MARAC ADVOCACY: LETTERS AND RESOLUTIONS, 2009Letter to President Barack Obama Regarding Desired Qualifications for the Archivist of the United States January 17, 2009 Dear President-Elect Obama: As you are aware, Dr. Allen Weinstein, the Archivist of the United States, announced his resignation from his office effective December 19, 2008. On behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, I am writing to share our thoughts regarding the qualifications that we believe are essential in the person whom you will appoint to replace Dr. Weinstein. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference is an organization of approximately 1,000 archivists, curators, librarians, and other dedicated professionals working in the field of historical records and includes numerous National Archives and Records Administration employees. You have spoken eloquently about "...the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope" and that, "Our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared." Our stories are preserved and our destiny is recorded in archives throughout the United States. It is within these archives that we document our democracy, our liberty, our opportunities and, most importantly, the hope of our nation's people. The Archivist of the United States is among the most senior individuals in the archives profession. He or she is invested with many legal obligations, but perhaps most importantly with the moral responsibility to see that this great mission of preserving and remembering our nation's history is accomplished in a way from which our citizens can and will learn. Because the mission of recording and remembering is of such importance -- not only for our generation but for those who will follow us -- we believe a person of character and wisdom, whose decisions are made with a firm knowledge of archives, records management, information technology, and history, should be nominated as the next Archivist of the United States. We hope that the thoughts attached to this letter ("A New Archivist of the United States: Qualities of a Successful Candidate") will help guide you in selecting the person whom you will nominate. If you have any questions about the attached document or MARAC can provide any assistance that might help inform your evaluation of potential candidates for this important position, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Susan McElrath Read the qualifications document [document file]
MARAC ADVOCACY: LETTERS AND RESOLUTIONS, 2007Letter to West Virginia State Governor Joseph Manchin regarding the firing of Fred Armstrong, State Archivist and Historian November 9, 2007 I am writing on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference... to express our disappointment with the handling of the firing of Fred Armstrong, State Archivist and Historian. Though Fred Armstrong was a will-and-pleasure employee, we believe the manner of his firing raises questions about West Virginia's commitment to a high quality public archives program. Fred Armstrong is well respected in the archival community. Under his leadership, the West Virginia State Archives established an excellent record of collecting and preserving West Virginia's historical record through a variety of statewide projects. Fred Armstrong's almost 30 years of service should be recognized as an exemplary contribution to the state of West Virginia... Read the entire letter [document file] Statement of support for the Partnership for the American Historical Record October 16, 2007 On behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), I would like to confirm our willingness to be a supporting member of the Partnership for the American Historical Record. MARAC can ask its membership to write letters in support of the legislation at key stages in its progress. We look forward to receiving the action alerts. We will distribute them to our membership via the Caucus Representatives. MARAC's fall meeting is coming up in two weeks. Let me know if there is anything you would like us to share with MARAC members at that time. We appreciate the offer of providing sample letters on-line. This will facilitate our members' participation. Susan McElrath What is the Partnership for the American Historical Record? The Partnership for the American Historical Record proposes to increase federal support for state and local archival records held by state and local government, historical societies, libraries, and related organizations. This initiative would preserve and provide access to historical records by supporting:
We hope that you will support this effort. Please write, phone, or visit your members of Congress to express your support for increased funding to address the compelling needs of the American historical record. More information on how to do that is available on the Advocating on behalf of FY2008 funding for NHPRC wiki. Additional Sources: MARAC ADVOCACY: LETTERS AND RESOLUTIONS, 2006MARAC Response to NARA Strategic Plan, July 2006 Geoffrey A. Huth, Chair, 8233 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 200, Vienna, VA 22182 17 July 2006 David McMillen Dear David: The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) has reviewed with interest "Preserving the Past to Protect the Future," the strategic plan of the National Archives and Records Administration. As with all archivists, we believe that the direction of the National Archives affects all archives and archivists, so the profession as a whole has an interest in this proposed plan for the National Archives covering the next ten years. In general, MARAC finds the strategic plan well focused and sound. The document focuses on the key mission of the National Archives and looks to improve operations through improved access to records, the preservation of electronic records, and a keen attention to the needs of customers. We do, however, have a few comments for your consideration. The "First Preserver" initiative (outlined in III.1) will ensure that NARA supports government agencies and public institutions with advice about disaster preparedness for records and ensure that NARA counsels other archives reacting to emergency situations that threaten their records. We fully support this initiative, which we understand is in its first stages of development, and we urge NARA to help the profession review its normal assessment of risk. Although many archives discuss risks to their records and can explain their interest in ensuring the protection of these in the case of disasters, archives (along with other institutions) often unconsciously undervalue the importance of systematic risk assessment, disaster drilling, and general security. We call on NARA to push this initiative forward with the vigor necessary to change the profession from within and to make clear-eyed disaster management a central component of any archives, rather than an afterthought. In the past, archives have learned from records disasters, but this learning has usually resulted in something less than a full-scale reassessment of disaster management in the archives. Under III.3, the plan notes that NARA will solve the challenges of electronic records in government, and the narrative explains that NARA will "work closely with many partners to ensure that this technology is scaleable for use by state and local governments, the private sector, and other institutions." One major strategy to support this goal is missing. The final strategy in such a program must be outreach. NARA needs to express in writing what it has shown in action over the past few years, and it must include a strategy to promote and publicize the value of the Electronic Records Archives once it has been developed. Under III.4, the plan addresses the need to provide prompt, easy, and secure access to NARA's holdings. The measurements in this case may require greater specificity. It seems to us that NARA must consider the changing pressures (or diminution of same) on onsite access to records at its facilities across the country. NARA will also need to re-evaluate the online user experience as it gains more experience with managing access remotely. Finally, NARA must consider how to evaluate online transactions with increasing sophistication. The number of raw hits will no longer be an adequate measure. NARA will also need to develop means of distinguishing brief versus extended use, even if that use takes place offline in a researcher's home or office. If archives in general do not determine how to measure remote use adequately, the validity of their mission may be called into question by the administration of the archives' parent organizations. MARAC looks to NARA to provide guidance in this area. Under III.6, the plan discusses the need to equip NARA to meet the changing needs of its customers. The strategies supporting this goal are all appropriate but none appears to address the customer directly. The strategies suggest the modification of NARA's culture and the development of necessary skills to support customers. But these do not lay out a methodology to develop an understanding of NARA's customer base, which we see as especially important in this time of great changes in that base. One general comment about this plan is that its measurements are usually incomplete. By this, we mean that the measurements of success generally list goals but do not list specific timelines by which these goals will be met. For instance, in IV.2.9 the plan notes that the National Archives will improve storage, preservation, and collections security by measuring the percent of archival holdings at risk. Specifically, the plan lists two measurements: backlog of at-risk holdings and cubic feet of holdings treated. These measures, however, are not truly measures since they include no specific goals. For these to be useful goals, the National Archives must note what percentage or quantity of the backlog of at-risk materials will be treated, either per year or by the end of the decade covered by this plan. In the absence of such specific measurements, the National Archives will not have the ability to express with confidence that it has met its goals unless the entire backlog of at-risk holdings is eliminated. Such incomplete measurements are common in this document and will prove unhelpful if not made more concrete in the final document. Since this plan is a public document, MARAC suggests one small change. The document contains a fair number of undefined acronyms that are opaque to the general user, but also sometimes unfamiliar to archivists outside of the federal system (for instance, "ISOO," "PRA," "COOP"). To make this document as accessible as possible, without diluting the professional focus of this document, MARAC suggests the NARA ensure that all such terms are clearly defined in the document itself. MARAC has one final suggestion and an offer. Our suggestion is that NARA focus great attention on how to make archives public spaces that people visit much as they would a museum. With its Public Vaults, NARA is in the forefront of this change in the profession, a transformation that can serve simultaneously to increase the visibility of archives and to ensure that our public facilities do not become underused while much reference activity moves to the Web. Finally, MARAC is the regional archives association with the most NARA staff as members. Our organization covers the eastern coast of the country from New York to Virginia, which includes many of NARA's large facilities as well as its central offices. Given our geographical proximity and our strong membership of government archivists, we believe we are in a good position to cooperate with NARA on projects of mutual benefit. We offer our time to that end and to the good of the profession. Sincerely, Geof Huth MARAC Advocacy: Letters and Resolutions, 20052 September 2005, Joint resolution on hurricane relief JOINT STATEMENT BY THE BOARDS OF Members of COSA, NAGARA, and SAA are overwhelmed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. As archivists we are, of course, concerned about the collections. But first and foremost, we are concerned for our friends and colleagues, as we are for all the people whose lives have been affected. It is difficult to comprehend the scale of the damage. How can anyone plan for a disaster that completely destroys the surrounding infrastructure? Those of us in the rest of the country cannot know how to respond. Without reliable communications, we don't know what's needed. But we know that people need food, water, and shelter immediately. The Boards of COSA, NARAGA, SAA, and COSLA are encouraging their members to support all those whose lives have been affected by Katrina by making a contribution to the charity of their choice. For a list of charities, see the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website at http://www.fema.gov/press/2005/katrinadonations.shtm. Many of these charities already have people on the scene and have the experience to distribute help where it's needed most. In the future, we hope to learn more about specific ways we can help our colleagues care for their collections. We will keep you informed. Members who would like to be added to a hurricane-response volunteer list for future effortsmay submit their names using a form on the SAA website (http://www.archivists.org/news/hurricane-volunteer.asp). We will make this list available to archival institutions so that they can contact volunteers directly. At this time, it is impossible to predict when, or if, volunteers might be contacted for help. -- David Carmichael (COSA) 6 May 2005, MARAC petition concerning funding for NHPRC. Geoffrey A. Huth, Chair The Honorable Joseph Knollenberg, Chair The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), an organization of approximately 1,000 archivists, curators, librarians, and other dedicated professionals working in the field of historical records, is quite concerned about the possibility that the entire budget of the National Archives, National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) is in jeopardy. MARAC members live and work from the state of Virginia to the state of New York, and they have an abiding interest in ensuring the preservation of the historical record as an essential element in a modern society. Our members have been dismayed to learn that the modest NHPRC budget request ($8 million in competitive grants, $2 million for program administration) has been recommended for elimination. As an example of our great support for the NHPRC, please find attached the signatures of 190 of our members expressing their distress at the possibility of no funding for the NHPRC. The small budget of the NHPRC has been instrumental in ensuring the preservation of and access to important historical records across the country, including hundreds of grants in the region covered by MARAC (which includes seven states and the District of Columbia). The NHPRC provides services that no other branch of the federal government - not even the National Archives itself - provides. The National Archives focuses its attention on federal records, but the NHPRC ensures that non-federal records (such as those of corporations and individuals) are preserved and made accessible. These records certainly support the writing of history, but ready access to these records also ensures that our democracy and our economy function as they should. The benefits of the NHPRC may be invisible to many Americans, but across the country Americans of all kinds (filmmakers, teachers, journalists, and genealogists, among many others) benefit from the varied projects supported by the NHPRC. I would like to thank you and you Subcommittee for your attention to this important matter, and I urge you to support the continued funding of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Sincerely, 25 April 2005, to the House Appropriations Committee concerning funding for NHPRC. Geoffrey A. Huth, Chair PUBLIC TESTIMONY To the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary and District of Columbia On behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), an organization of approximately 1,000 archivists, curators, librarians, and other dedicated professionals working in the field of historical records, I am writing to you regarding the budget of the National Archives, National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). MARAC members live and work from the state of Virginia to the state of New York, and they have an abiding interest in ensuring the preservation of the historical record as an essential element in a modern society. Our members have been dismayed to learn that the modest NHPRC budget request ($8 million in competitive grants, $2 million for program administration) has been recommended for elimination. The small budget of the NHPRC has been instrumental in ensuring the preservation of and access to important historical records across the country, including hundreds of grants in the region covered by MARAC (which includes seven states and the District of Columbia). The NHPRC is not a backwards-looking institution interested in the pointless pursuit of the past. The NHPRC is an institution dedicated to preparing this nation for the future by supporting projects that create documentary editions of the papers of important Americans (such as Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Dwight David Eisenhower), develop programs that protect the most important records of our American past, and conduct research into how to preserve the vital yet fragile electronic records upon which our nation now depends. The NHPRC provides direct and indirect service to all Americans. Because of the NHPRC, hundreds of thousands of records are now protected and accessible, allowing citizens to find unique information in records and to benefit from easy access to published versions of historical documents. Because of the NHPRC, hundreds of institutions across the country have developed or enhanced historical records programs. Because of the NHPRC, the United States is at the forefront of developing solutions to one of the most harrowing preservation challenges of our times, the preservation of electronic records. Without this last item, the United States might face an untenable future, one in which the important records of its government, businesses, and individuals are lost for all time, one in which democracy is more a slogan than a reality because no one will have access to the records that document the how and why of our collective past. The NHPRC provides services that no other branch of the federal government - not even the National Archives itself - provides. The National Archives focuses its attention on federal records, but the NHPRC ensures that non-federal records (such as those of corporations and individuals) are preserved and made accessible. These records certainly support the writing of history, but ready access to these records also ensures that our democracy and our economy function as they should. The benefits of the NHPRC may be invisible to many Americans, but across the country Americans of all kinds (filmmakers, teachers, journalists, and genealogists, among many others) benefit from the varied projects supported by the NHPRC. The modest yet bracing support that the NHPRC grants provide our citizens is only half the story. NHPRC funding is a lever that frees other money to support the NHPRC's important work. On average, non-federal support for NHPRC projects in the form of in-kind support and matching funds averages almost 50%. The loss of the NHPRC will, thus, be much larger than we might imagine. Having been associated with or benefited from a number of NHPRC projects myself, I have seen the advantages of the NHPRC's grants program first hand. The New York State Archives received a grant to document the World Trade Center attacks and ensure for all time that the full story of that terrible day remains clear in our minds. The Research Foundation of the State University of New York has studied how to ensure the authenticity of electronic records so that we can be confident that the electronic records we use in the future are true and valid records of the past. Syracuse University developed a useful model for managing the sometimes transitory records that reside on websites. The Trustees of Columbia University are developing standards for managing electronic geospatial records, the preservation of which is a huge problem for both government agencies and business. All of these projects have benefited the members of MARAC directly and indirectly, and all of these projects will ensure that our country continues into the future as a great democracy. I would like to thank the members of the Subcommittee for their attention to this important matter, and I urge you to support the continued funding of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Sincerely, 16 February 2005, concerning consolidating the collections of the Winterthur Library at the Hagley Library. 8233 Old Courthouse Road On behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), an organization of approximately 1,000 archivists, curators, librarians, and other dedicated professionals working in the field of historical records, I am writing to you regarding the discussions currently underway in your institutions about collaborative programming, most especially the possibility of consolidating the collections of the Winterthur Library at the Hagley Library. We applaud the collaborative efforts of the Winterthur and Hagley library staffs, even though your collecting missions are so disparate. However, because of the unique collection missions of each library, as archivists and curators, MARAC would be extremely distressed to see the removal of documentation from the Winterthur estate that directly supports study of the development of the estate and the museum. Besides alerting researchers to the collections at Winterthur, many of us have visited and used the collections ourselves. We understand the special relationship that exists between the estate itself, the museum collections, and the documentary collections in the library, which generate wonderful opportunities for integrated study for many Winterthur researchers. These opportunities would be greatly reduced should the Winterthur Library collections be moved to Hagley, a move that does not serve the collections' users to the fullest extent possible. We also can envision difficulties with future collection development should such a consolidation take place. Naturally, MARAC members would also be concerned if such a consolidation did take place, the special understanding of these documentary collections that have been developed by the Winterthur Library staff would be diluted, or lost over the years with staff turnover. We are also concerned for the documents themselves, and understand there are questions regarding environmental controls at Hagley compared to those at Winterthur, which recently has upgraded its HVAC systems. MARAC hopes that the unparalleled assets of, and experience at, Winterthur will remain intact for the benefit researchers, as well as the estate itself. We would be happy to provide additional feedback at your request. Yours sincerely,
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