Governor's Archives Awards Recognize La Crosse Public Library; Susan Braden

Winners of the 2010 Governor's Archives Awards include the La Crosse Public Library Archives Department for Archival Achievement and Susan Braden, Hedberg Public Library, for Archival Innovation.

According to the announcement by the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board and the Wisconsin Historical Society, the La Crosse Public Library Archives Department was selected for its work promoting archives and preserving local history for the local community the past 30 years. Aside from collecting, processing, and making available archival material, the department has supported students participating in National History Day, provided historical images and information for a book and program about the La Crosse area, received a grant to digitize La Crosse area maps, and created the Footsteps of La Crosse website.

Susan Braden, a reference librarian at the Hedberg Public Library, received recognition for her work to transcribe and digitize General Motors sit-down strike oral histories in order to make them available on the Internet. These oral histories detail the work, union, family, and social life of 12 men who had either participated in the 1937 GM sit-down strike in Janesville, or who worked in other Janesville industries. Originally on audiocassettes, these interviews were converted into podcasts with accompanying transcripts and are now available on the Hedberg Public Library's website.

Susan is also the recipient of this year's WLA Muriel Fuller Award for her oral history work.

The 2010 winners each receive a $500.00 gift certificate from DEMCO, Inc.

La Crosse Tribune article

Governor's Archives Awards Nominations Due April 1

Nominations for the 2010 Governor’s Archives Awards are being accepted by the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board (WHRAB) and the Wisconsin Historical Society through April 1st. The three awards recognize archival achievement, innovation, and advocacy work with historic documents. These awards honor individuals, organizations, and formal programs that make distinctive contributions to historical records preservation and access. Award winners will be announced in June and will be formally presented an award during Archives Month in October 2010. Last year’s award winners include the Clark County Historical Internet Library; the International Harvester Collectors, Wisconsin Chapter 4, Inc.; and the Milwaukee Public Library with the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society. For more information, including guidelines and printable nomination forms, visit: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/whrab/about_award.asp, or contact Emily Christopherson at emily.christopherson@wisconsinhistory.org.

WAAL09: We're from the Government and We're Here to Help! : Reference and Loan Library Services for Academic Libraries

"We're from the Government and We're Here to Help! : Reference and Loan Library Services for Academic Libraries"
Martha Farley Berninger, Abby Swanton, Lisa Reale, and Vickie Long
Reference & Loan Library, DPI - http://dpi.wi.gov/RLL

BadgerLink:
-- Appreciate getting credit for database links (ex: "provided by BadgerLink" or logo)
-- Access is via IP address or library card barcode ranges (please provide both to Badgerlink), or other as needed
-- New: Federated searching across all EBSCOhost and Proquest databases, (and WisCat for licensed libraries)
-- Support: online form for tech support & promotional materials (bookmarks, posters)

WisCat:
-- Since 1980s - resource-sharing tool for ILL, MARC record sharing
-- Z39.50 compatible
-- Includes public, academic, and medical library catalogs, (and Minitex - Minnesota catalogs?)
-- For past year, ISO connection with Illiad for UW-Madison libraries (GZM) brokered by WILS
-- Splash page is customizable, with up to 4 RSS feeds, calendar message of the day
-- "L" list libraries only - can't afford others

Wisconsin Digital Archives - http://cdm15011.contentdm.oclc.org
-- WI Document Depository Program - http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/inddep.html
-- Academic and public libraries
-- Some docs are born digital and only exist online
-- Authoritative, long-term access
-- Primary access is via OPACs - all records in WorldCat, WisCat, MadCat, LRBCat, FirstSearch
-- Collection: hot topics, statistics, task forces, final reports
-- All are assigned WiDoc numbers
-- Open to suggestions for documents to add
-- Not archived: public records, databases, private info (intranets), print that hasn't already been digitized, entire websites (tho can do *parts*)
-- RSS feed or Monthly lists sent to libraries since 2005 - http://salcat.dpi.wi.gov/refloan/indship.asp

Reference Services:
-- AskAway = chat for all public libraries & paid institutions, email for paid institutions - not encouraged to be linked as primary service
-- Backup reference (phone, email, mail) - all WI residents / libraries
-- Songbook database - links into WisCat
-- Library directory
-- Automobile service manuals (coming soon)
-- Access to Dialog, WestLaw, Lexis-Nexis

Questions:

-- Plans to add more databases to Badgerlink? Answer: COLAND recommendation was to enhance access, but waiting to hear about funding.

WAAL09: Public Records in E-Mail and Winning Strategies for Managing Them

"Public Records in e-Mail and Winning Strategies for Managing Them"
Amy Moran, WI Dept. Administration
Nancy Kunde, retired UW-Madison Records Officer - starting as adjunct professor for SJSU in Fall

• Open Records/Sunshine Law: "...all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs..."
• What needs to be retained? Public record = documentation of public decisions and transactions.
• Gets into area of "appraisal" - setting value of records
• Why save? Administrative, legal, financial, historic, and research reasons
• May only be disposed when authorized by an approved RDA (Records Disposition Authorization)
• Most public records now generated electronically
• Program area determines retention needs - IT has custodial responsibility
• Content determines record status:
• does it: interpret or execute policy? record important meetings? document accountability? facilitate department actions/processes? convey an action? support a transaction? support or convey a decision?

Email in the workplace:

• Continues to grow
• Attachments getting larger
• ~93% of all incoming email is unsolicited
• Most may not be public records - can be deleted right away
• In the past, every department had a "file room" managed by the secretary
• Now, we're all data managers / records custodians - everyone's business
• Focus on major functions of the department (communicating with faculty? students?)

Legal considerations:

• Email retention is the same as for hard copy (public records, FERPA, HIPAA, other privacy acts, etc.)
• May be an overall appropriate use policy for organization - differs from one to another
• Subject to open records requests
• Subject to discovery - federal rules changed recently
• California is the state pushing the bubble
• Legal world just starting to consider metadata (largely invisible)
• For authenticating, metadata are critical (to/from/subject/less visible parts)
• Harder to tell when electronic materials have been tempered with

Saving too little:

• violation of public trust/responsibility,
• not available when needed,
• opposition has copies that we don't,
• embarassment

Saving too much:

• Davy Jones' locker
• cost for storage/migration/retrieval/redaction - CD degradation after 5 years
• "Working in the cloud" - online repository = helps with migration problems
• "Smoking gun" - $2.2 million in damages awarded to women suing for sexual discrimination, when found "10 reasons why beer is better than women"
• Not everyone who receives an email needs to save - sender should always save if meets criteria; receiver should receive if it is actionable
• Delete: transitory material, unsolicited, personal, copies, captured in later messages - weekly

Decision tree:

• Personal? Delete
• Work related? Reply or Retain or Delete
• Outgoing? Retain or Delete
• Retained? For current use, Archive, or Delete

Classification:

• Appropriately named folders
• Either within or outside the client - not both; ex: Thunderbird allows setting # of days to keep
• File related records in the same folder
• Each year, close old folder and start new
• May be able to incorporate retention schedule into metadata
• Administrative Rule 12 - protect access to e-only records over retention life (retrieval/redaction/etc.)
• Xythos - pilot project to use; UW-Madison has records module
• Maximize use of email software "folders" - instead of using "inbox" as a catchall
• Online storage isn't appropriate for secure access
• "Near line"
• Offline - printing to paper, or print to PDF file (still manipulatable, except for PDFa)

Information Life Cycle:

• Designing > Record created > Use of record > Dormant > Long-term storage
• Must maintain accuracy, accessibility, retrievability, reliability throughout life cycle
• Conflicting life cycles of information vs. media

More resources:

• Consult Wisconsin Department of Administration Public Records Board website for general records retention information - http://www.doa.state.wi.us/section.asp?linkid=127&locid=0
• UW System General Counsel - all that apply to university - http://www.uwsa.edu/gc-off/records
  -- new! webcasts on records management
  -- challenge: 40,000 UW System employees
• UW Archives & Records Management - http://archives.library.wisc.edu/records

Questions:

• who can make requests? Answer: Anyone; federal open records/sunshine law was modelled on Wisconsin's - you don't have to say who you are, or why you want it - ex: WI State Journal requested salaries of all employees
• Another example: all the email from one of our deans - you can petition for this to be narrowed, but have to respond in timely manner. "All" might really be "all."
• does this affect non-UW System institutions? Answer: Yes, not just issue for biggest schools.
• other technologies? Answer: Some say "don't use IM for official communications" - but this may not be possible. Some gadgets allow synching, backup, etc. - don't want people walking around with records. Could summarize chat in email or print for offical record. Telephone conversations aren't normally recorded, but exceptions: calling in for unemployment benefits.
• Disintermediation - very few secretaries anymore; no one training and overseeing records management responsibility
• can we ask IT to be responsible? Answer: Backup isn't record retention - they have a role, but can't be the sole managers.

WAPL 2007: Genealogical Resources for Library Support Staff

Genealogical Resources for Library Support Staff
a presentation by Lori Bessler, Microforms Librarian and Outreach Coordinator, Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society's newspaper microfilm collection is 2nd in size only to that of the Library of Congress.

Area Research Center network:

• The Society's Area Research Center network holds original records from the area near to the ARC's location
• each of the ARC locations have web sites, accessible from http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/arcnet/
• items can be couriered from one ARC to another for use by your patrons
  

Use the MadCat catalog to find items owned by the library at WHS.
Use the ArCat catalog to find items owned by the archives at WHS.

Other services offered by WHS:

• photocopying services
• research services
• www.wisconsinhistory.org web site provides lots & lots of resources, including access to over 20,000 images & photos

The WHS Research Portal points to databases such as...

• Wisconsin Name Index
• Wisconsin Historical Images
• Turning Points in Wisconsin History
• Civil War Roster of Volunteers
• Wisconsin Corporations Index

Tips for beginning genealogical research:

• start with yourself & go backwards
• talk to your living relatives & get an oral history
  
• cite sources thoroughly so you can find the information later
• photocopy everything, instead of transcribing what you find
  
• use pedigree charts & family group sheets
• find reviews of genealogical software at Cyndi's List
  

Genealogical resources:

• census
• vital records
• newspapers

other good web sites for genealogical research:

• Online Searchable Death Indexes & Records -- a directory of online death indexes listed by state and county
• Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness -- volunteers have agreed to do a free genealogy research task at least once per month in their local area
• FamilySearch
• RootsWeb
• The USGenWeb Project