News

The Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists (CIMA) is currently accepting nominations for the 2023 CIMA Awards. Up to five awards may be presented at the CIMA Annual Meeting held in Logan, Utah, on May 10-13, 2023. The five proposed awards are Lifetime Achievement, Service, Mentor, Archival Projects, and Innovator.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented by the peers and colleagues of the recipient, the prestigious CIMA Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges and demonstrates appreciation for a life of service and leadership in the archival profession or for significant continued support of the archival community and its institutions. Nominees must have demonstrated strong leadership and advanced scholarship on both regional and national levels. The 2022 recipient was Paula Mitchell, Special Collections Librarian/University Archivist for Southern Utah University (SUU).

Required for nomination: Nomination letter, CV or resume of nominee
Optional: Up to two (2) supporting letters of recommendation

Service Award
The CIMA Service Award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions in recent years to the CIMA organization, to the archival institutions of the intermountain region, or to the archival profession. The award is given in appreciation for service, leadership, and support of the region’s archival community. Nominees must have demonstrated an inspirational spirit and have worked to build a career based on service but may not have yet achieved many of the career milestones required for the Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2022 recipient was Gina Strack, Utah State Archives and Records Service.

Required for nomination: Nomination letter, CV or resume of nominee
Optional: Up to two (2) supporting letters of recommendation

Mentor Award
In connection with the CIMA Mentoring Program, the Mentor Award celebrates those CIMA members who strive to help cultivate career development in the archival community and who have worked with students or new professionals to build professional knowledge and expertise within the next generation. Nominees must have advocated for students and/or new professionals; provided guidance in professional development and self-assessment; and helped students and/or new professionals build a professional network through collaborations and introductions. Nominees must also have demonstrated sustained commitment to creating a productive working environment that enhances the archive work experience. The 2022 recipient was Sarah Jones, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Special Collections and Archives.

Required for nomination: Nomination letter (500 words or fewer)
Optional: Up to two (2) supporting letters of recommendation (each 500 words or fewer)

Archival Projects Award

This award recognizes an archivist, group of archivists, repository, or organization that worked on an archival project which has significantly benefited or impacted its community, the archival profession, or the intermountain region. The work must have taken place within three years of the nomination and does not need to be completed but must have advanced sufficiently to demonstrate results. The last recipients were Kelli Luchs and Ilana Short for their work on the Las Vegas Lineup project (2019).

Required for nomination: Nomination letter (500 words or fewer)

Optional: Final product or other documentation of the project such as photographs, a brochure, or a website

Innovator Award

The Innovator Award recognizes an archivist, group of archivists, repository, or organization in the intermountain region that has demonstrated creativity or innovation in their work, resulting in an improved work process, program, event, or product. Nominees must have applied creativity or innovation in approaching professional challenges; demonstrated thinking outside of professional or institutional norms; and translated creativity, innovation, and new thinking into working solutions. The last recipient was Elizabeth Woolcott for improving cataloging and metadata workflows at the Utah State University Libraries (2019).

Required for nomination: Nomination letter (500 words or fewer)

Optional: Photographs, brochure, website, or other documentation

Nomination and Selection Process
Please submit letters of nomination and appropriate documentation to Natalie Johnson Pearmain at natalie.johnson@churchofjesuschrist.org. Additional materials that are not listed as required or optional will not be considered. Nominations must be submitted by a CIMA member; however, nominees do not have to be members of CIMA. All members are encouraged to participate in the nomination process and may remain anonymous if desired. The deadline for submission is February 17, 2023. 

Nominations will be reviewed by the CIMA Awards Committee, which is comprised of members from Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. The committee will recommend award recipients to CIMA Council on March 10; recipients and their nominators will be notified by March 17, 2023.

Dear CIMA members,

We are now seeking nominations to fill the upcoming vacancies in CIMA’s leadership. The following positions are open for nominations:

President (1-year term) *

Primary duties:

• Prepare agenda for and run the bi-monthly CIMA Council meeting, and other CIMA meetings
• Work with Council to fill vacancies in CIMA committees and officers
• Serve as chair of the Program Committee for the Annual Conference
• With the Treasurer, create an annual budget and present it to Council
• Approve expenditures

Vice President/President-Elect 

Primary duties:

• Serve as chair of the Education Committee
• Organize the CIMA Fall Caucus, usually in October or November
• Fill in for President in the president’s absence

Secretary

Primary duties:

• Take minutes at the bi-monthly Council meetings and other meetings
• Maintain and update the CIMA Handbook
• Maintain all files and records of CIMA
• Keep copies of official CIMA correspondence
• Conducts the annual election of officers and announces results

• Council member (3 openings)

Primary duties:

• Attend bi-monthly Council meetings via conference call (usually Zoom)
• Serve as chair or a member of at least one CIMA committee, representing CIMA leadership on the committee and reporting on committee activities at the bi-monthly Council meetings

 *Note: This year we are need of someone to fill the 1-year term as President of CIMA due to the resignation of current Vice President/President-Elect Kim Anderson, as was announced by President Clint Pumphrey last week.

All members are eligible for nominations. Please consider yourself or another CIMA member for any of the above positions. This is wonderful way to get involved and ensure that CIMA continues to progress and thrive!  Nominations are due by January 31, 2023.

To submit a nomination, please e-mail Ryan Lee, Nominating Committee chair, at: ryan_lee@byu.edu.

Also, the Nominating Committee is also in need of 2-3 members to help. If you are not sure if you want to serve in the above positions, consider being a part of the Nominating Committee. Email Ryan Lee if you are interested in being a part of this committee.

Thanks,

Ryan Lee

Nominating Committee Chair, 2022-2023

ryan_lee@byu.edu

Elections for CIMA Council closes on May 3rd! If you have not already voted, you have one week left to cast your votes! Candidates' bios are available for review; voting opened April 4, 2022 for thirty days to all current CIMA members via CIMA's website. New Council members will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting on May 13, 2022.
 
Don't forget to vote!
 
CIMA Nominating Committee
Ellen M. Ryan, Chair
Julia Stringfellow
Cindy Brightenburg

The Journal of Western Archives (JWA) recently recorded an information session about the journal. The information session talks about the publishing process, the philosophy of the journal, the kinds of articles that JWA publishes, and features a panel discussion with several authors who have published with JWA. It is available at:
https://youtu.be/_bwYnG6kVBo
I would encourage all CIMA members consider publishing with JWA—particularly those who are presenting at our Annual Conference. It is great place to publish, especially for first-time authors.

Ryan Lee,
CIMA President

The Society of American Archivists is pleased to announce the launch of the SAA Dataverse: a repository for sharing and reusing archives-related datasets. Check out this article to learn more about the Dataverse and how to submit your own qualitative or quantitative data. If you don’t currently have materials to deposit, keep the SAA Dataverse in mind for your future research and data management plans. You do not need to be an SAA member to submit to or use the SAA Dataverse. Contact corda@archivists.org if you have any questions or would like assistance with submitting your data.

The SNAC Cooperative is offering a number of sessions on Using SNAC (Social Networks and Archival Context) for Reference and Research. These sessions are being held on May 18, July 13, September 14, and November 16. Please contact the National Archives' SNAC Liaison, Dina Herbert (dina.herbert@nara.gov) to reserve a spot in one of these courses.

The Church History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is seeking a Digital Asset and Indexing Intern to assist in the digitization, description, and provision of online access to its holdings as possible. The Library identifies and describes people, places, and events in millions of images from published materials and archival collections. Metadata is derived from paper and electronic indices and the digital content itself.

The Church History Library is looking for a candidate with the education, experience, and expertise to help create and transform this metadata, and to assist employees and volunteers by performing quality assurance reviews and providing feedback.

This is an hourly, part-time, paid position.

Responsibilities

• Learn how to use the Church History Library’s metadata enrichment tools
• Carry out assigned metadata projects to create, enhance, transform, and normalize existing metadata in spreadsheets and other electronic documents for improved discoverability
• Train volunteers how to use the Library’s metadata enrichment tools
• Assign and review volunteer metadata enrichment work
• Reconcile and resolve problems or exceptions encountered in this process
• Improve professional skills relating to library, archives, and digital asset management
• Improve personal knowledge of Church history

For more information about the position, necessary qualifications, and to apply, visit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' careers website at https://careersearch.churchofjesuschrist.org/, using position number 336088.

The Division of Archives and Record Services is looking for a new Collection Management Specialist to provide support to division programs and customers searching for historical state records.

The Collection Management Specialist is a vital part of the Division’s physical and intellectual control of a permanent collection of historic government records by: 

• Providing customer service by managing record circulation and assisting visitors with records requests, check-outs, and check-ins. 
• Performing complex data entry in multiple systems to ensure intellectual control over record collections. 
• Proactively identifying and creating solutions for data issues.
• Performing basic troubleshooting on automated storage system hardware and software.
• Participating in collection management projects, such as inventorying record collections.
• Providing core support for State Archives Reference, Processing, and Reformatting Programs.
• Collaborating as a part of the Archives Circulation Team and implementing process improvements based on guidance from that team. 
• Physically lifting and filing boxes in an automated storage and retrieval system environment.

For more information about the position, necessary qualifications, and to apply, visit the State of Utah job site at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/utah/jobs/3455034/archives-collection-management-specialist. 

Do you know of any archives individuals, groups, or organizations that deserve recognition for outstanding contributions to advancing diversity within the archives profession? Then nominate them for the SAA Diversity Award!

Up to two awards may be given each year. Recent awardees have included Judy Tyrus, cofounder and CEO of ChromaDiverse, Inc. the Puerto Rico Citizenship Archives Project (2019), the Community Archivist Program at the Austin History Center, Maya from the Margins Archives Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2018); the Texas Disability History Collection at the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, the Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota Libraries (2017); the SAA Latin American and Cultural Heritage Archives Roundtable webinar series, "Desmantelando Fronteras/Breaking Down Borders" (2016); and The Shorefront Legacy Center AND Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, University of Florida (2015)

Please see details below and on the SAA website.

The Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, the Ogden Union Station, and other partners are hosting an inclusive, intergovernmental, and interdisciplinary symposium on the relationship between Native peoples and the railroad. The event will be held at the Ogden Union Station from May 19-21, 2022. More information about the symposium is available through the Division of Indian Affairs (https://indian.utah.gov/events/railroads-in-native-america/).

A call for session proposals is now open, with submissions due by December 15, 2021. For more information about session formats, and to submit a proposal, please visit the symposium website.