Inside this issue:

SAC in Louisiana

by Bruce Turner

The Southern Archives Conference is an informal (no officers or by-laws) entity composed of the state archival organizations of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It meets every other year with representatives from each state sharing organizing responsibilities on a rotating basis. Previ- ous meetings have been in Oxford, Natchez, and Jackson, MS; Nashville and Memphis, TN; Selma and Birmingham, AL; and New Orleans. During April, 2006 about 50 archivists (mainly from Louisiana and Mississippi) gathered in the Hilton of Lafayette for the 2006 SAC meeting.

Wednesday was taken up with a pre conference workshop on Disaster Preparedness presented by Jane Kogi from SOLINET. About 25 people who arrived early enjoyed a tour of the archives at McIlhenny Company on Avery Island given by Shane Bernard, the company's Archivist/Historian. Some in- dulged themselves by visiting the Tobasco Company gift shop. The opening reception was held in the Dupre' Library lounge on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus.

Sessions Thursday explored a variety of topics including outreach, electronic records, and oral history. On Friday attendees heard a report on the state archives and State Historic Records Advisory Board activities in each state. Program participants from Louisiana included Jennifer Cooper, Assistant Director of the Center for Eco-Tourism, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Jennifer M. Abraham, Director of the T. Harry Williams Oral History Center at LSU; Dr. Florent Hardy, Louisiana State Archivist; and Dr. Elizabeth Dow, Professor at the School of Library and Information Science, LSU.

The 2008 SAC meeting is tentatively scheduled to be in Nashville, Tennessee.

Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association
Board Meeting

A quorum being present, the LAMA Board met briefly during the Southern Archives Conference at the Lafayette Hilton, Lafayette, LA, April 20, 2006.

LAMA President Nita Cole thanked Bruce Turner and Jean Kiesel for handling local arrangements for the successful SAC meeting in Lafayette.

A. Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Mark Martin was not present but sent his report. Nita expressed concern that a check for 969.17, profits from the joint ARMA/LAMA meeting last Fall was not reflected in the report. Nita will contact Mark to ask about the check and about the need to send out dues notices to the membership.

B. Scholarship Committee Report:
Cliff Theriot reported that there was only one applicant for the LAMA Scholarship this year – Russell James requested $100 to attend two Solinet courses. Discussion followed regarding the continuing problem of the lack of applicants for the scholarship. It was noted that members might be under the impression that the scholarship is intended mainly for archivists new to the profession. Discussion followed about how we can increase publicity about the scholarship – perhaps through the LAMA website or through flyers distributed to the membership and at the Society of Southwest Archivists meeting. We also discussed whether the application date should be changed.

C. Nita reported on the successful joint meeting of LAMA and ARMA and suggested that we encourage members of local ARMA chapters to join LAMA. Bruce Turner reminded us that in the past LAMA had presented a session at the Louisiana Historical Association meeting and suggested a program proposal (due to LHA by September 1) on underutilized collections in the state.

D. Irene Wainwright reported that several members suggested that LAMA honor University of New Oreans archivist Marie Windell upon her retirement.

E. New Business:
1. Newsletter editor:
Phyllis Kinnison volunteered to act as editor of the LAMA Newsletter, the position recently left vacant by Ann Wakefield’s resignation. The board accepted her offer gratefully.

2. Disaster Response Network Agreement:
The board discussed the need to allow archivists and those responsible for the safety of records to be designated “first responders” in the event of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Additional discussion on this matter is needed.

3. 2006 Annual Meeting:
Cliff Theriot volunteered to host the 2006 LAMA meeting in Thibodaux.

4. 2008 SAC Meeting:
For the 2008 SAC meeting, the state responsibilities are as follows:
Program – Louisiana
Publicity – Mississippi
Finances – Tennessee
Local Arrangements – Alabama

Respectfully submitted,
Irene Wainwright, LAMA Secretary

LAMA NEWS

Disaster Planning Seminar Sponsored by LHRAB

by Bruce Turner

The Louisiana Historical Records Advisory Board will sponsor a seminar on disaster planning to be held at the Louisiana State Archives on 12 October 2006. Morning panelists will talk about their experiences with Katrina and Rita, the success and failures of their disaster planning and recovery efforts, and the effectiveness of state and federal recovery agencies. The afternoon panel will focus on effective disaster planning and recovery mobilization. Panelists will represent archival repositories, government records agencies, and state and federal recovery agencies.

Everard Retires from New Orleans Public Library

by Irene Wainwright

Wayne Everard, Archivist in the Louisiana Division/City Archives of New Orleans Public Library, will retire on July 28, after nearly 32 years of service. During those years, Wayne oversaw the transformation of the City Archives from an underused collection of 19th century volumes to a professionally-run repository for the historical records of New Orleans municipal government and of the Orleans Parish civil and criminal courts – used not only by scholars and students world-wide but by civil servants and the citizens of the city itself. Wayne was responsible, in1989, for writing and directing a National Endowment for the Humanities preservation grant, which provided for the microfilming and cataloging of the pre-1862 records in the City Archives. He was also the creator of NUTRIAS, NOPL’s website, and has served as the library’s webmaster for over 10 years. Wayne is a charter member of the Academy of Certified Archivists and a long-time member of the Society of American Archivists, the Society of Southwest Archivists, the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association and the Greater New Orleans Archivists. He served as chair of SAA’s Local Government Records Roundtable and as a member of Louisiana’s Historical Records Advisory Board.

Wayne’s unparalleled knowledge of the collections he cared for have made him an invaluable resource for all users of the Louisiana Division/City Archives and for his colleagues at NOPL. His unfailing professionalism and his dedication to New Orleans Public Library will be missed and will remain an inspiration to his successors. After retirement, he intends to continue to serve NOPL as a volunteer.

Marie Windell Retires from Earl K. Long Library

Marie Windell retired at the beginning of 2006 after more than twenty-five years at Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans. Mrs. Windell was hired to bring order to the nineteenth-century case files of the Supreme Court of Louisiana but over the years she assisted hundreds of students, scholars, and other researchers in using the collection. Mrs. Windell obtained grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to microfilm the antebellum case files and direct the project. A member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, she presented papers at the Missouri Valley History Conference and at conferences of the Society of Southwest Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, the Consortium on Revolutionary History, the Southern Historical Association, the Louisiana Historical Association, and other organizations. Mrs. Windell contributed chapters to In Search of Fundamental Law: Louisiana’s Constitutions,1812-1874 and Historic U. S. Court Cases, 1690-1990:An Encyclopedia. In 1993 she traveled to China as a member of a delegation of archivists. Prior to her employment at UNO, Mrs. Windell was head of reference and research at the Hagley Library in Wilmington, Delaware. She currently resides in Plattsburg, Missouri, where she evacuated prior to Hurricane Katrina.

LAMA Officers are listed HERE

Please note:     Mark Martin has resigned as Treasurer of LAMA. Bruce Turner has agreed to fill out the remainder of Mark's term. Please send dues to:

Bruce Turner
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
P. O. Box 40199
Lafayette, LA 70504

LAMA Newsletter

It is never too early to send in news items for the next LAMA newsletter. Deadlines are March 15 for the Spring/Summer issue and September 15 for the Fall/ Winter issue. Please send items to

Phyllis Kinnison
Louisiana State University
Special Collections
Hill Memorial Library
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
E-mail: pcasti1@lsu.edu.

8/28/2006 -- iw