CHAIR REPORT, 2020—21
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Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 About Us (Mission Update) 4 Leadership 5 Coronavirus Pandemic 6-7 COVID-19 as of November 2020 8-9 Quarterly Meetings 10 Finances 11 Income 11 Expenses 12 Membership 12 Focus on DEAI 13 Preservation Education 14 Outreach 15 Partnerships 16 New and Next 17
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About Us In 2021 the mission of the Ohio Preservation Council (OPC) was updated to include education and mentor-ship. Additionally, more inclusive language was added to strengthen and encourage partnerships beyond the library and archives professions: The Ohio Preservation Council serves as a coalition of allied preservation professionals who recognize the serious threat to documentary heritage. Our membership includes preservation administrators, conservators, librarians, registrars, archivists, curators, collections managers, and the institutions they represent., and other colleagues who recognize the serious threat to documentary heritage. The Ohio Preservation Council members believe that cooperative, statewide efforts across geographic and professional lines are needed to meet preservation challenges. The Council shall serve as a forum for articulating preservation concerns, discussing conservation issues, sharing current information and promoting a systematic approach to preservation efforts, education and mentorship as well as materials conservation throughout Ohio. The Council shall: • Encourage the implementation of new preservation efforts at the institutional level. • Work to forge cooperative links among existing programs. • Seek to educate colleagues and the general public on the importance of preserving cultural heritage resources. • Seek to ensure positive action by institutional administrators, professional organizations and appropriate agencies of state and federal government. • Provide support and resources to allied students and those thinking about entering the field of preservation. • Perform other appropriate functions, which shall be within the bounds of efforts to preserve library and archival materials.
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OPC Leadership 2020—21 Chair – Carrie Phillips, Bluffton University (January - August 2020) Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (September 2020 – December 2021) Chair-Elect – Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (January – August 2020) James DaMico, Cincinnati Museum Center (September 2020 – December 2021) Finance Treasurer – Miriam Nelson, Ohio University Membership – Chloe Kie, Archivist, Columbus College of Art and Design (January 2020 – March 2021) Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (March 2021 – December 2021) Education and Programs – Holly Prochaska, University of Cincinnati Kim Hoffman, Miami University Libraries Marketing and Outreach – Andrew Mancuso, Case Western Reserve Libraries
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Coronavirus Pandemic The increasing rates of coronavirus cases in the U.S. led to a nationwide shutdown in March of 2020. In the U.S. there were 487 cases with 21 confirmed deaths the first week of March. By the end of March, COVID-19 cases reach 100,000, surpassing infection rates in China. Aid was badly needed in NYC with U.S. Navy ships deployed to assist hospitals at capacity. In Ohio, two days prior to the March OPC quarterly meeting on March 16th, 2020, many cultural heritage institutions closed and pivoted to require staff to shelter in place and work from home (WFH). On April 3rd, 2020, a new OPC COVID-19 Resources website page was launched, with resources focused on reopening, collections management, regional news, and work from home resources for cultural heritage institutions and their staff. OPC held Leadership Council calls in the spring and summer, with all in-person meetings cancelled to allow members time to focus on transitioning to work from home and adjust to the uncertainty of the situation . Many preservation programs also grappled with the insecurity of their parent institutions.
Beginning in June 2020 essential workers in libraries and museums began to return to work onsite with strict mask wearing, extreme sanitization, social distancing of 6 ft, and with additional protection of Plexiglas barricades. Research rooms are closed to in person visits at the height of the pandemic and transition to fully virtual reference services with limited capabilities due to staffing constraints. Once restrictions are lifted, research rooms open by appointment only with Page | 6
reduced hours. Library programs provide books through drive throughs. Library programs provide books through drive-throughs and self-pick-ups were implemented. Books were quarantined between 3 14 days before they were handled.
Work in Ohio transitioned to a hybrid work from home system during the spring of 2021 when vaccines slowly become available for adults. Workers traded sifts onsite to minimize the number of people at a given location at one time to reduce potential exposure. By the summer of 2021, many workers returned to on-site with masking and social distancing protocols established and enforced. A vaccine was released for kids aged 12-17. By November of 2021 vaccines were approved for children ages 5-11. Conferences began to be held in person. Many businesses required patrons to show proof of vaccination. At state universities, a vaccine -mandate was instituted requiring staff and students to vaccinate or provide an approved exemption, or face disciplinary action. COVID-19 as of November 2021: Ohio: • 1.56 million cases reported • 24,763 confirmed deaths United States: • 46.2 million cases • 750,000 deaths Worldwide: • 248 million cases • 5.02 million deaths Page | 7
Children return to school in-person
March quarterly meeting canceled
Essential workers work onsite while most WFH
Businesses & restaurants begin to reopen
Vaccines approved for older adults in US
Many workers are onsite fulltime
The above graph, excerpted for the New York Times, illustrates workers transition to onsite full-time work in June 2021, with a corresponding decrease in cases after adults and children aged 1217 received vaccines. When children return to school in September 2021, and vaccinated adults stop wearing masks, cases rose again due to asymptomatic transmission. At the same time, a highly transmissible Delta variant was discovered.
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Click see time lapse video above: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-covid-deaths-7-day
Click see time lapse video above: https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data
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OPC Quarterly Meetings No in-person events occurred in 2020 or 2021. Beginning in September of 2020, at the start of Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer’s Chair term, quarterly meetings transitioned to video conferencing through Cisco Webex. March 19th, 2020, The Preservation Lab, University of Cincinnati, *CANCELLED due to social distancing*[Actually UC suspended all face-to face classes/interactions on March 14th so we really didn’t have much of a choice.] May, 2020, *CANCELLED due to social distancing* Virtual Quarterly Meetings: Sept. 17th, 2020 – 21 attendees Nov. 19th, 2020 – 19 attendees March 18th, 2021 – 16 attendees May 20th, 2021 – 11 attendees Sept. 16th, 2021 – 22 attendees Nov. 18th, 2021 Prior to the pandemic, in-person quarterly meetings were often attended by 7-12 members. Once video conferencing was introduced, participation climbed to 11-22 attendees. As we move again to in-person activities, keeping the meetings hybrid will be pursued so as to keep attendance convenient for those unable to travel. Quarterly meetings and leadership calls were recorded and uploaded to the OPC YouTube channel and listed as private. Recordings aided the Secretary in taking meeting minutes and are viewable with a link for those unable to attend.
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Finances
Beginning of term - $12,334 (1/01/2020) End of 2020 - $14,578 (12/31/20) End of term - $14,339 (10/31/2021) Gain of $2,005 from 2020 since there were fewer expenses during the shutdown. Balanced budget in 2021.
Income
During this term, OPC income accrued from annual membership dues. Some memberships lapsed in 2020 as a result of institutional financial instability across the state. However, 2021 saw a small membership increase and steady income from membership dues. • 2020 Income - $3,393 • 2021 Income - $2,430 (10/31/2021) • Renewals frequently were paid in December making projected 2021 income comparable to 2020
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Expenses
2020 Anticipated and approved expenses of $1,668.62 which included: • OhioNET - $300 • GoDaddy.com - $40 • 2020 Wild Apricot Expenses - $972 • Banking Fees - $114.62 • OPC Professional Development Grants – $242 2021 Anticipated and approved expenses of $2,554.64 which included: • OhioNET - $300 • GoDaddy.com - $40 • Leadership Colloquium attendance Feb - $144 • Speaker Honorarium September - $250 • Wild Apricot Expenses - $1,188 (price increase) • Banking Fees - $157 • OPC Professional Development Grants – $475.64 Note: Fewer grants were awarded in 2020 due to the lack of inperson workshops and availability of free virtual opportunities.
Membership Membership rolls have remained relatively steady given the financial instability of the state of Ohio. New members have been added with changes in positions and old members removed due to retirements or employement changes. New members have been cultivated through online virtual sessions and workshops proceeding the quarterly meetings. Membership database status as of 11/4/2021:
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Focus on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion (DEAI) Diversity in Collections Care: Many Voices, March 23, 2pm – March 24, 7:30pm 2021, digital event, attended by Leadership In pursuit of familiarizing ourselves with evolving terminology in the field and expanding OPC’s perspective, all of leadership attended a two-day virtual colloquium to promote an exchange of research, dialogue, and inspiration. As a result of this event, a round table discussion with membership was organized for the May 2021 quarterly meeting. Both a moderated discussion and an online survey was provided to solicit feedback from membership on how OPC can ensure DEAI work is our everyday work. A land acknowledgement was added to the About Us web page:
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Preservation Education—2020 COVID-19 Resources Page – Established by Andrew Mancuso and Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, April 3, 2020 LSTA Special Collections Conservation Class *Canceled due to social distancing.* No grants were awarded this cycle. Round Table Discussion on the Quarantine of Materials, Moderated by Kim Hoffman and Holly Prochaska, virtual Webex discussion, Sept 17, 2020
Preservation Education—2021
LSTA Special Collections Conservation Class and kickoff event. Presenters Cindy Boyden, Claire Curran, Chloe Kie, Lisa Long, Christine Mannix, Miriam Nelson, Holly Prochaska, Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, virtual Webex discussion and Wild Apricot Online Website, June 2-23, 2021 Presentation on an Adaptable Book Support, Andrew Mancuso, virtual presentation from Case Western Reserve University via Webex, Nov. 19, 2021 Artist Book Workshop on Flag Books, Kim Hoffman and Holly Prochaska, virtual Webex class, March 18, 2021 Ensuring DEAI work is Our Everyday Work, round table discussion centered around the document, From Intention to Intentionality, authored by Leticia Gomez Franco. Moderated by Kim Hoffman and Holly Prochaska, May 20, 2021 Keeping Karamu House Archives in Cleveland, presentation and discussion by Tony F. Sias, President and CEO of Karamu House and Bill Claspy, Case Western Reserve University. Moderated by Andrew Mancuso, Sept. 16, 2021 Page | 14
Outreach & Advocacy Professional Development Grant – Awardees Kim Hoffman (Miami University) NEDCC's Digital Directions, Sept., 2020 Gena Reynolds (Oberlin College) Karen Hanmer Book Arts' Binding Fundamentals, July, 2021 Virginia Dressler (Kent State University) Learn @DLF project management workshops (2 total), Nov., 2021
2020 Established – OPC YouTube Channel. Content includes presentations for Special Collections Conservation Online Class, recorded OPC meetings, presentations, workshops, and roundtable discussions. Videos are embedded into Wild Apricot website and event pages. 2021 Established – Instagram account. Andrew Mancuso established an Instagram account connected to Facebook that cross pollinates content. Six posts in 2021 (@ohiopreservationcouncil).
2021 Established - LSTA Conservation/Preservation Grant Virtual Class. Ashleigh Schieszer designed website and lead project, video and textual content provided by 9 speakers, modeled after half-day in-person class. LSTA OPC Grant Review. Reviewers Claire Curran, Ashley Jones, Miriam Nelson, Holly Prochaska, Ashleigh Schieszer, September 31, 2021 2021 Distribution List update. OhioNet Library Systems Analyst, Derek Zoladz, migrated the Walter distribution list to a new server. With this new subscription, the list serve address changed to walter@lists.ohionet.org
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Partnerships State Library of Ohio – LSTA Conservation/Preservation Grant and inaugural online Special Collections Conservation Class, 2021 This professional development opportunity took place virtually through prerecorded talks that attendees moved through self-directed, between June 223,2021. The class was modeled after the in-person half-day class previously offered by OPC at the State Library of Ohio. The self-directed course kicked off on June 2nd with a live discussion from OPC staff members as well as State Library LSTA staff on how to write a successful LSTA conservation proposal. 2021 LSTA Grant outcomes – class registration closed 1 day after registration opened, 21 class participants, 9 submittals, 9 awards
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New and Next
Looking toward our future!
OPC continues its pursuit of providing accessible education and mentorship opportunities for those interested in entering the field of conservation, preservation, and its allied fields. Events and workshops will become a hybrid of in-person and virtual as more of the population becomes fully vaccinated. OPC Leadership is committed to building relationships and engaging the Ohio community, to learn from them, and to thoughtfully and consistently incorporate DEAI into our organizations everyday work.
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