Meeting Minutes: August 27, 2008, San Francisco, CA

Co-Chairs: Anke Voss and Doris Malkmus

Annual Meeting: 5:30-7:30, August 27, 2008, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA

The WCRT convened at 5:30 with 29 members and attendees. Members introduced themselves and gave announcements about women's collections at their institutions and at large. The meeting was attended by many of the processing archivists at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University. The Schlesinger received generous funding to process collections and to make the records of women's lives available to researchers.

An election for the position of chair was held and Danelle Moon of the San Jose State University was elected chair of the WCRT by acclaim; Kelly Wooten also volunteered to serve as co-chair.

The new rule requiring roundtables to have a minimum of 50 members was discussed with council representative, Aimee Felker. (WCRT's official Council representative, Diane Vogt-O'Connor, was unable to attend). The roundtable discussion focused on concern that minority interest roundtables are necessary because of small numbers. Aimee Felker indicated that under current rules, roundtables with fewer than 50 members can appeal to council, reporting activity within the roundtable, and the importance of SAA support of an important, if small, group.

2009 SAA Panels:

No proposals for session topics were received to date, the SAA deadline is October 8. Anyone wanting  endorsement of a proposal should send the proposal to Danelle Moon by October 1.

2008 Program:

The program began with Karen Offen, feminist scholar of French history, providing a brief presentation on the International Museum of Women (virtual museum, archive, interactive website). She was followed by feminist labor historian, Glenna Matthews, who discussed researching working-class women beginning in the 1960s to the present. Discussion and a reception followed.

WCRT offers its sincere thanks to the GLBT Historical Society for their hospitality. It has been a pleasure to co-chair the WCRT over the last two years. Our best wishes to Danelle Moon and Kelly Wooten in their new positions as co-chairs.

Attendees:

  Doris Malkmus, Penn State University (co-chair)
  Anke Voss, Champaign County Historical Archives, The Urbana Free Library (co-chair)
  Danelle Moon, San Jose State University (chair-elect)
  Susan Earle, Schlesinger Library
  Cat Holbrook, Schlesinger Library
  Jill Jackson, Schlesinger Library
  Mark Vassar, Schlesinger Library
  Johanna Carll, Schlesinger Library
  Jenny Gotwals, Schlesinger Library
  Stacey Flatt, Schlesinger Library
  Laura Peimer, Schlesinger Library
  Rhonda Chadwick, Simmons College
  Jesse Nachem, Simmons College
  Stephanie Schmotz, Purdue University
  Janice Ruth, Library of Congress
  Ellen Broidy, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute
  Joan Ariel, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
  Joan Torykian, Berkeley, California
  Heather Fox, Filson Historical Society
  Rachel Miller, Center for Jewish History
  Cassie Schmitt, University of Oregon
  Nancy Kushigian, Armenian Women's Archive
  Kathy Kraft, Schlesinger Library
  Kelly Wooten, Sallie Bingham Center, Duke University (chair-elect)
  Beth Ann Koelsett, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Women Veterans Project
  Ferranda Perrone, Rutgers University
  Angela Manella, State Archives of Ohio, Ohio State Historical Society
  Glenna Matthews, University of California-Berkeley
  Karen Offen, Stanford University, Clayman Institute