Posted by National Humanities Alliance on January 19, 2017 at 2:10 PM

News broke this morning that the in-coming Trump Administration has a budget blueprint that proposes the elimination of NEH, along with other cultural agencies, and a major downsizing of others.

This news has elicited great concern from the humanities community, and it is undoubtedly time to rally support for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

That said, this blueprint is not an official proposal.  The Trump Administration will be shaping its budget request over the coming months with broad input and we look forward to an opportunity to demonstrate the value of federal funding for NEH.

We are also heartened by Republican support in Congress, which has been strong over the past few years. Indeed, Republican-controlled appropriations committees have supported increases for both NEA and NEH for the past two fiscal years. More broadly, many Republicans have opposed far more minor cuts to the agency.

Consistently, Members of Congress have been compelled by advocacy that points out that:

• Through a rigorous peer-review process, NEH funds cutting-edge research, museum exhibits that reach all parts of the country, and cultural preservation of local heritage that would otherwise be lost.
• NEH’s Standing Together initiative funds reading groups for veterans that help them process their experiences through discussions on the literature of war; writing programs for veterans suffering from PTSD; and training for Veterans Affairs staff to help them better serve veterans.
• NEH grants catalyze private investment. Small organizations leverage NEH grants to attract additional private, local support. NEH’s Challenge Grant program has leveraged federal funds at a 3:1 ratio to enable organizations to raise more than $3 billion in private support. State Humanities Councils, meanwhile, leverage $5 for every dollar of federal investment. Grants through the Public Programs division have leveraged more than $16 billion in non-federal support, an 8:1 ratio.

We ask you now to send a message to your Members of Congress and the President-Elect to make clear that you, as a constituent, value the humanities.

Going Forward

Going forward, we will call on you again as the Congressional appropriations process for FY 2018 begins.

We also encourage you to join us for our Annual Meeting and Humanities Advocacy Day on March 13th and 14th. Our goal is for constituents to visit Members of Congress from all 50 states to ensure that Congress serves as a stopgap to any efforts to defund NEH.

Finally, we encourage you to spread word on social media. The more advocates receiving our alerts, the stronger our collective impact!

Investing in Archivists Panel Discussion - February 15th at 6:30 PM 

Please join us for a wonderful evening of discourse, where we will address the significant financial challenges and opportunities facing archivists today.  The panelists will discuss the various ways in which they have been successful in securing funding for professional development, hiring, promotions, and advocating for salary increase for the professional staff at their respective repositories.

The event is free and open to the public.  We hope to see you there!

Panelists:
Bob Clark, Director of Archives, Rockefeller Archive Center

Julie I. May, Managing Director of Library & Archives, Brooklyn Historical Society

Kathleen Leary, Education Coordinator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division

Moderated by:
Steven G. Fullwood, Associate Curator, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division  and Manager of the BNY Mellon Pre-Professional Development Program, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Refreshments will be served!

Location:

Center for Jewish History

15 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011

Kovno Room, 2^nd Floor

The Society of American Archivists is currently seeking nominations for the 2017 J. Franklin Archival Advocacy Award.  See details below.

Established in 1989, this award honors an individual, institution, or organization that promotes greater public awareness, appreciation, or support of archival activities or programs.  The individual's or institution's contributions may take the form of advocacy, publicity, legislation, financial support, or a similar action that fosters archival work or raises public consciousness of the importance of archival work.  Contributions should have broad, long-term impact at the regional level or beyond. Up to three awards may be given each year.

Recent Winners:

2016: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ron Chernow

2015: Adrena Ifill Blagburn

2014: LGBT Center of Central PA History Project National History Day

2013:  Dr. Warren Stewart

2012:  Eve Kahn, Bebe Miller, Phillip Stewart

2011:  “Who Do You Think You Are?” (NBC)

2010:  The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation

2009:  Ross King (Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board)

2008:  Data-Intensive Cyber Environments (DICE) 

Eligibility: Nominees must be from outside the archives profession.  Individuals directly involved in archival work, either as paid or volunteer staff, or institutions or organizations directly responsible for an archival program are not eligible for this award.

Mailed materials must be postmarked by February 28, 2017 and should be sent to:

J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award Committee
Society of American Archivists
17 North State Street, Suite 1425
Chicago, IL 60602-4061

Nominations may be submitted electronically; please see the nomination form for details.  For more information on SAA awards and the nominations process, please go to: http://www.archivists.org/recognition/index.asp

 

Fantastic funding opportunity offered by the Documentary Heritage Program (DHP)! They have a grant program for institutions that hold, collect, and make available New York's historical records.  

For more information visit DHP's Grants & Awards page.

Session proposals for the 2017 New York Archives Conference are due by December 5, 2016.  

For more information visit NYAC.  

Please view our Awards Ceremony Journal here.

It's not too late to apply for free planning and assessment services provided by Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY).  New York based institutions that are interested, have until Friday, October 14, 2016 to submit their applications. 

DHPSNY is offering free services in three main areas: archival needs assessments, preservation and conservation surveys, and strategic planning assistance. 

Contact DHPSNY Program Coordinator Anastasia Matijkiw for assistance, questions about eligibility, or additional information at (215) 545-0613 or amatijkiw@dhpsny.org

Please see the Archivists Round Table calendar for all events during New York Archives Week, October 19-27.

Whether we think about them or not electronic records have become an intrinsic part of our lives. Managing these records presents a critical challenge for all of us, whether we are records managers, archivists or just records users. To bring greater awareness to this issue The Council of State Archivists will once again sponsor Electronic Records Day on October 10, 2016 during the annual celebration of American Archives Month. We encourage you to make use of this opportunity to reach out to your colleagues and constituents to raise awareness of the opportunities and issues relating to electronic information, what they can do, and how you can help them.

Now is the time to start planning for your Electronic Records Day event, and CoSA has a variety of helpful resources to get you started. Feel free to take any of the information provided and change or adapt it so it is relevant to your organization or group.

Resources can be found at:  https://www.statearchivists.org/programs/state-electronic-records-initiative/electronic-records-day/electronic-records-day-promotional-materials/

Comments, questions or suggestions? Contact us at info@statearchivists.org.

 

The NGO Muckrock, launched a project recently to help users navigate government records laws.  The intent of the project is to capture excuses given by state agencies for denying public records requests. They have already cataloged 22,000 requests, and are employing crowdsourcing to document more.  

"Morisy [Muckrock’s cofounder] says the debate surrounding the disclosure of police body camera footage is partially what inspired him to embark on the project."

Go to the Columbia Journal Review to read more.