Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association Newsletter Spring/Summer 2002 LAMA News Annual Meeting ference in Flagstaff. His as an archivist, and why The 2001 annual meeting report is included in this you need outside fund- was held November 9 at the newsletter. ing, to: Susan Tucker, Louisiana State Archives. LAMA Scholarship State Archivist Dr. Florent 2002 Scholarship Committee Chair, New- Hardy, Jr., gave the opening The Louisiana Archives comb Center for Re- address, followed by a series and Manuscripts Asso- search on Women, Tu- of presentations on collect- ciation will offer a $250 lane University, New ing and preserving non-print scholarship, designed to Orleans, LA 70118; media. Speakers were Mary provide funding for con- email Hebert Price of the T. Harry tinuing education. The [email protected]. Williams Center for Oral recipient must be a mem- History at Louisiana State ber of LAMA. Prefer- LAMA and the Louisi- University, Charles Cham- ence will be given to ana Library Association berlain of the Hogan Jazz candidates who have not In recent years the idea Archive at Tulane Univer- previously received the of LAMA becoming a Inside this issue: sity, and Bruce Turner of the award, and who have section of the Louisiana Archives and Special Col- limited access to institu- Library Association has lections Department at the tional funding for work- been discussed, but Lama Scholarship 2 University of Louisiana at shops, conferences and never generated much Lafayette. Officers elected other archival educa- support. That idea has at the meeting were Susan tional programs. This been abandoned, but the Louisiana State 3 Tucker, vice-president/ award is intended to rec- LAMA Board has agreed Archives president-elect, and Irene ognize commitment to it would be a good idea Society of South- 5 Wainwright, secretary. the profession. The re- to pursue less formal ties west Archivists Kathie Bordelon and Mark cipient will be expected with librarians. To that Martin were elected to the to prepare an article for end, notice of the 2001 Article 6 Board of Directors. After the LAMA Newsletter LAMA meeting was the meeting, many attendees describing the workshop, posted on the LLA mem- toured the Rural Life Mu- seminar, conference, or ber listserv. At least one Newly Acquired/ 7 seum. other educational oppor- library sent staff mem- Processed tunity attended with the bers to the meeting to LAMA Scholarship scholarship monies. learn more about non- Exhibits 9 The 2001 scholarship was print media. LAMA also awarded to Dale Sauter, the To apply, send a letter co-sponsored (with the Publications 11 Assistant Archivist at North- describing the continuing Subject Specialists Sec- western State University, to education event you tion) a program on Car- attend the Society of South- wish to attend, how it ing for Historic Docu- News from LAMA 11 west Archivists’ 2002 con- will enhance your work ments at the LLA annual Institutions LAMA News (Continued) conference in March. Elizabeth Dow, who teaches ham Public Library during the SAA meeting, Au- archives classes at the LSU School of Library and gust 21. The next SAC meeting will be in 2004, Information Sciences, gave an excellent presenta- when Mississippi will be delighted to show off tion geared toward librarians who have secondary their new facilities. responsibility for manuscript materials. Although scheduling conflicts prevented many from attend- ing the session, it was very well received. Southern Archives Conference The Society of American Archivists met in Bir- mingham in August, so the Southern Archives Conference will not hold a conference this year. Also, it was Mississippi’s turn to host the meeting, and the State Archives is in the throes of a major construction project which would not have been finished in time. Instead, SAC met at the Birming- LAMA Scholarship The 2001 scholarship was awarded to Dale Sau- ter, Assistant Archivist at Northwestern State The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Peter Iver- University, to attend the Society of Southwest son, author and Regents’ Professor of History at Archivists’ 2002 conference in Flagstaff. He Arizona State University. Dr. Iverson is known for wrote this report for us. his research on the history of Native Americans, and this is what he focused on in his presentation. I was fortunate enough to have been the recipient I had already noticed that some of the sessions of the 2001 LAMA Continuing Education Scholar- were going to be covering current activities in ship. I applied this award to the West By Southwest tribal archives. This talk again peaked my initial Cultures and Collections SSA/CIMA Annual interest in the topic, so the first session I attended Meeting in Flagstaff, AZ. I found it a rewarding was concerning Native American archives. and educational experience. Through the three individual presentations, I was made aware of the outstanding cooperation that I arrived early enough to attend one of the opening had been achieved among various tribal archives. I day workshops. The workshop I attended was really felt this presented a good example for all Grant Writing for Archivists presented by Ann types of archives to embrace what can be accom- Hodges, Gerald Saxon, John Crain and Tom plished through cooperative efforts. This session Clareson. Although I have a little experience with also brought attention to some of the special con- grant writing, this presentation helped refresh my cerns that a tribal archives can have in relation to memory on good strategies and practices for suc- patron use. For example, some tribal archives were cessful grant writing. I also encountered a few tips open to tribal members, but the general public was and suggestions that I had not thought of or heard required to register and make appointments. An- before. There were also helpful handouts at the other example given concerned the restriction of material documenting a sacred event that only oc- workshop, including some actual examples of past curred during a certain part of the year. In this successful grants. case, it was not deemed appropriate for patrons to Page 2 Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association Newsletter LAMA Scholarship (cont.) view the material during the part of the year when look to those who have not already seen this. the event was performed. I found this a rather strange concept, particularly since I am used to The final session I attended included presentations working within a public institution where restric- by institutions with collections documenting mi- tions on use are normally less than those found in nority communities. These included an exciting private settings. online exhibit documenting East Texas African American history, a collection of Hispanic activist The next session I attended concerned the role of material, and information on a new immigration the university archivist in the 21st Century. From museum in south Texas. I thought this session this session I got an idea of the number of different complimented the American Indian session I also roles a university archivist must play in today’s attended. I believe these sessions presented exam- world. The presenter also gave tips on ways to ples that other archives can use in developing col- help balance the many tasks necessary for this job. lections of minority peoples. This conference also Another presenter spoke to the familiar predica- gave me opportunities to meet other Louisiana ar- ment of an institution running short of space stor- chivists, as well as many in the CIMA group that I ing paper in what was predicted in the past to be a would probably have not had a chance to meet oth- paperless age. In particular, he referred to the erwise. All and all, I think it was a great confer- growing problem of production of voluminous re- ence. This was only my second SSA conference, cords as the result of university research reports. but they seem to get better each year. Nearly eve- The last presenter presented his paper, Mad Ar- ryone I talked to that has attended SSA conferences chive Disease: Archival Spongiform Encephalopa- commented that it was one of the best in years, if thy, The Loss of Corporate Memory, and the Death not the best ever. I thank everyone for giving me of Institutional Archives. I found this an interest- the opportunity to participate in this conference. ing look at some of the problems in the archival field today. At the time of writing, the paper was available via the Internet at the following address: www.infomgmt.homestead.com/files/ mad_archive_disease2.htm. I would recommend a Louisiana State Archives Archives Welcome/Tours · St. Jude Catholic School (Baton Rouge) 7th The Louisiana State Archives recently played host graders to · French Conversation Class · Lafayette Natural History Museum Director and · South Beauregard Eighth Graders (DeRidder) staff · Lagniappe Tours · State Department of Education Retired Educa- · Canary Islanders Heritage Society tors · LSU Campus Club Conservation Lab · Seven seminars jointly sponsored by the Secre- The staff of the Conservation Lab have been in- tary of State's Office, Baton Rouge City Consta- volved in preservation work on the colonial records ble's Office, YMCA of Greater Baton Rouge, from St. John the Baptist Parish, evaluating the con- Office of State Attorney General Richard dition of a World War II scrapbook, and hosting a · Ieyoub, and the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Asso- booth at the recent Clerks of Court convention with ciation information about records management, disaster re- Spring/Summer 2002 Page 3 Louisiana State Archives (Cont.) covery, and preservation. (LHRAB) The Governor-appointed LHRAB met at State Ar- Records Management chives on Wednesday, March 20, 2002. Guest Louisiana State Archives is working with Louisi- speaker was David Pilcher, Director of Electronic ana's Chief Information Officer and agency records Records, Mississippi State Archives.