Learn about the Advocacy Committee
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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
MARCH 20, 2013 ALL-DAY EDUCATIONAL EVENT
The ARMA METRO NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER in partnership with the ARMA CENTRAL NEW JERSEY, ARMA NORTHERN NEW JERSEY & ARMA CONNECTICUT CHAPTERS cordially invites you to attend our 2013 ALL-DAY EDUCATIONAL EVENT. This event is designed to provide Records and Information Management Professionals of all levels (Students, Analysts, Attorneys, IT Professionals, Records Managers, Executive Management and Vendors) with the latest information, trends and skills to provide more value to their organizations. To view the Agenda, Session descriptions, speakers and sponsors, just click on the appropriate tab found on the main page. CRM CREDITS FOR THIS EVENT ARE PENDING APPROVAL BY THE ICRM AND WILL BE POSTED SOON!! Our Exhibit Areas will give you an opportunity to meet with a number of local, national and global vendors, solution providers and RIM experts. Visit each exhibitor to have your raffle card stamped, and then submit your completed entry for a chance to win one of several prizes.Winners will be announced at the end of the event and must be present to win. We are offering three tracks of learning, so please review the sessions map and choose your destination. As a reminder, please select only one session per time period. NETWORKING RECEPTION:All registrants and sponsors are invited to attend a Networking Reception, sponsored by Gimmal and Iron Mountain, from 5:30-7:30 PM at SD26, located at 19 East 26th Street, just a short walk from New York Life. Please join us for food, drinks, raffle prizes and catch up with your colleagues and friends at this very upscale venue. This is a great way to unwind after a day of learning. I look forward to seeing you there. Sincerely, Jason C. Stearns, CRM President, ARMA Metro New York City Chapter
The Archival Innovator Subcommittee of the Society of American Archivists seeks nominations for the 2013 award. Established in 2011, this award recognizes the role of innovative practices in the archival profession.
Key areas of innovation are outlined by the criteria below, with preference given to nominees who have clearly demonstrated the greatest impact on the profession or their communities through the use of groundbreaking strategies, approaches, and/or technologies.
•Creativity or innovation in approaching professional challenges. •Demonstrated ability to think outside of professional or institutional norms. •Ability to translate creativity, innovation, and new thinking into working solutions. •Development of an archives program or outreach activity that has an extraordinary impact on a community. •Commitment to the advancement of professional knowledge through traditional or emerging information-sharing media. Eligibility: Presented to an archivist, group of archivists, repository, or organization for work undertaken within the past three years. The work need not be completed, but it must be sufficiently advanced to demonstrate results. Application Deadline: All nominations shall be submitted to the Awards Committee by February 28, 2013. Applications are available at http://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/Archival-Innovator-Award-Form_0.rtf. Prize: A certificate and complimentary registration for one individual to the 2013 joint SAA/CoSA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.
Announcement originally posted to the Archivists Round Table LinkedIn page by Brittany Turner on February 5, 2013.
Dear Colleague:
I write today to ask you to serve as a judge for New York City History Day 2013. For the past twenty-three years, the Museum of the City of New York has sponsored this educational program that teaches middle and high school students to do original research projects for evaluation. This year’s contest will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2013, followed by an Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 13, 2013.
New York City History Day engages students in the discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Students analyze primary and secondary sources, hone their research skills, and show their findings through multimedia documentaries, dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, historical papers, and websites. Winners move on to the state and possibly national competition.
Projects are evaluated primarily for historical content, and constructive feedback from the judges is essential to the students’ learning process. Judges work in small groups when interacting with the students. A major component of the evaluation is the student interview. For the students, the experience of having a conversation with a judge is invaluable.
History Day will once again follow a two day model with one full day for competing/judge evaluation and a separate evening for an awards ceremony later that week. This format will give judges more time to evaluate student work and to determine which projects will advance to the state level. Judging on March 10th will begin with an orientation at 9:30 A.M. followed by interviewing the students from 10:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Once you have agreed to participate, specific information about March 10th will be sent to you.
The success of New York City History Day depends largely on the participation of talented volunteers like you. Generous support for New York City History Day is provided by Susan and Roy Glaser, and the Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation. The Museum is also grateful to the New York State Historical Association.
To accept this invitation, please send the Judging Request Form no later than February 22nd to Stephanie Dueño, New York City History Day Coordinator at the Museum of the City of New York. If you have any questions you may contact me at sdueno@mcny.org or (212) 534-1672, ext. 3410. Due to an anticipated increase in student attendance, procedures for judges may be slightly different this year. A prompt response to this invitation will allow us to plan a smooth and successful event for you and the students. We thank you for your consideration.
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