Board Members Present: Deputy Coordinator George Parkinson, George Bain, Alice Cornell, Jonathan Dembo, Dennis Harrison, Michael Lucas, James Oda

Board Members Absent: Coordinator Gary Ness, Roland Baumann, Barbara Floyd

Staff Present: Gary Arnold, William Myers, Elizabeth Nelson

George Parkinson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m, welcomed the board, and directed the board members' attention to the agenda. Items added to the agenda included a report on the Bicentennial Commission, open records bills Senate Bill 36 and House Bill 46, and news from around Ohio.

George Bain moved to accept the minutes of the December 1994 meeting. Dennis Harrison seconded the motion and it passed by a unanimous vote. As requested by Bain, the Ohio Historical Society staff will assume the responsibility for posting meeting minutes on the Society of Ohio Archivists' listserv.

Parkinson reported on the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators meeting which he and Coordinator Gary Ness attended on 26-27 January 1995 in Washington, D.C. The council discussed the planned update of Victoria Irons Walch's 1993 assessment report, the budget for NARA, and NHPRC's strategic plan. The coordinators also accepted OHRAB's resolution in support of Archives Week.

Elizabeth Nelson reported on the status of The Ohio 2003 Plan. It will be printed in March together with To Outwit Time: Preserving Materials in Ohio's Archives and Libraries.

The two grant proposals from Ohio submitted against the 1 October 1994 deadline were not funded by NHPRC. Bain moved to encourage the Toledo Museum of Art to resubmit its grant in 1995. Dennis Harrison seconded, and the motion carried. George Parkinson will contact the Toledo Museum of Art and suggest that a representative attend the board's next meeting to discuss improving the proposal to increase its chances for funding in the next grant cycle.

The board considered possibilities for its regrant project. Gary Arnold, Chief Bibliographer and Reference Specialist at the Ohio Historical Society, spoke briefly about the Civil War Guide Project on which he is working that could be a prototype for the regrant projects. Arnold first compiled a list of primary source collections at the Ohio Historical Society related to the Civil War. Then, using criteria such as research significance, level of use, condition, and geographic origin, Arnold and the Archives/Library Staff chose thirty of the most important collections to describe in detail, to scan electronically, and eventually, to provide online access. Emphasis will be placed on social history and other topics of modern scholarly interest. If necessary, collections will be processed, cleaned, and repaired.

OHRAB's regrant project will not focus exclusively on the Civil War. At least one Civil War project and one twentieth-century war project will be chosen. The regrant effort could be funded with a combination of NHPRC and state funds. James Oda suggested there be an effort to find materials held outside of the large repositories. Carol Tomer proposed coordinating the project with the Board of Education to put the final product into schools. Parkinson suggested that repositories be encouraged to enter holdings into OCLC and other appropriate networks such as OhioLINK, INFOHIO, and OPLIN. Board members discussed the amount of funding needed to accomplish the goals of the project at length.

After a short lunch break, the meeting resumed. Jonathan Dembo agreed to chair a subcommittee to write a regrant proposal. He will share a preliminary draft with the other subcommittee members, Roland Baumann, Barbara Floyd, and George Bain before the 6-7 April 1995 Society of Ohio Archivists meeting so that it can be shared with that group.

Board meetings were tentatively proposed for: Friday 19 May 1995 in Columbus, Friday 11 August 1995 in Cleveland, and Friday 1 December 1995 in Columbus.

Harrison moved to adopt this meeting schedule. Bain seconded the motion, which carried by a unanimous vote.

Parkinson announced that the Ohio Historical Society would submit a grant proposal addressing electronic records in the state agencies against the 1 June 1995 deadline.

On 16 February, Ohio Historical Society Director and State Coordinator Gary Ness asked the legislature to increase the amount of money budgeted for the bicentennial commission from $50,000 each in fiscal years 1996 and 1997 to $500,000. The staff will keep board members informed of budget developments and will alert the board to action taken on House Bill 46 and Senate Bill 36, public records bills.

Board members reported on events happening at their institutions and in their areas. Bain reported briefly on the archives Gopher server Ohio University will soon open. Mike Lucas explained WINSLO (World Wide Web Information Network State Library of Ohio), which currently provides Internet access to four agencies. Dembo announced that the Cincinnati Historical Society's Nippert project, funded by NHPRC, is nearing completion ahead of schedule. An article on the project will appear in the spring issue of the Ohio Library Council's Access. Dembo also reported that although the merger between the Cincinnati Historical Society, the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, and the Cincinnati Museum Center became final in early January, no director has been chosen. Tomer related that the Cleveland Clinic will celebrate its 75th anniversary soon, coinciding with Cleveland's bicentennial. The Clinic is developing an exhibit and a publication which document its development. Harrison informed the board about a project at Case Western Reserve University to process collections related to innovative medical curriculum developed at the university in the 1950s. CWRU will also participate in the electronic records conference sponsored by OSU and funded by NHPRC.

Lucas moved to adjourn at 1:40 pm. Bain seconded the motion, and the board adjourned.