“Honoring Thy Colleagues”
The Society of American Archivists celebrated outstanding
achievement in public service, outreach, and writing, and
provided scholarship assistance to students at an awards ceremony
held August 19, 2005, during SAA’s 69th Annual
Meeting in New Orleans. Hundreds of conference attendees
packed the grand ballroom of the Hilton New Orleans
Riverside to honor their colleagues and salute their successes.
The annual competition recognizes accomplishments of the
preceding calendar year.
The Awards Committee, co-chaired by Daria D’Arienzo of
Amherst College and Philip Mooney of Coca-Cola Company,
worked with subcommittees in the selection process for each
award. SAA heartily congratulates the following award recipients
and extends its thanks to all who participated in the competition.
For more information about SAA’s awards competition, click
here.
Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award
Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award
C.F.W. Coker Award
Waldo Gifford Leland Award
Preservation Publication Award
Fellows’ Ernst Posner Award
Theodore Calvin Pease Award
Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award
Colonial Dames and Donna Cutts Scholarship Awards
Council Exemplary Service Award
J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award
Outstanding Service
See also Eight New SAA Fellows Honored (Oct
2005)
Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award
WILLIAM SUMNERS, director of the
Southern Baptist Library and Archive,
received SAA’s Sister M. Claude Lane,
O.P., Memorial Award for his significant
contribution to the field of religious
archives. Established in 1974, the Sister
M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award is
sponsored in conjunction with and funded by the Society of
Southwest Archivists.
Sumners has served as director of the Southern Baptist
Library and Archives since1988, where he has shaped an
important collection into a model of archival standards and
efficiency during a time of transition and controversy within
the denomination. One nominator described Sumners as a
“hardworking, creative, and utterly dependable fellow laborer
in the archival vineyard.” Another praised his general excellence
and persistence in keeping the Southern Baptist archive intact during financial hardships. Archivists, librarians, and
researchers alike praise him as a mentor and inspiration to
many who have sought aid and answers at the Southern
Baptist Library and Archive. Sumners’s contributions to the
profession include being a workshop instructor and an author
of numerous publications, most notably Documenting the Spirit:
Manual and Guidelines and the Church Archive Series. A 30-
year member of SAA, he has served with distinction in the
Archivists of Religious Collections Section.
Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award
The SURVIVORS OF THE SHOAH
VISUAL HISTORY FOUNDATIONreceived SAA’s Philip M. Hamer and
Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award in recognition
of its website and online resource featuring
information about the Testimony
Archive of Holocaust survivors and other
Holocaust witnesses. The award was accepted by DONNA
CASEY, an archivist for the foundation. The award, which recognizes
individuals or institutions that have increased public
awareness of archival documents for education, instructional,
or other public purpose, was established in 1973 and is named
for two SAA Fellows and former presidents.
The Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation has
innovatively raised public awareness of its vast archive of testimonies
from Holocaust survivors and witnesses. One of three
strategic goals adopted by the foundation is to preserve and
provide access to the Testimony Archive. Through its website,
www.vhf.org, the foundation has made available basic biographical
data on more than 50,000 testimonies searchable through
the online Testimony Catalogue. The online Testimony Viewer
allows visitors to view portions of materials from the
Testimony Archive directly. To further extend awareness of the
Testimony Archive, the foundation has produced 10 documentaries
that have been screened or broadcast in 50 countries for
110,000 students, educators, and the general public. The foundation
partners with more than 42 locations around the world
that serve as Visual History Collection Sites.
C.F.W. Coker Award
The Online Archive of California (OAC) received SAA’s C.F.W.
Coker Award. The
award was accepted by OAC Director
ROBIN CHANDLER.
The Coker Award recognizes finding
aids, finding aid systems, projects that
involve innovative development in archival
description, or descriptive tools that enable archivists to produce
more effective finding aids. Nominees must, in some significant
way, set national standards, represent a model for
archival description, or otherwise have substantial impact on
descriptive practices.
The OAC provides access to more than 120,000 images,
50,000 pages of documents, letters and oral histories, and
8,000 guides to collections located at museums, historical societies,
and archives in California. The OAC’s consortial
approach for implementing and delivering Encoded Archival
Description (EAD) finding aids has become a model for other
regional and statewide projects. The OAC has developed best
practice guidelines for EAD and encoding tools to assist contributing
institutions, all of which are made available to the
archival community on its website at www.oac.cdlib.org.
The OAC’s work has made it possible for more than 100 repositories
in California to encode finding aids in EAD and make
them available through a sophisticated user interface.
The OAC exemplifies positive collaboration among cultural
heritage institutions. This collaboration gives researchers
unprecedented access to historical records from institutions
throughout California.
Waldo Gifford Leland Award
SAA’s 2005 Waldo Gifford Leland Award
for writing of superior excellence and usefulness
in the field of archival history, theory,
or practice was presented to
RICHARD J. COX for No Innocent Deposits:
Forming Archives by Rethinking Appraisal
(Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2004). Established
in 1959, the award is named for one of North America’s
archival pioneers and SAA’s second president.
The book makes an important and valuable contribution
to the topics of appraisal and acquisitions. Rather than offering
a basic primer or “how-to” guide, it presents a much needed,
and more thoughtful, analysis of the issues surrounding these
two critically important archival enterprises. The book is both
insightful and provocative, engaging readers in lively interaction
with the discussions presented. Highly readable and
extensively researched, it leads readers to think deeply about
appraisal and to question their beliefs and assumptions. No
matter their own points of view or biases, all archivists can
benefit from the analyses, musings, and examples that illustrate
how and why appraisal is the most fundamentally important
activity the profession undertakes, the activity that carries
the greatest long-term consequences. This is the third time that
Cox has received the Leland Award.
Preservation Publication Award
SAA’s 2005 Preservation Publication
Award was presented to the National Film
Preservation Foundation for its book, The
Film Preservation Guide: The Basics for
Archives, Libraries and Museums. The
award was accepted by DAVID WELLS,
designer and typesetter of the book.
Established in 1993, the award recognizes the author or editor
of an outstanding work published in North America that
advances the theory or practice of preservation in archival
institutions. The Film Preservation Guide is an introductory text,
jargon-free and suitable for
a broad audience. It is
the first of
its kind and much needed because it codifies principles, terms,
and practices and presents up-to-date archival theories, methods,
and techniques. The book is well illustrated and easy to
use. It is available both in print and electronically at
www.filmpreservation.org.
Fellows' Posner Award
SAA’s 2005 Fellows’ Ernst Posner Award
was presented to ELENA DANIELSON for
her article in the most recent volume of the
American Archivist. The award, established
in 1982 by the Fellows of SAA and named
for former SAA President Ernst Posner, recognizes
an outstanding essay dealing with
some facet of archival administration, history, theory, and/or
methodology published in SAA’s semi-annual journal.
Danielson, associate director of the Hoover Institution,
and director of Library and Archives, received the award for
her essay, “Privacy Rights and the Rights of Political Victims:
Implications of the German Experience” in volume 67 of the
American Archivist. This superior exposition of the conflicts
between privacy, security, and access as exemplified in the
East German “Stasi” files clearly and effectively sorts out and
explains these competing elements. She shows that opening
records can help address past injustices and strengthen the
democratic process. The article reflects substantial research
using primary and secondary resources in multiple languages
and offers keen analysis of issues. Danielson demonstrates that
privacy rights and the right to information can be reconciled,
an issue that is timeless and often vexing for archivists and citizens
of all nations.
Click here to subscribe to American
Archivist.
Theodore Calvin Pease Award
SAA’s 2005 Theodore Calvin Pease Award
was presented to IAN CRAIG BREADENof the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, for his student paper, “Sound
Practices: Online Audio Exhibits and the
Cultural Heritage Archive.” Established in
1987, the award is named for the first editor
of SAA’s semi-annual journal, American Archivist, and recognizes
superior writing achievement by a student enrolled in
archival administration classes or engaged in formal archival
internship programs. The award includes a certificate, cash
prize, and forthcoming publication of Breaden’s paper in the
American Archivist.
“Sound Practices” was written by Breaden as a master’s
student paper for Professor Helen Tibbo at UNC’s School of
Information and Library Science. In her nomination form,Professor Tibbo wrote, “This is one of the best papers I’ve
supervised in years. The creation of an analysis/evaluation
framework and recommendations based on such analysis
places this student paper in a small group of such ambitious
studies.” Breaden is the fifth student from UNC to receive the
Pease Award.
Breaden’s paper examines the use of audio media in twenty-
five Web exhibits. The online audio exhibits are analyzed
using a matrix that measures specific aspects of audio performance.
Based on this analysis, the author proposes a set of standards
for archives to use as a starting point whenever they are
incorporating audio elements into online exhibits. The paper
was praised by committee members for its solid review of the
technical and other issues surrounding the use of digital audio
and the standards for digital audio formats. The author was
also commended for going the extra mile by developing an
assessment tool for archivists.
Click here to subscribe to American
Archivist.
For more information on SAA student chapters, please click
here.
Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award
JENNIFER OSORIO and PAUL SEVILLA of the
University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA), are the joint recipients of
SAA’s 2005 Harold T. Pinkett Minority
Student Award. The award recognizes
minority graduate students of African,
Asian, Latino, or Native American descent
who, through scholastic achievement,
manifest an interest in becoming professional
archivists and active members of
SAA. The award, established in 1993, honors
the late Dr. Harold T. Pinkett, who
served with distinction during his long
tenure at the National Archives and
Records Administration and was a Fellow of SAA. It is coordinated
through the SAA Archivists and Archives of Color
Roundtable.
Jennifer Osorio is currently enrolled in the MLIS program
at UCLA, specializing in archives and records management.
She is incoming co-president of UCLA’s SAA student chapter
and the outgoing co-president of the student chapter of the
American Society for Information Science and Technology. She
is also the recipient of the Society of California Archivists’
James V. Mink Scholarship. Osorio is currently working as a
graduate student researcher on the International Research and
Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems
(InterPARES 2) Project in the UCLA Department of
Information Studies.
Paul Sevilla was born in the Philippines and immigrated to
the United States when he was 10 years old. Before he began
his graduate degree, he provided reference support at theCalifornia Department of Health Services Resource Center. He
is in his second year as a MLIS student at UCLA. Currently,
Sevilla is working at UCLA’s Department of Special Collections
and interning as an archival research assistant at the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, Calif. In
addition to the Pinkett Minority Student Award, Sevilla also
received a partial scholarship to attend the 46th Annual
American Library Association’s Rare Books and Manuscripts
Section Preconference in St. Louis last July. He has also
received other student honors and awards through the years,
including the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
Colonial Dames Scholarship and Donna Cutts Scholarship Awards
LINDA HOCKING and DEBRA KIMOKreceived SAA’s 2005 Colonial Dames
Scholarship. Established in 1974, the
award enables new archivists to attend the
Modern Archives Institute of the National
Archives and Records Administration.
Each scholarship covers $1,200 of the total
tuition, travel, and housing expenses associated
with attending the institute. To be
eligible for this scholarship an individual
must have been employed less than two
years as an archivist and work in an
archives or manuscripts collection where a
fair percentage of the repository’s holdings
predate 1825. The award is funded by the Colonial Dames of
America, Chapter III, Washington, D.C.
Linda Hocking, recipient of the Colonial Dames of America
Scholarship to the Winter 2005 Modern Archives Institute, is
Curator of Library and Archives at the Litchfield Historical
Society in Litchfield, Conn. Hocking received her MLIS in 2001
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her
BA in Political Science in 1995 from Marist College. In a letter
to the Colonial Dames she explained that she will soon begin a
digitization project on historical society records from
1751–1833. Because of her attendance at the MAI, she “will
now be able to make better decisions about level of description,
arrangement, conservation needs and issues surrounding the
creation of digital facsimiles.”
Debra Kimok, recipient of the Colonial Dames of America
Scholarship to the Summer 2005 Modern Archives Institute, is
Special Collections/Reference Librarian for the Benjamin F.
Feinberg Library, State University of New York (SUNY) at
Plattsburgh. Kimok received her MLS from SUNY Buffalo in
2000 and her BA in History from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1997.
In her cover letter, she wrote, “While all of my previous
internships and self-study have provided me with a good understanding of archival practice, I strongly believe that both
SUNY Plattsburgh and I will benefit greatly by my participation
in the Modern Archives Institute. I am looking forward to
immersing myself in this work and learning all I can from the
instructors and other archivists.”
CHARLOTTE A. WALTERS received
SAA’s 2005 Donna Cutts Scholarship.
Established in 2002, the award enables
one archivist each year to attend the
Modern Archives Institute of the National
Archives and Records Administration.
Each scholarship covers $1,200 of the total
tuition, travel, and housing expenses associated with attending
the institute. To be eligible for this scholarship an individual
must have been employed less than two years as an archivist
and work in an archives or manuscripts collection where a fair
percentage of the repository’s holdings predate 1825. The
award is funded by the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter
III, Washington, D.C.
Walters, who attended the Winter 2005 Modern Archives
Institute, is an administrative assistant in the University
Libraries/Center for Southwest Research-Political Archives at
the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where she
processes and describes manuscript collections as well as
maintains and develops guidelines for the processing and
description of political papers. The Center for Southwest
Research holds both manuscript and book materials that document
the history and culture of New Mexico and the
Southwest, including New Mexico’s governance and administration
by Spain and Mexico, pre-1825. Walters received her
BA in Social Thought and Political Economics from the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2004. In a letter to
the Colonial Dames, she notes, “The Institute gave me many
resources and an important professional network to support
the archives here in New Mexico. It is a solid base for me to
build upon and increase my professional expertise.”
Council Exemplary Service Award
ROBERT S. MARTIN, who completed his
four-year term as director of the Institute
of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in
July, received SAA’s Council Exemplary
Service Award.
Martin was nominated by President
George W. Bush to be director of IMLS in
June 2001; the U.S. Senate subsequently confirmed his nomination
by unanimous consent. During his tenure, IMLS awarded
4,704 grants to America’s museums and libraries totaling
more than $899 million. Martin served with distinction
throughout his term as IMLS director and he consciously and
consistently sought to include archival projects and priorities
within the IMLS scope of grant programs.
A librarian, archivist, educator, and administrator, Martin
was professor and interim director of the School of Library
and Information Studies at Texas Women’s University (TWU)
prior to his appointment at IMLS. From 1995 to 1999, he was
director and librarian of the Texas State Library and Archives
Commission. Martin returned to work in September at the
Denton campus of TWU, where he has been named the
Lillian Bradshaw Endowed Chair in Library Science.
J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award
GEORGE F. FARR, JR. received the 2005
J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy
Award from SAA in recognition of his
advocacy and support of archival preservation
and access projects during his distinguished
career at the National Endowment
for the Humanities, and particularly as its
Director of the Division of Preservation and Access.
Established in 1989, the award is named for the noted
American historian who was a long-time advocate for the
establishment of a National Archives in the United States.
Farr put a concerned and caring face on the Division of
Preservation and Access, fostered an openness and understanding
that changed the NEH’s grant process, and assisted in
transforming the preservation world as it is known today.
Always generous with his time, and gracious to everyone he
met, he was an integral part of the archival, library, and academic
communities, and a frequent presence at SAA Annual
Meetings. Fostering a belief that the cultural heritage of the
nation needs to be preserved and made available to all, he
energized a generation of individuals and organizations to
make a difference in the future by paying attention to the past.
His broad definition of cultural artifacts included archives,
books, and three-dimensional objects. This breadth of vision
expanded preservation efforts and helped develop access tools
to still and moving images and sound recordings, thereby
unlocking many hidden collections.
Farr’s groundbreaking work has had a national impact on
the preservation and access of archival and library materials.
Projects that he guided during the past two decades include: a
national initiative to identify, catalog, and microfilm the
nation’s newspaper heritage; the microfilming of brittle books;
the preservation of material culture collections; the digitization
of microfilmed newspapers for increased accessibility; grants
for smaller institutions to obtain consultants and preservation
supplies; the establishment of regional preservation/conservation
centers with field service departments; the creation of a
national clearinghouse for preservation information; and the
establishment of university programs to train preservation personnel,
among others.
Outstanding Service
Two long-standing contributors to the Society of American
Archivists—PHILIP B. EPPARD and SCOTT
SCHWARTZ—were
honored
for their service by the SAA Council at the 2005 Annual
Meeting in New Orleans. Eppard, associate professor in the
School of Information Science and Policy at the University at
Albany, State University of New York, served as American
Archivist Editor for ten years. Schwartz, archivist for the Sousa
Archives and Center for American Music at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was the Membership Committee
chair and advocate who saw SAA’s membership development
efforts reach new levels.
SAA Council Resolution Honoring
Philip B. Eppard
American Archivist Editor
1996–2005
Whereas Philip B. Eppard has furthered
professional discourse through his editorship
of the American Archivist from 1996 to 2005; and
Whereas he facilitated the transition from quarterly to semiannual
publication; and
Whereas he re-established a timely production schedule for the
journal; and
Whereas he balanced the content mix with theoretical and
practical articles and oversaw publication of theme issues on
graduate archival education, encoded archival description,
and user studies; and
Whereas he harnessed new technologies to streamline the editorial
review process; and
Whereas at SAA Annual Meetings he hosted new author
forums and, together with Editorial Board members, presented
sessions on how to conduct research projects and produce
publishable papers from them; and
Whereas he brought a personal warmth to the editorship that
encouraged new authors to submit manuscripts to the journal;
and
Whereas his sharp intellect and analytic perspective enhanced
the quality of the journal;
Therefore Be It Resolved that the Society of American Archivists
owes a debt of gratitude and expresses its sincere thanks to
Philip B. Eppard for advancing he professional discourse
through his nine-year editorship of the American Archivist.
SAA Council Resolution Honoring
Scott Schwartz
SAA Membership Committee Chair
1996–2005
Whereas Scott Schwartz has served with
distinction for ten years on the Society of
American Archivists Membership Committee, nine years of
which he has served as its chair; and
Whereas during his tenure the organization has experienced
increased membership; and
Whereas he has enthusiastically and passionately supported the
recruitment and retention of members through tracking and
reporting on membership statistics and trends and through
the Key Contact Program, Mentoring Program, Career
Center, annual raffle and silent auction, and other development
initiatives;
Therefore Be It Resolved that the Society of American Archivists
extends its sincere gratitude to Scott Schwartz for his outstanding
leadership of the Membership Committee.
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