Leadership
The committee shall be comprised of the Executive Director, the Immediate Past-President, and such other members as the President may name. At least one committee member should be a professionally-trained archivist or have extensive experience with archival collections.
Purpose
To maintain the history of the Association. The archives are located at the Headquarters. All unit chairs are required to turn over the materials pertinent to their year as chair to the archive committee to maintain the history of the association.
Duties:
- Arranges for preservation of archival material of the association.
- Maintains a current inventory or finding list of the archives.
- Documents the history of the association.
- Assists PaLA staff in reference questions and other inquiries about the association’s history.
- Recommends to the Board procedures for the development, storage, care, and use of the archives.
- Arranges for preservation of archival material of the association in accordance with the retention schedule.
- Headquarters and the Archives Committee will maintain the archives at a location to be determined by the Board of Directors.
Archive Overview
Archive Contents
The PaLA Archives contains items that are of permanent historical interest to the association.
All Divisions, Round Tables, Chapters and Committees will supply headquarters with materials to be considered for placement in the archives.
Outgoing officers and chairs should transfer archival materials to headquarters at the end of their terms in office. A Donor Information Form and Deed of Gift (see Appendix 1) should accompany every donation.
As the permanent record of the association, archives should contain materials of genuine historical importance. These include items that illustrate the association’s organization and development, its functions, and its activities.
Transfer and Retention Guidelines
Association members shall exercise care in transferring items to the archives. In general, material that is being used to conduct association business should stay with the pertinent officers, committees, or staff. After the project’s completion or at the end of the officers’ or committees’ term, such materials should be transferred to headquarters. When in doubt, association members and staff shall consult with the Archives and History Committee before discarding any materials or holding them for their own use. If a member wishes to retain information for personal or professional reasons, he or she may make a free photocopy at PaLA headquarters or ask PaLA staff to do so.
Before transferring documents to headquarters, association members should organize papers into folders and label each folder clearly, including the name of the office, committee, or project to which the records pertain, as well as a date range. When possible, two original copies of each document should be transferred. Association members should also advise the Archives and History Committee that records are coming, and consult with them regarding appropriate methods of shipment.
Once transferred to headquarters, the Archives and History Committee shall evaluate incoming materials to decide which are of lasting importance to the association. In general, routine correspondence (such as thank you notes, announcements of meetings, and receipts) will not be kept. Unless otherwise noted, the records listed below shall be kept in perpetuity. Other records will be kept at the discretion of the Archives and History Committe.
General Association
- Bylaws, including revisions and amendments
- Histories and chronologies of the association
- Conference programs and materials
- Legislation sponsored by the association
- Membership lists or directories
- Memorials and awards given to the association
- Minutes of business meetings
- Obituaries of prominent or longtime members
- Photographs
- Procedure Manuals
- Publicity and clippings about the association, its activities, or prominent members
- Other materials reflecting the establishment and growth of the association, as well as its important accomplishments, controversies, or policies.
Officers:
- Rosters of officers and committee members
- Executive Board minutes and reports
President:
- Annual report to the association
- Correspondence (including letters and emails)
- Reports from Committees
Treasurer:
- Annual report to the association
- Audits
- Bank statements, checks, passbooks, receipted bills, etc. ( keep only 5 yrs & current)
Other Officers:
- Reports
- Meeting Minutes
- Correspondence (including letters and emails)
Divisions, Committees, Round Tables, Chapters:
- Reports
- Rosters of officers and committee members
- Correspondence ( including letters and emails)
Projects, including joint conferences, workshops, grant activities, etc.:
- Reports
- Correspondence ( including letters and emails)
- Flyers, handouts, and other materials distributed at events
Publications:
- PaLA Bulletin
- Web Site
- Other publications
Donations
The Archive and History Committee shall solicit donations of association-related materials from officers and the general membership at least once every year. All donations should be accompanied with a Donor Information and Deed of Gift form, which transfers ownership and copyright to PaLA
Usage and Reference Services
All items in the archives shall be open for consultation and use by the Archives and History Committee, PaLA officers and members, PaLA staff, and researchers from the general public. PaLA staff and/or the Archives and History Committee shall respond to brief, factual questions within six weeks of a request. Those needing more in-depth information should visit the headquarters themselves.
Prior to visiting, all users shall make an appointment with headquarters staff. Either staff or the user may ask an Archives and History Committee member to attend and assist users during their visit. Upon arrival at headquarters, first-time users shall fill out a User Registration form (see Appendix 2), which collects their contact information, the purpose of their visit, and informs them of the archives’ rules for usage. All users must sign a Daily Usage Log each day of their visit (see Appendix 3). User records and logs will be retained for two years by association staff, then transferred to the archives.
Materials should never be removed from the archives. If items are needed for reference, association business, or research, headquarters staff or a member of the Archives and History Committee will make free photocopies or scans. In rare instances when original documents are needed for historical displays or for other purposes, the Archives and History Committee will review the request, and (if approved) make necessary arrangements, and ensure that documents are returned to the archives.
Preservation
Many of the documents in the association’s archives are unique. Therefore, utmost care should be taken in the storage and handling of the archives. Only new, acid-free, ph-buffered folders and boxes shall be used to house paper items in the archives. Lamination, tape, and other irreversible treatments shall not be used on original documents. Before recommending options in storage or treatment of historic records, the Archives and History Committee shall investigate best practices, such as those advocated by the Society of American Archivists, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, and local archival repositories.
Other Projects
At the discretion of the President and the Archives and History Committee Chair, the committee may undertake other projects to document and preserve association history, as well as the history of libraries and librarianship in Pennsylvania. Before undertaking any project (such as oral history), the committee shall apprise itself of relevant federal, state, and local laws regarding copyright and human subjects research. It is recommended that the committee seeks guidance and/or approval of an academic Institutional Review Board.