SRMA Board Minutes of Meetings
August 30, 2004
The SRMA Board met in the Small Conference Room at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Denver, Colorado.
Members present: Jeanne Abrams, Bridget Burke, Nancy Freeman, Holly Geist, Monte Kniffen, Becky Lintz, Thia Rand, Jay Trask, Brent Wagner, and Janet Waters.
New members: Bridget and the entire board welcomed both Janet and Jeanne --respectively, the new Treasurer and Preservation Member-at-Large.
Past President: Leah Davis Witherow declined to serve the board in this role. Formally, Bridget will approach Steve Fisher and the board will vote by e-mail.
Autumn meeting: Operating under the “Interpreting History at the Archives” theme, the 2004 fall conference will take place at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden on the 01st of October. The 24th of September is the final day to register. Events include a workshop on exhibiting archival material, an update on the Rocky Mountain Online Archive, and a tour of the Coors Archives – for which participants must arrange their own travel. The SRMA Board will not meet that day.
Vegas/Newsletter: The 15th of September is the final day to submit panel/workshop proposals for the joint SCA/CIMA/NWA/SRMA Las Vegas conference in April 2005. A reminder about this conference will go out in the next newsletter, which also has a 15 September submission deadline. A SRMA business meeting will not take place in Las Vegas.
Special meeting 2005: Right now, it looks as if Castle Rock is the leading contender to host the next SRMA gathering. Tentatively, a preservation theme will govern proceedings. The main reason for the special meeting, however, will be to change the SRMA Bylaws and Constitution. The event is slated for 03 June 2005.
Website issues: Currently, SRMA’s website is hosted by the American Heritage Center in Wyoming. The Website Coordinator, moreover, works at that institution. Realizing that this might not always prove the case and because storage needs will increase due to the recent CPA/SRMA merger and since SRMA is considering the possibility of generating revenue by charging for the placement of ads, the Board followed Mark’s suggestion to purchase its own domain name. The intent is for the website to be located at www.srmarchivists.org and to be hosted by Front Range Internet, a local company. Approximate costs will run $25/month.
Treasurer/Membership items: The Board decided not to merge these two, distinct board positions; the Board decided not to purchase post office boxes for correspondence directed to the Treasurer and Membership Coordinator; and, in an effort to reduce confusion, Janet will procure checks that omit a SRMA address. Jeanne and Bridget will get the CPA treasurer transferred to the SRMA account.
Occasional papers: Mention of this rarely used component will be removed from the bylaws/constitution. In the future, SRMA might decide to start publishing papers from conferences and workshops on the website.
Archives Month update: Two posters will arrive in the mail for every SRMA member to display prominently during the month of October; a proclamation might be issued by the State of Wyoming; a website will be up and running in the next week; mailings will go out in the next couple of weeks; and the Board thanked Jody Georgeson and her nephew for their tireless efforts on this cause.
Memberships to other archival organizations: At this time, the Board do not wish to become institutional members in other, regional archival groups.
Ads: From a chart compiled by Mark in October 2002, it does not appear as if other archival organizations allow vendors to advertise on their respective websites. By January 2005 (when the print version of the SRMA newsletter ceases to exist), Mark and Thia will collaborate on editorial policies for the website and newsletter. The document will address how SRMA wishes to handle advertising, jobs announcements, and general content. Bridget will put out a call-for-volunteers among the SRMA general membership to assist Thia and Mark.
Bylaws: Molly Davis (SRMA member), Nancy, Bridget, and Brent created a draft for the Board of bylaw/constitution changes. Pending minor editorial adjustments, the Board motioned, seconded, and passed unanimously all of the changes made in the bylaw and constitution drafts. After tweaking the documents in the next week, Brent will prepare a memo for the President and a notification-to-vote alert for the SRMA general membership. The goal is to have the revised bylaws and constitution take effect at the 2005 special meeting.
Retention schedule: Becky will create a records retention schedule so all Board members can submit appropriate items to her and the SRMA Archives.
Next Board meeting will occur (probably at the University of Denver) in November. A precise date has not been set. Bridget will send out different possibilities to the Board. After this meeting, the Board hope to meet quarterly.
Meeting adjourned at 1245.
Respectfully submitted,
Brent Wagner
SRMA Secretary
