Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board

Meeting Minutes
June 11, 2009

Members Present: Anthony Crawford, Wilbur Ferguson, Marc Galbraith, Kathryn Peckman, Jean Taylor, Matt Veatch, Jennie Chinn, and Pat Michaelis.
Others: Scott Leonard, Lesa Brose
Pat called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. Introductions were made.

Approval of minutes
Pat asked if there were any additions to or corrections of the minutes of the January 8, 2009 meeting. There were none. Tony moved to accept the minutes and Marc seconded the motion. The minutes were accepted.

Suggestions for a new Board member
Pat asked if there were any suggestions for a new Board member. Kathy suggested that a city clerk or district court clerk would be a good addition to the board. Pat asked everyone to think on it and contact her for other possible candidates.

Board Administrative Grant Activities Report (NHPRC #9)
Pat reported that the 9 attendees of the Basic Archives Workshop worked on typing drafts of collection development policies. Matt said that the workshop was excellent and very interactive and felt that there should be a follow up session.

Strategic Planning
Jennie led discussion concerning the mission and vision statements of KSHRAB as board members reviewed what is currently in place. She stated that the purpose of the mission statement is to keep a focus, that goals are the “big picture” and objectives are measurable. After much brainstorming and discussion the board agreed that the draft mission statement should be – To create opportunities for public and private organizations that create and / or preserve records of enduring value to successfully promote awareness and provide access to those records.

A review of the 2000 KSHRAB vision statement identified the (a) Audience: future generations. (b) What: Low cost, unconstrained access to records. (c) How: Multiple funding sources (not achieved). Creating active constituencies (not achieved). A well funded re-grant program (not achieved). Educational programs (partially achieved). The board ultimately felt that a vision statement is not necessary and agreed to do away with it.

Pat asked for an evaluation of activities under the existing plan.

Priority #1. Provide educational and technical assistance. The goal is to improve the education and training of individuals with responsibility for historical records. This goal has been accomplished by providing workshops. The workshops were well attended, by local historical societies and libraries. Under proposed activities, Pat noted that the State Library received a grant which will aid in training and development of a website relating to a disaster preparedness plan for electronic records. She felt that the board could build on and support this type of activity in the future.

The goal to improve access to technical and professional resources for individuals with responsibility for historical records met with limited success. Under proposed activities the technical leaflets were not done. The Board sponsored a pilot, mentoring program that served several counties with the hope that the program would eventually become self-sustaining. Self-sufficiency was not achieved.

Matt suggested creating a place where individuals involved in maintaining records could share information. In the future, the Board could create this opportunity by using Facebook, Google Groups, or other similar social networking tools to facilitate group interaction. The idea of using a Basecamp site as a tool to exchange information was also discussed.

Priority #2: Increase advocacy and create awareness. In reviewing the goal to increase advocacy and create public awareness of the value and uses of historical records, two out of four proposed activities were completed. While the proposed leaflets failed to materialize the promotion of Archives Month in 2008 was successful with the creation of a poster. Whereas the goal to develop and expand web sites for local repositories did not come to fruition, the plan to reach out with a media campaign was successful. This goal was accomplished through Kansas Public Radio spots, which aired during the 2008 Archives Month.

Priority #3: Save Local Government Records. Although a local government records NHPRC grant proposal was submitted, it was not funded.

Archives Month Planning
A committee was formed for Archives Month, with Sheryl Williams serving as chairman, along with Duncan Friend and Anthony Crawford serving as members. October is Archives Month. In preparation for Archives Month, Pat suggested that Lesa assist in obtaining links to local sites. Marc proposed employing Public Radio announcements again, as this was well received last year.

Pat handed out mission statements and goals from other states and asked board members to review them. She said that a revised Mission and Goals Statement would be sent out to members at a later date.

PAHR
The bill, Preserving the American Historical Records, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would provide federal formula grants to every state for projects that preserve historical records and make them more accessible.

NHPRC
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission announced on June 9th their recommended grants for Spring 2009. This includes a grant of $62, 438 to the University of Kansas Center for Research. This grant will support a two-year project to process the Senatorial, campaign, and retirement papers of Robert J. Dole from 1968 to 2009.

KSHS budget cuts and partner institutions?
Budget cuts have affected the Kansas State Historical Society Library and Archives division. Matt reported that a staff of 44 in 1994 employees has been reduced to 26 in 2009. This will have an impact on what can be accomplished.

Marc reported that budget cuts have affected the very popular, Homework Kansas. This on-line program provided on-line homework assistance to Kansas’s students. Tony reported that budget cuts at Hale Library have resulted in a reduction of periodicals there. Wilbur indicated no impact at the Richard Allen Cultural Center, as tutors at the center are volunteers. Jean reported that in Miami County the local budget has seen a downturn and expect a 10% cut, as officials do not want to raise the mill levy.

KEEP – Kansas Enterprise Electronic Preservation.
Matt reported that the KSHS collaborating with the legislative and judicial branches to create an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) compliant trusted digital repository for Kansas government electronic records. The project, which is using the name KEEP (Kansas Enterprise Electronic Preservation), is being funded through an FY2009 KSHS budget enhancement and grant from the Information Network of Kansas. The KEEP project team currently is developing an RFP to procure consulting services for development of a KEEP archives policy framework and functional requirements for the KEEP archives.

Grant Review
Pat handed out copies of the grant proposal to board members for review. She asked that these be returned by the end of June, as they are due at that time.

Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will be September 10, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.

The meeting was adjourned.