Learn about the Advocacy Committee
On 17 June 2013 the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) Annual Meeting and June Programming Event, co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish History, New York City was held at the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish (CJH). At the meeting, ART members voted, as well as by ballot via email, electing the open positions on the ART Board of Directors.
Pamela Cruz, ART Vice President/President Elect, and Mitchell Brodsky, Treasurer, delivered the ART Annual Meeting on behalf the Board of Directors. After the meeting, Kevin Schlottmann (Center for Jewish History) moderated a discussion on processing large collections with panelists Mimi Bowling (consulting archivist), Bonnie Marie Sauer (National Archives at New York City), and Susan Woodland (American Jewish Historical Society).
2013 Election Results:
Vice President (2013–2014) President (2014–2015)
Ryan Anthony Donaldson
Treasurer (2013-2015)
Lindsay Turley
Director of the Education Committee (2013–2015)
Julie Maher
Director of the Programming Committee (2013–2015)
Nick Pavlik
Director of the Communications Committee (2013–2014)
Wanett Clyde
Pamela Cruz, Vice President 2012-2013, will serve as President for 2013-2014 to complete her term, per the bylaws approved by ART Membership in May 2012. Melissa Bowling, Secretary, Anne Petrimoulx, Director of the Membership Committee and Janet Bunde, Director of the Outreach and Advocacy Committee all continue their board position terms through June 2014.
ART thanks outgoing Board Members Rachel Chatalbash, Mitchell Brodsky and Karen Murphy for their contributions as President, Treasurer and Director of the Education Committee respectively.
It is not to late to nominate a colleague or yourself for the ART Board for 2013-2014. Deadline is 05/30/13, midnight. For more information on open positions, vist the nominations ART web site post. You may also email the ART Vice President with any questions concerning the positions or elections: veep@nycarchivists.org
See what current and former ART Board Members say about volunteering for ART Board service:
“New York boasts the most varied archival community in the world – government, finance, labor, museums, performing arts, higher education, social services, fashion, libraries, manufacturing, sports, advertising, newspapers, and on and on. All of us, all of our collections are connected because we work within this remarkable City. Being an officer of the Archivists Round Table expanded my understanding of this dedicated, professional community unlike anything I did before or since. I learned who was who, and how our collections, even tangentially related to one another. I worked with a great team of officers who wanted to get things done, support each other, and bring archives more to the forefront of our society where they belong. All of this experience I brought “home” to the Philharmonic which made my work within the organization richer, more robust and even more respected. Although not true, I seemed to know everybody, dead or alive. At the first Archives Week, while talking with an executive from the New York Stock Exchange about Philharmonic Board members who he knew had been involved with the Exchange, he paid me… all of us, a great compliment, he said “I’ve never met a boring archivist.” Make something happen. Run for office. You will always be glad that you did.”
Barbara Haws
Archivist and Historian, New York Philharmonic Archives
President, Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) (1988 - 1991)
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"Being an ART Board Member has been very enriching. It has not only given me the opportunity to meet and work with people who have similar interests, but also interact with people who have different perspectives and backgrounds. There are opportunities to select committees and activities that you want to dedicate your time to, allowing you to develop new skills and utilize other talents you have – opportunities for development you may not have at your job."
Melissa Bowling
Secretary, Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) (2012-2014)
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“As a new archivist, serving on the ART Board of Directors, first as Membership Coordinator and then as Education Director, has been an extremely broadening and rewarding experience. It provided me with valuable leadership and organizational experience and most importantly introduced me to an incredible network of local archivists and information professionals who have become valued colleagues and friends.”
Karen Murphy
Director of the Education Committee (2012-2013), Membership Coordinator (2008 – 2010),
Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART)
Archives Week 2013 - October 6-12 - SAVE THE DATES!
Sunny days are ahead, students are wrapping up their studies, and the Board of Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) would like to thank you for another wonderful year and wish you a very merry Summer!
Don’t forget! This fall, the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) will be celebrating its 25th Annual New York Archives Week, October 6th - 12th, 2013. Archives Week events are designed to raise the public’s awareness of the importance of preserving and making accessible our documentary heritage. Activities include a wide range of programming, including lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and tours of repositories, all free and open to the public. We encourage participation in this big celebration and urge you and your repositories to plan an Archives Week event.
Suggested Archives Week activities:
* Hold an open house, highlighting unique materials held by your repository.
* Mount an exhibit using materials from your repository.
* Demonstrate or report on activities/projects supported by grants.
* Ask a researcher to speak on the value of your collections to his/her research.
* Present a film festival using films or videos held by your repository.
* Sponsor lunchtime talks by archivists, historians, and other researchers.
* Organize a walking tour of your repository's neighborhood.
In addition, as part of an effort to draw public attention to Archives Week and highlight the importance of our repositories and collections, ART will sponsor three events: we will honor our colleagues at our annual Awards Ceremony, we will hold a full-day symposium, and host the fourth annual K-12 Archives Education Institute.
Additional information about New York Archives Week and event submissions for the Archives Week calendar will be announced on the website in July.
The Board of Directors of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) announces the official call for nominations for Board positions available for the 2013 - 2014 election year. Terms shall commence at the conclusion of the ART Annual Meeting in June. Deadline for nomination submissions is Thursday, 30 May 2013, midnight EST. Self-nominations are welcomed.
Volunteering for ART Board service is an opportunity to utilize skills and expertise outside the scope of your daily work and to connect with fellow archives professionals. Serving on the ART Board offers many benefits, including gaining leadership experience, the experience to manage committee projects, and, most importantly, serving as a representative for your colleagues and for ART membership. Positions are two-year terms, with the exception of the Vice President, which is a one-year term, following which the Vice President becomes President without an election. This election season, ART will also hold an election to fill a Board vacancy. After the nominations period closes, each candidate will provide a short biography and candidate statement for the ballot, due by 1 June 2013, midnight EST; a digital photograph is also strongly suggested to be included on the ballot.
Vice President (Two Year Term: 1 year Vice President, 1 Year President)
At the request of the President, or in the absence of the President, at the request of the Board, the Vice President shall perform all of the duties of the President and so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all restrictions upon the President. The Vice President shall solicit nominations for Director, officer and committee positions; inform the nominator and nominee of the nomination; prepare ballots with candidates’ biographies and statements; and appoint an independent election committee to receive and count the ballots. The Vice President shall serve as liaison with the President to national, regional and local professional associations; prepare a report for the Annual Business Meeting; and perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the Board or by the President.
Treasurer (Two Year Term.)
The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of, and be responsible for, all funds, securities and for ART; shall receive and give receipts for moneys due and payable to ART, deposit all such moneys in the name on behalf of Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc., and handle ART’s financial business according to the ART By-laws. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the accuracy of the amounts of all moneys disbursed; shall regularly enter or cause to be entered in books to be kept by him or her or under his or her direction full and adequate account of all moneys received or paid for the account of ART. The Treasurer reports to the President or the Board, whenever the President or the Board, respectively, shall require him or her so to do, an account of the financial condition for ART and of all his or her transactions as Treasurer, and, in general, perform all the duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the Board or by the President. It should be noted that the ART Board will support securing outside assistance for the Treasurer (e.g. accountant) on an as needed basis to ensure that ART’s financial needs are in compliance.
Director of the Education Committee (Two Year Term)
The Director of the Education Committee shall determine the continuing educational needs of the archival community; make recommendations to the Board for both short-term and long-term projects for ART sponsorship; and propose topics and make arrangements for a minimum of three education programs annually. Education events may be offered in addition to the regular monthly or offered as the regular monthly program, but must be coordinated with the Programming Committee.
Director of the Programming Committee (Two Year Term.)
The Director Programming Committee shall recommend to the Board topics and venue locations for regular programs; distribute the notice of the program topics and venue locations to the Members; and make all arrangements for regular programs, including alternate arrangements, as necessary. The Programming Committee shall coordinate with other Members of ART to insure that at least one program per month will be offered between the months of September and June, or as otherwise determined by the Board.
Director of the Communications Committee (One Year Term; Board vacancy as of 06/17/13.)
The Director of the Communications Committee shall identify the communications requirements of ART; update and produce publications for ART, as needed, or as requested by the Board; communicate the concerns of ART on various subjects as needed; and perform other duties applicable to the office as prescribed by the Board.
For further information about ART’s governance structure and the above positions, please see the by laws on the ART web site.
Nominations are officially open to all current ART members. Please email Pamela Cruz, ART Vice President at veep@nycarchivists.org with subject line “ART Board Nomination” if you would like to nominate someone, including yourself, for a position on the ART Board. Please send submissions ASAP; the final deadline for nominations is Thursday, 30 May, midnight EST.
If there are any questions about the open positions, or this year's election, please contact the ART Vice President: veep@nycarchivists.org
Collage created by John Seckler of ART’s posters, brochures, calendars, and letterhead, from the ART Archives.
As previously announced, the ART Communications Committee has embarked on an exciting project for the organization. Working with the graphic designer John Seckler and the ART Board, the committee will collaborate to create ART's new logo and mark. ART initiated this project in response to its growing membership and its rapidly expanding array of activities and programs.
This past November Mr. Seckler visited the ART Archives, housed at the New York Philharmonic Archives, and met with past ART President Barbara Haws and ART Board members Mitch Brodsky and Ryan Anthony Donaldson. he group toured the ART Archives, housed at the New York Philharmonic Archives. His pledge to ART:
"Create an identity system that speaks to the mission of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc., provides a foundation from which its members can promote and act on this mission, and that carries a mark, look, and feel that can help to enhance the interactions with the Archivists Round Table 'brand.'"
Taking inspiration from ART's material and visual heritage, along with the organization's history and future direction, Mr. Seckler has created “3.5” approaches for ART's new brand identity design. He will travel again to New York in April to meet with ART’s Board and participate in the organization’s first-ever design meeting.
ART members: We welcome your participation and comments in this transformative process. Please contact Ryan Anthony Donaldson, Director of the Communications Committee, at communications@nycarchivists.org if you are interested in becoming involved.
More details will be announced after the design meeting with the ART Board, so stay tuned!
Creating an Advocacy Committee on the Local Level:
The Advocacy Committee of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
Guest post by Tiffany Colannino, Advocacy Committee Chair / Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
Whether it is preserving a fragile document, requesting a budget increase for supplies, or training a researcher in proper handling techniques, archivists advocate for the needs of their collections on a daily basis. But who will advocate for the preservation of un-stewarded collections; request budget increases at the state level; or train the public on the value of archival documents?
Establishing an advocacy committee – especially at the local level – provides a unified voice for a regional archives organization, and can fulfill the responsibilities listed above.
An advocacy committee exists to support the needs of the local organization’s membership, and can be established regardless of whether there are any local issues requiring immediate advocacy action. In addition to reacting to external issues, such as budget cuts at the state or municipal archives, the destruction of records at a local college, or an environmental disaster causing damage to individual and institutional records, an advocacy committee can – and should – provide practical resources for members of a regional organization.
Archival advocacy is a multi-faceted undertaking. A newly founded advocacy committee must determine where the focus of their activities is best served and establish their mission to reflect this purpose. A successful advocacy committee should maintain a balance between proactive planning and reactive action. It is essential that dedicated committee members stay current, seeking out issues related to archival advocacy. Identifying issues can be a difficult task, as many remain hidden within institutions and may not surface in the media. In order to identify these issues, it is important for an advocacy committee to collaborate with other regional organizations geared towards similar interests, such as historic preservation or cultural advocacy. Structured monthly meetings provide a platform to discuss new issues and track pre-existing concerns. Based on group discussion, the committee can determine a suitable course of action, be it disseminating information or petitions, actively attending local political meetings, writing letters to government officials, or other actions, as necessary. Maintaining an active web presence enables the committee to provide updated information about current actions, and direct emails alert members to issues that necessitate immediate action. An active website can also host practical advocacy resources for archivists.
Founded in 2010, the Advocacy Committee of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. supports a membership of over 550 professional archivists in the New York City area (a history of its founding is available on the Issues and Advocacy Roundtable’s site). The Committee has a broad yet simple mission: to provide leadership to archivists and to provide direction on important policy issues to the community as a whole. To fulfill this mission, the Committee actively disseminates information about current actions; maintains an online resource center for archivists so they can better advocate for the profession, their repositories, and themselves; and organizes meetings or workshops based on archival advocacy. The Committee serves as a voice for the archives community; reports on pending state and federal legislation in a timely manner; promotes archives and archival issues to government, decision-makers, funders, other organizations, the media and the general public; and provides resources to archivists so they can better advocate for the profession, their repositories, and themselves.
The formation of local advocacy committees helps to ensure that issues of direct relevance to archives and archivists are identified and addressed. As it stands, these committees are scarce; however, the creation of additional advocacy committees will lead to an exciting opportunity to build a regional, state, federal, or international advocacy networks, allowing archivists to share experiences and actions, resulting in a stronger voice for the archives profession.
For more information about the Advocacy Committee of Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc., please visit: www.nycarchivists.org/advocacy_committee
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