Society of American Archivists - UT Student Chapter

Society of American Archivists
University of Texas at Austin Student Chapter

29 NOVEMBER 2001 MEETING MINUTES

Next meeting TBA

Present: Carol Mead, Charles Hargrove, Becky Romanchuk, Amy Braitsch, Jennifer Hecker, Heather Arnold, Don Drumtra, Becky Kyle, Dr. David B. Gracy II

I. Meeting called to order by Carol Mead, president, at 6:30pm

II. Memberships

Our list
Carol reported that we are having trouble finding out who is on our SAA-UT membership list. Charles said he contacted SAA to find out how many people have been added to our chapter since last semester and it appears three people are new to the list. Some people have paid only five dollars to join our local chapter but have not paid the forty dollar national membership fee as is required in order to be a member of our chapter. There was also confusion of when to renew one's chapter dues, and several present agreed e-mail reminders would be helpful. Becky and Amy will see to it that membership forms are available at our SAA-UT bulletin board once chapter forms are printed.
Getting new members
Carol asked us to suggest ways to increase our membership. Amy recommended membership as a prerequisite for attendance at SAA-UT events, and Carol thought this was a good idea. Jennifer thought we should better advertise the opportunity to be a chapter officer during beginning-of-the-semester class introductions. Carol recalled that Mike Strom, last year's president, did this last year, and she agreed we should continue. Don asked how many new students in the Archives concentration began in Fall 2001. Dr. Gracy estimated that there were between ten and fifteen students, of whom we believe five have joined the chapter. Amy proposed that we target the GLISSA list, as well as PCS and Special Library students to spark interest in joining the chapter. Don believes only about 60% of GSLIS students subscribe to the GLISSA listserv. Dr. Gracy needs someone to present SAA-UT to his Spring 2002 Archives class, and we also identified the Records Management class and any Special Libraries classes as good places to present.

III. 2002 elections

Dr. Gracy advised that we need to identify potential candidates and speak to them concerning serving on next year's board. Together we identified Molly Wheeler, Erin Lawrimore and Stephen Naron as potential candidates. Carol said nominations will take place in mid-February and that elections should be held later that month. We agreed that incoming officers should attend our meetings, beginning in March to encourage a smooth take-over.

IV. Poster session (2002 SAA meeting)

Carol described the poster session concept, in which a student or group of students puts together a visual and textual presentation of an archives topic for display at the national meeting. Jennifer offered that last year's poster session was not well organized but that improvements are being made. Proposals will be due by February 15th. Dr. Galloway has some experience in poster sessions from their use in archaeology conferences she has participated in, and she would be glad to help in any way. Sara Holmes, a PCS student, did a poster for the AMIA conference this year that she felt was very well received, and she would also give us advice. Carol specified that though SAA is in August, participants who are graduating this May are still eligible for the student poster session. Jennifer suggested our Archives Clinic as a suitable topic for a poster to be created by all on the board.

V. Bulletin board

Carol thanked Amy and Becky for taking possession of the new SAA-UT bulletin board and putting up preliminary information about our chapter. Carol suggests adding a couple of boxes to hold handouts of membership forms and other information as is needed. Jennifer recommended putting up pictures of our chapter events, and Dr. Gracy thought we should take a picture of the board itself.

VI. Mugs

Carol and Dr. Gracy have discussed finding a new vendor for our next order of mugs. We want to get a clearer image on the mug and have a free sample to verify the quality. We plan to sell these online to the Archives & Archivists listserv, to SAA and to SSA. Charles will do the research for the new mugs. Heather will scan the Mrs. Eberly image for a good digital copy. Carol advises we should set a deadline for these preparations for the beginning of the spring semester.

VII. Events--Spring 2002

Amy announced that Julie Holcomb, graduate of our program in 2000, invites us to Navarro College in Corsicana where she is the archivist to tour. She also needs interns for Summer 2002. We will decide on a date and travel arrangements next semester.

Amy believes that having some light refreshments at our events would help them be more sociable and enjoyable.

Carol suggested a tour of Sematech, and Dr. Gracy recommended a tour of SBC in San Antonio where Bill Coughlin is archivist.

Charles said we need an internship presentation to help encourage students to prepare for applying for internship opportunities. Scheduling should be for the beginning of the semester since application deadlines generally range from February to March. Dr. Gracy thought the Capstone experience requirement could also be addressed in the internship presentation.

Several present would like to see discussion forums on topics such as propaganda and other contentious or thought-provoking subjects related to archives materials, how they are managed and used, and in what manner they document human activity. Jennifer said coordinating with GLISSA on discussion forums would be wise in order to register enough interest and gather enough participants.

VIII. Meeting adjourned at 7:32pm

Minutes submitted by Becky Romanchuk on January 16, 2002.

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2001 Minutes

Society of American Archivists - University of Texas at Austin Student Chapter
E-mail: saa@ischool.utexas.edu