SCAA Executive Board Meeting

Charleston Museum

January 10, 2005

Present: Alexia Helsley, Sharon Bennett, Elizabeth West, Sarah Murray, Suzanne Singleton

• Call to Order

  President Alexia Helsley called the meeting to order.

• Approval of Minutes from September 29, 2004

  Sharon Bennett moved that the minutes be approved. Sarah Murray seconded.

• Helsley asked members for topics.

  Bennett asked if it would be in order for the board to give Priscilla Kaplan an honorarium since she did two sessions at the last minute for the fall conference. She suggested $50 or $100 or a Barnes and Noble gift certificate. Helsley agreed. The motion was made and seconded to give Kaplan an honorarium of $100.

• Light Impressions contract

  The original contract has not been located yet. Elizabeth West reported that there was not a copy of the contract in the Association's records. The contact was discussed twice in the minutes. Bennett will contact past president Jeanette Bergeron to see if she has any correspondence or email on it, since she set it up with the company.

• Membership and Treasurer's Reports

  Elizabeth West gave the membership and treasurer reports for Henry Fulmer and Jim Cross.

  Bennett commented that there has always been some difficulties in getting membership information between the Treasurer and Membership Chair.

  Helsley asked that board members make sure Fulmer knows he is supposed to distribute the new membership directory at the spring conference, and that he and Cross are notified that the board wants the check and form go to the Treasurer, who then forwards a copy of the form to the Membership Chair.

  Bennett suggested that the board may want to consider sending email renewal notices next. Helsley commented that it may depend on how current the email addresses are.

• Joint meeting

  The board discussed the possibility of a joint meeting with the Society of North Carolina Archivists. Bennett stated she has noticed how similar SCAA and Palmcop are, and that the board needs to think about that. Originally, two completely different organizations were envisioned. Should SCAA go in a different direction or merge with Palmcop?

  Helsley stated that SCAA has a little broader grassroots support and mission than the other organizations. It may be that the archives roundtable in SCLA is not really needed.

  Bennett stated that the vision for SCAA was that it would be more cutting edge, less preservation than Palmcop. All Palmcop really does is preservation.

  Helsley said there are two issues: cooperative programming and whether the SCAA membership want what our original mission was.

  Bennett liked the joint meeting with Palmcop; it was a great way for people to visit; Bennett is frequently asked to present disaster planning for various groups, and would like to find a way to get all groups together to discuss disaster planning.

  Helsley suggested that SCAA could plan that one of the two meetings each year be a joint meeting, and that SCAA could plan a statewide meeting on disaster planning and recovery.

  Bennett thought that would be a great way to network agencies.

  Suzanne Singleton: Palmcop ought to focus just on disaster recovery.

  Murray: Palmcop's workshops focus mainly on book repair and are mostly helpful to school libraries.

   

  Helsley proposed that: The newsletter promote workshops by other organizations that are of interest to SCAA membership. The board plan to organize joint meetings as a way to improve attendance and income. Organizations have to change to stay alive. If SCAA members want workshops on phase boxes and Palmcop does it too, SCAA will still do its own workshop or plan a joint one with Palmcop. The board also consider having a Preservation Day. There is big demand from the public for this type of information and it is not being met. Genealogists have photos and documents and need to be told not to go to the scrapbook stores. Could have a workshop on preservation issues for genies or have a big preservation day with a segment for genies.

  Bennett reported that CALM has made supplies available. They charge $15 a consultation and also had appraisers available (historical value, financial value). People were able to buy folders, mending supplies.

  Helsley thought it was a good idea to offer supplies and small mending at a preservation workshop. It meets and immediate need; could put together a beginning packet for genies preservation.

  Bennett said that one of the companies sent them 100 sample kits (donated them) for their workshop.

  Helsley stated that these are some program ideas for Aimee James and Sarah Murray. The board needs to respond to SCNA re: a joint meeting. Fall 2005 might be earliest that one can be scheduled.

• Scholarship Committee

  Helsley asked the status of the student and archivist scholarships.

  Bennett stated that it was a good idea but maybe not for this organization. The money was tied to get them to write something for the newsletter. Bennett asked if the money could be directed toward sending someone on the board to SAA, to represent SCAA, with the idea that they will bring back information on the national trends.

  Helsley asked where the money would be drawn from-investment? Capital? How much?

  Bennett said the money comes from raffle to go to the annual social and scholarships.

  Helsley suggested the board set up a CD where it can draw interest quarterly. Based on the current rate, the board could have $120 or so annually in interest. Currently do not have enough money in the scholarship fund to be able to hand any out (based on the Treasurer's report of Sept. 29, 2004).

  Murray reported that SCAA will get around $150 profit from the annual meeting.

  Helsley suggested that the board could pay for a board member to represent SCAA at the SAA meeting and then write a report to be published in the newsletter. Suzanne Singleton was the only board member who is a member of SAA. SCAA is not an organizational member. Around $200 per year is going into the scholarship fund.

  Bennett suggested it could be used to waive the conference fee and lunch for a small organization.

  Helsley didn't know that that has to be scholarship money. The board has enough to just pay for that itself.

  Bennett suggested that the money could be used to buy tapes from SAA if someone couldn't go one year.

  Helsley stated that SCAA doesn't have a newsletter that will build the resumes of archival students. Students received free registration in exchange for working at the meetings. SCAA doesn't want to follow the route of SC Historical Association, which mostly has student presenters. Perhaps Connie Schulz could submit the best products of her students' internships or 40-hour projects for publication in the newsletter.

  West stated that the final products were usually finding aids instead of papers.

  Bennett asked if other organizations offered scholarships.

  Helsley suggested that the board continue the sponsorship of archival students to attend our workshops and send an SCAA board member, preferably the president, to SAA.

  West asked if funds could be used to defray travel costs or research costs for students.

  Helsley suggested that money could be used to assist an MLS or MA student working on a thesis or research paper. Or that money could help defray costs for Connie Schulz's trip to Great Britain.

  Bennett suggested it could go to sending someone to a workshop elsewhere that can't be held here.

  Helsley suggested that it would be easier to go with a student who was writing the thesis in SC. Students could submit a statement to the board about their topics and needs.

  Bennett asked if there should be a base amount of money in that account before implementing any ideas.

  Helsley stated the board could send the quarterly interest from the CD. She asked were the scholarship money is physically located.

  Bennett thought it was included in the checking account and is only separated on paper.

  Helsley said the first step was to move the scholarship money to a regular savings account to earn a little interest. Then deposit the quarterly interest and raffle and social event earnings into the account. If the plans for it are kept small, then there would be around $350 for SAA and around $100 for research award. The board would monitor whether that money is made back and adjust the amounts if need be.

  Bennett stated that a number of organizations have a place on the membership renewal form where members can add $5 to a scholarship fund.

  Helsley stated that would need to be set up separate from subsidizing student attendance at meetings.

  The board adjourned for lunch at 12:30.

  The board reconvened at 2:00.

• Newsletter

  No report.

• Finances

  Helsley suggested the board first find out from Jim Cross when he gets the books from Lauren Decker. She asked if an audit should be done.

  Bennett thought it would a great idea since one has never been done.

  Helsley stated she would email Cross about it. It is a good way to protect SCAA's treasurers. She asked if there were safeguards in place. Usually there is one person authorized to write a check and a second person to sign it.

  Bennett stated there is no system of checks and balances in place. Her understanding was that Decker had not yet given Cross the books.

  Helsley didn't think that the accounts should be set up under the name of the treasurer. They should be under the SCAA name. She asked if there was a set mailing address for SCAA.

  Bennett said no, that memberships are sent to the treasurer.

  Helsley stated that most organizations have a PO Box somewhere that stays put, for bank statements.

  Bennett suggested that businesses like Mailboxes Etc. set up boxes like that. Mail is sent to that box and the business is paid to then forward the mail to whomever is treasurer.

  Helsley asked if SCAA has 5013c status.

  West stated that the bylaws mentioned that SCAA was organized under but there was no paperwork in the files.

  Helsley stated that the last two years of financial records need to be located and put in the archives.

  Murray will get in touch with Cross re: status of financial records and will pick up the records in Sumter if need be.

• Program Committee

  Singleton distributed the evaluation summary of the last conference.

  Social event suggestions were for the Greenville area museums.

  The Program Committee needs to meet to select topics, and needs some board input.

  Bennett asked if the USC Newsfilm Library could do a section this time. A session on magnetic media refreshing would go well with that, and information on the latest things with DVDs, etc.

  Helsley asked if March would be a good month for the spring conference.

  Bennett suggested having it in April since there are a lot of other events going on in March.

  Murray will check on available dates at SCDAH.

  Helsley suggested Jonathan Leader for the keynote speaker, or Steve Smith in Archaeology.

  West suggested Joe Long from the Relic Room.

• Webpage

  Bennett said that the membership list is out of date and that Henry Fulmer will need to provide the new one.

  Helsley stated that putting the list on a webpage would be good way for people to consult with each other, and it could be kept more up to date than the printed one, but would people object to have their information on the web?

  West stated that it may depend on whether it's personal or professional information.

  Singleton said some people do put personal information on the registration form.

  Helsley suggested that the form ask people if they do/don't want contact information put on web. She also suggested that Nancy Piester be asked if the membership application can be put online as a pdf. As soon as the spring meeting information is set that information will be sent to her to put up.

  Helsley also stated that the consultant recommended that the list be alphabetical by last name, add captions for photos, lose textured background, select a color to be identified with SCAA, shrink the font, and move the mission statement. Also move the links to left and link to other sites of similar interest. The board is considering branding.

  Meeting adjourned at 3:15.