Thursday, September 27, 2012

Plight of the Georgia Archives Made the NY Times!

No doubt, everyone is busily preparing for GaCOMO, but let's not forget to keep the heat on our elected officials regarding the closure of the Georgia Archives which is still slated for November 1!

The New York Times has just published an excellent overview of the plight of state archives in these, let's say "interesting times." The proliferation of digital records (and the unwritten or untested legalities surrounding them) combined with an increasingly successful push for smaller government, is currently hobbling many state archival departments, Georgia's being only the most extreme example.

In the article, Vicki Walch, the executive director of the Council of State Archivists, rightly points out that, "this is a period of time that could be the Dark Ages for public records."

Let's see what we can do to open the door and let in a little light, folks! Sign the petition if you haven't already and let your elected officials know how you feel. (Brian Kemp, you have to contact separately.)

Budget Cuts to Archives Put History Out of Reach
The Georgia Archives, which holds both historical curiosities and virtually every important state government document ever created, is about to become nearly impossible to visit.

In November, a round of government budget cuts will reduce the staff to three, one of them the maintenance man. Thousands of documents that pour in every month are likely to languish because no one will be available to sort through them, archives officials said. People who view accurate and open government records as the bedrock of democracy are outraged.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Thomas University Library in the Spotlight!

[Note: This is an archived post. This spotlight has been removed from the GLA homepage to make way for the latest spotlight.]
 
This month, GLA is featuring the Thomas University Library in our spotlight.

Please visit the GLA homepage (http://gla.georgialibraries.org) to learn more about Thomas University Library's wonderful collections, services, and programs!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Joint Letters from GAIT, GLA and GLMA to Oppose Closing Georgia Archives

The fabulous, and tireless, GLA President, Liz Bagley, would like to share the joint letters from GAIT, GLA, and GLMA that she hand delivered to the State Capitol this morning. The letters are addressed to Governor Nathan Deal and Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp, and they set out the associations' opposition to the closure of the Georgia Archives slated for November 1.

Liz was one of the eighty (some reports say 125-ish) supporters of the Georgia Archives to attend the Governor's ironically scheduled signing of a proclamation to celebrate October as Archives Month across the state.

Many thanks to the officers who drafted these well-crafted letters and the Georgia library community for their continued support of our wonderful Archives!

Joint Letter to Gov. Deal Opposing Closing State Archives (.pdf)
Joint Letter to Sec. Kemp Opposing Closing State Archives (.pdf)

A Pledge and A Call to Continue Advocacy

Today, Governor Nathan Deal, addressing an audience of eighty supporters of the Georgia Archives, pledged to "make sure the archives stay open." It appears that no further details were offered at the time, and the Governor's staff had not expected anything near this level of attendance at the signing of a proclamation to celebrate October as Archives Month across the state.

The organizers of the movement to save the Georgia Archives encourage us to keep up the momentum and keep the issue front and center for our elected officials.

“We’re thankful for the governor’s words,” said one of the group’s organizers, Kaye Lanning Minchew of the Coalition to Preserve the Georgia Archives. “But we don’t want it to close Nov. 1, so we absolutely need to make sure the advocacy doesn’t stop.”

Deal Pledges to Keep Georgia Archives Open (AJC)

The Governor of GA: Leave Our State Archives Open to the Public (Change.org petition)

Georgians Against Closing State Archives (Facebook group)

Friends of Georgia Archives and History (Don't miss their list of action items!)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

CALL TO ACTION: Help Us Keep the Georgia Archives Open to the Public

Last week the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office announced that as of November 1, 2012, the Georgia Archives will be closed to the public. The Georgia Archives identifies and preserves Georgia’s most valuable historical documents and records.

How will these records be accessible if the doors to this magnificent treasure trove are closed to the public? It’s not possible for everything to be available on the web. Not everything stored at the Archives is currently online, and it would take centuries to digitize everything. This action will make Georgia Archives the only state archives without public access hours.

All Georgians and historians, genealogists, and researchers from around the country and around the world will be affected directly or indirectly by the closure of the Georgia Archives.

Contact the governor, your legislators, and the Secretary of State immediately to fight the imminent closure of the Georgia Archives to the public. I encourage you to contact them via the Georgia Library Association Take Action Center. Please feel free to add to and edit the general message you send to your officials.

It is necessary to contact Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp directly at http://sos.georgia.gov/cgi-bin/email.asp.

Thank you for taking action for Georgia libraries.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Bagley
President, Georgia Library Association

Monday, September 17, 2012

ALERT: Georgia Archives Set to Close on November 1

Citing budget cuts, Georgia Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, announced on September 13 that the Georgia Archives will be effectively closed to the public beginning on November 1. Access to the archives will then be available by limited appointments only.

The Georgia Archives was established in 1918 and houses a rich collection of primary and secondary sources in addition to state documents recording Georgia government activities. After November 1, Georgia will become the only state in the union to not make a public archives freely available to its citizens.

If this gets your dander up like it has ours, please consider signing the following petition!

The Governor of GA: Leave Our State Archives Open to the Public (Change.org petition)

For more information about the Archives, its imminent closure, and public response, please see the following sources.

ALA President Expresses Deep Concern and Dismay About Closure of Georgia Archives to the Public (American Libraries Magazine)

Georgia Threatens Closure of State Archives (Society of American Archivists - don't miss their letter of protest to the Governor!)

Georgians Against Closing State Archives (Facebook group)

Friends of Georgia Archives and History (Don't miss their list of action items!)

Supporters Rally Against Georgia Archives Closure (Atlanta Journal Constitution)






Friday, September 7, 2012

September Professional and Continuing Education List


Welcome to the Professional and Continuing Education Interest Group monthly announcement for continuing education opportunities.  This email contains a listing of conferences, webinars, and other ways to learn more about librarianship.  Events requiring a registration fee are designated by a ($). This list is also available on the Georgia Library Association blog: http://glanews.blogspot.com
Please help PACE keep this list useful and current by emailing announcements for upcoming continuing education events to Amelia Glawe (Amelia.glawe@gpc.edu).  Thanks!
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September 10
Educause-The Six Dimensions of Next Generation Learning 

September 11
Booklist-Keeping Romance Fresh: Debut Authors & New Trends

WebJunction-Best Small Library in America 2012

YALSA-A TAG Can Work for You, Too! ($)

September 12
APA-Advanced PsycINFO Training on APA PsycNET

NCompass-RDA: Are We There Yet?

Wild Apricot-Understanding Power Dynamics at Work

GrantSpace-Introduction to Fundraising Planning

ALCTS- Recording RDA Elements in MARC 21 Fields in Name Authority Records ($)
 
September 13
InfoPeople-Teens, Tweens, and Social Networking 

GrantSpace- Grant Seeking Basics

Volunteer Match-Creating a Comprehensive and Engaging Volunteer Training Program

September 17
APA-Advanced PsycINFO Training on EBSCOhost 

September 18
FireSpring- How to Captivate and Engage Constituents with Your Website

ACRL-Pinterest and Academia ($)

ALA-The Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration  ($)

September 19
GLA-23 Things: The Next Generation

GLA-Circulating Ideas: Creating a Personal Learning Network for Librarians

NCompass-Your Government Online: White House, Legislative and Judicial Branches

ALCTS-Demand-Driven Acquisitions, part 1($)

PLA-Alternative Reads: Discovering and Sharing Great Indie Fiction Books with Your Patrons ($)

September 21
SEFLIN-eBook Online Conference ($)

September 24
Educause- Designing Mobile Learning Experiences for Higher Education 

eSchool News- Homebound Education Online Learning 
 
 September 25 
APA-Advanced PsycINFO Training on ProQuest 

InSync Training- Brain Bandwidth: Reducing Cognitive Load

September 26
NCompass Live: Tech Talk with Michael Sauers

September 27
InfoPeople- The Mobil Revolution and Libraries: An Overview