The Irony!!

It's been almost 25 years since MARAC has been held in Harrisburg. The State Archives has been waiting on renovation plans for six years, and of course, during the Fall MARAC meeting, they finally will occur! But don't let that discourage you from taking the T7 tour of the State Archives/Capitol Guided Tour on Saturday. Some of you may have remembered the "Archives Under Construction" MARAC meeting held at State College, PA. This is reminiscent!

News for Immediate Release

Oct. 13, 2010

Pennsylvania State Archives to Close for Four-Month Renovation Project

Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) announced today that the State Archives of Pennsylvania will close from Oct. 18 through Feb. 3, 2011, for needed renovations.

While Oct. 16 is the final day researchers can visit the facility at Third and Forster streets in Harrisburg, staff will continue to respond to telephone, e-mail, and postal inquiries during the renovations.

Barbara Franco, PHMC executive director, said the $250,000 project will expand and modernize the existing lobby and public research areas. A larger vestibule is required to facilitate access for people with disabilities and will include automatic doors. The work will provide more space for the increasing number of researchers, as well as new wiring and additional computers to improve access to the collections. Security systems will also be upgraded.

While the renovations will extend the life of the building, plans are still in process to replace the 50-year-old facility that is nearing its capacity. Water leaks exist. The facility lacks adequate environmental controls or fire suppression systems to protect its more than two hundred million pages of one-of-a-kind records, including the Charter from King Charles II to William Penn creating the colony of Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission operates the State Archives. Visit the archives online at PHMC’s website, www.phmc.state.pa.us, and choose the State Archives link. For further information about the closure or to make research inquiries, call 717-783-3281.

Media contact: Kirk Wilson, 717-783-9882

###

Anita Diamant

For those arriving Thursday night, Anita Diamant, author of the Red Tent will be speaking at Temple Ohev Shalom in Harrisburg. There is a cost. Information can be found at:
http://www.ohevsholom.org/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=2552&destination=ShowItem

Looking for a roommate?

Are you looking for someone to split your hotel room (and hotel room costs) with in Harrisburg? Please feel free to comment here with requests or offers. I'm borrowing NewArchivist's helpful tips:

Some useful info to add in your comment might be:

The dates you will be attending the conference

The hotel you have reserved or prefer to stay at (conference hotel, other area place, etc.)

Anything general you think is important for others to know (you prefer a female or male roommate, non smoker, early riser, you have a tendency to suffer from night terrors, etc.)

If you add your email address to the comment form you will be contacted if someone responds.

You may also wish to add yourself to the Crash Space for Archivists listing.

Place to go--Midtown Scholar Bookstore

I'm glad to say that as of October 1st, over 200 archivists will descend upon Harrisburg in November. I'm truly pleased to be able to tell my colleagues of some of the highlights of Pennsylvania's capital city.

When I first moved her 16 years ago, I was told "Oh, you'll love it here. You are only three hours from NYC, 2 hours from Philly and Washington, D.C. and one and a half hours from Baltimore." In other words, you can get out quickly! Nowadays, Harrisburg offers more in the cultural and culinary worlds and people are less apt to flee on weekends to the major surrounding cities.

My favorite new spot is the Midtown Scholar. Their website states that they are "... the nation's largest academic used bookstores with more than one million second-hand and out-of-print scholarly books in all fields, stocked in our Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, internet warehouses." It is a fun place to browse books, listen to open mike night, or as I like to do, join friends for game night. Located about a mile from the Hilton where MARAC will be held, it is pretty accessible by foot or car. http://www.midtownscholar.com

Friday Luncheon Speaker-Jackson Taylor

Driving in to work today, I was listening to the local NPR station, WITF. The local segment called "the creative zone" featured the Nov. 12 luncheon speaker Jackson Taylor. Taylor has written a based-on reallife story of his grandmother, Verna Krone. Taylor has taken his grandmother’s life in rural Perry county and Harrisburg during the 1920s through the 1950s and created a captivating story of Harrisburg history. The story covers racial and gender issues, as well as social and political concerns of the day. It is a captivating read, and copies will be available for purchase at MARAC.
Atttached is the link to Taylor's interview. The book is WITF/Borders bookstore pick of the month for October. http://witf.org/lifestyle/creative-zone/5109-witfpick-of-the-month-for-october

Friday's Reception at the Pennsylvania State Capitol

The attendee reception at this fall's MARAC meeting will be held in the stunning Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. This extensively preserved space is full of history and drama, the perfect meeting space for a few hundred archivists and archival professionals. Tours of the Capitol will be available during the reception, but if you can't wait then you can view a spactacular 360 degree tour of the space on the Capitol's website.

The Local Arrangements Committee has also arranged a "Taste of Pennsylvania," highlighting foods from the many cultures and regions of PA, including samples from local breweries!

From the conference program:

Join us in the Rotunda of the historic Pennsylvania State Capitol for the MARAC member reception. Guests will enjoy “Tastes of Pennsylvania,” foods reflecting the various cultures and traditions of the Keystone State. Tours of some of the more impressive areas of the Capitol will be offered during the reception. Built in 1906, President Roosevelt described it as “the handsomest building I ever saw.” Come and relax with your colleagues and learn the architectural history of this grand building. The State Capitol is located on Third Street. From the hotel, turn right on Second Street and walk four blocks to Pine Street. Turn right, and walk two blocks to Third Street. Walking is suggested, however a shuttle will also be available.

Developing Effective Grant Applications to Get the Money Still Out There!

Based on the success of past resume and interview clinics, this year's program committee is offering a grant clinic. Coordinated by James Tammaro, a Regional Advisory Officer for the New York State Archives, this grant clinic will allow precious one-on-one time with people from granting agencies or fellow archivists that have experience submitting successful grant applications. Whether you have an application that you would like some comments on or if you just have an idea that you want to run by someone who has been there before, our participants will be available for your assistance. Scheduled from 2:15 to 5:30 on Friday November 12th, you'll find the grant clinic stationed in the Exhibit Hall (Lancaster room)

Participants:
Alex Lorch, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Maria Holden, New york State Archives
Ann Marie Przybyla, New York State Archives

Coordinator:
James M. Tammaro, New York State Archives