Minutes of the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting
17 April 1996
Ohio Historical Center

Board members present: Gary Ness, George Parkinson, Roland Baumann, Alice Cornell, Jonathan Dembo, Barbara Floyd, Dennis Harrison, Michael Lucas, James Oda, Carol Tomer

Board members not present: George Bain

Staff present: Elizabeth Nelson

George Parkinson and Gary Ness welcomed the board and offered congratulations to Mike Lucas, the new State Librarian of Ohio. Gary Ness reported that the governor has not yet appointed members to the bicentennial commission or reappointed board members whose terms have expired. George Parkinson reviewed the agenda and reported briefly on the development of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN.)

Mike Lucas moved to adopt the minutes of the 7 December 1995 board meeting. Jim Oda seconded, and the motion carried.

Elizabeth Nelson reported that the through 17 April 1996, the board has expended $10,284.57 of its NHPRC grant funds. A balance of $8,239.43 remains.

Discussion followed about the status of NHPRC grant applications. Barbara Floyd reported that the Toledo Museum of Art, which recently received a grant of $54,392, has begun to identify space for its archives and records management program. Museum staff has also begun to purchase equipment and supplies and schedule records. George Parkinson informed the board that NHPRC did not fund its regrant project, "Homefront and Battlefront." The board agreed to revise and resubmit the proposal in October 1996. The Cincinnati Art Museum, which did not receive funding for its grant application, was encouraged to resubmit a revised proposal in October 1996. George Parkinson offered the board's assistance in revising the proposal and invited staff from the museum to attend a board meeting before resubmitting. Jonathan Dembo volunteered to contact museum staff to follow up on the Deputy Coordinator's offer of assistance.

The board considered information about the Taft Family Papers project provided by Clarence Wunderlin of Kent State University. The board agreed that the project is worthy of support. George Parkinson will write a letter of encouragement to Mr. Wunderlin, inviting him to attend the next board meeting.

George Parkinson reported on the Ohio Historical Society's recently funded NHPRC electronic records consultant grant. The society retained Margaret Hedstrom, Associate Professor at the School of Information at the University of Michigan. She will submit a report of her recommendations for developing an electronic records program in Ohio at the end of the grant period in August.

Elizabeth Nelson reported on the society's application for funds from the Library Services Construction Act (LSCA) and on the technology plan recently completed by consultant Greg Byerly. Cincinnati Historical Society and Western Reserve Society have joined the Ohio Historical Society's effort to select a vendor for an automated system assuring continuity of access to the online public catalogs and materials of the three largest historical societies in the state. As a cooperative effort, the vendor selection process and automated system implementation undertaken by the societies will be a significant model for smaller historical organizations in the state.

Gary Ness updated the board on the status of the state capital bill, which has not yet been introduced, and which might be delayed until late in the year. This might impact on the society's plans for automation.

The board briefly considered the revisions to the NHPRC strategic plan, upon which the board's The Ohio 2003 Plan is modeled. NHPRC's intention is to create a plan that is clearer, more realistic, more focused on the commission's priorities, and more reflective of the importance of technology. They will publish the federal plan in 1997. Revisions to the board's plan, which the board discussed at its December meeting, are intended to accomplish exactly what NHPRC did with its plan. The board agreed to distribute the revised version to the Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) spring meeting to give archivists in the state an opportunity to comment on it. So that SOA members who could not attend the meeting will also have an opportunity to read and respond to the revised plan, it will be posted on the SOA listserv. At the June meeting, the board will discuss the revised plan and input received from interested Ohioans.

Mike Lucas and Barbara Floyd shared with the board their recommendations for the OHRAB web page. In addition to general information about NHPRC, the board and its activities, board members suggested that the page include specific information about how to get an NHPRC grant. Elizabeth Nelson and Ohio Historical Society staff will create the page and publicize it on the Archives listserv. Roland Baumann moved to extend the board's thanks to Mike Lucas and Barbara Floyd for their efforts on the World Wide Web subcommittee. Jonathan Dembo seconded, and the motion carried.

George Parkinson summarized activities of the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators meeting that took place in Austin in January 1996. In particular, he described the non-governmental records repositories survey effort that the board will carry out in Ohio, with assistance from the Ohio Historical Society. The board's role will be to create a strategy for the survey process and to follow up by contacting repositories in their region that do not respond. The Society of Ohio Archivists will co-sponsor the survey.

In its role as the coordinating body for the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers, the board considered the Ohio Historical Society's Local Government Records Program and Government Information Locator Service Initiative. The initiative is an effort to create a new program to help local government entities preserve historical records. George Bain, Barbara Floyd (chair), and Alice Cornell will serve on a subcommittee to evaluate the draft proposal and report at the June meeting.

Jonathan Dembo moved to encourage the Ohio Historical Society to hire a local government records specialist in region three of the network to be based at the University of Cincinnati. Dennis Harrison seconded, and the motion carried.

The next meeting of the board will be held on 21 June 1996 in Piqua. The 9 August 1996 meeting will be held in Columbus at the Ohio State University Archives.

Roland Baumann made a motion to extend the board's best wishes to Nancy Sahli, who is retiring from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission this year, thanking her for her many years of service on behalf of the archival profession. Jonathan Dembo seconded the motion, which passed by unanimous vote.

Jonathan Dembo moved to adjourn at 3:35 p.m. Roland Baumann seconded, and the meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

George Parkinson
Deputy Coordinator