
to permalink an unlimited number of
webpages for this project.
When logged in at the perma.cc site,
Cocciolo sees folders showing sites that
have been archived both for his project and
for other SAA book projects. This helps him
keep track of his own citations and to see
what other SAA authors are citing, while
Continued on page 23>>
May/June 2016
 FROM THE ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES
David S. Ferriero
National Archives and Records Administration
david.ferriero@nara.gov

A Special NARA Mission:

Tracking Down Missing Records
A s Archivist of the United States, I am
charged with preserving and protecting
our nations most importantand most
programs in reading rooms and instituted
exit checks of bags when researchers and
staff leave the building.
Mark that down as a victory for our Archival
Recovery Program. But there are others.
Since last August, we have also recovered
famousdocuments. stolen material: nine Presidential pardons
We werent trying to create a culture of issued between 1849 and 1877 and a letter
The Declaration of Independence, the TVTQJDJPO
XF
XBOUFE
B
DVMUVSF
PG
WJHJMBODF
from George E. Pickett (a Confederate
Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are when it came to the security of the records general) from 1857.
definitely the most famous, but there are entrusted to us.
quite a few more: more than 13 billion pages There still are many Civil War-era letters and
of paper, 42 million photographs, thousands The efforts have paid off. Over the past six Presidential pardons missing, misfiled, or
of miles of film and video and audio tape, years, several individuals have drawn long stolen. In addition, World War II maps that
a rapidly growing volume of electronic prison sentences for stealing some of our aided the Army Air Corps in determining
records, and all sorts of other records and most valuable materials. exactly where to drop the atomic bombs
artifacts. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are missing.
Meanwhile, misfiled or missing
Sometimes, a staff archivist, researcher, or
Too many of them, however, are not where documents are turning up serendipitously
volunteer discovers a document we didnt
they are supposed to be. We are not alone. in our facilities, and others are being tracked
know we had. That was the case this spring
Many archival and related institutions face down by a dedicated team.
with a letter Walt Whitman wrote out for
this problem.
A recent one was very big indeed. Decades an injured Civil War soldier and signed
Some people who come to the Archives ago, we loaned out a document called his name.
covet certain records Patent No. 821,393, * * *
and steal them from otherwise known
UIF
"NFSJDBO
QFPQMF
as the patent Some of the lost records were stolen. Others
some important
Every missing record might be merely misfiled or languishing
application for a
documents have deserves our best efforts. flying machine filed forgottenin someones drawer. We have
been misfiled or are in 1903 by Orville taken strong action in recent years when
simply lost within and Wilbur Wright we have proved that archival materials were
PVS
WBTU
IPMEJOHT
BOE
SFDPSET
PG
PUIFS
and approved in 1906. The Smithsonian stolen, but every missing record deserves
agencies accessioned by the Archives are Institution had borrowed and returned it to our best efforts.
incomplete or improperly organized. us thirty-six years ago, and its return was Often a member of the public will get in
duly noted in our records. touch to report seeing a federal document
* * *
for sale that he or she believes should belong
And then it disappeared. Until this spring.
We need to find these documents and return in the National Archives. We take these
them to their proper place in our holdings. On March 22, as part of a targeted search, it tips seriously and investigate to determine
whether the document is privately-owned
was found to have been misfiled among 269
Since August 2015, our Archival Recovery or missing from the Archives.
Program has had significant success million pages of patent records stored in one
in recovering lost, missing, or stolen of our huge limestone caves in the Midwest, If youve seen a document that appears
documents, but prevention is paramount. this one in Lenexa, Kansas. This document to belong in the National Archives,
is back in our hands now and selected pages contact our Archival Recovery Program
In response to major thefts over the from it will go on display in the National at 301-837-3153 or missingdocuments@
past few years, we increased surveillance Archives Museum starting May 20. nara.gov.

May/June 2016 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 17
 SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Patricia C. Franks
F or Dr. Patricia C. Franks, who teaches in and coordinates
the Master of Archives and Records Administration program
(MARA) at San Jose State University, rapidly changing technology
is both the cause of and the cure for many of the information
problems archivists encounter on a daily basis.
Thats one of the reasons why Franks is spearheading a new course
within the MARA program that focuses on information lifecycle
management, introducing students to the tools they will require
in their respective careers as archivists and records management
professionals. This first-of-its-kind course in the U.S. on digital
preservation systems will provide students with the skills and
competencies they need to help their current and future employers
manage the entire information lifecycle. SAA talked with Franks
about shifting trends in digital preservation and how we can
address the challenges of technology.
SAA: With an educational background in business, what drew you
to the field of archives and records management?
PF: My first degree was in business education and my final degree
was a PhD in organization and management with an e-business
specialization. My interest has always been with business processes
that result in the creation of records and the systems used to
manage them. Since three to five percent of those records have
permanent value, either transferring records to an archive or
preserving them in-house is naturally part of that process.
ORAL
HISTORY
TRANSCRIPTION
Accurate! Dependable! Experienced!
Oral history interviews transcribed
by a former archivist with over 25
years of experience in the business.
Confidentiality and quality are assured.
We pay careful attention to the details.
All-Quality Secretarial Service
Liz Weinrich, Owner
Telephones: 516/921-1623 OR 516/567-7212
Email: rhauser9@aol.com
18 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
SAA: What have been some
major shifts and emerging
trendsnew methods, tools,
expectationsthat youre
seeing in digital preservation?
PF: There is a convergence
of the types of skills
Patricia C. Franks
required to fill a variety
of positionsrecords
and information managers, digital curators, archivists, and
librarians. This means that everyone who touches a record must
understand the importance of handling it in a way that those that
must be preserved can be preserved. This is one of the reasons
we are integrating technology tools, such as Preservicas digital
preservation system for the cloud, into our coursework.
There is a trend toward integration of software that enables one
to better manage the lifecycle of records and information. This
involves understanding the metadata that can be captured and
must be added throughout the life of the records and information.
SAA: What challenges do archivists and educators face in the way
we do our work?
PF: Traditionally, archivists deal with inactive information, but
we must change our thinking to understand that active records can
have value beyond the life of the technology used to create it and a
process must be in place to ensure that the records and information
are available for the current business process (including data
mining, business analytics, knowledge management) as well
as preserved to document history and for future research.
SAA: How can we address these challenges?
PF: Technology alone is not the answer. That is the reason we see
the push for information governance programs. Archivists and
records and information managers must understand that they are
not the complete answer and need to work with others in legal, risk,
IT, and business departments within their organization to manage
the records and information for the entire organization.
Thats what led us to create two new courses in the MARA program
on Information Governance and Information Assurance. Were
especially excited about our new course that combines Enterprise
Content Management and Digital Preservation using Office 365,
SharePoint Online and Preservica (Trusted Digital Repository).
We feel that these technology courses are especially useful for
transferring skills right from the course and into the workplace.
Our goal is to provide students with the skills and competencies
they need to help their current and future employers manage
information and records from creation through final disposition
whether destruction or preservation.
May/June 2016
 Caryn Radick
FICTION THROUGH AN ARCHIVAL LENS Digital Archivist, Special Collections
and University Archives Rutgers University

The World Before Us, The World Perceives Us

I have too much

to read. The
books are piling
past (the child she was watching disappeared) works to solve the
mystery of another childs disappearance more than a century
before. Reading on, the review was favorable and the book sounded
up and yet I buy great, but I found myself dismayed by two of Livelys comments.
more. Perhaps The first was that she wished authors of fiction wouldnt add lists
this is why I am of sources to their books, as if this were a doctoral thesis rather
inaugurating than a work of fiction. . . . I dont want to know about the ballast
a new column of research. Lively found it interfered with her ability to judge
in Archival the story on its own merits. Although I understand her point, Ive
OutlookFiction always enjoyed knowing the real story behind works of fiction. Am
Through an I the only one? Also, knowing the amount of labor that goes into
Archival Lens research, I wish sources were more celebrated than dismissed when
to compel me to it comes to fiction.
get through my
to read pile! Where the first statement annoyed me, the second one floored me.
Lively writes: Jane has a fling with a local youth. This did not ring
But first, I want entirely true, for me. Would a 34-year-old archivist (who has not
to say how sounded as though shes given to such adventures) really be likely
thrilled I am to to embark on a sexual spree with a 19-year-old who chats her up in
be writing about a pub? This set off what is possibly one of the oddest discussions
Caryn Radick
archives and Ive ever had with myself about the nature of archivists. Maybe
fiction. I came Jane herself isnt the type, but what is it about being an archivist
to the archival that makes a fling so out of character? Admittedly, Im not sure
profession after a brief career in publishing and with a background what Lively was thinking, but I read her question as suggesting
in English literature. In library school, when an assignment asked that archivists are . . . cautious . . . sensible . . . dull.
for a two-page paper on any archives or records management
topic, I couldnt resist exploring a connection between archives Whatever our own individual feelings about flings (not to mention
and fiction. I thought about novels with important moments that our perceptions of exciting versus dull), archivists are people.
hinged on someone looking for, finding, And peoplenot all of themhook up
or showing up at an inconvenient moment sometimes. Implying that its not in any
with a record. I quickly remembered the Such a view erases archivists nature suggests that we are
assignments two-page limit and focused the fact that differences somehow apart from everyone elsewe
on Bram Stokers Dracula. Reading it document and preserve evidence of human
again, I discovered how much archives and enrich our profession. behavior, but dont participate. Such a view
recordkeeping were threaded throughout of archivists erases the fact that not only are
the story. I got an A on the paper, which I our lives and experiences varied, but that such differences enrich
later turned into a conference presentation, and much later, into our profession. As far as whats definitively out of character for an
an article whose publication in The American Archivist (Fall/Winter archivist, perhaps if Jane had thrown a hundred-year-old packet of
2013) showed me that there was roomand enthusiasmfor letters into a fire without looking at them first . . .
such discussions within the archival community. So Im delighted
to point the archival lens toward diverse topics, authors, and works. My disagreements with Livelys statements aside, the review
brought The World Before Us into my pile. Im looking forward to
Turning back to my unread book, I learned about Aislinn Hunters reading about Janes adventures, not to mention Hunters sources!
The World Before Us from a New York Times book review by Penelope
Lively. I was intrigued by the headline, Curiouser and Curiouser: Whats in your to read fiction pile? Any books featuring archives or
An Archivist Explores a Disappearance in Victorian Yorkshire, archivists? Tell Caryn Radick at cradick@rulmail.rutgers.edu.
and the descriptionan archivist haunted by an incident in her

May/June 2016 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 19
 KUDOS
Christine Guyonneau Adam Jansen Jeffrey Kintop
Congratulations to SAA members Stephanie Baltzer Kom,
Sofia Becerra-Licha, Genna Duplisea, M. Alison Eisendrath,
and Elizabeth Joffrion, who were selected by the Coalition
to Advance Learning in Archives, Libraries, and Museums to
be part of a cohort to strengthen connections across libraries,
archives and museums and to devise and strengthen sustainable
continuing education and professional development programs that
will transform the workforce and have a measurable impact on
communities. Follow @LAMCoalition on Twitter to stay in touch
with the activities of this cohort.
Christine Guyonneau has retired from the Frederick D. Hill
Archives and Special Collections at the University of Indianapolis.
She began her tenure as reference librarian in 1987, and has
been the university archivist since 2003. Prior to her arrival in
Indianapolis, she worked for several years in the African and Out-
of-Print Section at Alderman Library at the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville.
Adam Jansen is the new state archivist for the Hawaii State
Archives. Previously, he served as a digital archives consultant for
So, what are you doing about Aeon?
Youve heard your colleagues talk about it.
Youve read about it. Youve considered it.
Now what?
More than 50 special collections libraries,
archives, and historical societies are using Aeon.
Through Aeon, they have registered 200,000
researchers for personal accounts, managed more
than 500,000 reading room visits, and provided
access to over 1,000,000 items, with each
transaction trackable for statistics and security.
For more information, and to see a list of whos using Aeon, visit www.atlas-sys.com/aeon/
20 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
Kevin C. Miller Terry B. Nelson Julia Stringfellow
the Hawaii State Archives, taught archival studies at the University
of Hawaii, and was the deputy state archivist in Washington.
Jeffrey Kintop, assistant administrator for Archives and Records
GPS
UIF
4UBUF
PG
/FWBEB
BOE
Terry B. Nelson, director of Salt
Lake County Records and Management and Archives (retired)
are recipients of the 2016 Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists
(CIMA) Life-Time Achievement Awards. Julia Stringfellow,
university archivist and department chair and professor at the
Brooks Library, Central Washington University, is the recipient
of the 2016 CIMA Service Award.
Kevin C. Miller is the new university archivist at the University
of California, Davis. In this position, he is developing and leading
the new Archives and Institutional Assets Program, which works
with UC Davis researchers and faculty early in the lifecycle of the
content they create and stewards this content for discoverability,
access, preservation, and impact. Miller previously served as
librarian for digital curation and publication at Pepperdine
University in Malibu, California.
ANNOUNCING
Atlas Systems
is now an ArchivesSpace
Service. Security. Statistics.
Registered Service Provider
Thats what Aeon delivers.
Isnt it time you let Aeon deliver it to you? ASpace@atlas-sys.com
May/June 2016
Studs Terkel Radio Archives
continued from page 3
Accessed, Remixed, and Shared
From the beginning, STRA wanted to create
a free online repository showcasing the
nearly fifty years of Terkels programs and
make them accessible to media makers for
inclusion in audio, video, and print releases.
We partner with open source, low-cost,
innovative technology platforms that enable
us to navigate, manage, and share our
diverse collection.
Pop Up Archive was an early partner and
its automatic transcription service allowed
us to upload more than four hundred
programs in just a year and half. In addition
to creating a basic transcription of a
program, natural language keywords were
automatically culled from the audio, creating
more access points.
Graduate students from Dominican
Universitys Library and Information
Science program perfected the transcripts.
This relatively small collection of programs
includes such guests as Buster Keaton,
Frederico Fellini, and James Baldwin, and
highlights community events, as in Fiesta:
A Chicago Happening, a program about a
Puerto Rican street festival and members
of the Young Lords community group.
Because the programs on Pop Up Archive
were the first impression STRA was making
on the world, we selected programs that we
expected would be popular, even if listeners
were unfamiliar with Terkel. Transcripts on
Pop Up Archive are searchable and can be
accessed by keywordsan important step
in opening up the collection to the public!
STRA also has partnered with Hyperaud.io
and Trint. Hyperaud.io is a browser-based
remixing tool that allows the user to drag
and drop portions of transcripts from
multiple audio or video files to create a new
file. These remixed files can be shared, and
will eventually be housed in our repository,
providing additional context to the original
interviews. This is a key way to engage high
school students in the archive, allowing
them to create their own programs that
reflect their vision and give new life to the
collection. We hope to offer the majority of
Terkels programs through Hyperaud.io, so
that anyone can be inspired by the archive
to explore, create, and share.
May/June 2016
Trint also creates automatic transcripts, but low-tech classrooms. Implemented in the
is more interactive. Portions of the text can fall of 2015, students conducted their
be highlighted, exported, and shared. Trint own interviews that will be published by
is developing an open source Interactive a local nonprofit while other students
Transcript Player for social media and took part in a credited service learning
mobile platforms. Soon, users can make a project around labor disputes. Both sets
mash-up of Terkels interviews to share with of curricula will be available through the
their networks or tweet a meaningful quote. Chicago Public Librarys professional
development department and the Great
Starchive, the digital asset management Books Foundation.
system from Digital ReLab, will simplify
and tie together the processes of cataloging, One final partner is the Chicago-based
ingest, and dissemination. Upon ingestion, app Vamonde, which lets users download
metadata are assigned against an existing an audio adventure that leads them to
UFNQMBUF
BOZ
EFSJWBUJWFT
DBO
CF
DSFBUFE
BU
locations where they listen to related
that point. Probes are also used to ensure audio. We created an adventure based on
that associated metadata are automatically Terkels interview with author David Lowe
added to the record. Media makers and on his book Lost Chicago, which describes
scholars interested in previewing a number architectural changes in the city through
of shows can easily 1975. Audio
have access in one excerpts of their
TQPU
UIFZ
DBO
Soon, users can make discussion about the
also edit within Carson Pirie Scott
the browser and
a mash-up of Terkels department store
download their interviews to share with (now a Target), the
edited copy. The their networks or tweet Rookery building,
new file is retained and the Chicago
for potential future a meaningful quote. Stock Exchange,
use. Starchive can among others, play
ingest content on the app as the user
from multiple locations, such as DropBox, visits these locations. Users can also leave
Facebook, and Twitter, a feature that is comments and images at each stop. We are
especially appealing as we develop curricula looking forward to creating more adventures,
for nationwide implementation. bringing to life the diversity of Chicagos
neighborhoods through Terkels interviews.
Using Primary Sources
in the Classroom Looking Ahead
Speaking of curricula, STRA was fortunate STRAs goal is to make the audio of
to be awarded a $24,500 HIVE grant Terkels interviews accessible for anyone
and a $20,000 grant from the Chicago to listen to, use in unique ways, and share.
Public Library to pilot a youth-oriented Although were new and quite small,
program. New Voices on Studs Terkel was were on the right track. Our technology
launched during the summer of 2015, partners make accessing and listening to
with educational partners YOUmedia, the programs simple and user-friendly,
Convergence Academy at Tilden Career and the foundation has been laid for
Community Academy, and Chicago High sharing the programs on a larger scale and
School for the Arts. The students spent two encouraging new creations through Chicago
months diving into the archive and creating Public Librarys YOUMedia and curriculum
art in response to what they heard. The development partnerships.
program culminated in a gallery showing
at the Chicago Art Department and an Although Terkels voice hasnt been heard
opening during a neighborhood art walk. live on the airways in nearly two decades,
there is still a great deal to learn from
In addition to the youth program, we him and from the people with whom he
partnered with English and history teachers connected. The STRA team is honored to
at Chicago public high schools who visited be among the stewards of Terkels legacy
the youth program and created curricula and to have the opportunity to engage or
based on the archive that were scalable, re-engage listeners with his programs
modular, and adjustable for high- and not to mention give him the last word.
A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 21
If You Plan It, They Will Come
continued from page 4
to entry, including intimidatingly complex
check-in procedures, imposingly grand
facades, and other elements that discourage
the casual visitor. Every year, we plan a few
AMP events at neutral locations, like bars or
multi-purpose arts spaces, in order to find
people where they are and where they feel
comfortable. However, its important that
the greater proportion of events take place
in archives and we emphasize getting people
to walk through the door. After breaking
that initial barrier by crossing the threshold
for a special event, new visitors are more
likely to feel welcome to return again.
Also, for institutions that typically cater
to professional researchers, a successful
outreach event geared toward the general
public can help change perceptions of an
institution and its collections.
Event planning = skill building.
Prior to participating in AMP, many local
archivists report that they had little or no
event-planning experienceeven if they
work at a cultural heritage institution that
regularly offers public events. Theres great
value in going through the steps to plan an
event, such as learning your institutions
resources and limitations, getting to know
the public programming staff, and putting
the archives on the communications teams
radar. Even if not a single person attends
your event, you will have learned a great
deal from the planning process. Just as
important, by making staff contacts and
raising the visibility of the archives within
your institution, you have performed
important inreach.
Above: A special event at WHYYs Fresh Air with Terry Gross featured
a behind-the-scenes tour of the tape archives and a presentation
about a CLIR-funded project to improve preservation and access.
Photo courtesy of Archives Month Philly.
22 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
People personalize the festival. Each
event in the festival calendar is assigned an
AMP Planning Team liaison who attends
the event and serves as the point of contact
among the team, the repository, and the
public. Prior to the event, the liaison makes
contact with the institutions staff and is
available to answer any questions. At the
event, the liaison makes an announcement
to attendees explaining what Archives
Month Philly is and highlighting upcoming
events of potential interest. After the event,
the liaison posts photos and recaps the
event on social media. The liaison serves
a critical role in making the festival feel
cohesive and in putting a personal face on
the AMP Planning Team, both to the public
and participating repositories.
Tips for Success
Interested in kick starting an Archives
Month festival in your region? October will
be here before you know it. Here are a few
helpful tips.
Start planning early. Keep in mind that
many archives are part of large institutions
where long response times and complicated
bureaucratic processes are common. Put
a bug in archival peers ears early, giving
them lots of time to plan for
October. As for the planning
team, start even earlier. We
begin consolidating our
volunteer force and recruiting
institutional participants
in late winter. In the early
summer, we put out a formal
call for event submissions. And
be sure to set the submission
deadline early enough to allow
sufficient time for effective
event promotion.
Youre only as strong
as your planning team.
Because Archives Month Philly
is an all-volunteer effort, we
face the common challenges of keeping
volunteers motivated and productive
throughout the season. Over the past three
years, weve continually worked to develop
clearer communication channels, divide our
work into concrete tasks and hold individual
volunteers accountable for that work, and
organize our activities in such a way as to
make our volunteers feel empowered and
directed. We also keep our meetings fun and
informal, thus creating an environment that
benefits volunteers by building camaraderie
and networking opportunities.
Mobilize your community. Outreach
is key. Institutions arent going to plan an
Archives Month event if they havent heard
about Archives Month or the benefits of
participating. Get the word out through
social media and listservs. If possible,
capitalize on your communitys existing
infrastructure by reaching out to local
consortia and professional organizations. By
all means, be sure to work your institutional
contacts and do not hesitate to encourage
your peers to host and attend Archives
Month events. Also, in your promotional
efforts, dont forget to reach out to local
event calendars and blogs. This is a great
resource for reaching a much broader public.
Lastly, and this should be emphasized,
encourage host institutions to spread
the word by reaching out to their existing
networks. For many institutions, a user-
base or community already exists. Tapping
into this is a surefire way to get people
through the door.
Keep it fun. Planning a month-long
celebration is inevitably stressful, but dont
forget to make it a fun experience. AMP is
a labor of love for many of us who dedicate
our precious time to volunteeringthe
more fun you have, the more your passion
for archives and the local community will
shine through. Remember, Archives Month
is not just about awareness, but also about
celebrating our work as archivists. Take time
to attend some of the events and enjoy the
fruits of your laboryou never know where
youll find inspiration for next year!
Learn more about Archives Month Philly
at our website (http://archivesmonthphilly
.com) and follow us on Facebook or
@ArchMonthPhilly on Twitter. The Archives
Month Philly Planning Team welcomes your
feedback about our approachemail us
at archivesmonthphilly@gmail.com.
May/June 2016
Big Bertha Websters
Journey Back to Life
continued from page 14
It was time to test the playback module. An
unmarked spool of steel wire was selected
and placed on the uptake left wheel. A larger
metal wheel was situated on the right to
catch and wind the played wire. Between
the two playback wheels was a spool that
steadily rose and fell, guiding the wire
evenly from one to the other. Bertha began
to sing, and we heard a rather humorous
recording of a young girl and her family:
Im jist a girl who caint say no,
Caint seem to say it at all
I hate to disserpoint a beau
When he is payin a call! Fer a while
I ack refined and cool,
A settin on the velveteen setee
Nen I think of thet ol golden rule,
And do fer him what he would do fer me!
I caint resist a Romeo In a sombrero and chaps
Soon as I sit on their laps
Somethin inside of me snaps I caint say no!
from Oklahoma!
by Rodgers and Hammerstein
With a laugh, a man chimes in, a screen
door slams shut, and we are suddenly
transported to the 1940s, where a father,
mother, sisters, and uncle sit around
this then state-of-the-art magnetic wire
machine. They talk of war, boyfriends, the
separation of men and women on baseball
teams, and school. Jokes are made about
men named Hugo (Who go?) and Hugh
Askew (Who Asked You?). Listening to
their uninterrupted banter, its as if we, too,
can taste the lemonade being served and
feel the sun through the window.
Become an Archival
Archaeologist
Resurrecting Bertha has unlocked priceless
moments which would have been otherwise
forgotten. Recordings of specific dialect,
tones, cadence, and period phrases provide
a sense of the time they were created in and
contribute to research in linguistics, history,
and sociology.
To accurately study our cultural heritage
and history requires the exploration of all
types of recorded sound from wax cylinders
to vinyl recordings and from magnetic wire
to magnetic tape. Selective convenience
of available playback equipment relegates
moments in time inequitably, leading to
incomplete historical knowledge. Through
education, practice, and community
engagement, we can become archival
archaeologists, unearthing old equipment
and restoring them to working order, so
we can digitize and preserve the cultural
material they hold.
For more information on Berthas journey to
life, go to http://www.japryse.com/#!journey
-of-big-bertha-webster-the-wire/trm9a.

Permalink Service Adopted by and Acquisition and Appraisal Figure 1.

SAAs Book Publishing Program Strategies.

continued from page 16
also helping editors improve the quality
of SAA publications.
For Moving Image and Sound Collections for
Archivists, Pratt MSLIS graduate assistant
Allison Chomet entered the URLs from
the manuscript into perma.cc, and then
added the perma.cc references back into
UIF
NBOVTDSJQU
4""
IBT
BMTP
BEEFE
IFS

as an organizational member under SAAs
account. We adopted the following citation
format:
Lisa Gregory and Stephanie Williams,
On Being a Hub: Some Details behind
Providing Metadata for the Digital Public
Library of America, D-Lib Magazine 20 no.
7/8, http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july14/gregory
/07gregory.html, permalinked on March 30,
2016, at http://perma.cc/TE97-QNTF.
Chomet noted that she was impressed with
how easy it is to use. The SAA Publications
Program is also rolling out permalinks
in other books, including those in the
Trends in Archives Practice series due
out this summer: Teaching with Primary
Sources, Digital Preservation Essentials,
May/June 2016
Best Practices
Weve developed a few best
practices when using perma.cc.
More complex webpages take
more than a few seconds to
archive, and weve noticed it is
possible to have a link go dead
if you dont enter it at the time
of writing (demonstrating the
need for the service!). For these
reasons, SAA recommends that
authors use the bookmarklet
that perma.cc provides on
their website, as a low-barrier way to Times would rather that you view the live
capture citations (see Figure 1). That way, website rather than the archived content,
permalinking wont slow down the writing and they plan to stick around for a while.
or editing process, and readers will see But should The New York Times cease to
exactly what the author saw at the time operate or move the page, readers can
of writing. contact SAA Publications and we can share
a screenshot of the capture.
When permalinking articles from The New
York Times and a few other sites, perma.cc Over time, we hope all SAA authors,
creates private links. As a result, a reader including those writing for The American
visiting the site will not see the archived Archivist and Archival Outlook, begin using
webpage but a message: This record is the service. There is no costand future
private and cannot be displayed. This makes generations of readers will thank us for
sense: commercial sites like The New York thinking of them!
A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 23
What Do Students and New Professionals Want?
continued from page 10

experience and twenty-eight percent were professionals with six or
more years of experience. Twenty-one percent were current MLIS
students, eight percent were MLIS degree holders not employed in
archival capacities, four percent identified as other professional
levels, and three percent were paraprofessionals. Seventy-six
percent of respondents indicated that they would benefit from a
resource kit.
From a checklist of possible material to include in the kit, respon-
dents most frequently identified job-seeking tips, networking advice
and guidance, information on graduate and continuing education
opportunities, assistance locating resources for funding, and infor-
mation on the structure of SAA as being of interest (see Figure 1).
Figure 1.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (231 respondents)
indicated that a PDF or other document outlining information or
resources would be the best format for the kit. Web delivery of this
potential resource would be an appropriate and accessible option
(see Figure 2).
Ideas Shared
The information gathered through the checklist is invaluable in
considering options for the development of resources for students
and new professionals. Perhaps even more valuable were the 180
additional comments, which identified a variety of needs, including:
t
B
MJTU
JEFOUJGZJOH
JOEFNBOE
TLJMMT
OPU
UBVHIU
JO
HSBEVBUF
TDIPPM
t
QSFEFHSFF
JOGPSNBUJPO
BOE
HVJEFMJOFT

What kinds of information would be most helpful

t
JOGPSNBUJPO
PO
UIF
MBOETDBQF
PG
UIF
BSDIJWBM
FME
MBCPS
JTTVFT

to provide to students and new professionals? BOE
TBMBSZ
JOGPSNBUJPO
350 t
SFTPVSDFT
GPS
STVN
DSFBUJPO
BOE
SFWJFX
300 t
JOUFSWJFX
TUSBUFHJFT
250
t
TBMBSZ
OFHPUJBUJPO
HVJEBODF
200
t
QSPGFTTJPOBM
GVOEJOH
BOE
EFWFMPQNFOU
SFTPVSDFT
BOE
150
t
JOGPSNBUJPO
PO
IPX
UP
HFU
JOWPMWFE
JO
4""
SFHJPOBM
BOE
BMMJFE

100 professional organizations.
50

0
Although this list captures frequently recurring concerns of students
Information Assistance Information Job seeking Networking Other (63) and new professionals, it is by no means exhaustive. Many of these
on the locating on graduate tips advice and
structure resources for and guidance concerns regard information that could be addressed in a resource
of SAA funding continuing kit or through SAA communications. Notably, the survey results
education
opportunities
also indicate that some respondents expressed a need for resources
that already exist within SAA, such as mentoring and a job board.
This indicates that we may wish to investigate additional options for
Figure 2.
communicating with our members.

If SAA were to create a resource kit for new archives professionals,

what do you think would be the best format for such a kit?
Moving Forward
250
The Committee on Education plans to work with other SAA
component groups to determine how best to use this data. Thus
200
far weve shared the full survey report with the Students and New
Archival Professionals Roundtable and the Membership Committee.
150
We look forward to sharing the data more widely and exploring
opportunities for collaboration. We hope that at least some of the
100
resources identified above can come to fruition, either through
the work of the Committee on Education or under the auspices of
50 another SAA component group.

0 Thank you to all who responded to the survey. The Committee on

PDF or other Webinar (38) Both (24) Other (28)
document outlining Education welcomes your feedback, questions, and requests to view
information and the full survey reportcontact Alison Clemens at alison.clemens@
resources (231)
gmail.com.

24 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK May/June 2016
 Eat, Do, Work Atlanta
continued from page 7

Favorite Best Archives

Who Must Do
Pamela Nye Zoo Atlanta is a great option for
Lewis H. Beck those staying in the host hotel, as
Archives, The they have partnered with the Atlanta
Westminster Checker Cab Company for free rides
Schools to and from the Hilton. The variety
of animals, natural habitats, and
educational talks available at the
zoo makes for a day well spent!
Grub Experience
Eating fried green Visiting the National Center for Civil and
tomatoes at Mary Macs Human Rights is a very powerful and
Tea Room. moving experience, not only for the stories
that are told but also the ways in which they
are told. Be sure to sit at the lunch counter
simulator in the Rolls Down Like Water
exhibit. You wont forget it.

Sarah Quigley I always take visitors to Oakland The macaroni and Because of my work on the records of the
Stuart A. Rose Cemetery. Its a gorgeous space cheese at Revival (in Southern Christian Leadership Conference,
Manuscript, with beautiful views of the Atlanta Decatur) is insanely Ive gotten to meet and/or work with
Archives, and skyline. You can explore on your goodthe best in the a number of icons of the civil rights
Rare Book own or take a guided tour. Then metro area. movement including Dorothy Cotton,
Library, Emory afterwards, hop across the street C.T. Vivian, Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis,
University for a bourbon and lemonade at Six Julian Bond, and Joseph Lowery. Im always
Feet Under. a little awed.

Angelique M. I love taking visitors to the Atlanta
Richardson, CA History Center. It gives a great
Roman Catholic overview of the history of the
Archdiocese of city and of the South. The Atlanta
Atlanta History Center also has beautiful
grounds to walk through, weather
cooperating. Its one of my favorite
museums in the city.
If its a visitors rst Margaret Mitchells nephew passed away
time to Atlanta, I usually several months before I started, leaving
pick Mary Macs as the the Archdiocese his entire estate. Utilizing
place to take them. The estate inventories and photographs from
sweet tea, country fried GSU and UGA, we identied and acquired
chicken, okra, green furniture, silver, books, and artwork
beans, and banana belonging to Margaret Mitchell for the
pudding make up my Archives. Its one of our most fascinating
favorite meal! (and unlikely!) collections.

Ryan I always take visitors to see the BBQ at Fox Bros. Being a member of the Society of Georgia
Rutkowski aquarium, the College Football Hall Archivists has a number of perks, one of
Jimmy Carter of Fame, the World of Coca-Cola, which is having the opportunity to visit
Presidential and the MLK Museum and birth many interesting archives in Georgia,
Library home. Many of these destinations such as the Delta Archives and Museum,
are within walking distance from the Centers for Disease Control and
each other. Prevention Museum, and the Federal
Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Photos, left to right: The Ebenezer Baptist Church, photo by Jenni Gartman, courtesy of ACVB and AtlantaPhotos.com; Sweetwater Creek State Park, courtesy of Cathy Miller.

May/June 2016 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 25
 The Music Man
continued from page 9
Concert goers take note: As a musician
you can only relate to the people in front
of the stage, Balestrieri pointed out. For
me it was never
about the size of the
audience anyway,
but rather the music
and the people you
are playing with. Its
impossibly exciting
to be at the center of
something amazing.
Amazing as it was, in
1991 Balestrieri was
ready for a change.
There was lots of
down time for a
Above: This issue of Eisegesis, saxophonist during
published in 1940, is one of performances,
10,000 fanzines in the Hevelin and the touring,
Collection that is currently
bus rides, and
being digitized. Courtesy of
hotels had become
University of Iowa Libraries
and Special Collections. monotonous.
Nontraditional Student
In his forties, Balestrieri enrolled
at the University of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, earning a BA in English
with a concentration in creative writing,
American literature, and American
humor in 1995. He married Claire Fox, a
professor in the Spanish and Portuguese
Department at Stanford University, and
moved to California. His first year there
he worked in circulation at Stanfords Cecil
H. Green Library, then took a position
with Intuit Software as a liaison between
the product group and beta testers
answering email. He put his saxophone
in its case and didnt take it out again
for seven years.
Balestrieri returned to the Midwest in
2001 when his wife became professor
of English at the University of Iowa.
He became a househusband and when
the younger of their two sons was in
kindergarten in 2009, Balestrieri applied
to graduate school at the tender age of 57.
He was thrilled to be accepted into the
University of Iowas School of Library
and Information Science, earning an MA
in 2012. I think the music background
26 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
helpedit was fun for them to have
an aging punk rocker in the program,
Balestrieri quipped.
He took all of the requisite classes, but it
was the course in special collections, taught
by Greg Prickman who Balestrieri refers
to as his mentor, that hit a high note. The
first time Greg took our class to see the
locked collections, I knew immediately
what I wanted to do. Balestrieri said. He
saw researchers being connected to the
collections by librarians and archivists and
it was like a reprise of his previous career.
It was the same as the music experience,
except instead of a stage, its a restricted
area, and instead of music, its these
historical materials, and Im in-the-know
behind-the-scenes helping to make
connectionsand thats the draw!
enthused Balestrieri.
The Gig
The first collection he processed as a student
worker in Iowas Special Collections and
University Archives was science fiction
magazines that filled 60 archives boxes and
he created the finding aid. With a strong
personal interest in science fiction literature,
he felt like he had scored a golden gig. He was
hired temporary full-time during his final
semester, which is when he began processing
the James L. Rusty Hevelin Collection of
Pulps, Fanzines, and Science Fiction Books.
He graduated in December 2012.
Two years later he was offered a permanent
position in the Main Library. Balestrieris
official title is curator of Science Fiction and
Popular Culture Collections. He is quick to
point out that because of his educational
background he does not consider himself an
archivist. The head of university archives
is David McCartney and he is an archivist,
Balestrieri added. But I love archives.
The sci-fi fanzines are of particular interest
to Balestrieri and there are 10,000 in the
collection, which is currently being digitized.
These fanzines first appeared in the 1930s
and are amateur publications made by
individuals or groups that discuss politics,
films, books, and other matters public and
personal. They were written for a limited
audience and distributed via personal
connections and gatherings of sci-fi fans.
The proximity to these materials and what
they represent in terms of unstudied
documentation of the social history and
popular culture of the twentieth century
makes Balestrieri giddy with excitement.
We exist to provide the primary source
materials that lead to new knowledge, he
said. What I do as a curator is connect
dotsthe biggest part of my job is forging
connections between the collections and
faculty, students, and researchers.
Above: Stunning Scientifan fanzine from the 1930s addressed
to Bradburyas in Rayduring his formative teen years before
he would become a prolific author and master of science fiction.
Courtesy of University of Iowa Libraries and Special Collections.
Encore
The dead mice moments have returned,
like when Balestrieri discovered a fanzine
addressed to a teenaged Ray Bradbury, who
would go on to write such groundbreaking
works as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian
Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man. And he
has picked up the saxophone again. The
music scene in Iowa City is lively. He plays
in a couple of bands and performs solo.
I still think of myself as an artist,
Balestrieri stated. Librarians and
especially archivists are artistssomething
inside them thinks like artists, reacts like
artistsbut theyre not trained that way.
We need to think of ourselves as artists
and creators, rather than as anything
passive. The work that is involved, whether
its processing, preserving, or making
a collection accessible, theres nothing
passive about it. Its all activity that
involves choices. Thats what artists do.
Music is still opening doors and he now
uses the fanfare to draw attention to
special collections.
Balestrieri rocks. And he believes archivists
do, too.
May/June 2016
Sustainability in Business
Archives
continued from page 5
Next up was Michael Goltzman, vice
president of International Government
Relations and Public Affairs of The Coca-
Cola Company. He focused on sustainability
initiatives conducted by Coca-Cola, citing
many cases where the archives was culled
for stories about the companys heritage.
My favorite was when he told the story
of the famous 1971 Hilltop commercial,
which featured young people from around
the world singing, Id like to buy the world
a Coke. All the proceeds from the ad
were donated to UNICEF. That same year,
Coca-Cola created a puzzle with the Boston
chapter of UNICEF as a charity item, raising
even more money for UNICEF.
Of particular note was an open discussion
on the challenges of sustaining a pipeline of
future corporate archivists. The discussion,
led by Linda Edgerly of The Winthrop
Group, shed light on the differences and
similarities among international archives
in how young archivists are prepared to
work in a corporate setting. The discussion
included both seasoned professionals and
new archivists. I was struck by a comment
from a young Scottish archivist, who said
that her career had been a progression of
short-term contracts because few other
opportunities existed. She hoped that her
current work conducting an initial survey
Above: Archivists from international business archives gather at the World of Coca-Cola during the SBA ICA
2016 conference. Photo courtesy of Henning Morgen.
May/June 2016
Above: The World of Coca-Cola museum. Photo by Kevin C. Rose, courtesy of ACVB and AtlantaPhotos.com.
of a businesss collection would be of value
enough to the company that her role would
become permanent. An hour was allotted
for this discussion, but it could have gone
much longereveryone learned from the
session.
Since Coca-Cola hosted the meeting,
that could only mean a visit to the World
of Coca-Cola. I was a bit nervous about
having 130 global peers going though our
museum (and the possible silent judgment
of our exhibits!), but the evening was a
success. The polar bear, which was first
used in print ads in 1922, was a particular
hit as he posed for countless photos with
visitors. We treated everyone to southern
cuisine and a wide assortment of biscuits
at the biscuit bar.
The second day of sessions went fast and
furious with ten speakers representing
industries such as telecommunications,
banking, clothing, alcohol, cosmetics
and even Harley-Davidson! One of the
highlights was the presentation by Yuko
Matsuzaki on the archives at Shiseido,
a cosmetics company in Japan. Several
Shiseido leaders traveled from Tokyo to
support Matsuzaki, and her memorable
presentation featured a show-stealing video
on image and perception (www.youtube.com
/watch?v=5n3Db6pMQ-8&).
Benets of SAA and ICA
As a member of both SAA and ICA,
I urged our collective group to consider
joining both organizations. Executive
Director Nancy Beaumont was on hand
to represent SAA and it was great to
introduce her to international peers. It is
professionally and personally rewarding to
learn from and get to know these archivists.
ICA publishes a variety of standards
and resources that address some of the
professions most pressing issues. The
archival world is so much bigger than just
the U.S.!
Looking ahead, two ICA SBA conferences
will be held in 2017, with the first in
Stockholm, Sweden, in April and the second
in Mumbai, India, in December. I hope to
see you at one of them!
A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK 27
 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nancy P. Beaumont
nbeaumont@archivists.org
Keeping It Real
A n interesting conversation took place on SAAs Facebook
page on March 31 following publication of Dennis Meissners
Presidents Message (Building an Inclusive Profession) in the
March/April issue of Archival Outlook:
Meghan Courtney: I hope we are able to address the ways in which
archival education impacts diversity in our field. Most students are unable
to rely on outside economic support to work for free.
Margaret Burzynski Bays: This! The unpaid internship is the scourge of
the archives profession. It sets up the expectation of low pay and sacrifice
in exchange for following your bliss and doing what you love. allocators. Youre dispersed and your reporting structures are
Margaret Burzynski Bays: Until SAA starts to address the very low
pay in the profession, the diversity problem will never go away. Im tired
of hearing about positions that require an MLIS and years of experience
and a very high skill level, but pay $15 an hour, or less, with no benefits.
Im tired of hearing about grant-funded positions that pay next to nothing
and funders that are perfectly ok with it. Only the very privileged can
take these types of jobs, and once you narrow your search pool to the very
privileged, you dont get to wring your hands about the lack of diversity in
the profession.
Meghan Courtney: Youre absolutely right. And to be fair, SAA is us.
Well all have to do the work of improving both diversity and pay.
Margaret Burzynski Bays: It begs the question: who is responsible
for this situation? Who are the people who are writing the grants and job
descriptions that include a pay scale that is barely minimum wage and
cannot support a family or a single person with student loans? Are SAA
members working for organizations that dont really value what they do, so
dont want their archival employees to encourage decent wages? And what
about grant funding organizations who look at the submitted budgets for
archival projects and dont blink an eye at paying a person with a graduate
degree and years of experience $15 an hour and no benefits? Id like to see
SAA start there, and do a survey of funders and their expectations for a
solid project budget.
Im tired of it, too, Margaret. . . . address[ing] the very low pay in
the profession is a major driver of SAAs Goal 1.2., Educate and
influence decision makers about the importance of archives and
archivists. Importance and value should, after all, translate to is . . . . And so I welcome anyones specific ideas about what
more resources and better pay . . .
Its natural for archivists to turn to SAA to do something about it.
Thats what professional associations do. In my previous position
with the 75,000-member American Physical Therapy Association,
28 A R C H I VA L O U T L O OK
we spent a lot of time and resources doing something about
physical therapists salaries. We had the advantage of being able
to target one agencythe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services within DHHSthat was enormously influential in
determining reimbursement for PT services. Crack that nut and
PTs would make more money. APTA has spent years prying it open.
A critical component of their success is the remarkable engagement
of members advocating for themselves.
Archivists salaries arent determined by one or a few resource
variable. So what can SAA do? I have that conversation with
SAAs leaders regularly.
Here are a few things weve done:
t Published Best Practices for Internships as a Component
of Graduate Archival Education (http://www2.archivists.org
/sites/all/files/BestPract-Internships.pdf) noting that, . . . interns
should receive compensation (in the form of academic credit or
a stipend) for their work commensurate with the qualifications
required for the position. And that, The work of interns must
not replace the work of professional staff.
t Implemented public awareness campaigns (http://www2
.archivists.org/advocacy/publicawareness) whose primary tactic
has been to put resources in members hands so that they help
spread the word. New on our redesigned website is an Advocacy
button and the section, Within Your Institution.
t Pledged to implement a research agenda that attaches metrics to
the value of archives. See Denniss January/February column.
Per Margarets last sentence, SAA Vice President Nance McGovern,
who has vast experience with granting agencies, will consider
how we might influence them to implement a higher standard for
archivists time in project budgets.
I appreciate your comment, Meghan, that SAA is us. Yes, it
we might do. You might expand your thinking by first reading SAA
member Stacie Williamss intriguing ideas posted following her
April 8 presentation at the OAH annual conference (Implications
of Archival Labor at https://medium.com/on-archivy). Reach me at
nbeaumont@archivists.org or 866-722-7858.
May/June 2016
You got a haircut! New shoes?
Wait, youre wearing glasses!
Save your guesses, and check out the
Society of American Archivists

Newly Designed
Website!

www.archivists.org
SAME GREAT CONTENT . . . A WHOLE NEW LOOK.
17 North State Street, Suite 1425
Chicago, IL 60602-3315 USA

July 31August 6

At ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2016
youll experience:
s4HOUGHT PROVOKINGANDINFORMATIVEPLENARYSESSIONS
s-ORETHANSEVENTYEDUCATIONSESSIONS
s,IGHTNINGTALKSANDINCUBATORSESSIONS
s3PECIALNETWORKINGEVENTS

&ORMOREINFORMATIONANDTOREGISTERGOTOwww2.archivists.org/am2016.