Minutes of the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting
5 December 1997
The Ohio Historical Society Archives Library
Columbus

Board members present: George Parkinson, Keith Corman, Alice Cornell, Jonathan Dembo, Michael Lucas, Jim Oda, Carol Tomer

Board members not present: Roland Baumann, Barbara Floyd, Lynn Jacobs, Gary Ness

Staff present: Charles Arp, Matthew Benz

Guests: Steve George, Ed Lloyd, Carol Roddy

Deputy State Coordinator George Parkinson called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. He welcomed the day's guests and introduced new board member Keith Corman. Corman fills the seat vacated by Dennis Harrison, whose term ended this past year. Corman is a Hamilton County Court Bailiff, and was appointed by the governor to serve a term beginning 8 September, 1997. The board welcomed Corman.

A motion was made to honor Harrison's long service with OHRAB by awarding a certificate of service. The motion passed, with all in favor.

Parkinson reviewed the day's agenda and then for the benefit of the day's guests and new member Corman, gave a brief overview of OHRAB's charge as the central body for historical records planning in the state and as well as the state-level review board for grants submitted to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Parkinson also provided background on The 2003 Plan and other programs and plans that the board is currently involved in.

Charles Arp, Assistant State Archivist, briefed the board on the Local Government Records Program Initiative, a board sponsored activity. Arp described the purposes of the program as twofold: aiding in collection building and making records more accessible to the public. Arp said that the program gives equal importance to the electronic records issue; while they are difficult to preserve, public access to them is nevertheless important and a goal of the Ohio Local Government Information Locator System (OGILS). The local records program of Ohio is currently being staffed at a minimum level. Arp said that the OGILS has created a locator service that will help with the automation of procedures and provide online help and access through a public user friendly database.

Arp hopes that OGILS will be able to meet all the needs of local records, including the traditional needs, through a fully funded local records program. In addition, records management should get help through the databases created by OGILS. Arp stressed that records will be kept at the local level; OGILS will provide a method of locating the information, not provide direct access to the records themselves, unless they can be linked electronically through a hypertext document.

The board had many questions and suggestions for Mr. Arp on OGILS, and it was agreed that an OGILS update should become a staple on the agenda of future board meetings.

The board then approved and adopted the minutes of the 22 August meeting, all in favor.

Parkinson led the discussion on the recent Dayton Art Institute proposal. He explained that the board reviews were returned to NHPRC by the due date, and that interested board members may see copies of the blind reviews. After explaining the proposal process to Corman, Parkinson and the board discussed the proposal. Board members expressed concern about the apparent lack of understanding of the process by the Art Institute's staff, and questioned whether or not this was a glitch in the procedures manual that needs to be looked into by the board. Parkinson reported that based on the board reviews, he recommended NHPRC funding as long as certain corrections be made to the proposal.

Parkinson reported on the OHRAB Support Grant. NHPRC awarded $6,686 to cover board expenses for one year. While not the full dollar amount or time requested, the grant award was similar to awards provided to other states.

Following a short break, the board discussed the current standing of the Bicentennial Scrapbook. The Bicentennial Scrapbook Subcommittee (Dembo, Lucas and Oda) completed a second draft of the proposal, and Greg Byerly has agreed to serve on the subcommittee and help draft the final proposal by 1 February, 1998. OPLIN Director Carol Roddy was asked by the board to serve on the subcommittee, and she agreed.

Steve George, Executive Director of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission, after providing a briefing on the ongoing planning for the Ohio Bicentennial, discussed the Bicentennial Scrapbook proposal with the board. George said that he had a positive reaction to the scrapbook idea because it was: a). inclusive geographically; b). provided balance in that it stressed education as well as preservation; c). the project will have a broad appeal to the public; and d). it advances interest in the electronic world, and complements his plans to use the Internet for the Bicentennial promotion and celebration. George also suggested adding a component to the proposal: have the participants document the Bicentennial as well, by photographing celebration events in their area. This documentation could then be presented as part of the scrapbook.

Discussion on the Bicentennial with Steve George continued over lunch.

Following lunch, the board reconvened, and set meeting dates and possible locations for 1998:

20 March - Oberlin

5 June - Dayton

21 August - Athens

4 December - Columbus

The board agreed that it should continue inviting local historical organizations to the meetings, though a more active outreach program is needed.

Carol Roddy, Director of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), briefed the board on the current standing of OPLIN. Roddy shared her vision for the near future of OPLIN, and sees OPLIN as ready to begin a new phase as the plan to electronically connect the public libraries of Ohio continues to expand with new programs and resources.

The meeting adjourned at 2:30, with some board members attending a Access Through Automation: GILS and Website Demonstration with OHS staff person Janet Carleton.

Repectfully submitted,

George Parkinson
Deputy Coordinator