“Willamette University’s first archivist puts a face on history”

<<from the Statesman Journal>>

Amid the Wallulah yearbooks, the old senior theses, reel-to-reel tapes and the plastic seal balancing a gold dollar sign on its nose, Mary McKay is in her own kind of heaven.

“The most fun part of my job is you get sucked in,” said Willamette University’s first archivist.

“You just get to explore and learn.

“I get to work with history on the back end.”

The West’s oldest university, founded officially in 1842, is a treasure trove of history, but the Salem school only got serious about the past when it hired someone from the present, McKay, who joined Willamette a year and a half ago, as its first real historian.

<<full article at the SJ>>

A pioneering volunteer

<<from the Statesman Journal>>

Daraleen Wade of Keizer began her interest in history — and genealogy — with childhood curiosity about the Oregon Trail.

As a volunteer with the state Archives Division, which recently honored her and other volunteers, Wade is helping compile information on everyone who lived in Oregon before statehood on Feb. 14, 1859.

“I think it’s good for me, mentally and physically,” she said. “I enjoy the people I work with, the contacts — and the chance to have a laugh or two. I have no intention of quitting, until I cannot get here.”

With 15 years as a volunteer and still going strong, she has made history herself.

<<full article at the SJ>>

Web exhibit celebrates the 150th anniversary of the framing of the Oregon Constitution

This exhibit explores the development of the Oregon Constitution, particularly events surrounding the 1857 constitutional convention. In the process, it examines life, politics, and important issues in the years before and after the convention. It also looks at how the constitution has evolved during the 150 years since the convention.

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/exhibits/1857/

NWDA merges with Orbis Cascade Alliance

For details see page 13 of Descriptive Notes (Summer 2007). NWDA’s page at  the OCA web site can be seen here while the main NWDA site remains the same.

SB 554 and SB 671 open records bills signed by governor

<<source http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?…>>

Two open records bills signed by Oregon governor
6/22/2007, 7:25 p.m. PDT
The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed two bills Friday to accelerate requests for public records and require the release of some information that would be confidential otherwise under attorney-client privilege.

Afterward, Kulongoski said Oregon needs to put the public back into its 1973 public-records law, which has been eroded over the years by exemptions approved by lawmakers putting various records out of the public’s reach.

“This is a change in direction,” Kulongoski said at Friday’s signing ceremony. “Maybe it is the first step that we will try to correct a number of these problems.”

One of the bills signed by Kulongoski requires government agencies to respond without delay to requests for public documents.

The other requires government agencies to release a condensed version of information that agencies otherwise could withhold from disclosure because of confidentiality of communications between agencies and the lawyers who represent them.

<<more at The Oregonian>> <<other source: 1>>

Holy Names Heritage Center opening

<<source : http://www.westlinntidings.com/news/…>>

The public is invited to attend the grand opening celebration of the new Holy Names Sisters Foundation Heritage Center from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday (6/21).

The 15,000-square-foot center, which is located near Marylhurst University, features historical material from 146 years of the Holy Names Sisters in Oregon and the Archive of Oregon Family Histories.

The center, which broke ground in September 2005, cost $5 million to build and is open to the public.

Its mission is to be a resource for the conservation and retelling of significant stories, historical development as well as the social impact of the Holy Names Sisters in the Pacific Northwest communities since their arrival in Portland 146 years ago.

The center will also be home to the Family History Project showcasing how Northwest families have impacted and contributed to the life, culture and society of the Pacific Northwest.

Staffed by professionals and volunteers, the center will host programs for children, adults and seniors. Exhibits, family history research and cultural programs will focus on local history, cultural preservation and traditions.

After the celebration Saturday, the center will host a series of informational sessions on the Family History project and workshops on preserving family archives and artifacts.

The center is located at 17425 Holy Names Drive in Lake Oswego. Admission to the celebration is free.

For more information, contact Executive Director Tamra Brosseau at 503-607-0595 or e-mail her at tbrosseau –AT– holynamesheritagecenter dot org

www.holynamesheritagecenter.org

Locals honored with Heritage award

<<via the Mail Tribune>>

Individuals and organizations in 12 communities were honored with Oregon’s first Heritage Excellence Awards. A local history curator and a local association were among those honored.

Carol Harbison Samuelson of Medford was singled out for providing outstanding assistance as library manager for the Southern Oregon Historical Society. She worked with SOHS for more than 20 years. The Jacksonville Woodlands Association was honored for protecting the natural and cultural heritage of historic Jacksonville since 1989 through the establishment of the Jacksonville Woodlands Natural Park and Trail System and its related programs.

Established to recognize outstanding efforts on behalf of Oregon heritage, the awards were presented at the recent Oregon Heritage Commission conference. Oregon First Lady Mary Oberst assisted with the presentations.

Commission coordinator Kyle Jansson of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Heritage Programs Division said the award recipients have produced the most from available resources and skills. Other awardees include: Adams Julie Reese, for her dedication, advocacy and vision for heritage in Umatilla County; Blodgett Sara Swanberg, for the creation and development of the Preserving Oregon’s Artistic Heritage educational video series; The “Higher Ground” Documentary Project, for preserving stories from the Boardman community relocation of the 1960s; Clackamas Oregon Military Museum, for growing Living History Day as an event that presents Oregon history in a hands-on, easy-to-understand fashion; Benton County, for its commitment to preserving the county’s heritage and sharing it with the public, and for serving as a model for other counties; Larry Landis, for his enthusiasm and commitment to preserving and making accessible archival materials for all people of Oregon, and for the development of the Oregon Multicultural Archives and the Northwest Digital Archives; Harrisburg Museum Board of Directors, for its development of Heritage Park and serving as a bridge between the farming community and city residents; Tamástslikt Cultural Institute in Pendleton, for the groundbreaking book, Wiyáxayxt As Days Go By Wiyáakaa’awn; Mission Mill Museum in Salem, for the renovation and transformation of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill building during its Saving Salem’s American Treasure project; Oregon National Guard, for its outstanding leadership and support during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration; St. Paul Colleen Sump, for the development of outstanding interpretive and educational programs at Champoeg State Heritage Area; and Tillamook Forest Center, Oregon Department of Forestry, for the successful planning and development of the Tillamook Forest Center as a place for forest history and heritage.

Oregon Heritage Commission chair George Kramer said the recognition is intended to draw public attention to important heritage efforts in Oregon and raise the quality of heritage-oriented activities.

More information about the awards and nomination forms are posted at www.oregonheritage.org online.

Records access at issue in House

<< via the Albany Democrat Herald>>

By Hasso Hering
Albany Democrat-Herald

Two Senate-passed bills intended to improve public access to state and local government records in Oregon are pending in the House Judiciary Committee.

Whether they get a hearing is up to Rep. Greg Macpherson, D-Lake Oswego, the lawyer and 1968 Albany Union High School graduate who heads the committee as chairman.

He couldn’t be reached for this story, but a committee staffer said hearings were likely.

Senate Bill 554, which the Senate passed 28-0 on April 17, would require a public body to respond “as soon as practicable” to a request for a public record. It also requires units of government to to have a written procedure for making public records available, including a list of possible charges and a statement of how the charges are determined.

The Senate passed the other bill, SB 671, by a vote of 26-1 on April 12. It requires a public body to release a condensed version of factual information in a public record when the record itself is otherwise exempt from disclosure under the attorney-client privilege.

<<Link to full-story>>

A “Water Event” at Lane Community College Archives

<<Posted on behalf of Elizabeth Uhlig, Archivist at LCC>>

On Wednesday, April 18, 2007, the Archives at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, experienced a ‘water event’ aka ‘the flood’. About 10:00 am I heard some unexpected noises from one of our storage areas, unlocked the door, and was hit by a wave of humid air. I heard a large gushing of water and then realized there was about an inch of water on the floor. I quickly called for help and two technicians from IT whose offices are next door came and helped to spread plastic sheeting over the effected shelves.

The Archives is located in the basement of the Center building, directly beneath the cafeteria. Facilities Management had been dealing with overflowing drains that morning, not realizing it was also impacting the Archives. It appears that somehow a t-shirt got into a drainage pipe (maybe it was flushed from a toilet) and that caused the water to back up and flood part of the cafeteria and then drain into the Archives.

Oregon Heritage Excellence Award for Archivist or Collection Curator goes to OSU Archivist

Larry Landis, University Archivist at Oregon State University, will be receiving the Oregon Heritage Excellence Award for Archivist or Collection Curator at the Oregon Heritage Conference in May.

This award recognizes Larry’s outstanding efforts on behalf of Oregon heritage, specifically for his work on the NWDA and Oregon Multicultural Archives. The award will be presented at the Heritage Excellence Awards dinner on Friday May 4th, during the Oregon Heritage Conference in Pendleton, by Oregon First Lady Mary Oberst.