Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists Board Meeting
Monday, July 11, 2011, 1 pm
Douglas County History Research Center, Castle Rock, CO
Welcome
The meeting was called to order at 1:03 pm by President Beverly Allen. Board members attending in person included: Beverly Allen, Rosemary Evetts, Steve Fisher, Annette Gray, Cecily North, Laura Ruttum, Jaime Seemiller, Allaina Wallace. Kay Lowell, Jay Trask, and Amy Ziegler tuned in via telephone. Caroline Blackburn and Jessica Veile were absent. Ms. Allen welcomed new board members.
Minutes
Mr. Trask recorded the minutes from annual meeting in Ms. Ziegler’s absence. However the final report is not available to vote for approval.
Treasurer’s Report
Ms. Lowell described the year-to-date report. The Wells Fargo checking account started with $14,000 dollars. After an income of $3120.22 and expenses of $1906.73 the balance ended at: $15124.94. The money market account has a balance of $10122.88. Ms. Lowell requested approval of setting up a Quicken online account to backup the treasury files that currently reside on her personal laptop. The account costs nothing. Ms. North made a motion to approve and Ms. Ziegler seconded. The motion was carried unanimously.
Membership Report
Ms. Gray stated that there are 137 members with 16 being new members. She submitted a new directory. Mr. Fisher made a motion to approve the directory. Ms. Evetts seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Electronic Resources Update
Ms. North stated that Caroline Blackburn will take over her position as electronic resources coordinator. She has provided Ms. Blackburn with the logins. The new logo has been posted on the website. The new provider is Bluehost. Ms. Allen inquired whether the SRMA email address would change. Ms. North confirmed that the SRMA email addresses will be going away. These email addresses were previously forwarded to personal email accounts. It was confirmed that personal (institutional) email addresses will be used on the webpage.
SRMA Archives
Ms. Seemiller will take over physical custody of SRMA’s archival records in April when the Colorado Historical Society opens after renovations. She requested that the board address the electronic records of the organization by using Denver Public Library’s content management system. Ms. Seemiller will seek approval from her supervisor to upload the records there. The files will continue to be SRMA’s files and not Denver Public Library’s property. Ms. Seemiller also suggested developing requirements for the retention of records for board members. A retention schedule will allow outgoing board members notice of custodial change.
Teleconferencing Service
Ms. Allen is seeking new low cost alternatives to teleconferencing for the Board. She mentioned one company that charged eight cents per minute, per line and a five dollar start up fee with no minimum commitment. This would be a cost saving alternative to our current service, which charges by the number of lines. Since she forgot to bring the paperwork about the companies to the meeting, she will send out an email with specifics and the board will have the opportunity to vote then.
Outreach—Preservation Week
Ms. Ruttum reported that preservation week in April went very well. The event was started by Ms. Ruttum and Karen Jones with Ms. Seemiller continuing the event. It was an antiques road show style event, where members of the public brought in personal items to the Denver Public Library, seeking preservation instruction. While individuals learned about preservation, a number of items were digitized. These digitized files will be used for the Creating Community project at DPL, as a testing ground. Preservation outreach will continue by highlighting the website and letting individuals scan materials. Ms. Seemiller felt the event was very worthwhile for both the public and staff. Staff members realized the issue of liability of handling the public’s material. Most response came from flyers passed out to institutions. There was limited response from Twitter.
Outreach—Ask an Archivist Day
Ask an archivist day was held on June 9th. Ms. Ruttum stated that it was a lot of fun, but not as much response as desired. Shaun Boyd suggested a twitter workshop should be conducted before a similar activity is provided.
Outreach—Archives Month
Ms. Ruttum reported that she visited Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design where students were using archival records, as materials for art. She provided an example of a tuberculosis patient’s hospital records. Ms. Ruttum would also like to advertise more to DU students. SRMA does not have a major presence there.
SAA Webinar
Ms. Allen questioned the board about the usefulness of SAA webinars. Would the board be interested in providing the intermediate electronic records and/or others? Ms. Evett commented on the cost of the webinars, but will research options and bring suggestions to the board. The consensus of the board was that all enjoyed webinars, but it really depends on the topic.
Newsletter Editor
Ms. Allen requested feedback about the two candidates: Amanda Stow and Jennifer Tully. Ms. Gray stated that she could not find Jennifer as a member. Mr. Trask stated that he was favoring Amanda and Ms. Evetts had reservations about selecting Jennifer since she was a student. Mr. Fisher pointed out that Amanda as more experience. Ms. Evetts motioned to select Amanda as the new newsletter editor. Ms. Seemiller seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Ms. Allen will contact Amanda with the board’s decision.
Fall Conference
Ms. Evetts reported about that the Fall Conference will be held as CSU-Pueblo. Although the time has not been selected. For themes, Ms. Evetts would like to select a topic that is not focused on social media and digitization. She would like to have a more laid back, fun meeting. The suggested theme is “wild and wacky”, where speakers would discuss little known collections and highlight smaller institutions. Ms. Seemiller suggested the Denver Public Library’s menu collection. According to past surveys, members would like a shorter day and more time to network. Ms. Evetts suggested ending the day at 3:15. This would also be better for the presenter at the end of the day, who would have more audience attention and attendance. October 7th was selected for the day of the conference. Ms. Ruttum suggested having a cupcake bake off.
Preservation
Ms. Fisher requested that board members look at the website and see what would be needed. He also inquired about the status of the SRMA’s preservation collection, which many board members were not as familiar with.
Logo Update
Ms. North advised the board to contact her if there were any forms that needed the new logo. She will provide the logo in any format needed. Ms. North requested that the board pay the graphic designer who designed the new logo. Ms. Allen made a motion to pay him $100 for his generous gift of time. Ms. Lowell seconded it. It was approved unanimously.
New Business
Ms. Lowell requested a list of all board members who need debit cards, to ensure all members have them. She will contact the banker in Fort Collins to put their names on the list of signatories.
Ms. Seemiller requested a letter of support from the board for a SRMA endorsed program at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Ms. Gray asked the board if there were any new members who attended the webinar sponsored by SRMA. No new members were announced. Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 19, 2011.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 1:57.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Ziegler
Treasurer’s Report
January 1, 2011-July 11, 2011
Wells Fargo Checking Beginning balance = $13911.45
| Income | |
| Memberships – Checks |
905.00 |
| Memberships – Paypal |
710.00 |
| Conference Support (Western Roundup Share) |
225.22 |
| Spring Conference Registration |
1280.00 |
| Total Income |
$3120.22 |
| Expenses | |
| Paypal Fees |
95.75 |
| ACT Teleconferencing |
121.23 |
| Webinar Expenses:
E-resources and Archon |
780.00 |
| Spring Conference |
178.08 |
| Scholarships: MAC |
500.00 |
| Preservation workshop |
88.87 |
| Internet (Bluehost: 2 yrs) |
142.80 |
| Total Expenses |
1906.73 |
Beginning Balance 13911.45
Income 3120.22
Expenses -1906.73
BALANCE 07/11/2011 15124.94
Wells Fargo Business Market Rate Savings:
Opening Balance 01/01/2011 10120.37
Interest Earnings 2.51
Ending Balance 07/11/2011 10122.88
Respectfully submitted,
Kay E. Lowell, Treasurer