State Historical Records Advisory Board

State Historical Records Advisory Board - Strategic Plan 2021

Mission Statement
The State Historical Records Advisory Board shall advocate for and lead efforts to identify, preserve, and provide access to the Commonwealth’s public and private historical records.

Accessibility
Promote the broadest possible access to all records, regardless of format, consistent with public interest, right to access, and privacy protection law.

• Promote adherence to established cataloging, arrangement, and description standards for public records and encourage participation by private repositories.
• Encourage positive customer service attitudes and practices that promote access to records.
• Encourage and support the removal of any limitations to access to historical records, including the removal of physical access barriers as per the Americans with Disabilities Act), consistent with professional standards for privacy.
• Encourage professional communications and cooperation through systems and database development and consistency in inventory controls among public and private repositories of historical records.
• Encourage repositories to broaden remote access to collections via remote digitization, access to digital collections and other off-site research assistance.
• Promote understanding of the importance of historical records via a broad outreach program for secondary and postsecondary educational institutions and the broader public.
• Encourage inclusive continuing education opportunities statewide for current and prospective employees at public and private repositories.

Preservation
Encourage the identification, preservation, maintenance, arrangement, and description of public and private records collections in the Commonwealth

• Encourage the preservation and management of private records, especially those records for which there is no centralized repository (such as business records).
Promote the development of and support for funding initiatives for public and private repositories.
• Encourage development of disaster plans for public and private records and for repositories and promote their dissemination statewide.
• Identify and publicize funding and other resources to assist with preservation and disaster planning work for public and private repositories.
• Encourage preservation awareness and accepted practices within the professional community.
• Educate public and archival practitioners in how to identify records of permanent historical value and in basic preservation skills through publications, videos, workshops, and other outreach activities.

Records Management
Promote and support statewide policy and management practices that ensure accurate classification of records, including those created in or migrated to electronic or other formats, to identify nonpermanent records for appropriate retention and disposition, as well to identify records for permanent preservation

• Encourage compliance with Public Records Act, Code of Virginia 42.1-76, which is the basis for the statewide records management program.
• Promote the identification and maintenance of public records of permanent historical value through the administration of a sound statewide records management program by The Library of Virginia
Encourage the incorporation of electronic records-keeping into records management functions.
• Promote educational opportunities in the care and keeping of records, including those in electronic or other nontraditional formats.
• Provide leadership in cooperation with The Library of Virginia in encouraging adherence to archival and records-management principles and creating opportunity for statewide sharing of information through regular meetings and workshops organized through statewide associations that encourage a greater knowledge and understanding of the concerns of various and different types of archives and repositories.

Archival records concerning the activities of the State Historical Records Advisory Board can be found at the Library of Virginia in the following collections:

Correspondence and Subject Files of the Librarian of Virginia

State Historical Records Advisory Board files of the Virginia State Archivists at the Library of Virginia

Records of the Virginia State Historical Records Advisory Board

The State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) is the central advisory body for historical records coordination with each state and for National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) state and local records projects within the state. [NOTE: "State" in this context includes the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States.] Many state archivists serve as their state’s SHRAB coordinator.

SHRABs are authorized under federal regulations governing the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (36 CFR Part 1206). The primary responsibilities of the SHRABs are to:
Serve as the central advisory body for historical records coordination within the state.
Develop, revise, and create a plan for historical records in the state.
Provide assistance in reviewing grant proposals.

Several SHRABs have undertaken projects for statewide surveys, public awareness, education and training, and regrants supported with NHPRC funds.
The NHPRC has a Manual of Suggested Practices for SHRABs. The manual is currently under revision.
An important source of support for SHRAB-sponsored projects has been NHPRC's State Board Programming Grant program, to support the SHRABs in strengthening historical records programs in the states.
State Historical Records Advisory Boards (SHRABs): A Statistical Report (2013) provides contextual information about SHRABS.
If you have any questions about the operation of SHRABs or NHPRC programs, contact your state coordinator or NHPRC staff.

More information about SHRABs is available via the the Council of State Archivists web page.

State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- February 29, 2024 1-2pm (virtual)
Present: Greg Crawford, Chad Owen, Heather Bollinger, Steve Landes, Ervin Jordan, Ruth Welch, Chris
Bissex, Zach Hottel
Absent: Lori Ann Terjesen, Brittany Jones, Bernadette Battle, Audrey Davis, Sara Townsend
Agenda:
Welcome new Board members
Review of Preservation survey and Virtual Town Hall; next steps
Role of SHRAB going forward

Greg opened the meeting by introducing himself and asking the Board members to introduce
themselves as well. He welcomed Chris and Ruth as new appointees, and Prof. Jordan as a returning
veteran Board member.

Greg opened the discussion about the Virtual Town Hall by noting that there were about 60 participants,
which was very positive. Roughly half of the participants were court clerks. One of the main takeaways
was that local historical societies are suffering – they are often volunteer-only but have very valuable
historical material and there is concern about their preservation both now and in the future when the
present generation retires. Another big question was grants: what grants are available and how one
can learn to write a successful grant application. Heather noted that there was quite a bit of
conversation about administrative issues such as HVAC being turned off over weekends, building issues,
etc. that were difficult to address. Steve pointed at the survey results as showing that local
governments in particular, whether supporting a local historical society or managing their own records,
seem to have a lack of understanding of the importance of retaining and preserving them. Zach echoed
Steve’s thought that SHRAB might be able to help with the education of the overhead agencies of the
importance of the records. He also expressed surprise that there were fewer cries for things like
digitization and the like than just basic support like staffing or supplies.

Ruth discussed the realities of dealing with a smaller county where fiscal resources are already stretched
to the breaking point. Most of the grants that she sees being received are for digitization which may not
be where priorities should lie. Prof. Jordan observed that archives and history are the forgotten
stepchildren of local government; localities have a strong tendency to look to the state and federal
governments to support and fund such pursuits. He also noted that in his prior experience with SHRAB
that often Virginia institutions would apply for grants but would be unsuccessful even after extensive
effort was expended. He looked to the SHRAB and to the LVA to take a leadership role in thrusting this
issue further to the fore in state government.

Greg expressed a wish for some sort of granting program for local historical societies roughly equivalent
to the Circuit Court Records Preservation Program, but it would take a significant groundswell from the
Commonwealth to make that happen. But with new leadership at LVA, this may be an opportunity to
pursue that. In the meanwhile, the question to be posed is what SHRAB can do in the short term to
help. Greg believed the town hall format worked well, and looking forward to Preservation Month in
May we look to have an LVA conservator provide an online workshop to local and state repositories. In
addition, looking ahead to Archives Month in October, if we could offer some form of education on
grants and grant writing, he believes that can be well-received. SHRAB has added, and will continue to
add, granting organization links to its web site, but moving forward to training on how to write a good
grant application would be a concrete step to help connect our users with the granting agencies. SHRAB
would also encourage Virginia applicants to send grant drafts to us for review to make sure we can help
them present the best possible application.

Prof. Jordan pointed out that the major funding agencies, NEH and NHPRC, have largely ceased offering
grants on preservation in favor of accessibility grants. He also suggested that local historical societies
might tend to paint themselves to their local governments as “look what wonderful things we have”
without being willing to acknowledge their shortfalls and problems; perhaps SHRAB could help educate
repositories on how to best lobby their local governments. Ruth agreed and emphasized the
importance of tailoring your grant applications carefully to the mission and focus of the granting agency.
Heather observed that the Virginia Association of Museums offers an opportunity for museums or
historical homes to nominate objects for preservation grants. Zach followed up Prof. Jordan’s thoughts
in suggesting that SHRAB could act as an advocate in terms of calling attention to the successes of our
constituent repositories to the wider community. He also noted that not only do the clerks have access
to CCRP grant funds, but the in-person visits from LVA local records archivists are also extremely helpful,
so a parallel for that sort of in-person support could also be valuable.

Greg expressed a willingness to make a personal appearance with local repositories and try to leverage
his visits with local government or media to highlight the repositories’ needs. Prof. Jordan noted that
there might be an unexpressed expectation that SHRAB or LVA provide monetary support, and Greg
agreed that that expectation would have to be gently deflected.

NHPRC offers SHRAB programming grants, Greg said, but neither LVA nor SHRAB have the staff to
process them, and in conversations with other state archives, many consider the effort put into applying
for, managing, and reporting out the grants is a situation of “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.” With
new leadership at LVA, we may be in a different position to have staff directly dedicated to SHRAB, but
at the same time, NHPRC’s grants coordinator position having been open for roughly two years is also
resulting in a lot of frustration from state archives and SHRABs around the nation in terms of timing and
responsiveness with the NHPRC.

Looking forward, Heather suggested hijacking LVA’s social media presence in lieu of starting a separate
SHRAB media presence. Greg believes that is a possibility. Zach suggested looking at training
opportunities that SHRAB could provide to create some value for our constituents and thereby create
some buy-in in terms of showing them that we are willing to provide something for them even if it’s not
direct financial support. In response to Greg’s question, he recommended some virtual training as a
start. We might also be able to set up a sort of showcase for repositories to present their projects and
accomplishments. Prof. Jordan raised the possibility to piggyback on any meetings like VAGARA or
MARAC or the like, just to raise our visibility. Zach pointed out the Virginia state MARAC caucus will be
June 14th in Lexington and they can carve out some time for SHRAB. Heather suggested even something
as simple as a virtual walkthrough of archival suppliers’ web sites and making supply orders, perhaps
setting up a “$200 donation drive for archival boxes” or similar. Steve concurred with the idea of
starting with virtual training but offered his support for the creation of a local historical grant program,
noting that it would surely be a long road but it has to start somewhere. He suggested leveraging the
circuit courts and CCRP to build relationships with those local repositories. In discussing whether there
was a central group of local historical societies, Zach offered that the closest equivalent would be VAM,
the Virginia Association of Museums. No one else was familiar with another overarching association of
local repositories.

For next steps, we’re going to move forward with working on the conservation workshop for
Preservation Month in May with LVA’s conservator as speaker. Heather suggested that if Greg does an
“official” visit to a local repository, if he made a sort of bullet point list of what he did and didn’t do, she
might be willing as a SHRAB member to make similar visits, and Steve concurred.

SHRAB Meeting - July 18, 2023 (Virtual) 10:00am

Welcome and introductions
Change of Coordinator/Deputy Coordinator
Preservation survey – review and discussion
a. Three takeaways
b. Possible biases?
Next steps
a. Programming grant
i. Archives month
ii. Board support
iii. Speakers/workshop support
b. Workshops
i. Spring – Records Management Month (Apr)
ii. Spring – Preservation Month (May)
iii. Fall – Archives Month (Oct)
iv. Grant writing?
v. Preservation?
Other business
Next meeting
Adjournment

Welcome and Introductions
Change of Coordinator/Deputy Coordinator
Greg Crawford, State Archivist, will be taking over as Coordinator. Chad Owen is stepping down
into the role of Deputy Coordinator formerly held by Emeline Alexander.
Preservation survey – review and discussion

Heather:
Surprised that almost half the responses said they had no usage tracking.
Environmental concerns – things could be an issue, as simple as getting hygrometers from
Amazon would be a helpful step forward
Pleasant surprise that pest control was not an apparent issue
Needs seem to be conservation/preservation focused with grants for conservation being a
consistent ask

Lori Ann:
Inability to track usage is impacting the funding that repositories can apply for
Grants for training and education were a frequent ask, particularly hands-on training workshops
for volunteer staff
Training workshops on all things grant related – researching opportunities, writing applications,
demonstrating impact, helping target donor interest

Zach:
Also concerned with lack of usage statistics – unsure if it’s lack of technology or some other
causation. Concerned that there are archival practitioners that we are not connecting with.
Environmental needs were more than expected.
General sense of security around records, which was a positive.

Sara:
Staffing concerns ranked a close second behind just basic funding. One of the barriers was
heavy reliance upon volunteers rather than professional, full time staff.
The little amount of time spent on preservation/conservation by the few extant staff present
was a concern.

Steve:
Not sure how many replies were from clerks’ offices, but he hears similar complaints frequently.
Lack of usage tracking is a common feature of clerks’ offices, as is a lack of active work going on
with preservation. SHRAB could help in these areas but can’t do everything, so key will be
prioritizing our efforts at solutions and support.
Greg:
Conservation vendor question seemed to indicate a heavy representation of circuit court clerks
in the survey respondents. Good to have CC participation, but they have access to CCRP funds
that other repositories did not.
Higher than expected percentage of digital materials in the collections: 73.53%
Also concerned with usage tracking
Q7 on environmental controls was notably concerning. Also frequently seen in circuit courts –
localities seem to want to have HVAC systems turned off on weekends.

Next Steps:
Greg noted that there is no money for SHRAB. We can apply for a programming grant in the
coming year, but the money would not be available until the following year. Are there other
options for funding that we can pursue? Lori Ann noted that we had the ability to put together
workshops as volunteers to help reach the needs presented in the survey. Bern emphasized
that it would be important to give an executive summary of the survey and what steps we were
taking to move forward to address the needs illustrated by the survey.
Greg proposed a virtual Town Hall in October for Archives Month to present the findings as per
Bern’s recommendation. Zach heartily endorsed this proposal and underscored the possibility
as per Lori Ann of trying to connect repositories with the expertise we have available to address
things like usage statistics, volunteer training, and the like. It may be that providing grants for
consultants to back up their requests for HVAC improvements and the like. Heather suggested
that we offer tools: an Excel spreadsheet for usage tracking, sources for archival supplies, etc. in
order to hand our repositories real and immediate help.
Regarding workshops – Greg asked if the general sense was that the expectation was for virtual
presentations, in-person presentations, or a hybrid thereof. Zach said he felt that virtual was
the way to go for large statewide initiatives like the Town Hall, but there is also a need for some
regional in-person networking opportunities and/or hands-on training. Greg expressed
enthusiasm for regional, live training, and proposed adding requests for funding for such things
as part of the possible SHRAB Programming Grant. Steve and Lori Ann also shared enthusiasm
for this possibility, with Lori Ann also suggesting recording the regional workshops for broader
access.
Greg asked about the need for grant writing workshops as Lori Ann indicated earlier. Lori Ann
suggested possibly exploring short YouTube or similar videos on grant writing as a way to reach
audiences in digestible segments, possibly as part of a SHRAB channel. Greg named both
YouTube and SkillShare as possible platforms for this effort. Zach said that there was a
possibility to partner with MARAC for part of this effort as well, to try to get MARAC members
to share their expertise through Lunch-and-Learn presentations.
Bern asked if there was a social media presence for SHRAB to help keep people in touch with
each other, create a sense of community, or just provide resources. Greg noted that there was
no SHRAB social media presence at this time; Zach noted that MARAC mostly communicated via
email. Lori Ann noted the opportunity for SHRAB to “be a coalition builder by creating
Communities of Practice,” by which she explained she meant that these would be informal
networks or chatrooms (perhaps moderated) with the opportunity to ask questions and
exchange ideas.
Zach shared the existence of a Facebook group called “Archivists Think Tank” which anyone
could ask questions (even anonymously) and participants worldwide could contribute. Greg
said he hoped the SHRAB web site could move from being a static list of names and minutes to
more of a landing page for resources and connections, notices of upcoming workshops, or the
like.
Zach suggested making the Virtual Town Hall into a “State of Archives in Virginia” town hall,
which suggestion was enthusiastically accepted. Greg pointed out that LVA has a new digital
studio opening shortly that we could leverage for this effort.

SHRAB Programming Grant for upcoming year:
Greg suggested that among the things we request funding for would be support for Archives
Month, which was something that the Virginia SHRAB used to fund. Zach pointed out that the
only expenditures we’ve had recently was the expense for the poster, but we could expand that
to regional workshops or training if we had funding. Zach said that formerly we’d had “Archives
Fairs” across a few regions that was partially an opportunity for the community to learn what
we do but also partially a networking opportunity for colleagues. Greg noted his intention to
apply for funding to support such Archives Fairs or other regional workshops as part of the
grant. In addition, he intends to apply for funding to support Board member travel for at least
one in-person meeting per year.
Greg noted that he and Chad would put together a summary of the meeting and follow up with
sharing the survey results and getting post-survey feedback with our constituents. Greg
proposed a meeting in November following the Town Hall to focus on working on the
programming grant. Once the feedback from the survey is distributed we will assess the need
for a possible meeting in September ahead of the Town Hall.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:24.

State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- Thursday, April 13, 2023, 10:00AM (Virtual)
1. Call to order Chad Owen (LVA), All
2. Welcome and Introductions All
3. Review of proposed preservation survey All
a. Link to survey
b. Suggested changes
c. Plans for distribution
d. Review and discussion
4. Committee Membership Review Chad Owen (LVA), All
Grants: Chad Owen, Lori Ann Terjesen, Kim Curtis, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber, Zach
Hottel, Josh Howard
Education/Outreach: Chad Owen, Bernadette Battle, Amanda Lloyd, Brittany Jones, Kim Curtis
Preservation/Access: Chad Owen, Heather Bollinger, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber
5. Archives Month Chad Owen (LVA)
6. Other business All
7. Date and Location of Next Meeting All
8. Closing Remarks Chad Owen (LVA)

Meeting notes
The meeting was called to order at 10:05 am
Members present: Bern Battle, Kim Curtis, Katherine Gruber, Zach Hottel, Josh Howard, Brittany Jones,
Lori Ann Terjesen, Chad Owen
Members absent: Heather Bollinger, Audrey Davis, Steve Landes, Sara Townsend
Guests present: Greg Crawford

The Board first went over the proposed SHRAB Preservation survey and suggested changes. Included
were some suggestions on the message that will introduce the survey – giving background on SHRAB,
the purpose of the survey, and how the data will be used – as well as specific suggestions to address
budgetary needs, barriers to progress, and open-ended “How can SHRAB help you?” questions. The
draft of the survey linked above reflects the changes made during the meeting.
The plan will be for the survey to be sent out in early May, for Preservation Month, with the survey
being left open for the entire month. That will allow for most of the month of June for the Board to
analyze its results and make future plans.

Next, we briefly touched upon committee membership. As grants are not being processed this year, we
noted that membership might be best shifted to places where we will be active this year. Since a
significant portion of members were absent, the Board did not formally reset committee membership,
pending our next meeting. At present, with suggestions made during the meeting, the committee
membership is as follows:

Grants and Research: Chad Owen, Lori Ann Terjesen, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber, Zach
Hottel, Josh Howard
Education/Outreach: Chad Owen, Bernadette Battle, Steve Landes, Brittany Jones, Kim Curtis
Preservation/Access: Chad Owen, Heather Bollinger, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber
Following the digestion of the preservation survey’s results, we anticipate assigning action points for
each committee at the next meeting.

Zach Hottel then followed with a request to have a volunteer from SHRAB participate on the Archives
Month planning committee. The committee does not have formal leadership or a tight structure; Chad
and Zach agreed from past experience that the commitment for a volunteer would be something on the
order of 1-2 hours a month, or 20 or so hours per year, with much of the time being concentrated in the
months of August through October. The members present agreed that this would be a worthwhile
endeavor. If any member is interested in volunteering for this project, please advise Chad or Greg at
your earliest convenience. If not, we will arrange to appoint a member to represent SHRAB.

The discussion then turned to our next meeting, which is proposed to be held in person on June 29th or
30th at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. Greg extended an invitation for all to enjoy the LVA’s 200th
anniversary exhibits, as well as a behind the scenes tour of the archival storage area along with a
discussion on the historical development of the LVA’s collections. He emphasized that we would have
virtual attendance options available, but he hoped to see as many of us in person as possible. An
availability poll will soon follow to determine the group’s preference for Thursday June 29th or Friday
June 30th
.
With thanks to all participants, the meeting was adjourned at 11:10.

State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- Thursday, February 16, 2023, 1:00PM (Virtual)
Call to order Chad Owen (LVA), All
Welcome and Introductions All
Welcome from State Archivist Greg Crawford (LVA)
Proposed NHPRC Programming Grant Application Chad Owen (LVA), All
a. Review
b. Next Steps
Committee Membership Review Chad Owen (LVA), All
Other Business (?) All
Date and Location of Next Meeting All
Closing Remarks Chad Owen (LVA)


Present: Bernadette Battle, Heather Bollinger, Kimberly Curtis, Audrey Davis, Zach
Hottel, Steve Landes, Brittany Jones, Lori Ann Terjesen
Absent: Katherine Gruber, Josh Howard, Sara Townsend
Guests: Greg Crawford

Introductions
Chad Owen began the meeting with greetings and introductions of all present.

Message from State Archivist
Recently appointed State Archivist Greg Crawford introduced himself, described his
experience with Local Records at LVA and the Circuit Courts Records Preservation
grant program, and expressed excitement to be working with SHRAB going forward.
Heather Bollinger and Steve Landes, having worked with Greg through the CCRP,
enthusiastically welcomed Greg to his new role.

Proposed NHPRC Programming Grant
Chad Owen noted that the grant application was incomplete with the deadline looming
and so we would not be able to progress with the grant project this year. There were
many factors involved in this, largely the board all being heavily occupied and only
learning of the deadlines being moved up from April/May to Feb/Mar as of December.
Chad noted that it was an ambitious move on the part of the Board, which was not
necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps it was better that we discovered that we were
overreaching via the application process rather than once we moved to actually try to screen
our own grants.

We will re-commit to completing the grant application for the following year, and we will
move to start the application earlier – October is penciled in to begin the work, rather
than December.

Next Steps
In lieu of the grant project, the Board discussed several options for shifting to education
and outreach for this year. After a period of brainstorming with particularly good ideas
being put forth by several participants (I would particularly acknowledge Lori Ann, Zach,
and Greg), the Board put forth this tentative timeline:

a. By March 15: Put together a list of survey questions to be sent to the
commonwealth’s repositories concerning preservation issues in particular
Some sample questions floated:
What is your level of proficiency/comfort in conservation/preservation
in your repository?
What is your greatest concern: mold/mildew, water damage,
lamination/cellulose acetate, poor temp/humidity controls, insect
damage, etc?
What are your perceived educational needs for your staff?
b. Late March: draft survey sent out to all members
c. April 13-14: SHRAB meeting to polish up and ratify a survey
d. May: Send survey out to repositories as part of Preservation Month activities
e. June: Collect survey responses and coalesce into narrative
f. July: Host roundtable (live/virtual) for repositories in which the survey results
are discussed and other ideas and concerns are laid out
g. August/September: Collect findings and coalesce again
h. October: For Archives Month, host a “State of the State’s Archives event”
(live/virtual) with the SHRAB (probably with Greg) presenting on their findings
from the survey and the roundtable
i. October into January: Use findings from survey, roundtable, and State of the
Archives to begin building the next grant application
For all of these steps, we discussed taking advantage of the LVA’s social media
presence to attempt to increase our profile and bring attention to these efforts.

Next Meeting
We penciled in April 14th for the next Board meeting, possibly at the Women’s History
Museum at Lori Ann’s kind invitation. Shortly after the meeting, Lori Ann contacted
Chad to say that the Museum had another event on Friday the 14th, but they could host
us on Thursday the 13th, or for another future date.
Before the end of February we will send out another email to Board members to pin
down optimum dates for the meeting and, if the 14th is the best date, to solicit a location
– NHPRC guidelines ask for alternate meetings to be held outside the state library, so
considering our December meeting was in Fairfax, LVA could host in April and we could
look to Lori Ann or another location later. Please check your calendars.

Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:55pm.

Committee Assignments
Grants: Chad Owen, Lori Ann Terjesen, Kim Curtis, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber,
Zach Hottel, Josh Howard
Education/Outreach: Chad Owen, Bernadette Battle, Brittany Jones, Kim Curtis
Preservation/Access: Chad Owen, Heather Bollinger, Sara Townsend, Katherine
Gruber

State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- December 7, 2002 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Fairfax County Circuit Court – Historic Records Center
Present: Lori Ann Terjesen, Zachary Hottel, Steve Landes, Heather Bollinger, Bernadette
Battle, Kimberly Curtis, Sara Townsend, Chad Owen (Coordinator)
Absent: Joshua Howard, Katherine Gruber, Audrey Davis, Brittany Jones

Introductions
Chad Owen began the meeting with greetings and introductions of all those present.

Introduction of new State Archivist
Chad Owen informed the board that Greg Crawford, formerly Local Records Program Manager
at the Library of Virginia, has been appointed the new State Archivist. As part of the Local
Records Program includes the administration of the Circuit Court Records Preservation Grants
project, Greg’s experience will be extremely helpful to the SHRAB in moving forward. Greg
could not be present in person as he was attending leadership meetings at LVA, but he
indicated his wish to attend future SHRAB meetings.

Proposed NHPRC Programming Grant Application
Chad Owen led the team in a discussion of the proposed grant application, including a detailed
review of the sample application by the Kansas SHRAB that was provided by the NHPRC via
their web site.

At the end of the discussion, the Board agreed to proceed with the Level II grant application,
seeking $50,000 in NHPRC funding over the two-year grant cycle as follows.
Per year of the grant cycle:
$15,000 in funds for 5 regrants of up to $3000 each, with preference given to repositories with
holdings of less than 500 cubic feet. If possible, SHRAB proposes that we not require cost
matching from regrantees.
$2500 in funds for 5 scholarships of up to $500 each for Virginians to attend training or
conferences
$2500 in funds for SHRAB to host a training workshop in conjunction with VAGARA, the Virginia
Caucus of MARAC, or a similar professional body
$1000 in funds for pamphlets, posters, and other print media for outreach
$1000 in funds for online advertising/paid pushes for social media
$3000 in funds to support SHRAB meetings, covering member travel and providing lunches
The first deadline for pre-review of drafts is February 15th, 2023, so the Grants committee will be
moving promptly to begin work on the application via Google documents or other sharing
platforms, with an eye to meeting virtually in mid-January.

Next Meeting
NHPRC stipulates that alternate SHRAB meetings be held outside the capital city/the location of
the state library. Since the deadline for the draft grant application is so near, the Board decided
to hold its next meeting virtually, with a tentative date of Thursday, February 9th. The next
meeting is tentatively scheduled for early April. Lori Ann Terjesen has offered to host the
SHRAB at the National Women’s History Museum either in April or for a future meeting later in
the year.

Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:40, at which time the on-site
participants enjoyed a tour of the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center by Heather
Bollinger.

Committee Assignments
Grants: Chad Owen, Lori Ann Terjesen, Kim Curtis, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber, Zach
Hottel, Josh Howard

Education/Outreach: Chad Owen, Bernadette Battle, Amanda Lloyd,
Brittany Jones, Kim Curtis

Preservation/Access: Chad Owen, Heather Bollinger,
Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber

State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- July 15, 2022 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM | The Library of Virginia - Board Room
Agenda
I. Call to Order Chad Owen (LVA), All
Introductions
II. Review of the SHRAB Purpose, Powers, and Duties Emeline Alexander (LVA)
III. Recap of Strategic Planning Retreat Chad Owen (LVA)
IV. Review Revised Strategic Plan and Mission
Discussion
Vote
Break for Lunch - 12:00 - 12:30 PM
V. Discussion of Board Going Forward
A. Committees
B. Chair
C. Grants
D. Programming
E. Member appointments
VI. Date and Location of Next Meeting
VII. Closing Remarks New Chair (TBD)

Present: Lori Ann Terjesen, Brittany Jones, Heather Bollinger, Bernadette Battle, Amanda
Lloyd, Kimberly Curtis, Sara Townsend, Chad Owen (Coordinator), Emeline Alexander (Deputy
Coordinator)
Absent: Zachary Hottel, Joshua Howard, Katherine Gruber, Audrey Davis
Guest: Kathleen Jordan (Interim State Archivist)

Introductions
Chad Owen began the meeting with greetings and introductions of all those present.

Review of the SHRAB Purpose, Powers, and Duties
Emeline Alexander gave a presentation on SHRAB and some of the expectations of the board
from NHPRC

Strategic Planning Review and Discussion
Chad Owen reviewed the revised strategic plan including the mission statement, objectives, and
priorities.

Amanda motioned to approve and adopt the mission statement, Bernadette seconded. There
was no discussion, those present voted in favor and it passed.

Amanda motioned to adopt the strategic plan for the next five years, and Bernadette seconded.
There was discussion on the process of reviewing the strategic plan earlier, and it was
determined that if needed it would be. All those present voted in favor and it passed.

Committees
After a break there was discussion of grants in relation to committees. There was discussion on
how to bring awareness to the grants, how to “advertise” the grants to institutions, and concerns
over cost sharing. Three committees were initially established: grants, education and outreach,
and preservation and accessibility. Sara motioned to create the three committees, Bernadette
seconded. All were in favor and the committees were created.

Chair
Discussion was held as to whether there should be a chair for the board and if so, who. The
NHPRC recommends the chair be the SHRAB Coordinator, in this case Chad Owen since the
State Archivist position is currently empty. Amanda Lloyd motioned to appoint Chad as Chair,
Heather Bollinger seconded. All were in favor and Chad was appointed SHRAB Chair with the
understanding that when the new State Archivist is hired they may assume the role of
Coordinator and Chair, and potentially make changes.

Grants
The board then moved on to discuss grants from NHPRC. There are two levels of grants
available from the NHPRC for SHRAB Boards. Level I is a maximum of $12,000 a year and is
geared towards strategic planning, establishing the board, etc. Level II programming has either
a 1 year grant with a maximum of $40,000 or a 2 year grant with a maximum of $80,000. The
Level II grant can be used for regranting, programming, and a portion can be used to cover
travel expenses for the board. The final grant deadline is June 8, 2022 (incorrectly stated as the
1st in the meeting) and the funds are distributed in January 2023.
Lori Ann Terjesen motioned to apply for a Level II - 1 Year Grant in order to build the regrant
program and relationships. Amanda Lloyd seconded the motion, all were in favor and it was
approved.

Programming
There are a number of programming opportunities available for SHRAB to undertake, to be
planned by the Education and Outreach committee. Potential ideas include Archives Month,
workshops, emergency planning, digitization, etc. A goal was set for 2-4 programs a year, with
Archives Month events in October and Records Management events in April for RM Month.
October is also Accessibility Awareness Month which could be highlighted with programming in
conjunction with Archives Month.

Membership Appointments
Per the recommendation of the NHPRC, the appointment of members was raised. The NHPRC
strongly recommends that the ability to appoint members to the board be taken away from the
governor and instead lay with the board. This is so the board doesn’t potentially become
inactive due to lack of appointments once a board member’s term ends. The appointment
process does not appear to be codified in either the Code of Virginia or the Virginia
Administrative Code, it is instead based on the initial establishment of SHRAB in the 1970s
which required the governor to appoint members. After the initial establishment of SHRAB, this
governor specific appointment process is no longer required by the NHPRC or any federal
law/statute. The issue of continuity was also brought up since in Virginia the governor only
serves for a single 4 year term so consistency in appointments is a concern.
There are no terms ending this year and there is concern as to how this would be decided and
brought to the governor’s office. It will be discussed at a later date.

Committee Appointments
The chair will serve on each committee. Of the three committees established, the composition is
as follows.
Grants: Chad Owen, Lori Ann Terjesen, Kim Curtis, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber, Zach
Hottel, Josh Howard
Education/Outreach: Chad Owen, Bernadette Battle, Amanda Lloyd, Brittany Jones, Kim
Curtis
Preservation/Access: Chad Owen, Heather Bollinger, Sara Townsend, Katherine Gruber

Next Meeting
NHPRC stipulates that the second SHRAB meeting be held outside the capital city/the location
of the state library. Heather offered to host the meeting at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in
early December. Discussion will be focused on the grants and re-granting program and the
budget for programming.

State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- June 30, 2021 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Attendees: Chad Owen, Lou O'Boyle, Emeline Alexander, Mike Edwards, Zach Hottel, Amanda Lloyd, Sara Townsend
Virtually: Katherine Gruber, Kimberly Curtis, Heather Bollinger, Joshua Howard, Audrey Davis, Bernadette Battle

Time Agenda Item
10:00 -10:30 Opening remarks, agenda review, introductions
10:30 – 11:00 Review current plan and methodology
11:00 – 11:30 Survey results – What we learned
11:30 – 12:00 Mission revisited and finalized
12:00 – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 1:15 Objectives revisited and finalized
1:15 – 1:45 Mini-SWOT: What is getting in the way, what do we need to do well to achieve the
objectives
1:45 – 2:45 Establish priorities
2:45 – 3:00 Wrap up, next steps, closing remarks



State Historical Records Advisory Board Meeting- June 30, 2021 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
The Library of Virginia - Orientation Room
Present: Chad Owen (Coordinator), Emeline Alexander (Deputy Coordinator), Lou O’Boyle
(Human Dynamics Consulting), Amanda Lloyd, Bernadette Battle, Heather Bollinger,
Kimberly Curtis, Katherine Gruber, Sara Townsed, Joshua Howard, Zachary Hottel, Audrey
Davis, Michael Edwards
Absent: Aaron Purcell

Business
Introduction
Chad Owen began the meeting with greetings and introductions of all those present, and
gave a brief overview of SHRAB and its recent history.

Reviewing the Strategic Plan
Lou O’Boyle began a review of the current strategic plan, what is still relevant, and what
needs to be updated. Lou went over the results of the survey which demonstrated that 97-100%
of the priorities listed by SHRAB are still relevant to its target audience.

Mission Statement
The board reviewed the mission statement to revise the language to make the statement
more relevant to SHRAB going forward. The new mission statement reads “The State Historical
Records Advisory Board shall advocate for and lead efforts to identify, preserve, and provide
access to the Commonwealth’s public and private historical records.”

Objectives and Priorities
Discussion then moved to revising the objectives, with a break for lunch from 12:15 - 1.
In addition to consolidating and reworking the objectives, they were also re-ordered to
emphasize priorities for SHRAB going forward. The new objectives are Accessibility,
Preservation, and Records Management. The priorities we also reorganized to better align with
the new objectives.

Wrap-Up
At the end of the meeting, Lou and Chad wrapped up the meeting with plans for the next
steps. Lou will meet with the LVA in July, and the SHRAB will reconvene in the fall (September
or October) to finalize the strategic plan and work on next steps going forward.
The meeting ended at 3:00 PM.