News

Several CAA members volunteered to help judge History Fair projects this spring, including:  Lisa Calahan; Skyla S. Hearn, Archivist & Special Collections Librarian and 2012–2013 The HistoryMakers IMLS Fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library/Vivian G. Harsh Research Center; Anita Mechler, Director of the Library & Archives at the Union League Club of Chicago; and Janet Olson, Assistant University Archivist at Northwestern University Archives. Learn more about History Fair at www.chicagohistoryfair.org.

Patricia Carroll served as the Acting Director of the McGreal Center for Dominican Historical Studies at Dominican University from January to June 2013.

Don't be shy...If you’ve earned a degree, presented at a conference, published an article, started a new job, or completed another professional achievement, let us know and we’ll include it in next month’s Member News. Submit your information to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line Member News.

Does your institution have news to share? You can send announcements about exhibits, brag about newly acquired materials, advertise a collection is now available for research, and more. Submit your institution's news to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line News.

Laura Fu, Senior Digital Asset Specialist at Sears Holdings Corporation, recently received her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Laura began the MLIS program at Dominican University and transferred to the UWM program in 2010, completing coursework at both universities while working full time at Sears.

Jamie Nelson has joined DePaul University Libraries as the new Special Collections and Archives Department Head. Jamie comes to DePaul University from Augustana College. Learn more about Jaime in a DePaul University blog post.

Morgen MacIntosh Hodgetts, Archivist/Librarian at John T. Richardson Library of DePaul University published “Religious Archives and Shifting Demographics: The Solution of the Vincentians and DePaul University” in Catholic Library World, Volume 83, Number 3, p. 179-185. The article is available through a link on the Vincentian History Research Network blog.

Congratulations Laura, Jamie, and Morgen!

Don't be shy...If you’ve earned a degree, presented at a conference, published an article, started a new job, or have completed another professional achievement, let us know and we’ll include it in next month’s Member News. Submit your member news to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line Member News.

Does your institution have news to share? You can send announcements about exhibits, brag about newly acquired materials, advertise that a recently processed collection is available for research, and more. Submit your institution's news to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line News.

The Black Metropolis Research Consortium has been selected as the 2013 recipient of the Society of American Archivists’ Distinguished Service Award.

The Distinguished Service Award Subcommittee agreed that the Black Metropolis Research Consortium serves as a model for a consortium-based approach to archival stewardship and the documentation of under-represented communities. It has provided important contributions to archival theory and practice, fostered collaborative relationships between member institutions, and shown ingenuity in its service to the community.

The Chicago Public Library’s Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection presents a new exhibition recognizing the life and work of the late Reverend Addie L. Wyatt. Wyatt served as co-pastor of Chicago’s Vernon Park Church of God and was one of the leading human rights activists in 20^th century America.

Wyatt donated her papers to the Chicago Public Library in 2007. Faith in the Struggle tells her amazing story with more than 100 items, including photographs, manuscripts, awards, correspondence, and memorabilia.

Rev. Wyatt was part of the “Great Migration” of African Americans to Northern cities. She became a leader in diverse struggles including fighting for civil rights, women’s rights, and labor.  As a local president of United Packinghouse Workers of America union, she worked directly with civil rights and labor rights icons including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A. Phillip Randolph, and Congressman Charles Hayes. In addition, she was founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, an early supporter for the National Organization for Women (NOW), and a national campaigner for the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1975, Rev. Wyatt was named one of Time magazine’s “Women of the Year.”

Faith in the Struggle: Rev. Addie Wyatt’s Fight for Labor, Civil Rights and Women’s Rights runs through February 2014 at Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60628. For more information about the exhibit or collection, visit www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/woodson-regional.  

UPDATE, 08 December 2013: The Chicago Public Library website now indicates the exhibit will be open through 15 March 2014.

IL State Historical Records Advisory Board Announces 2013 Historical Records Preservation Grant Program

The Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB), using funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), is offering grants of up to $5,000 to Illinois historical records keepers to develop and/or carry out projects to identify, preserve, access and use historical records in Illinois. Information about this grant program is listed below.

Grant Amounts and Requirements

Minimum grant request: $500

Maximum grant request: $5,000

All grants require a one-to-one ($1 for $1) in-kind and/or cash match

Application Period: May 15, -  May 31, 2013

All grant projects will run for one year.

Guidelines and Application Form: The grant guidelines which includes the application form is available on-line at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/ard151.pdf or you may request the guidelines be mailed to you. The application must be printed, filled out, and mailed. It cannot be submitted on-line.

The Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board is made up of representatives from different archives, museums, universities and libraries from around the state and seeks to facilitate cooperation among historical records depositories and other information agencies within Illinois.  The Illinois State Archives serves as the coordinator of the ISHRAB.          

For additional information or to request the grant guidelines and application form, contact David Joens at 217-782-3492 or email djoens@ilsos.net.

Thanks to everyone who attended tonight's CAA Members Meeting.  Voting
took place on the open Steering Committee seats, changes to the by-laws,
and an increase in membership dues.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS (2013-2015)
Congratulations to the four members elected to the Steering Committee, who are:

• Rob DeLand
• Amber Dushman
• Jessica Farrell
• Andy Steadham

A big thank-you to Aaisha Haykal, Megan Poepping and Diane Pugh who stood for election and enabled the organization to elevate this election to a
democratic process.

BY-LAWS CHANGES
The amended changes to the by-laws were passed nearly-unanimously.  See the revised by-laws on the Reports and  By-Laws page.

MEMBERSHIP DUES
Dues for 2014 were increased from $10.00 to $15.00, also by a
nearly-unanimous vote.  [For those who have not joined for 2013, there is still time to join for $10.]


The Steering Committee will be meeting soon to elect new officers and plan
for the coming year.  Stay tuned for that announcement.  Let me know if
you have any ideas, issues or concerns that you would like the Steering
Committee to address.

Scott Pitol
Immediate Past Vice-Chair
Chicago Area Archivists

On 12 February, 2013, the CAA Events Subcommittee organized a behind-the-scenes tour of the Chicago History Museum archives.

CHM Archivist, Peter Alter, took time out of his busy schedule to provide a short history of the museum (formerly known as the Chicago Historical Society) and its current collecting policy. He then led a tour down to the closed-to-the-public basement where the collections are held. The tour included an examination of a few items pulled by Alter that highlight the collecting strengths of the museum. Alter emphasized the impact late Archie Motley had on the growth of collections, and the way that impact influences the growth of collections today. Finally, Alter answered a few questions about CHM's holdings and access to the collections.

Chicago Area Archivists would like to thank Peter Alter for being so generous with his time. This was a popular repository tour, so Peter has graciously offered to lead another in early May. Watch the CAA website and the listserv for an announcement with more details.

Did you know? You can follow updates to Events on the CAA website via RSS feed. If you are unfamiliar with RSS feed managers, Google Reader is a free, easy to use option. This video tutorial is a quick introduction.