Introduction:
Ten years ago, the newly reinstated Nebraska State Historical
Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) completed a two-year process and
strategic plan. Based on input from constituents across the state,
the SHRAB identified five issues of overriding concern to historical
records custodians and users. That plan, Insuring
Nebraska's Documentary Heritage: A Strategic Plan, has
been the road map that the SHRAB has used in implementing projects
and programs in the intervening years.
Among the successes that the Nebraska SHRAB can point to as
having our involvement or support are a microfilming project
to preserve and make accessible the World War I papers of G.
P. Cather, the model for Willa Cather's hero in One of Ours,
her Pulitzer-prize winning novel; participation in the Nebraska
Newspaper Project, resulting ultimately in preservation of over
300,000 pages of newspapers; a series of workshops on grant-writing
to assist local historical societies produce fundable grant proposals;
a processing project to organize and describe 4,860 drawings
and blueprints documenting the construction of the Nebraska State
Capitol; hands-on training at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation
Center in conservation techniques and best practices for records
custodians in the Great Plains region; an orientation packet
and follow-up training for government records officials; workshops
on basic archival management for historical societies; and a
Collections Guide and Survey Project at the Nebraska State Historical
Society (NSHS) that produced online collection-level finding
aids.
In this new strategic plan, Preserving the Past, Insuring
our History for the Future, we hope to build on these successes.
The participants at SHRAB-sponsored town hall meetings provided
many examples from their own experiences - both successes and
concerns - that enabled us to produce a new plan. We are indebted
to them for their contributions in helping us to craft this new
plan, one that we hope will be a new road map to further successes.
The Nebraska State Historical Records Advisory Board: Who
We Are
The SHRAB is a state board, appointed by the governor, under
the authority of federal statutes and regulations governing the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
program of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA),
44 U.S.C. 2501; 36 C.F.R. 1206. Permanent SHRAB members are the
director of the NSHS, the state archivist, the government records
archivist at the NSHS, and the deputy director for records management
in the secretary of state's office. Other members are appointed
by the governor for no more than two consecutive three-year terms.
The Nebraska SHRAB members represent a variety of constituencies.
Typically county historical society directors, librarians, genealogists
and other historical records researchers, history teachers and
professors, and local government officials are appointed. A geographical
balance is also required, representing the state's three congressional
districts.
Workplan:
During 1995-96, the Nebraska SHRAB met with Nebraskans at
nine sites in all regions of the state to learn about the condition
and use of historical records in Nebraska. In an effort to measure
our progress since the first strategic plan was implemented,
but also to gather information on current historical records
needs and concerns, the SHRAB revisited the same nine communities
in 2005-06. As in the previous series of strategic planning sessions,
the SHRAB heard the views of historical society and museum curators,
historians, genealogists, librarians, county and municipal government
officials, tribal representatives, teachers, and records users.
While we were gratified that many participants in the sessions
were complimentary about several of the projects that the SHRAB
had completed over the past decade, we were also invigorated
by several new challenges, both implicit and explicit, raised
by the participants' comments.
The result of this nine-city survey is the new strategic plan,
Preserving Our Past, Insuring Our History for the Future.
While there are many similarities to the previous plan - the
issues of preservation, access, and education/training appear
likely always to be concerns of Nebraska historical records custodians
and users - new issues that were just on the horizon ten years
ago, such as electronic records management and preservation,
are now directly in our vision.
The new strategic plan, reflecting issues discussed at the
nine meetings and through additional commentary received by the
SHRAB through correspondence, is a challenging call to action
for everyone concerned about the ongoing survival of Nebraska's
historical records. The SHRAB looks forward to meeting the challenges
addressed in the plan, in working with its many colleagues across
the state in addressing the issues raised, and in accomplishing
the recommendations derived from the input of our constituents.
As in the last decade, the next ten years are likely to be filled
with activity and effort in preserving and sharing Nebraska's
documentary heritage.
ISSUE #1 Education and Training
Participants at all of the sessions recognized that education
and training opportunities must be made available constantly.
This need is due not only to turnover in their institutions,
but also to new issues, such as digitization, that are recent
developments. Many recognized that the founding generations of
their primarily volunteer-run organizations will not be as actively
involved ten years from now, so the issue of training (and sometimes
recruiting) newcomers was a concern.
The SHRAB's role will be one of insuring that continuous education
and training opportunities are available While the SHRAB will
continue to offer workshops addressing some of these issues,
it will coordinate training with other state institutions or
associations. For example, the Nebraska Library Commission offers
workshops on digitization best practices. The SHRAB can promote
such workshops among its own constituencies and encourage partnerships.
It was apparent from the town hall meetings that there is
a higher level of awareness of preservation and collections management
issues than in the past. As turnover occurs, it will be important
to sustain this level of understanding.
Recommendations
- Offer an annual workshop on such topics as digitization,
collections care and management (including electronic records),
collections access, grant-writing to NHPRC, disaster preparedness,
and preservation. Present the workshop regionally based on funding
availability.
- Work with the state's professional associations and institutions
to provide on-site training to historical records custodians
- Produce columns on government records issues in the Nebraska
Association of County Officials (NACO) newsletter
- Develop training and educational resources on the Nebraska
SHRAB website
- Continue outreach to Nebraska tribes
- Collaborate with state college history programs to seek internship
placement opportunities for students
- Maintain information on experts in various archival management
areas, including disaster preparedness and preservation
ISSUE #2 Preservation
Ten years ago we reported that there were many local historical
societies without public funding and little private support beyond
volunteer efforts. The situation is much the same in 2006. One
significant development over the last ten years has been the
creation of the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center, a division
of the NSHS, with a staff of professional conservators and state-of-the-art
conservation labs. The Ford Center is a member of the Regional
Alliance for Preservation and, as such, provides assessments,
training, and services for Nebraska and the surrounding states.
For the SHRAB, this has meant several opportunities to provide
advice and training, both at the Ford Center and through on-site
visits to repositories.
Nevertheless records custodians face significant hurdles.
Many county records are stored in buildings or under conditions
that are substandard. Funding by county boards for new and better
space has not been forthcoming, placing those records at risk.
County historical societies often inherit houses or other buildings
that are inadequate for the storing of archival collections,
and retrofitting them to make them acceptable would be costly.
Preservation of electronic records is of great concern to
all. The NSHS reports that late twentieth-century records are
very limited in its collections. Diaries are now blogs, correspondence
is now e-mail, and born digital records are often a norm rather
than an exception. In this fast-paced environment, much history
is being lost.
Another phenomenon in the Internet Age is that online auctions
are finding their way more readily into the hands of private
collectors. While private collectors have always existed, a profit
mentality now operates for many would-be entrepreneurs. Materials
that should be in public repositories are being cannibalized
at a rate unprecedented in the past. Sometimes government records
are being sold illegally.
The SHRAB has supported and will continue to support preservation
microfilming projects. In addition, they have encouraged cooperative
buying opportunities for archival supplies. Multiple workshops
on preservation have been held around the state over the last
decade and, as in the case with education and training, additional
workshops will be needed.
Recommendations:
- Support projects to microfilm archival collections, including
county records, for which inadequate storage and environmental
controls are endangering their survival
- Work with the Ford Center to identify collections in need
of treatment
- Provide conservation or reformatting referrals for institutions
needing assistance with obsolete media
- Promote participation in the Nebraska Memory Project, an
effort to digitize, preserve, and provide access to photographic
collections in the state
- Assist repositories when materials taken from collections
show up online
- Provide information on records retention requirements, as
well as environmental and storage standards, to county officials
for presentations to funders
- Urge repositories to create or update disaster preparedness
plans for buildings and collections
- Initiate Archives Week to inform the public about the state's
archival holdings and the need to preserve them
ISSUE #3 Building collections
The historical record in the state is more fully understood
than ten years ago. Many efforts have been made to find missing
newspapers and other resources, and many more institutions have
written collection development policies than in the past. Nevertheless
identifiable gaps remain in collections. For example, few post-World
War II collections are found at the NSHS and indeed in other
historical societies in the state.
Areas in which the state could be more proactive in collecting
include materials in alternative media. As mentioned, electronic
records are one such medium requiring ongoing sustainability
and management. Oral histories are becoming more important as
the population ages, as well as in tribal archives, where storytelling
and oral transmission of history is commonplace. Images and film
present challenges both in collecting and preserving. Finally,
several town hall meetings discussed the problem of creating
new archives-such as college archives, business archives, and
tribal archives.
Recommendations:
- Advocate development of records retention schedules for universities
and colleges
- Encourage creation of collection development policies at
local historical societies that emphasize collecting historical
materials up to the present
- Collaborate with the Nebraska Library Commission in promoting
the development of digital image collections through the Nebraska
Memory Project
- Participate in statewide efforts to digitize newspapers once
a National Digital Newspaper Program grant is funded. Papers
have been microfilmed as part of the Nebraska Newspaper Project,
a partnership of the NSHS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Foster partnerships among state institutions and historical
societies to development subject-specific digital collections,
such as the Nebraska Public Documents project and American sports
history
ISSUE #4 Access
In the last ten years, many advances have been made in providing
access to collections thanks to the advent of the Internet. The
NSHS successfully embarked on a Collections Guide and Survey
Project, resulting in many important finding aids online. These
can be accessed by researchers using the NSHS website: http://nebraskahistory.org/databases/nhprc/index.shtml. County historical societies have been
encouraged to provide collections information to the NSHS, and
information is added to the Collections Guide online by the staff
in an effort to begin a union listing database. A finding aid
to county government records held at the NSHS has been added
to the NSHS website. In addition, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Archives/Special Collections unit has mounted many EAD-encoded
finding aids on its site, and some of these collections complement
ones at the NSHS. The Nebraska State Capitol inventory and processing
of blueprints and architectural drawings funded by NHPRC in 1997
has documented the construction of the State Capitol.
Generally, the access to collections is better than at any
time in the past. In spite of this positive observation, there
is more to be done. Efforts to create a legislative statute of
limitations on permanently closed records have not been successful.
In addition, ongoing efforts are needed to inform new county
officials of their role in providing access to records, while
balancing the need for security. Although guidelines on the retention
and preservation of websites, e-mail, and other born digital
records have been developed by the Nebraska Records Management
Division, issues relating to retention and sustainability of
born digital records remain to be addressed. This topic was one
of the chief concerns mentioned in each of the town hall meetings.
Recommendations:
- Continue to encourage Nebraska records-holding repositories
to contribute collection-level information to NSHS in order to
create a statewide database of information about the state's
archival resources
- Seek a statute of limitations on permanently closed records,
when appropriate, so they can be opened to the public after privacy
concerns are met
- Inform county officials regularly of their role in providing
access to records, while balancing the need for security
- Work with the secretary of state (Nebraska's state records
administrator) to develop electronic records policies for local
entities and state agencies.
- Support the State Archives' efforts to survey historical
records holdings in county courthouses
ISSUE #5 Electronic Records
Throughout this document, references have been made to concerns
about the survival of electronic records. As one person noted,
large portions of the history of Nebraska in the latter half
of the twentieth century have been lost. Where once there were
diaries, now there are blogs. Where once there was correspondence,
now there is e-mail. A recent speaker remarked that the time
will come when papers of important Nebraskans will include old
hard drives from which data will need to be extracted.
To highlight these concerns, we have designated Electronic
Records as the fifth issue, and repeat the various action recommendations
for digital data.
Recommendations:
- Offer an annual workshop on such topics as digitization best
practices and digital preservation
- Work with the secretary of state (Nebraska's state records
administrator) to develop electronic records policies for local
entities and state agencies
- Promote participation in the Nebraska Memory Project, an
effort to digitize, preserve, and provide access to photographic
collections in the state
- Participate in statewide efforts to digitize newspapers once
a National Digital Newspaper Program grant is funded. Papers
have been microfilmed as part of the Nebraska Newspaper Project,
a partnership of the NSHS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Develop a statewide plan for digital preservation
Nebraska State Historical Records Advisory Board:
Salvador Barragan, Lincoln (Deputy Coordinator)
Dr. Mark Ellis, Kearney
Andrea Faling, Lincoln (Coordinator)
Dr. Angelo Louisa, Omaha
Robert Nash, Omaha
Sarah Polak, Chadron
James Potter, Chadron
William Ptacek, Lincoln
Laureen Riedesel, Beatrice
Raymond Screws, Lincoln
Michael Smith, Lincoln
Katherine Walter, Lincoln
This report was made possible by a grant from the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Mission Statement (Adopted January 15, 1994): "The Nebraska
State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) provides leadership
in encouraging, promoting, and assisting the advancement of programs
to preserve and make accessible historical records in Nebraska.
As the central advisory body for historical records planning,
the board's role is to investigate and report on the conditions
and needs of historical records in Nebraska; to determine state
priorities for historical records projects based upon National
Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) guidelines
and records conditions and needs; to solicit, foster, and develop
proposals for NHPRC projects to be carried out within the state;
and to review grant proposals submitted by Nebraska institutions
and make recommendations to NHPRC based upon their merit."
