SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA ARCHIVISTS NEWSLETTER Number 124 Summer 2005 SCA Western Round-Up Report rom April 14th - 16th, nearly duced by SAA President Rand Ji- F300 members of the Western merson who gave a heartfelt plea archival community rode into for public support of the NHPRC. the warm Las Vegas desert air Friday’s luncheon speaker was to participate in the first ever Dr. Hal Rothman, Professor and Western Round-Up, a joint Chair of the UNLV History De- meeting of the Conference partment. Dr. Rothman, a fre- of Inter-Mountain Archivists, quent media commentator on all Northwest Archivists, Society of things Las Vegas, gave a lively and California Archivists and Society humorous talk on the growth and of Rocky Mountain Archivists. development of Las Vegas, and his Five years in the planning, the odyssey from environmental and Round-Up offered a full sched- tourism historian of the Ameri- ule of events that took place at can West to Las Vegas expert. the Alexis Park Resort Hotel and On Saturday, SCA and near-by University of Nevada, Las NWA held a joint Awards Vegas. The program kicked off Luncheon that recognized with three well subscribed pre- the outstanding achievements conference workshops: Dating of the archivists and institu- and Caring for Historical Photo- tions that support their pro- graphs, The Basics of Film Preser- grams. In addition, Dr Larry vation, and Hands-on Recovery of Burgess, Director of the A.K. Water-Damaged Materials. Other attendees enjoyed the three Smiley Library in Redlands, CA, discussed some of the unique tours scheduled by the Local Arrangements Com- perils involved in historical research in his presentation mittee that included the Nevada Test Site, the Neon Bone- “Hunting for a Historical Figure Can Get You Sued.” yard, and backstage at the Jubilee Theatre at Bally’s Hotel. Fifteen varied panel sessions covered a wide variety of im- The opening reception was held at the Marjorie Barrick Mu- portant topics including: Developing Collections Document- seum of Natural History on the UNLV campus and provided a ing Minority Groups, Confidentiality and Access in Religious warm and congenial atmosphere for conferees to see old friends Archives, Audio Digitizing, Archival Education in the West, and be introduced to new ones. Metal Edge, Inc. provided Archivists as Historians, and Exhibits as Outreach. In addi- sponsorship for the delicious buffet of appetizers and only the tion to the various sessions, each of the participating orga- second open bar in SCA’s long history of annual meetings! nizations held their various council and business meetings. A dynamic set of speakers highlighted the first day of the The Round-Up participants enjoyed the expanded scope conference. Dr. Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel that the inter-regional format afforded us, and as we parted Prize for Literature, and the Elias Ghanem Chair in Creative ways, the leadership of the four societies agreed to begin to Writing at UNLV, spoke eloquently on the value and impor- make plans for the next get-together in about five year’s time. tance of libraries and archives in preserving the memory of Su Kim Chung marginalized peoples and societies. Dr. Soyinka was intro- UNLV Special Collections Number 124 SCA NEWSLETTER Summer 2005 Number 124 SCA NEWSLETTER Summer 2005 President’s Message Library Collection Comes “Out” for Milestone t the conclusion of my term as SCA President, he San Francisco Public Library presents Out at the Moving deeper into the gallery, the Personal Chronicles section A I find myself wondering (as I’m sure many TLibrary: Selections from the James C. Hormel Gay & displays first-person accounts of the reconciliation of gay and lesbi- of my predecessors did), “Where did the time go?” Lesbian Center, celebrating the occasion of the10th anniversary an identity with institutional entrenchments, such as Gary Fisher’s This past year was busy and productive for the Society, of the founding of the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center. journal of being a gay black man with AIDS in the 1980s and Aaron and it was a delight to cap it all off with the success of the The exhibition will be on display at three sites: the Jewett Gal- Fricke’s high school coming-out diaries. In the center of the gallery lery and the Hormel Center at the Main Library, and the Eureka are sections of the Pulp Paperback Collection displayed on archival Western Round-Up conference in Las Vegas in April. I want Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library in the Castro neigh- shelving. The placement of the paperback collection in the gallery to thank the members of the SCA Board, the SCA Com- borhood of San Francisco June 18 through October 16, 2005. makes tangible the scale and scope of the archives and reveals some- mittee chairs, and the many SCA Committee members for thing of the language of archival science and the conceptual delight their fine and dedicated efforts, and I encourage those of of the high and low variety within a single medium. Also included is you who have not yet become more actively involved with text which explains the historical use of pseudonyms and the chang- SCA to consider doing so. Our increasing membership es the Library of Congress has made over the years to classifying sub- numbers indicate that SCA fills a vital niche in the profes- ject headings for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender literature. sional development of archivists throughout the state, and The Public/Private section at the gallery demonstrates how with increased volunteerism on the part of the society’s objects, including a pair of leather boots belonging to Dr. Mary Walker, a Civil War surgeon who dressed as a man so members we will be able to offer more continuing educa- Boots worn by Dr. Mary Walker, c.1863 leather, wood, she could practice medicine, can provide windows into inter- tion and networking opportunities. I encourage you to Barbara Grier and Donna McBride/Naiad Press Collection, James C. Hormel Center, San Francisco Public Library twined relationships of the past, as well as the present. Items contact Claude Zachary, our new President, to find out on display in the Gallery include a cluster of photographs, how you can support SCA’s activities for the coming year, ephemera, artifacts and correspondence from Gertrude Stein, The Society of California Archivists, Inc. and I look forward to seeing you at future SCA functions. Alice B. Toklas, Barbara Grier and Barbara Gittings. Jennifer Martinez The Society of California Archivists, Inc. exists to support and Directly related to the Paperback Collection and Public/Pri- develop those who collect, care for, and provide access to the vate sections of the Gallery is a scction devoted to the Center’s documentary heritage of California and adjoining areas. vast collection of materials donated by publisher and editor To this end it Barbara Grier. Grier, the founder of Naiad Press, the longest MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 1. acts as a vehicle for dissemination of information about Diaries and ephemera from the Vincent Diaries Collection, 1984-1994 operating lesbian publishing house, donated Mary Walker’s archival collections, issues, and methodology to the profession Continued on page 9 Workshop: Identifying Risks and Protecting and the public; The exhibition and accompanying illustrated catalogue cel- ebrate the Hormel Center by telling the story of how the Cen- Your Collection From Natural Disasters 2. provides a forum for the discussion of matters related to the creation, preservation, and use of historical documents, ter came into existence, illustrating the Center’s rich exhibi- Earthquakes and their secondary effects incorporate 3. develops, offers and supports archival education programs; tion and program history, and highlighting its collection by offering a rare look into how it ensures the legacy of a multitude of risk challenges in California. In order to 4. cooperates with individuals and organizations on matters of common concern; and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. preserve the cultural resources entrusted to museums, this The Center and its collections are framed as active archives by workshop will give staff members and volunteers the tools 5. advocates the identification, collection, preservation, use, and appreciation of historical records and manuscripts. combining stories and objects that offer compelling views of and knowledge to identify the threats that place our col- both remarkable and ordinary lives, attributes of character, he- lections at risk and develop ways to safeguard them for The SCA Newsletter is published quarterly on March 15, roic actions, explosions of genius, cautionary tales and private the future. There will be handouts on a variety of related June 15, September 15, and December 15. All submissions worlds. The exhibition, catalogue, web component, and pub- topics such as disaster preparedness planning, conserva- and advertisements for future issues, and all letters to the edi- lic programming are organized according to the strengths of the tion resources, and storage equipment companies as well tors and inquiries regarding the newsletter should be sent to collections into the following categories: Artists and Poets, Pe- as actual samples of materials available to safeguard col- the Newsletter Editors: riodicals, Harry Hay, Personal Chronicles, Public/Private, Pa- lections. Participants will also be given an opportunity perback Collection, Barbara Grier, Questioning Authority, Per- sonal into Political, the History of the Center, and the Gay Games. to ask questions pertaining to their own particular con- Juliet Demeter and Tanya Hollis The Bancroft Library The Artists & Poets section at the Jewett Gallery includes cerns and needs. Presenters: Louis Goldich, Museum rare material from Native American artists, newly donated Consultant; Donna Williams, Conservator; and William University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 material from the Cockettes, documents from the groundbreak- Allen, Collection Insurance Broker, Henderson Phillips.