July 16, 2020 Town Hall video up!
The video of the second SCAA Town Hall on reopening after the pandemic is now available on the South Carolina YouTube channel. The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9SSX2Yfkpk&t=14s. Please subscribe to the channel!
We are planning to add the chat transcript and a summary of the Town Hall to the SCAA website in the near future.
Another Town Hall will be held at the beginning of September after Labor Day; keep an eye out for the announcement.
Portraits of a Pandemic Project needs your support
The South Carolina African American Heritage Commission needs your help! In May, the Commission began Portraits of a Pandemic, a documentary collection and oral history initiative to capture the experiences of African Americans in South Carolina during our ongoing public health crisis. We recognize that this has been an especially difficult period for all residents but, as reported in state and national media, African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the social and economic distress it has caused. As of this week, 41% of those who have died from the virus in our state were Black. The pandemic has also exacerbated preexisting inequalities and disparities in education, health care, and employment. Future generations will likely seek to understand how this global pandemic redefined what it meant to be Black in South Carolina and how the crisis altered the rhythms and traditions of African American life in the Palmetto State.
Our goal is to gather first person testimonies, letters, music, images, artwork and other materials that reveal how African Americans in South Carolina lived, connected, loved, found hope, and survived this experience. We humbly request that you share the link to our web portal with others in your network and community: http://www.greenbookofsc.com/speak. Additional promotional posts can also be found on our social media accounts at @SCAAHC1993 and @greenbookofsc to share on Twitter and Facebook. The Commission is also willing to collaborate with libraries and archival institutions interested in helping to collect stories and testimonies from African Americans residents in their communities. Any assistance that you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Questions and concerns can be addressed to Dr. Ramon M. Jackson, African American Heritage Coordinator, South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Feel free to email him anytime at rjackson@scdah.sc.gov.
Second Town Hall on reopening July 16th!
The South Carolina Archival Association (SCAA) will host the second virtual Town Hall Meeting on reopening archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions to the public on June 16 from 2:15pm-3:45pm. The Town Hall will be a space for further discussion of reopening plans and what the “new normal” will look like as the date for reopening comes closer. It will allow us to share thoughts and ideas and learn from colleagues across South Carolina. Discussions will be unstructured and moderated by Brenda Burk, Head of Special Collections at Clemson University.
The Town Hall is open to everyone but you must register.
When: June 16, 2020, 2:15pm-3:45pm Eastern
Where: Zoom
To register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdc4zj1DNw4Ti4cs8e9i_rpA87gLF5mXittv_w3qVhKadfZNg/viewform
SCAA Call for Awards Nominations
The South Carolina Archival Association (SCAA) annually recognizes archival leaders in the state. The SCAA invites nominations for the following awards:
· South Carolina Archivist of the Year: To a current SCAA member, in recognition of extensive years of exceptional service to the profession, particularly in South Carolina, and to forwarding the mission and goals of the South Carolina Archival Association.
· Career Achievement Award: In recognition of an extensive body of work on the preservation of historical material about South Carolina and of service to promoting their use, and generally rewarded upon retirement, relocation from South Carolina and similar events. Recipients do not have to be SCAA members.
· Program Innovation Award: To SCAA members, based upon criteria such as, but not limited to: Creating a viable archives where none existed; publishing materials that benefit archives or archivists; establishing successful new programs such as access to collections on the web or working with community groups to promote archives. Successful efforts should be South Carolina-based.
· Friend of the Archives Award: To an individual or organization which promotes, advocates, and/or defends archives and archival programs in South Carolina.
· President’s Award: The President of SCAA receives an award for service to the Association at the conclusion of their presidency.
To nominate a group or individual visit: http://scarchivists.org/index.php/awards
The deadline for awards nominations is September 1, 2020.
Important COVID-19 Information on Materials Quarantine Length
The REALM Project has released the results of the first round of Battelle's laboratory testing for COVID-19 on commonly circulated library materials. The five materials tested in this round included a hardback book cover (buckram cloth), paperback book cover, plain paper pages inside a book, plastic protective book covering, and a DVD case. The results can be found at https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2020/20200622-coronavirus-undetectable-after-3-days.html.
The Project has also released "Systematic Literature Review of SARS-CoV-2: Spread, Environmental Attenuation, Prevention, and Decontamination," prepared by Battelle. It can be found at https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/realm/systematic-lit-review.pdf
Page 12 of 32
