Nevada State Library and Archives

California State Archives - California Secretary of State Building
1500 11th Street, Fifth Floor
Sacramento, California  95814

Guy Louis Rocha, State Coordinator, called the meeting to order at 1:33 p.m. at the California State Archives.

Board Members Present:  Guy Louis Rocha, Nevada State Library and Archives; Peter Michel, UNLV Special Collections; Shayne Del Cohen, Consultant; James C. Smith, Lawyer; Sabrina Mercadante, City of Henderson; Jacque Sundstrand, UNR Special Collections;  David Millman, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, Las Vegas.

Board Members Absent: Victoria Ford, UNR Cooperative Extension; Bill Watson, Foundation 36.

Staff Present:  Jeffrey Kintop, Nevada State Library and Archives.

Item #1 – Welcome and Introductions:
None necessary. 

Action Item #2 – Approval of February 7, 2007 Minutes:
Ms. Del Cohen moved to adopt the minutes as presented and Mr. Milman seconded the motion.  Mr. Rocha asked for discussion and, hearing none, called for a vote.  The minutes were approved by acclamation.

Information Item #3 – Updates on Budgets, Legislative Session, Nevada State Library and Archives transitions, UNR Special Collections, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, State Archives Video and Activities to Support Native American and Black History Month in Nevada:
City of Henderson - Sabrina Mercadante:  Work on the reformatting center is progressing and funding has been approved for new equipment and a long-term storage assessment.  Dana Miller (a guest at the February SHRAB meeting) has been contacted to create a proposal to get funding for a small historical collection assessment.  The mayor of Henderson was re-elected and Amanda Cyphers was replaced on the City Council by Gerri Schroder; Ms. Schroder spent many years on the Planning Commission and is very familiar with the City of Henderson.

UNLV Special Collections – Peter Michel:  A portion of the operating budget has been submitted, but most funding (like the acquisitions budget) comes from the State of Nevada and those amounts are projected to remain flat over the next three years; State agencies are still awaiting the details of their upcoming funding from the state budget.  A permanent position is hoped to be found for Ms. Miller, whose contract ends in June.

Nevada State Museum & Historical Society, Las Vegas – David Milman:  A half-time LCA position may be offered to Dana Miller and one other person.  The Museum & Historical Society should move into the Springs Preserve complex by early 2009 and the creation of new exhibits is in progress.  Also, the water district is assisting with a number of issues concerning the move.  Two-dimensional holdings should be up on the web site within the next month or two.  Mr. Milman is currently serving as both Curator and Acting Director though a permanent director should be named in the next couple weeks (Mr. Milman is a candidate for that position).  Funding was approved by the Legislature for a new microfilm reader/printer. 

Lawyer – James C. Smith:  Mr. Smith and Teri Mark (NSLA Records Manager) presented the SHRAB Strategic Plan to the Northern Nevada ARMA Chapter and the information was well-received.  Open Meeting Law and Public Records classes will be taught through Lohrman Education Services on September 26, 2007.  Mr. Smith is hoping the Attorney General’s Office will create an Open Meetings Law/Public Records Deputy position as this would provide tremendous assistance to state and local government entities concerning confidentiality issues; the assistance of SHRAB members in promoting this position would be helpful. 

Mr. Smith followed SB 123, an initiative calling for a five-day turnaround on written requests for information, throughout the 2007 Legislative Session and believes this issue will be revisited in 2009.  The initiative calls for documentation as to why information may be confidential and allows access to records dealing with actual persons after thirty years, or upon the person’s death, with a court order.  The Nevada Press Association, under former Nevada Appeal editor Barry Smith, played a large part in creating this initiative; Mr. Smith also requested that an ombudsman position be created in the Secretary of State’s Office as part of Administrative Law.  At the moment, public records administration is a hot topic at the national level due to an Executive Order regarding Presidential records, as well Congressional response to the Order.

Consultant – Shayne Del Cohen:  Many requests for information have come about in response to the publication of the Western Shoshone distribution final rules and Ms. Del Cohen has been helping to identify resources other than the often-incorrect Indian Census rolls; people are also attempting to find ways of reopening sealed records.  Almost two generations have passed since settlement of the original claim and younger people haven’t been given proper background on the case.  No appropriation or authorizations have been made at this point. 

UNR Special Collections – Jacque Sundstrand:  No news is yet available on the positions currently open due to the recent finalization of the state budget.  Some of the Robert Laxalt Collection has been compiled into an exhibit; this year is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Sweet Promised Land so the exhibit will remain up for the rest of the year.  The library should move into the new Knowledge Center in early June of 2008 with the entire move scheduled for completion before the fall 2008 semester begins.  The Getchell Library building’s future is uncertain because no money has been allocated for removal and/or renovation of the facility.  The Black Rock Press will remain in Getchell for the present.

Nevada State Library & Archives – Guy Louis Rocha:  A position to manage and oversee the Southern Nevada Resource Center (the current Museum & Historical Society) was not funded, nor was the Veterans Museum, but almost all the other requested funding came through for the following items: eight new microfilm readers/printers with OCR capabilities; a $1.2 million library collection development fund; and box tracking software for records management.  Daphne Arnaiz-DeLeon, a historian and certified archivist currently working with the New Mexico Archives & State Records center, will start work as the new State Library & Archives Administrator some time in July of 2007.     

Information Item #4 - SHRAB members whose terms expire in 2007:
Mr. Rocha, Mr. Smith, Mr. Milman, and Ms. Ford are up for reappointment; Ms. Ford will not return and her position may be filled by Amy Harvey, Washoe County Clerk, who has been on the State Records Committee for quite some time.  Their names have been submitted to the Governor’s Appointment Secretary and notification should be received by June 30, 2007.

Action Item #5 – Review Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 and assign SHRAB responsibilities:
A..                  Organize subcommittees to oversee Strategic Plan Objectives
               I.                     May Day – Next Year’s Activities
 

                                                                           i.      Staging an emergency/disaster to illustrate the importance of preserving documents would be fun for next year and ties in well with national events.  Other agencies have done similar scenarios in the past with both newspapers and television coverage of the stories.  Amy Harvey, Washoe County Clerk, is doing something equivalent in Reno.   

                                                                         ii.      Heritage Preservation and the California Preservation Association (CPA) are creating a national database of disaster recovery supplies that will be searchable by state, geographical region, type of assistance, service, etc.  CPA is also working with Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Services (WESTPAS) to present disaster planning workshops with three to be held in Nevada; Karen Starr is coordinating the activity for the State Library and Archives.     

II.                   Archives Month – What kind of activities should the SHRAB undertake?

                                                                           i.      A Cultural Affairs video promoting Archives is being produced as part of the Exploring Nevada series.  The video is scheduled to broadcast on public access cable channels during Archives Week, now Archives Month, with the potential for a public showing as well.

                                                                         ii.      Customized posters with a “place your photo here” might be offered to local libraries for a charge of about $10, plus the cost of shipping, to advertise Archives Week/Month.  This could be a popular idea because people like the look of the black-and-white photos against a bold color background. 

                                                                        iii.      Historic locations around the state might be promoted with a treasure map that ties in to the customized posters with a reward offered for “found treasure” (facsimile items created to be taken home); the state Commission on Tourism and Nevada Magazine might be contacted about promotional materials.  This could be a viable promotion since families prefer to drive rather than fly and gas prices aren’t preventing travel. 

III.                  History Day in Nevada – How to promote and support this activity

                                                                           i.      This Nevada State Library and Archives hosts this event each year and Mr. Kintop was contacted by the director of National History Day, Cathy Gorn, who requested that this be made a permanent Department of Cultural Affairs program.  Mr. Rocha asked that information regarding the proposal be sent to him so that he might approach Mr. Fischer prior to his being contacted by outside parties. 

                                                                         ii.      A SHRAB statement of support about making History Day a permanent part of some division of Cultural Affairs would be helpful.  Mr. Smith, Mr. Michel, and Ms. Del Cohen will serve as the subcommittee and work with staff member Jeff Kintop.  Mr. Watson might also be approached as a potential subcommittee member. 

                                                                        iii.      Gwen Clancy would be a good person to approach about covering History Day (as well as May Day and other SHRAB events). 

                                                                        iv.      The History Day theme comes from Washington, D.C., but the use of primary sources means local projects would be Nevada-related.  During past SHRAB meetings, mention has been made of the possibility of making resources throughout the state available for students and teachers.  Approaching teachers during Archives Month would be a good option.

IV.                Regrant projects

                                                                           i.      The ability to match NHPRC funds needs to be explored by the SHRAB.  The NHPRC will fund half a project, which means that they want a 100% match.  The current match for the operating grant is the $80 daily fee received by non-state employees who attend meetings, but a more reliable calculation must be found so government employees who serve as Board Members should come up with a daily amount for future applications.

                                                                         ii.      The Legislature wanted all money they granted to the SHRAB to be re-granted to other agencies.  The NHPRC grant covered the management and distribution of the Legislature’s $50,000 to local governments.  Preparations should be made for the next Legislative session because private organizations will not fund a large enough match for those types of grants.

V.                  Circuit-rider Archivist

                                                                           i.      Bill Watson and the Foundation 36 micro-grant program may also be a funding option as that would also generate PR for their program.  Each local entity interested in hiring the circuit-rider archivist could apply for their own micro-grant.

VI.                SHRAB sessions at professional association annual meetings.

                                                                           i.      Anyone planning to attend a professional association meeting should let Mr. Kintop know so their travel can be scheduled.  NHPRC grants now reimbursement requests instead of awarding money in advance. 

VII.               Other ideas?

                                                                           i.      None at this time.

Action Item #6 - Discuss and make recommendations for NHPRC DHRAB Operating Grant for 2008:
The SHRAB operating grant is up for review and decisions must be made about goals for the next year or two based on the Strategic Plan since a focus on specific goals is essential to show progress; applications must be submitted to NHPRC by September 2007.  Potential future goals include the Circuit-Rider Archivist program, disaster planning, classroom training, etc.  Development of courses similar to those offered through Lohrman is progressing through UNR Extended Studies with the potential for accreditation in time for Spring 2008 classes and Mr. Michel will attempt to find someone in Southern Nevada who might set up something similar at UNLV.  Another possible goal may be to hold annual meetings with other state SHRABs.  Washington and California have already been covered and Utah could be scheduled for next year, with the possibility of future meetings in Arizona and Idaho as well.  The Nevada SHRAB needs to find a stable funding source in order to create a digital archive similar to the excellent facility some members toured during their visit to Washington state. 

Action Item #7 - Set up meeting dates for subcommittees:
Mr. Kintop will make arrangements directly with the subcommittee members.

Information Item #8 – New Business:
The City of Las Vegas submitted a planning grant to the NHPRC that the SHRAB will need to review prior to the Commission meeting in November; Mr. Kintop will find the exact deadline so the next SHRAB meeting date may be set.  Las Vegas will also create an assessment grant for the digitization and preservation of their records.

Mr. Rocha was reappointed to the Records of Congress Advisory Committee for another two years and he is now the second most senior person on the Committee, behind Senate Historian Richard Baker.  The disposition of former Nevada House and Senate delegate papers is of some concern as Governor Gibbons is presently storing his papers at an unknown location so access to them is restricted.  Congresswoman Berkley may send her papers to UNLV and Senator Reid to UNR, but the disposition of Senator Ensign’s papers is as yet unknown.  Virtually all such documents are located within Nevada, though some may have ended up at other locations, such as Huntington Beach.

Information Item #9 – Public Comment:
None at this time.

Action Item #10 – Set Next Meeting Date:
The date will be contingent upon Information Item #8 (New Business).  Carson City will host the next meeting at the Nevada State Library and Archives.

Action Item #11 – Adjournment:
A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Michel and was seconded by Ms. Sundstrand.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:33 p.m.