Annual Report of the RBMS Archivist
June, 2012
New RBMS Archivist
Because Chatham Ewing is moving to a university different from UIUC, and because proximity to RBMS
records makes the archivist’s work easier, Marten Stromberg, now at UIUC, will be taking on the role of
RBMS archivist.
RBMS Archives still seeking more records.
Donations have been ongoing. We have gotten more papers from past officers. Keep them coming.
New records group in the ALA Archives
As reported at mid-winter, RBMS has a new record-group listing of materials currently in the archive:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/ala/holdings/index.php?p=collections/classifications&id=3532
Harvesting and display of e-records from RBMS web-site
Also as reported at mid-winter, the electronic records of RBMS section that have erstwhile been only on
the RBMS web-site(rbms.info) have now been harvested and are also now incorporated into the current
version of the ALA Archives digital repository and have online access. An example of this can be found
here.
http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/ala/holdings/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=7957
There is a link to on-line images/records on the bottom right of the page. Clicking on it takes you to an
intermediate page, and clicking through takes you here:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/Electronic%20Records/index.php?dir=ALA%20Archives/2218005a/
Kate Moriarty (who has had a strong hand in the web-site) and Melissa Salrin, who has recently moved
on from the ALA archives, deserve recognition for their hard work on this.
Mid-winter records have not yet been processed. That is forthcoming.
Ongoing efforts to support RBMS digital records at ALA archives
The ALA archives needs our help with advocacy. We need to convey to ALA and ACRL, perhaps to Karen
Muller and Mary Ellen Davis, something like the following note:
RBMS [EXEC?] strongly endorses the idea of establishing a digital repository as part of the ALA Archives
at UIUC for the management and preservation of records related to the section. The section would be
interested in using the repository to preserve the section’s electronic publications and administrative
records. Because we believe that other ALA divisions and groups will also desire such a service, we
imagine being part of an open-access disciplinary repository, with the content freely available via the
web and managed for preservation purposes.
I would encourage RBMS to act by engaging these two folks informally and also by sending a note like
this up through channels.
Thanks
It has been a pleasure to serve as Archivist for RBMS, even if briefly.
Chatham Ewing