Minutes of the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting
9 August 1996
Ohio State University Archives
2700 Kenny Road
Columbus

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

Board members not present: Gary Ness, Lynn Jacobs, James Oda

Staff present: Matthew Benz

Deputy Coordinator George Parkinson called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m, welcomed the board, and reviewed the agenda. The board approved a motion to express its appreciation to Raimund Goerler and the staff of the Ohio State University Archives for their generous help and the use of their facilities.

Jonathan Dembo moved to adopt the minutes of the June meeting as written. Dennis Harrison seconded the motion. The motion carried.

George Parkinson reported on the progress of the Bicentennial Commission. On 21 August, there will be an organizational meeting of the executive committee of the Commission. The board agreed that OHRAB will have solid representation on the Bicentennial Commission, and the board looks forward to working with the Commission in order to implement The Ohio 2003 Plan.

George Parkinson informed the board on the standing of the Local Government Records Initiative. He reported that the newly revised plan for the Ohio Local Government Information Locator System was presented to the Ohio Historical Society’s Board of Trustees at its 18 July meeting. The OHS board endorsed the revised plan. Further revisions are expected. Barbara Floyd moved that the board issue a resolution of support for the Ohio GILS proposal. Jonathan Dembo seconded. The motion carried.

At 11:00, the board took a short recess. During this time, the members were led on a tour of the Ohio State University Archives, a new facility that houses not only archival materials but also serves as an impressive book repository.

Upon resuming the meeting, the board discussed the COSHRC Report and Historical Records Repository Survey (HRRS), which OHRAB is cosponsoring along with the Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA). Parkinson reported that the Ohio Survey will be sent out to approximately 1400 respondents. The survey is being done as a joint project between staff and the Ohio Historical Society’s Local History Office. The board discussed the possibility of including a question in the survey about NHPRC grants and funding.

George Parkinson proposed to the board that the revised draft of The Ohio 2003 Plan replace the current plan on 1 January 1997, that the plan be held in draft form until then. At the December meeting, the board will discuss and provide further input on changes in the plan.

The board discussed the Homefront and Battlefront: Ohioans Serve The Nation regrant proposal revision. The board learned that Liz Nelson and OHS staff did much of the re-write in an effort to reflect the NHPRC staff reviews, as well as the peer reviews done at the time of NHPRC consideration. The re-write also updates and emphasizes the electronic aspects of the proposal. Roland Baumann proposed to write and submit an additional paragraph for the narrative section to establish that the proposal is not limited to one historical view. The proposal is set for a 1 October deadline.

The board considered the status of the Robert Taft Papers project. Clarence Wunderlin, Associate Professor of History at Kent State University is readying the proposal for a February deadline. A suggestion was made that the board endorse the finalized project at its December meeting. The board was also informed that the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has withdrawn their request for a grant as it has received local private funding.

The board agreed to the scheduled date of 5 December 1996 for the next meeting, to be held at the Ohio Historical Society. The possibility of inviting representatives from local and central Ohio historical societies to an open house forum following the meeting was discussed by the board and approved.

In discussing the 1997 meeting schedule, the board decided that prior to the December meeting, members can suggest possible meeting dates and send them to staff member Matthew Benz. A finalized schedule will be discussed at the December meeting.

At 1:28, Roland Baumann moved to adjourn, Carol Tomer seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

George Parkinson
Deputy Coordinator