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"WHAT IS THE CIA?"

The Consortium of Iowa Archivists (CIA) is a loosely organized group of archival personnel who work with archival collections in Iowa. They first met as a group at the 1998 Iowa Heritage Expo at the State Historical Society in Des Moines. The group met again in 1998 at Grinnell College to exchange ideas about the purpose of the CIA. It was decided not to organize formally but to exchange ideas and concerns informally by contacting other members when issues arose. An Internet web site has been created by CIA member, Tanya Zanish-Belcher. The site currently has information about workshops sponsored in part by the CIA, a CIA membership list, and links to other related web-sites.

"WHAT ABOUT A CIA NEWSLETTER?"

In May 1999 one of the members of CIA, Grace E. Linden, sent a Feasibility Study to CIA members asking for ideas about creating a CIA Newsletter. Several members replied to the study that a newsletter would be welcome. Some members offered their help in creating the newsletter while other expressed concerns that this newsletter would be burdensome for a single editor with no funding and perhaps would also be a duplication of information already available to members in other forms. Therefore, this issue is a prototype only, to be reviewed for its worthiness by those CIA members reading this issue. Please send comments about the newsletter to editor. The comments will then be sent to all members in a future document. Note: the current editor is willing to continue compiling information and publishing the newsletters if that is the consensus of the CIA membership.

This newsletter will be placed on the CIA web site and also mailed to those without Internet access. If you know of archival personnel not receiving this newsletter in either of those forms, please contact the editor.

"HAS THE CIA BEEN INVOLVED IN ARCHIVAL CONFERENCES?"

The CIA co-sponsored a conference in June 1999 at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, called "Save Our Stuff"! This was a one day conference offered by the Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium (ICPC) and co-sponsored by the Iowa Museum Association (IMA) and the CIA.

"IS THE CIA GOING TO HAVE MEETINGS IN THE FUTURE?"

Yes, the most recent word is that there will be a CIA meeting on Tuesday, September 14th at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids. The schedule of the meeting:

Dave Muhlena, Librarian
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library,
e-mail: dmuhlena@ncsml.org
Or call 319-362-8500 or visit the web site at:  www.ncsml.org/visitorinfo.htm#HowToFindUs

"WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE HAVING ARCHIVAL CONFERENCES IN THE FUTURE?"

The Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) and the Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists will hold their fall meetings in Lincoln, Nebraska October 14-16, 1999. See ad later in this issue.

Question: Do CIA members wish to meet during the MAC conference in Lincoln? Could someone set up a time and meeting place? This information can be sent to CIA members before the MAC meeting. Send comments to the editor or have them placed on the CIA web site.? This information can be sent to CIA members before the MAC meeting. Send comments to the editor or have them placed on the CIA web site.

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, Massachusetts is sponsoring a three day conference, "To Film or To Scan". This will be held at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha and at the Nebraska State Historical Society in Lincoln, Nebraska September 21-23, 1999. Contact Sona Naroian at NEDCC at 978/470-1010 ext. 214 or at sona@nedcc.org

The Schooner’s Adventure in Ancestry is sponsoring "Heritage of the Great Plains Conference" October 29-30, 1999 in Salina, Kansas. "This is your opportunity to hear and enjoy excellent speakers with expertise in the fields of history, genealogy, library and archival science." For more information contact The Schooner’s Adventure in Ancestry, 2187 Fawn Rd., Abilene, KS 67410 or at   www.theschooner.com

"WHAT NEWS IS THERE FROM THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS?"

The Sixty-Third Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists is being held August 23-29, 1999 at the Hilton Towers in Pittsburgh, PA.

During this conference, the Andy Warhol Museum of Pittsburgh is hosting an afternoon session on August 25, 1999 for members of the Museum Archives Section of the Society of American Archivists to discuss the soon to be published new edition of the Basic Manual for Museum Archives. "The new manual will be directed towards new or non-archivists who are concerned with implementing an archival program in a museum."

For more information about SAA write to: 527 S. Wells St., 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60607 or visit the web site at: www.archivists.org

"WHAT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE FOR ARCHIVAL PERSONNEL?"

Archival personnel in Iowa can receive funding for projects through the State Historical Society grants from the "REAP/Historical Resource Development Program" (HRDP). These grants are funded by the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act passed by the Iowa General Assembly and signed by the governor in 1989. To receive applications write to:

Lavon Wickett, REAP/HRDP Coordinator
State Historical Society of Iowa
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0290

"WHO IS THE CIA WEB COORDINATOR?"

An article about one of the CIA members, Tanya Zanish-Belcher, was published in the May/June issue of "Archival Outlook", a publication from the Society of American Archivists: "Tanya was appointed acting department head of the special collections department at Iowa State University Library in 1998. She has served SAA as a member since 1991, working on a variety of committees, roundtables, sections and special programs. In her candidates’ statement (for the position on the SAA Nominating Committee), Zanish-Belcher indicated her belief that, "The Nominating committee must look for individuals who have not only specific skills, but also a willingness and an ability to see beyond their own small sphere to represent those with no voice and to provide a leadership for all…the archival profession is becoming increasingly fragmented and the role of SAA is to provide guidance and support for all…".

Tanya is presenting a workshop at the fall MAC conference in Lincoln at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 14th at the Holiday Inn in the Haymarket District. The title of the workshop is "Fundamentals of Reference".

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter Tanya is the CIA web site coordinator.  Jill Osweiler, of the ISU Special Collections Department, is the webmaster.  Please contact Tanya with any ideas or comments about the site.

Tanya Zanish-Belcher
tzanish@iastate.edu
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-2140
515/294-6648

"WHAT ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FROM CIA MEMBERS?"

CIA Members wrote to the editor after receiving the Feasibility Study in June. Some of the questions and comments:

Would a CIA Member " discussion list" on the internet be useful?

How do I handle my growing archival collection and what are the best practices for handling and indexing various materials?

I don’t have access to the internet but would like to be connected with other archival personnel in the state.

"Archival Products" is interested in advertising in the "CIA Newsletter".

When is the next CIA meeting?

I want to help with the newsletter, what can I do?

The idea of having the CIA membership list and other archival organizations listed in the CIA newsletter is not advisable. Lists of people, organizations, etc. could be developed into a directory instead.

I think it would be great to encourage people to send information about their institutions, their projects, events, or themselves, as a way to get to know each other and build a community.

(Let’s build a community! Please send articles to the CIA Newsletter editor. Deadline for articles for the next newsletter will be February 1, 2000 – that is, if this newsletter receives a favorable response! Editor.)

"WHAT ABOUT THAT MAC CONFERENCE?"

"WHAT ABOUT THAT MAC CONFERENCE?"

The following is an advertisement from the Midwest Archives Conference.

"Archivists Converge on the Great Plains!"

Join friends and colleagues at this Fall’s joint meeting of the Midwest Archives Conference and the Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists in LINCOLN, NEBRAKSA! The newly renovated Holiday Inn in Lincoln’s historic Haymarket District (adjacent to downtown and just blocks from the University) will be the site of an ambitious program guaranteed to enlighten and entertain. Sessions and workshops will explore topics from digital imaging, outreach, image licensing, electronic records management and web design to documenting architecture, Native Americans, Westward expansion and the paranormal. Tours will include sites of distinct Great Plains flavor, like the architecturally stunning Nebraska State Capitol, the new Strategic Air Command Museum, and a peek at the University’s world-class quilt collection. And, we’ll have the social interaction you’ve come to expect from MAC and SRMA. This may be your last professional meeting of the 1900s so make good use of it! Mark your calendars now for October 14-16, 1999, watch for further details on the A&A Listserv and MAC’s web site, www.midwestarchives.org

 "WHO IS THE CIA NEWSLETTER EDITOR?"

Grace E. Linden
Archival Records Clerk
Sioux City Public Museum
2901 Jackson Street
Sioux City, IA 51104
glinden@sioux-city.org
712-279-6174

For more information about the Consortium of Iowa Archivists, please contact:
Tanya Zanish-Belcher
tzanish@iastate.edu
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-2140
(515)294-6648