NHPRC Regrant Progress Report January 2005 - June 2007

NHPRC Circuit-Rider Archivist Regrant Grant No. 2005-016
Grant Period January 2005 - December 2007
Interim Narrative Report for January - June 2007

Background

The Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (GHRAB) sought and obtained a $125,624 grant from NHPRC to:

• Provide the services of an on-site professional archivist and regrants to Georgia repositories and local governments to improve their archival programs.
• Demonstrate how the services of a traveling professional archivist can benefit small repositories and local governments thus making grant programs more effective.
• Stimulate the development of a master's level program to educate professional archivists.

Due to a delay in hiring the Circuit-Rider Archivist in 2005 and extra time needed in 2007 for GHRAB to hold a strategic planning meeting to review the overall circuit rider archivist program, the Board sought and obtained a grant extension from NHPRC to September 30, 2007, and then to December 31, 2007.

Circuit-Rider Archivist Activities

The circuit rider archivist spent about 40% of his time during this period on CRA activities. He began 2007 with a series of informational meetings (announcement attached) designed to publicize the second round of initial visits to be made in the second half of the year. These meetings provided information about the program to prospective applicants but also cemented ties between participants in the first round of visits and the Georgia Archives and Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. This was accomplished through the use of sites from the first round, in 2005, as hosts for the informational meetings. The circuit rider archivist provided hosts with news releases that could be used to publicize the meetings and emphasize the host organization’s role and relationship with the Georgia Archives and Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. Thirty-four organizations sent representatives to these informational meetings. The meetings were held in January and February, and sites were chosen to allow people from all parts of the state to conveniently attend.

Meetings were hosted by Appling County Heritage Center at the Appling County Courthouse in Baxley, Columbia County Government in Evans, Georgia Archives in Morrow in Clayton County, Greene County Probate Court in Greensboro, Hall County Library System in Gainesville, Lowndes County Board of Commissioners in Valdosta, Meriwether County Probate Court and Superior Court at the Meriwether Historical Society in Greenville, Rome Area History Museum in Rome, the City of Statesboro in Bulloch County, Stewart County Superior Court in Lumpkin, and Wesleyan College in Macon. In conjunction with the meetings in Baxley, Greensboro, and Rome, the Georgia Archives conducted disaster preparedness workshops. The circuit rider archivist information sessions proved successful in that 25 of the 52 organizations that applied for visits in the second round had sent representatives to the informational meetings.

The circuit rider archivist continued to promote a continuing relationship with and between organizations which he has served. He continued to disseminate information through e-mail support groups which he established. Examples of the type of information shared include announcements of training opportunities about such topics as disaster preparedness and fundraising. Organizations posed a number of questions and information requests via e-mail. For example, Greene County Probate Court sought a sample records management resolution for local government, and Effingham County Board of Education requested a sample disaster preparedness plan for a school system. The circuit rider also received numerous telephone inquiries. Some of these reflected the trust which organizations have placed in the circuit rider as a source of information beyond the realm of archives. For instance, Aragon Historical Society in Polk County asked for direction in finding information about preserving a local Civil War site.

The ongoing relationship with the circuit rider archivist organizations also received emphasis through the presentation of certificates to each of the sites from the first round to honor their continued participation in the circuit rider archivist program. These certificates were signed by Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board Chairman Ross King.

The connection between the circuit rider archivist program and the organizations which it has served is reflected in the applications for participation in the second round of visits. Six of the new applicants were referrals from organizations in the first round.

The circuit rider archivist also continued to assist additional organizations which had received Historical Records Project Grants from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board in 2006. Besides participants in the circuit rider archivist program that had received grants, the circuit rider archivist had been asked to assist five other organizations in their projects, and he fielded a number of e-mail and telephone inquiries from these organizations.

The circuit rider archivist informational meetings in January and February allowed the circuit rider archivist to call upon the ten host organizations and learn about their work since his first visit. He also invited each of the first-round organizations to request a follow-up visit in the spring. The circuit rider conducted follow-up visits to the City of Abbeville, Berrien County Probate Court in Nashville, Blue and Gray Museum in Fitzgerald, Cherokee County Historical Society in Canton, Coffee County Probate Court in Douglas, Crawford County Historical Society in Knoxville, Meriwether County Probate Court, the City of Statesboro, and Wilcox County Board of Commissioners in Abbeville.

The Georgia Archives Institute provided continuing education for a staff member from one of the first-round circuit rider archivist organizations. Ronda Sanders from Hall County Library System received a scholarship from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board to attend the two-week institute as part of a program offered to circuit rider archivist organizations to provide in-depth training to selected staff. Stefanie Joyner of Cherokee County Historical Society also received a scholarship but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts.

GHRAB will use its fiscal year 2007 appropriation to continue the CRA Program from July 2007 through June 2008. During this period, the CRA will visit the 52 organizations under Round Two.

Clayton State University Activities

The circuit rider archivist spent about 60% of his time teaching two classes for Clayton State University. These were Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice and the survey United States History since Reconstruction. The archivist from Upson County Historical Society in Thomaston, one the organizations with which the circuit rider has worked on a Historical Records Project Grant project, participated in Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice during a guest roundtable discussion on “Choosing to Be an Archivist.”

The continuing availability of the course Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice, along with Introduction to Public History, at Clayton State University has raised interest in archival studies among students. Although the adoption of a master’s degree program in archival studies has been postponed by the university, students have requested increased course offerings under the existing undergraduate archives track under the bachelor in history degree program. A meeting between students and faculty generated the creation of a new course, Readings in Archival Studies, and efforts to take advantage of the undergraduate archival track as a tool in archival in-service education and preparatory work for graduate studies in archives. Student demand for undergraduate internships in archives has increased, and two students from Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice chose to continue their archival education through the Georgia Archives Institute in June.

Regrants / Historical Records Project Grants

GHRAB awarded 31 regrants under the Historical Records Project Grant Program. Of these, 11 were successfully completed in June and 13 will close out in July 2007. Seven grants were extended for additional time in order to complete their projects. Several projects will serve as models for other organizations and several will have a statewide impact on records and archives work in Georgia.

MODEL PROJECTS

• Burke County Commissioners – developed foundation for a unified process for managing all historic documents in the county to be implemented over the next two years. May be nominated for GHRAB award in 2008.
• City of Gainesville - renovated jail cells and installed mobile/compact shelving units that tripled the storage capacity and eliminated the need for off-site storage. Nominated for 2007 GHRAB award.
• City of Savannah – processed records from re-housing to preparation of DACS-compliant written finding aids and their entry into the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) in coordination with approved records retention schedules.
• Clay County Archives – established a solid foundation for the effective administration of an archival program, before its move to a larger facility. Nominated for 2007 GHRAB award.
• Paulding County School System – developed a system-wide records management program and developed a centralized storage area with an inventory control and mobile filing system. May be nominated for GHRAB award in 2008.

STATEWIDE IMPACT PROJECTS

• Association County Commissioners of Georgia – surveyed records conditions and developed a best practices guide to help counties improve their disaster preparedness and management of government records. May be nominated for GHRAB award in 2008.
• Council of Superior Court Clerks – conducted a year-long effort to raise disaster planning awareness in the courts and, in cooperation with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority, implemented a program that will provide off-premise digital backup for computer files in clerks’ offices in each of Georgia’s 159 counties. May be nominated for GHRAB award in 2008.

GHRAB requires all grantees to have in place or develop as part of their grant project a disaster preparedness plan. GHRAB and the Friends of the Georgia Archives co-sponsored disaster preparedness workshops (announcement attached) to provide grantees with the needed training to write their plans and opened the workshops to all interested organizations in the area. Christine Wiseman, Preservation Services Manager, at the Georgia Archives presented the following workshops which had 57 attendees:

         January 17, 2007, Greene County Courthouse, Greensboro
         January 24, 2007, Rome Area History Museum, Rome
         February 19, 2007, Appling County Heritage Center, Baxley.

Budget

Below is a summary of funds spent during the six-month period of January – June 2007.
Grant Funds
Grant funds totaling $2,249.23 were spent on CRA travel ($1,537.78), training grant for one CRA organization to participate in the Georgia Archives Institute ($500 registration), and expenses associated with the informational meetings ($211.45).

Activities for July – December 2007

• Include an additional 52 organizations in the Circuit Rider Archivist Program through Round Two Visits.
• Evaluate the Circuit Rider Archivist Program from Jan 2005 through December 2007.
• Hold a strategic planning meeting in August, 2007.
• Develop a report on GHRAB activities to seek funding from the Georgia General Assembly for Board programs, including the Circuit Rider Archivist Program.

Attachments

1. CRA Informational Meetings Announcement
2. Disaster Preparedness Workshops Announcement