Update on RAAC Accomplishments/Goals

The RAAC Steering Committee is happy to announce that we are making progress toward our goals for 2014-2015.

We will send follow-up emails soon regarding upcoming elections, our annual meeting, and more detailed announcements regarding our works-in-process as they reach new stages of completion.

 In the meantime, we wanted to share highlights of RAAC’s work to date. Below is a sampling our mid-year accomplishments!

Disaster Planning & Recovery Subcommittee:

How do regionals help their members plan for and recover from disasters?

The Disaster Planning and Recovery Subcommittee has created a first draft of a new online resource providing information on regional, national, and international disaster planning and recovery resources. Information on planning, training, supplies, recovery and funding is included. If your region has additional documentation to share, please email Lynette Stoudt.  

Education Subcommittee:

Have you ever wondered how other regionals operate?

Please visit the Education Subcommittee’s new Governance Document Repository to see sample documentation from around the nation, including:

• Mission statements, constitutions and by-laws
• Advocacy and Outreach policies
• Archive Month activities
• Brochures and other printed materials
• Conferences
• Newsletters
• Journals
• Workshops

If your regional has documents to contribute, please email Educations Subcommittee Chair Jennifer Brannock.

Grant Development Subcommittee

Are you interested in finding out more about grants in your region or how your regional might apply for a grant?

In order to better support regionals during the grant application process, the Grant Development Subcommittee has been gathering information on regionals that have previously received grant support. The Subcommittee is currently compiling grant opportunities by region for a new online resource. Contact Kristen Chinery to contribute.

Public Awareness Subcommittee

Would you like to promote the work of your regional or find out about the work or others?

The Public Awareness Subcommittee has been steadily developing the RAAC Facebook page to feature the work of regionals. Subcommittee members will be writing an article on RAAC for distribution to regional newsletters this spring and are currently compiling a list of regionals’ newsletters for potential inclusion in the Directory of Archival Organizations in the United States and Canada. Please email Subcommittee Chair Daniel Alonzo if you have a newsletter to add to the list.

Advocacy Subcommittee

How would your regional obtain assistance if faced with a local advocacy issue?  

With the help of SAA’s Issues and Advocacy Roundtable, the RAAC Advocacy Subcommittee is currently investigating how to best establish formal communication lines through which regionals can report local advocacy issues to SAA and ask for advocacy assistance. Stay tuned for updates!

Directory Subcommittee

Is your regional organization represented correctly?

Subcommittee Chair Casey Westerman has, for the second year, updated the online Directory of regional organizations  on the SAA website. If your information has changed, please email him.

RAAC represented at new Coalition to Advance Learning in Archives, Libraries and Museums. RAAC joins other archival organizations such as SAA and CoSA to represent the archival field on the Coalition, whose purpose is to work in deliberate coordination across organizational boundaries to devise and strengthen sustainable Continuing Education and Professional Development (CE/PD) programs that will transform the library, archives, and museum workforce in ways that lead to measurable impact on our nation’s communities. The Coalition’s first public endeavor was a Project Management webinar which was attended by over 800 participants from all three sectors. The 2-part webinar included ways for small groups to connect with each other, collaborate on their own project examples, submit them to the presenters and receive their feedback.

Many thanks to Lynette Stoudt, RAAC’s webmaster, representing the Society of Georgia Archivists. Lynette has done a wonderful job of building up an easily navigable website for us. We appreciate your work, Lynette!

We would like to thank you very sincerely for your participation on our subcommittees, which really are the heart of RAAC. Without your efforts, these growing connections amongst regionals and with national groups would not be made.

Rachel Chatalbash and Amanda Focke

RAAC Co-Chairs