Schedule

Wednesday, May 21
Pre-conference Workshops:
      Implementing Minimal Processing, 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
      Kyle Morrow Room, Fondren Library, Rice University

      Creating and Managing Online Exhibits, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
      1st floor training room, Fondren Library, Rice University

      Advanced Oral History Project Management, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
      Kyle Morrow Room, Fondren Library, Rice University

SSA Executive Board Meeting, 12:30 p.m. — 5 p.m.
      Julia Ideson Building, Houston Public Library

Architectural Walking Tour, 2 p.m. — 4 p.m.
      Begins and ends at Doubletree Hotel lobby. Minimum 10 people,
      maximum 25.

Opening Reception, 5:30 p.m.— 7:30 p.m.
      Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Thursday, May 22
Registration, 8 a.m.—2:30 p.m.

Welcome and Keynote Address: Michael L. Gillette, 8:30 a.m. — 9:30 a.m.

Break with coffee, tea and pastries, 9:30 a.m. — 10 a.m.
 
Thursday Sessions: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Session 1: Like Oil and Archives? Issues in Documenting the Energy Industry
With oil prices hovering around $100 a barrel, and the industry’s potential effect on the environment permeating the national consciousness, the energy industry is a hot topic, and so too is energy history. In this session, archivists from three different institutions will discuss the challenges of documenting this industry and managing its collections.
    Chair:
        Pati Threatt, McNeese University
    Presenters: Law & Original Order: The Heywood Collections Go to 
        Court
        Tara Laver, Special Collections, Louisiana State University
       
        Taming the Beast: Managing the ExxonMobil Historical Collection
        Mat Darby, Center for American History, University of Texas, Austin

        Where have all the records gone? The struggle to find documentation
        of Houston’s evolution from backwater port to “Energy Capital of the
        World”
        Dick Dickerson, Special Collections, University of Houston

Session 2: Capturing the Air Force Health Study (AFHS) on the Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam
The use of herbicides during the Vietnam War is a particularly sensitive topic because of the suspicion of adverse health effects suffered by military personnel. The U.S. Air Force conducted a 20-year health study on the effects of Agent Orange and other herbicides. The main documentation of this study is a master database that will be preserved and maintained by the National Archives Center for Electronic Records in College Park, Maryland. This session will discuss the history and results of the health study, records created, and the preservation challenges of the records in electronic formats.
    Chair:
        Cindy Smolovik, National Archives and Records Administration
         —Southwest Region
    Presenters:
        From Flight to File: History of the AFHS
        Col. Julie Robinson, United States Air Force

        To Keep or Not to Keep: Appraising the Records of the AFHS
        Cindy Smolovik, National Archives—Southwest Region

        The Accessioning of Electronic Records of the AFHS into the National
        Archives
        John Powell, National Archives—Center for Electronic Records

Session 3: Getting to Know You
Are you a new member, or is this your first SSA meeting? Please join us for an informal meet and greet, where you can learn about the organization and our meetings, and make new friends. We’re looking forward to making
your acquaintance! (A repeat of last year’s big hit!)

Lunch on own, 11:30 a.m.—1 p.m.
Enjoy lunch at a variety of local restaurants at street level or via the Allen Center tunnel food court.

Session 4: Mirabeau Lamar, the Americas Project and TEI: Using Text Encoding to Bring the Past Alive through Online Documents
This session explores a common theme of using TEI to improve access to and preservation of original materials. Beginning with a broad overview of TEI and how the format enhances access and preservation, speakers will talk about planning, implementing and managing the large TEI Americas project. The project is a collaborative effort between universities and vendors involving original materials at Rice University, including transcribing, encoding in TEI and digitizing Mirabeau B. Lamar’s 1835 journal about his trip to Texas.
    Chair:
        Ron Drees, Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston
        Public Library
    Presenters:
        Why TEI: How Text Encoding Facilitates Research and Analysis
        Lisa Spiro, Fondren Library, Rice University

        Using TEI in Digital Projects
        Monica Rivero, Fondren Library, Rice University

        On the Road to the Texas Revolution: Digitizing Mirabeau Lamar’s
        1835 Journal
        Philip Montgomery, Fondren Library, Rice University

Session 5: Mining and Minerals: Resources for the Mining History of the Southwest
The University of Texas at El Paso opened in 1914 as the Texas School of Mines and Metallurgy. When the library’s special collections was founded in 1965, it included several collections documenting the history of mines and geology of Mexico and the Southwest. The speakers will discuss major and minor collections containing extensive regional mining and prospecting information.
    Chair:
        Claudia Rivers, C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of
        Texas at El Paso
    Presenters:
        Claudia Rivers, C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of
        Texas at El Paso
        Laura Hollingsed, C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of
        Texas at El Paso
        Abbie Weiser, C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of
        Texas at El Paso

Session 6: Optimizing Outreach: Promoting Collections and Attracting Users
Archivists and librarians from two institutions, one public and one academic, will share their innovative methods of outreach. Amy Ziegler will explore programming aimed at non-traditional users and the effects
these programs have on the archivists’ position, such as processing and donor relations. The archivists and librarians of the University of Texas at Arlington Library will highlight a variety of outreach efforts they have undertaken including online exhibits, high school student tours, and collaborations with local cultural and educational organizations.
    Chair:
        Brenda McClurkin, The University of Texas at Arlington Library
    Presenters:
        Researchers Wanted: Archival Outreach in the Public Library  
        Environment
        Amy Ziegler, Pike's Peak Library District
       
        The Next Step: Outreach in the Digital Age
        Evelyn Barker, The University of Texas at Arlington Library

        Powerful Partnerships, Great Opportunities: Sharing History with
        the Community
        Lea Worcester, The University of Texas at Arlington Library

Thursday Repository Tours, 3:00p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

TOUR #1: Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University and McGovern Research Center, Houston Academy of Medicine—Texas Medical Center Library (Transportation provided.)

TOUR #2: Special Collections Research Center, Robert James Terry Library, Texas Southern University and Special Collections, M.D. Anderson Library, University of Houston. (Transportation provided.)

TOUR #3: Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Julia Ideson Building, Houston Public Library, and Harris County Archives. (Downtown locations, walking tour.)

TOUR #4: NASA, Historic Mission Control Tour, Johnson Space Center. Must be U.S. Citizen and provide Drivers License ID in advance and on tour. Maximum 24. (Transportation provided.)

Dinner and Explore Houston on your own.
See wiki at http://ssa2008houston.wikispaces.com/ for list of restaurants and informal dining groups.


Friday May 23
Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors, 8:30 a.m. — 10 a.m.
Enjoy breakfast as you meet and greet our exhibitors. Student posters will be on display at this time also. Each registered attendee will receive a “Passport to Exhibitors.” Travel the room and turn in your stamped passport for a big drawing on Saturday morning.

Friday Sessions 10:00a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Session 7: Introduction to Institutional Repositories: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask
The session will define an institutional repository, explore how an institution might use one, and identify special considerations for using IRs for archival collections in terms of arrangement, description, etc.
    Chair:
        Gina Costello, Special Collections, Louisiana State University Libraries
    Presenters:
        Geneva Henry, Digital Library Initiative, Rice University
        Leah Krevit, Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center
        Library
        Danielle Plumer, Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Session 8: It’s Not Always Humanities: Archivists and the Sciences
Archives and manuscript facilities at major research institutions are always flush with humanities collections. How do we promote our other holdings, the science, mathematical and engineering papers - the ‘nerdy’ documents? In this session, archivists will discuss how they promote their math and science collections, demonstrating that archives are not always about the humanities.
    Chair:
        Stephanie Malmros, Center for American History, The University of
        Texas at Austin
    Presenters:
        Planting the Seeds of Collaboration: Botany Collections at Texas A&M
        University
        Rebecca Hankins, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M 
        University

        Finding Every Angle: Promoting the Archives of American
        Mathematics
        Carol Mead, Archives of American Mathematics, Center for American
        History, The University of Texas at Austin

        Searching Beneath the Surface: The Magnetic Allure of Carl Fredrich
        Gauss
        Mary Linn Wernet, Cammie G. Henry Research Center, Watson
        Memorial Library, Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Session 9: When You Come to the Fork in the Road, Take It: Or, How to Manage Your Career Path
Archivists who have made career changes to records management, IT, private enterprise or other similar fields will describe why and how they changed career paths, what they do, and the sacrifices and rewards they have experienced.
    Chair:
        Janice C. Anderson, Access Sciences Corporation
    Presenters:
        Peter Kurilecz, IBM
        Jennifer Greer, Access Sciences Corporation

Lunch on own, 11:30 a.m. — 1 p.m.
Enjoy lunch at a variety of local restaurants at street level or via the Allen Center tunnel food court.

Session 10: Archiving Born-Digital Records and Manuscripts in University Settings
School of Information, University of Texas at Austin current and former students will discuss projects, including a digital preservation project for the entire H-Net listserv system, intellectual property issues in archiving
videogames, and developing a preservation plan for the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center's paper holdings for existing and formerly-ignored digital media.
    Chair:
        Patricia Galloway, School of Information, The University of Texas at
        Austin
    Presenters:
        The First Step: Inventorying Electronic Records at the Harry Ransom
        Center
        Andrew Hempe, School of Information, The University of Texas at
        Austin

        Taming the Wild Listserv: or, How to Preserve Specialized Mailing
        List Archives
        Lisa Schmidt, MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and  
        Social Sciences Online, Michigan State University

        Developing Intellectual Property Policies for the Videogame Archives
        at the Center for American History
        Carlos Ovalle, School of Information, The University of Texas at
        Austin

Session 11: SSA Past, Present and Future
Join SSA President, Tim Blevins, and others in an open discussion about the current status of the organization.

Session 12: Depositions and Discovery: What Legal Records Can Tell Us
Explore the ways in which collections of legal materials can be of use in research.
    Chair:
        Barbara Rust, National Archives-Southwest Region
    Presenters:
        Bess Burkitt Crane of Palestine and Houston: Discovering a Life
        Through Legal Records
        Susan Novick, Archives Consultant

        You Can Learn a Lot about a Man by the Company He Keeps: The
        Legal Practice of Texas Governor Elisha Marshall Pease
        Mark Lambert, Austin History Center


Exhibitor Break, 2:30 p.m.—3 p.m.
Another opportunity to meet with exhibitors while you enjoy a “Sweet & Salty” break of freshly popped popcorn, soft warm pretzels, roasted peanuts, M&Ms, and assorted candy bars.

Friday Sessions 3:00p.m. - 4:30p.m.

Session 13: Ownership of Digital Materials in Personal Papers Collections
Attorneys will share their expertise in the area of intellectual rights to the digital materials contained in collections of personal papers held by archives. While attention is frequently given to problems relating to electronic records, the questions raised by the presence of digital materials within personal papers, such as ownership of the objects, transfer of title, and issues surrounding the freedom to repurpose the materials, need
further discussion.
    Chair:
        Ann Hodges, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington
        Library
    Speakers:
        Steve Rosen, Office of General Counsel, University of Texas System
        TBA

Session 14: Archival Education: Options and Opportunities in Archival Distance Education
Distance learning in higher education continues to increase in popularity and archival education is certainly no exception, with schools offering more online classes and consortia and collaboratives developing to broaden the range of course offerings. An archival educator will discuss both the profession's response to these changes and options for archivists who are interested in distance education for archival studies. A graduate of the LSU School of Library and Information Science's archival track and participant in the Southeast Archival Education Collaborative will discuss issues of distance education from a student's perspective.
    Chair:
        Dr. Peter Botticelli, School of Information Resources and Library
        Science, University of Arizona
    Presenters:
        Archival Distance Education: Impact and Opportunities
        Amy Cooper Cary, School of Information Studies, University of
        Wisconsin Milwaukee

        Tales from the Other Side: A (Former) Student's Perspective on
        Archival Distance Education
        Andrée Bourgeois, Access Sciences Corp.

Session 15: The End of an Era: Appraising the Records of the Space Shuttle Program
In 2008, NASA celebrates its 50th anniversary and the success of its seven manned programs. Managers are preparing to retire the Shuttle program in 2010 after thirty years of mixed success. This session explores the role that records management, archivists and NARA play in closing out this program while ensuring that proper documentation is saved for future scholars.
    Chair:
        Shelly Henley Kelly, University of Houston-Clear Lake
     Presenters:
        Mark Scroggins, Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and
        Space Administration

        Michael Baimbridge, National Archives and Records Administration —
        Southwest Region

San Jacinto Monument and Museum Dinner
5:30 p.m. — 9 p.m.
Transportation begins at 5:30 p.m.
Gift shop open 6:30 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Movie will show at 8:15 p.m.

Saturday May 24

Breakfast Buffet and SSA Annual Business Meeting:
7:30 — 9:45 a.m.
Breakfast served at 7:30 a.m.
Business meeting 8 — 9:15 a.m.
SLOTTO 9:15 — 9:45 a.m.

Saturday Sessions 10:00a.m. - 11:30a.m.

Session 16: The Archivist's Toolkit
Designed to streamline workflows, standardize archival information, and ingest and export EAD finding aids, the Archivists' Toolkit (AT), introduced at the 2005 SAA Conference, is now in its second stage of development. The goal of the AT project is to reduce the costs of archival processing by facilitating more efficient work flows and quicker throughput of archival information. Join us for an overview of the application and the
plans for its continued development and support, and for a discussion by an implementer of her institution's experience using the Toolkit.
    Chair:
        Carol Bartels, Historic New Orleans Collection
    Presenters:
        Bradley D. Westbrook, University of California San Diego Libraries
        Stephanie Brody, Newcomb College Center for Research on Women

Session 17: CA-Wannabes: a Web 2.0 Lifeline
Those considering taking the certified archivist examination will learn the advantages and disadvantages of experiencing the examination’s reading curriculum by utilizing Web 2.0 technologies like blogs, wikis, listservs, and chatrooms, with emphasis on the evaluation of the experience of eight geographically-dispersed archivists called CA-Wannabes.
    Chair:
        Mary J. McCoy, Lamar State College-Orange
    Presenters:
        Mary J. McCoy, Lamar State College-Orange
        Russell D. James, Daughters of the Republic of Texas at the Alamo

Session 18: Partnering to Preserve the Past: A Collaborative Project in Northeast Texas
While creating a digital library collection on World War II, Texas A&M University-Commerce discovered an opportunity to work in partnership with local museums, public libraries, and historical societies. This diverse
community greatly expands the university's ability to preserve historical resources and make them available to scholars worldwide, as well as provide benefits to the local partner organizations. Hear the perspectives of the key individuals involved in the partnership.
    Chair:
        Gregory A. Mitchell, Texas A&M University-Commerce
    Presenters:
        Strength in Community
        Gregory A. Mitchell, Texas A&M University-Commerce

        A Passing Generation: The Story of the Men and Women of WWII
        James Conrad, Texas A&M University-Commerce

        Sharing the Wealth
        Carol Taylor, W. Walworth Harrison Public Library, Greenville, Texas

Lunch on own, 11:30 a.m. — 1 p.m.

Executive Board meeting, 11:45 — 1:30 p.m.

Those departing on Saturday have late checkout at 1 p.m.

Port of Houston Tour, 1:30 — 5 p.m.
Transportation begins 1:30 p.m. Ship sails 2:30 p.m.—4 p.m. Photo ID required to board vessel. Max. 40 people.

Houston Heritage Society Tour, 1:30 — 4 p.m.
Meet in the Doubletree lobby to walk to Sam Houston Park. Docent led tour of seven historic Houston properties 2 — 4 p.m. Max. 25 people.