Originally published on the Society of American Archivists (SAA) website.

Creating an Advocacy Committee on the Local Level:

The Advocacy Committee of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc.

Guest post by Tiffany Colannino, Advocacy Committee Chair / Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc.

Whether it is preserving a fragile document, requesting a budget increase for supplies, or training a researcher in proper handling techniques, archivists advocate for the needs of their collections on a daily basis. But who will advocate for the preservation of un-stewarded collections; request budget increases at the state level; or train the public on the value of archival documents?

Establishing an advocacy committee – especially at the local level – provides a unified voice for a regional archives organization, and can fulfill the responsibilities listed above.

An advocacy committee exists to support the needs of the local organization’s membership, and can be established regardless of whether there are any local issues requiring immediate advocacy action. In addition to reacting to external issues, such as budget cuts at the state or municipal archives, the destruction of records at a local college, or an environmental disaster causing damage to individual and institutional records, an advocacy committee can – and should – provide practical resources for members of a regional organization.

Archival advocacy is a multi-faceted undertaking. A newly founded advocacy committee must determine where the focus of their activities is best served and establish their mission to reflect this purpose. A successful advocacy committee should maintain a balance between proactive planning and reactive action. It is essential that dedicated committee members stay current, seeking out issues related to archival advocacy. Identifying issues can be a difficult task, as many remain hidden within institutions and may not surface in the media. In order to identify these issues, it is important for an advocacy committee to collaborate with other regional organizations geared towards similar interests, such as historic preservation or cultural advocacy. Structured monthly meetings provide a platform to discuss new issues and track pre-existing concerns. Based on group discussion, the committee can determine a suitable course of action, be it disseminating information or petitions, actively attending local political meetings, writing letters to government officials, or other actions, as necessary. Maintaining an active web presence enables the committee to provide updated information about current actions, and direct emails alert members to issues that necessitate immediate action. An active website can also host practical advocacy resources for archivists.

Founded in 2010, the Advocacy Committee of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. supports a membership of over 550 professional archivists in the New York City area (a history of its founding is available on the Issues and Advocacy Roundtable’s site). The Committee has a broad yet simple mission: to provide leadership to archivists and to provide direction on important policy issues to the community as a whole. To fulfill this mission, the Committee actively disseminates information about current actions; maintains an online resource center for archivists so they can better advocate for the profession, their repositories, and themselves; and organizes meetings or workshops based on archival advocacy. The Committee serves as a voice for the archives community; reports on pending state and federal legislation in a timely manner; promotes archives and archival issues to government, decision-makers, funders, other organizations, the media and the general public; and provides resources to archivists so they can better advocate for the profession, their repositories, and themselves.

The formation of local advocacy committees helps to ensure that issues of direct relevance to archives and archivists are identified and addressed. As it stands, these committees are scarce; however, the creation of additional advocacy committees will lead to an exciting opportunity to build a regional, state, federal, or international advocacy networks, allowing archivists to share experiences and actions, resulting in a stronger voice for the archives profession.

For more information about the Advocacy Committee of Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc., please visit: www.nycarchivists.org/advocacy_committee

 

URL:
http://www2.archivists.org/groups/issues-and-advocacy-roundtable/blog-entry-12-creating-an-advocacy-committee-on-the-local-leve

The deadline for the ART/METRO co-sponsored SAA workshop, Appraisal of Electronic Records, has been extended until March 11th. Eighteen partial scholarships are available, bringing down the cost to only $85 for SAA members.

More information is available on the METRO website: http://metro.org/events/317/

MARCH 20, 2013 ALL-DAY EDUCATIONAL EVENT

The ARMA METRO NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER in partnership with the ARMA CENTRAL NEW JERSEY, ARMA NORTHERN NEW JERSEY & ARMA CONNECTICUT CHAPTERS cordially invites you to attend our 2013 ALL-DAY EDUCATIONAL EVENT.

This event is designed to provide Records and Information Management Professionals of all levels (Students, Analysts, Attorneys, IT Professionals, Records Managers, Executive Management and Vendors) with the latest information, trends and skills to provide more value to their organizations. To view the Agenda, Session descriptions, speakers and sponsors, just click on the appropriate tab found on the main page.

CRM CREDITS FOR THIS EVENT ARE PENDING APPROVAL BY THE ICRM AND WILL BE POSTED SOON!!

Our Exhibit Areas will give you an opportunity to meet with a number of local, national and global vendors, solution providers and RIM experts. Visit each exhibitor to have your raffle card stamped, and then submit your completed entry for a chance to win one of several prizes.Winners will be announced at the end of the event and must be present to win.

We are offering three tracks of learning, so please review the sessions map and choose your destination. As a reminder, please select only one session per time period.

NETWORKING RECEPTION:
All registrants and sponsors are invited to attend a Networking Reception, sponsored by Gimmal and Iron Mountain, from 5:30-7:30 PM at SD26, located at 19 East 26th Street, just a short walk from New York Life.

Please join us for food, drinks, raffle prizes and catch up with your colleagues and friends at this very upscale venue. This is a great way to unwind after a day of learning. I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,
Jason C. Stearns, CRM
President, ARMA Metro New York City Chapter

For more information please visit the ARMA NYC website: http://www.armanyc.org/

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Stewardship of Digital Assets
A two-day workshop on sustaining digital collections
April 1 - 2, 2013 at The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY

The Morgan Library & Museum and the Northeast Document Conservation Center are pleased to announce a two-day workshop focusing on managing digital collections. A faculty of digital experts will teach the essentials of digital collections care, emphasizing strategies for collaboration. The program will include opportunities for discussion and consultation with workshop faculty.

Topics covered will include:
Digital Curation
Organizational Concepts (OAIS, TRAC, DRAMBORA)
Sustainable File Formats
Developing Relationships with IT
Standards and Best Practices
Options for Discovery and Access
Digital Preservation Policy Development
Metadata for Management, Access, and Preservation
Email and Electronic Records Management
Preservation of Video and Recorded Sound
Building a Digital Repository

Who Should Attend?
Staff from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions - anyone eager to learn the basics about managing digital collections.
Cost:
Both days: $175
One day: $125
Student rate: $50

Note: Enrollment is limited to 70. Registration is first-come, first-served.

For complete information and to register, visit: http://www.nedcc.org/education/2013soda/2013soda.php

Posted on behalf of Stephanie Dueno and the Museum of the City of New York.

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Dear Colleague:

I write today to ask you to serve as a judge for New York City History Day 2013.  For the past twenty-three years, the Museum of the City of New York has sponsored this educational program that teaches middle and high school students to do original research projects for evaluation.  This year’s contest will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2013, followed by an Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 13, 2013.

 

New York City History Day engages students in the discovery and interpretation of historical topics.  Students analyze primary and secondary sources, hone their research skills, and show their findings through multimedia documentaries, dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, historical papers, and websites.  Winners move on to the state and possibly national competition. 

 

Projects are evaluated primarily for historical content, and constructive feedback from the judges is essential to the students’ learning process.  Judges work in small groups when interacting with the students.  A major component of the evaluation is the student interview.  For the students, the experience of having a conversation with a judge is invaluable. 

 

History Day will once again follow a two day model with one full day for competing/judge evaluation and a separate evening for an awards ceremony later that week. This format will give judges more time to evaluate student work and to determine which projects will advance to the state level. Judging on March 10^th will begin with an orientation at 9:30 A.M. followed by interviewing the students from 10:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Once you have agreed to participate, specific information about March 10^th will be sent to you. 

 

The success of New York City History Day depends largely on the participation of talented volunteers like you.  Generous support for New York City History Day is provided by Susan and Roy Glaser, and the Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation. The Museum is also grateful to the New York State Historical Association.

 

To accept this invitation, please send the Judging Request Form no later than February 22^nd to Stephanie Dueño,  New York City History Day Coordinator at the Museum of the City of New York. If you have any questions you may contact me at sdueno@mcny.org or (212) 534-1672, ext. 3410.  Due to an anticipated increase in student attendance, procedures for judges may be slightly different this year.  A prompt response to this invitation will allow us to plan a smooth and successful event for you and the students.  We thank you for your consideration.

  

An earlier version of this announcement was posted on the METRO site on Thursday, February 14, 2013 and adapted below:

ARLIS/NY Presents a Professional Organizations Open House for Students and New Professionals; ART, METRO, Others  to Participate

In November 2012, Heritage Preservation was awarded $15,000 by the New York Community Trust to assist Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts in coordination with Alliance for Response New York City. Funds are being used to purchase supplies for the Cultural Recovery Center in Brooklyn, a temporary salvage space launched by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation in cooperation with a consortium of organizations that includes Heritage Preservation. Conservators and collections care professionals are volunteering their time to help artists, galleries, collectors, and cultural institutions stabilize artwork damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Full article available in the Heritage Preservation Update Winter 2013 Issue:
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=6c50e19fb1&e=98eb558993

This event is co-sponsored by METRO and Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York.

The Archivists Round Table is pleased to announce that it is co-sponsoring SAA’s Appraisal of Electronic Records class with METRO on June 10, 2013. Eighteen $100 partial scholarships to this workshop are available as part of METRO's Keeping Collections (http://keepingcollections.org) project, which is funded in part by the New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program (http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_hrecords_dhp.shtml).

Eligibility: These scholarships are intended to provide assistance "to the not-for-profit organizations that hold, collect and make available the state's historical records" in New York City and Westchester County. Thus, scholarships will be limited to those working in organizations that meet those requirements. Visit the application page for more information: (http://bit.ly/Xoxmnj).

Timeline: The deadline for applications is February 28, 2013. Scholarship winners will be notified by email by March 11, 2013 and must confirm attendance by March 15, 2013. Upon selection, scholarship recipients will then be given a special code to receive the $100 discount when registering for the workshop. The workshop is also open for public registration at normal pricing. Eighteen spots are being held for scholarship recipients.

Registration Fees: Early-Bird / Regular SAA Member: $185 / $235 Employees of Member Institutions: $210 / $260 Nonmember: $235 / $285. The workshop will be open for public registration on March 15, 2013 via the SAA website.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION (http://bit.ly/Xoxmnj)

Workshop Details:

After a review of the fundamental principles of archival appraisal and appraisal policies, you’ll be introduced to the unique issues that need to be addressed when appraising electronic records. Case studies will highlight the practical aspects of appraisal when dealing with electronic records.

Upon completion of this course you'll be able to:

Workshop Objectives:

Develop an appraisal policy for your archives; Include electronic records on records retention and disposal schedules; Appraise electronic records for your archives. Address technical issues (such as metadata, software dependence, etc.) that arise when appraising electronic records; and, Appraise electronic records for your archives.

Who Should Attend?

Archivist Practitioners, Records Managers. Anyone responsible for the archival appraisal of electronic records.

What Should You know?

Archival appraisal of records, as well as some basic knowledge about digital preservation and electronic records. This course is one of the Foundational Courses in the Digital Archives Specialist (http://www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das) (DAS) Curriculum and Certificate Program and builds on others including Basic Electronic Records. If you intend to pursue the Certificate, you'll need to pass the examination for this course. Please follow "Procedures for DAS webinars" (http://www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das/FAQs/17) to access exam information.

Sincerely,

Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York