Meeting Minutes: August 19, 2015, Cleveland, OH

WCRT Annual Meeting – Cleveland, Ohio

Convention Center, Room 11 5pm-7pm

MEETING MINUTES

Officers:

Stephanie Bayless | Co-Chair

Leslie Fields | Co-Chair (absent)

Rachel Grove-Rohrbaugh | Vice Co-Chair

Rachel Appel | Vice Co-Chair

Holly Smith | Incoming Vice Co-Chair

Jenny Gotwals | Incoming Vice Co-Chair (absent)

Welcome and Introduction

Introductions of co-chairs, round the room introductions

Name                                                  Affiliation

Lisa Mangiafico                                 Soroptimist International of the Americas

Samantha Crisp                                 Augustana College

Jennifer Head                                    Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary Larson                                      Oklahoma State University (Women’s Archives)

Laura Ramans                                   University of Tennessee

Janet Bishop                                      Colorado State University

Jane Pipik                                           Boston, MA

Deborah Hollis                                  University of Colorado Boulder

Fernanda Perrone                            Rutgers University Special Collections

Beth Myers                                        Smith College

Jolene Beiser                                     Pacifica Radio Archives

Noraleen Young                                Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity

Ashley Skwiera                                  St. Catherine University

Molly Marcusse                                 University of Wyoming

Janice Ruth                                         Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Elizabeth Williamson                        Georgetown University Library

Vince Lee                                           University of Houston Libraries Special Collections

Shanee Murrain                                Payne Theological Seminary

Mark Vassar                                      Schlesinger Library

Stacey Flatt

Karen Mason                                     University of Iowa

Cat Holbrook                                     Schlesinger Library

Susan Earle                                        Schlesinger Library

Council update from Lisa Magnifico, 5:06-5:18

            -Proposed changes to section and roundtables structure. There are no more distinctions between the two anymore. SAA Council is asking for comments on proposal to makes sections and roundtables the same (maintaining current names). This means SAA non-members would not be allowed to be part of the affinity groups, but virtual communities to maintain communication could be established instead. SAA would provide electronic resources, but they will have no space at meetings. As of now, roundtables are technically open to non-members. Groups will need to have at least 4% of total SAA membership to remain an affinity group (WCRT currently does). There are no more limits on number of groups members can belong to. Send comments to Council by Sept. 15.

            -Dues increase proposal.  SAA is in stable financial situation due to two really big annual meetings, but they need a more predictable stream of income. A 3% - 3 ½% dues increase is proposed over a three year period. The dues increase will be discussed at Saturday’s business meeting and voted on in the fall.

            -Advocacy. The US Copyright office asked SAA for a meeting after our letter on orphan works. The meeting is taking place this Friday (August 21, 2015) during the annual meeting.

            -A&A Listserv new terms of participation have been presented to council and will go into effect after the meeting and posted to the A&A listserv.

            -Support for NHPRC. The proposal to eliminate NHPRC was pulled back, but council is not sure if it will go forward again. Kathleen Roe is working on a strategic plan.

            -New Access and Description curriculum. The curriculum will be designed somewhat like DAS program. This program will lead to a certificate and will roll out in the next year.

            -Possible copyright extension in Trans-Atlantic treaty in negotiation. Current wording unknown, but it possibly means copyright lasts for the life of author in addition to another 100 years.

Speaker, Anastasia Karel, Archivist, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 5:19-5:30

Questions, 5:30-5:48

Old Business – none.

New Business:

Open discussion up to the members about what they want from the roundtable.

Black feminism resource list

Do we want to pursue more subject bibliographies?

Oklahoma State is working on something for the plains states

Spelman holds the Toni Cade Bambara Scholar-Activism Conference. Last year there was a panel focused on black women’s lives through the archives. 

Partnering up with other roundtables/sections to put together these subject lists?

Putting together panels to submit for next year’s program.

Making people more aware of “hidden” women’s collections. Everybody has women’s history.

How to connect donors with the right repository? Can we put together some kind of list of institutions who focus on women’s collections?

Cross county connections to tie these collections together.

Maybe put out there a google doc – figure out the subtopics.

University of Wisconsin Lib Guide on women’s archives – lists institutions with predominately women’s focused (but not necessarily women’s archives). Maybe find a way to amass and keep updated the collecting scope of these institutions.

WCRT used to have a directory of members and collecting focus. Put out a call on the listserv/Facebook page/etc. to rebuild that list.

Action Items: Basic list of women’s archives and their collecting focus; focus on Africa-American women for next year and maybe develop partnerships with other roundtables.

Announcements –

Smith College is hiring an archivist for the Sophia Smith Collection.

Smith College is doing an archival MOOC that is feminist and women based: Psychology of Women’s Activism. Officially rolls out in March. You can enroll in June 2016.  It is student based and they invited activists back to have a dialogue. The MOOC will be free and open to the public.

The University of Houston is doing UH Women’s History Symposium on October 14, 2015.

Toni Cade Bambara Scholar-Activism Conference at Spelman will be the first weekend in April. The theme will be decided by the students later this year.

Call for submissions to an anthology on women’s studies in the archives: Women's Studies in the Library: Case Studies of Innovative Programs and Resources.

Seven Sisters launched CollegeWomen.org, an aggregate women’s archival portal.

Concerns were raised on what will happen to the collections of dwindling women’s religious congregations. Archivists are encouraged to reach out to groups that might be in danger of dying to collect the history.

#SueBSays – quotes from Susan B. Anthony from researcher who has been visiting institutions and transcribing Anthony’s letters.

The Schlesinger Library just finished two-year grant to digitize Blackwell papers. In October, they will have an exhibit on the Blackwell sisters.

Pacific Radio Archives is finishing two-year preservation projects of their recordings related to feminism. They will be available on UC Berkley and Internet Archive websites in the late fall.

Library of Congress has the Rosa Parks papers on deposit. They have been scanned and will be put online as they are able to clear rights. The website will  hopefully be live by February. They also recently accessioned the first installment of the Madeline Albright papers.

Iowa Women’s Archives constantly putting new materials online. Archives Alive project- student’s in the Rhetoric Department take a document, transcribe, and digitize and each semester has a particular theme. Visit DIY History – anyone can transcribe documents they have put up.

Payne Theological Seminary Methodist Episcopal archives is live on Princeton and has a women subcategory detailing their role in the church going back to the 1830s.

Meeting adjourned 6:25.