Biannual publication of the Society of Ohio Archivists available at OhioArchivists.org Fall 2023
2023 SPRING MEETING RECAP
Forward Together: Community Partnerships and Public Service
O
n M ay 11 th and May 12th, 2023, SOA held its first hybrid Annual Meeting at the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library. Forward Together, this year’s theme, was inspired by the idea of making connections and emphasizing how archives are vital community partners.
awarded to Paige Kinzer, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky; Student Scholarships were awarded to Kirsten Dilger, Wright State University, and Jacob Stickel, Wright State University; and the Ohio Preservation Council Scholarship Award was given to Colleen Badenhop, Kent State University.
The conference kicked off with two virtual sessions on Thursday - with one presenter zooming in all the way from Georgia. The in-person portion of the meeting opened on Friday morning with a welcome address from SOA President Amy Rohmiller and a Morning Keynote from Mackensie Wittmer, Executive Director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance - all live streamed for the very first time. Mackensie gave a rousing welcome to Dayton before embarking on a discussion about what Heritage Areas are, what the National Aviation Heritage Alliance is, and many lessons learned about forming and working through collaborations, both with traditional cultural heritage organizations and non-traditional partners.
The afternoon then began with the aptly named Afternoon Keynote presented by Miami Valley native Rosemary Flynn, Principal Librarian and Archivist at the Energy & Environmental Research Center Library, University of North Dakota - who drove all the way in with her son. Rosemary provided a compelling look at the current state of the archival field and who or what is an archivist. She then wrapped up with an analysis of the A*Cenus II survey, specifically looking at the educational barriers to entry in comparison to the wages earned in the field.
This was followed by a general networking session - with time to explore the wonderful Dayton Metro Library - and poster presentation from Kent State University. Next up was the first concurrent session of the day, details and synopsis below, followed by lunch and the business meeting. During the meeting, Merit Awards were given to Adam Wanter of the MidPointe Library System and to the Warren County Records Center, accepted by Jennifer Haney Conover and Jenifer Baker; A New Professional scholarship was
The meeting was then closed out by another round of concurrent sessions before a few brief closing words. All-in-all a jammed packed and successful first hybrid conference with nary a technical hiccup (by all accounts, all the presenters could be heard during the live streams!). The meeting welcomed 87 total attendees, 63 in-person and 24 virtual. Thank you to this year’s Educational Programming Committee members: Adam Wanter, MidPointe Library System (Co-Chair); Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University (Co-Chair); Rachael Bussert, Dayton Metro Library; Betsy Hedler, Ohio History Connection (SOA/OHC (continued on page 3)
Inside This Issue
1.........Spring Meeting Recap 2........The President’s Message 4.......SOA News 8.......Features 10..... DEIA
12......Climate Control 14.....Digital Discussion 15......News & Notes Editor’s Note | 18..... Connect with SOA
Ohio Archivist is designed and published for the Society of Ohio Archivists by the Ohio History Connection.