After two years of listening, learning, and engaging with members of the Society of California Archivists, the SCA Strategic Planning Task Force is pleased to announce the release of our final report, now available online:

June 2025 Final Report of the Strategic Planning Task Force

After conducting a membership survey, focus group interviews, and gathering additional member feedback at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, the Task Force summarized findings and made six overall recommendations: 

1. Increase Organizational Support for Members to Network
2. Review, Streamline, and Improve Communication Channels
3. Make Committees and Their Work More Visible
4. Increase SCA Leadership's Engagement with Members
5. Promote and Encourage Participation in Leadership Positions
6. Make Scholarships More Visible

We encourage SCA members to read the full report and share their feedback with the SCA Board of Directors. The Task Force deeply appreciates the members for their ongoing support of SCA and we hope these recommendations help chart a future for its next decade and beyond.

Alix Norton and Leilani Marshall, co-chairs
on behalf of the SCA Strategic Planning Task Force
strategicplanning@calarchivists.org

The summer newsletter is now online.

Thank you to all those who submitted articles and news items for this issue. Another issue will be coming out this summer, so please consider submitting an article or some news about your work.

Happy reading!

Sue Tyson, Andrew Kopp, Richelle Mackenzie, and Rebecca Vasquez

SCA Newsletter Team

newsletter@calarchivists.org

The Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists echoes the American Library Association’s disappointment in the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden by President Trump. 

As ALA President Cindy Hohl stated on May 9th, "Dr. Hayden’s abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work Dr. Hayden has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress.”1 As per the New York Times, “Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the administration believed Dr. Hayden ‘did not fit the needs of the American people,’ and that her firing resulted from ‘quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of D.E.I.’”2 SCA is, at its core, an organization that develops, supports, and promotes archival education to all individuals regardless of national origin, race, orientation, or religion, making it fundamentally in disagreement with the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI efforts.

California’s archival community includes people of color, members of the LGBTQI community, immigrants, religious clergy, and people with disabilities. The records we hold document the historical past, transform communities, and promote unity and understanding. We value diversity in all its manifestations.

In solidarity,

The Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists

1. “ALA Praises Service of Dr. Carla Hayden, Decries ‘Unjust Dismissal’ of Librarian of Congress | ALA,” accessed May 12, 2025. 

2. Erica L. Green, “Trump Fired Librarian of Congress Over D.E.I.,” The New York Times, May 9, 2025, sec. U.S., https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/us/politics/hayden-library-of-congress-dei.html.

The Society of California Archivists strongly supports the SAA Diversity Committee’s Statement on Nationwide Attacks against DEIA Programs and Initiatives. 

These attacks have had an outsized impact on the lives of many in our professional community.  Some have been strong-armed into compliance with Executive Orders; had important funding or employment terminated; and/or lost the freedom and agency to work according to their professional values.

Diversity is a core value for both SAA and SCA, and DEIA programs and initiatives are central to our work as archivists.  We stand behind the SAA Diversity Committee and encourage our SCA members to read the full statement and share it widely.

In solidarity,

Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists

For almost 20 years, SCA membership dues remained unchanged. Recently, a measure to increase annual membership fees passed with 90% approval over the following categories: Individual (now $65), Institutional (now $120), and Retiree (now $30). New rates will be effective in May. Student membership dues will remain at $20.

SCA stands behind the American Library Association (ALA) and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in challenging the Trump Administration’s executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  

Last week, ALA and AFSCME filed a lawsuit against the administration, asking a federal judge to halt the elimination of programs and services offered by the IMLS. “Libraries play an important role in our democracy, from preserving history to providing access to government information, advancing literacy and civic engagement, and offering access to a variety of perspectives,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “These values are worth defending. We will not allow extremists to threaten our democracy by eliminating programs at IMLS and harming the children and communities who rely on libraries and the services and opportunities they provide.”

You can learn more about the executive order and what you can do to support IMLS on ALA’s website here.

In Solidarity,

Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists

The Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists stands by our colleagues at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) during this chaotic and uncertain time. With the unprecedented firing of the Archivist of the United States; the sudden removal of DEI programs, documentation, and guidance across federal agencies; and the threat of widespread federal layoffs; we call on Congress and the courts to protect the vital, nonpartisan role of NARA and uphold the rule of law.

Political interference into NARA's work threatens the transparency and integrity of our nation's documentary heritage.Central to SCA’s core values is the “belief that public notice should be given before removal of any online government information” and a “commitment to offer users free access to information without discrimination.” If you want to learn more about current efforts to preserve public government data, please see the Data Rescue Resource Guide compiled by SCA’s Labor Advocacy and Public Policy Committee. 

This is a constantly evolving situation, but your voice matters!  We urge SCA members and fellow archivists to support our colleagues at NARA by contacting legislators and pushing for accountability, transparency, and support for the important work that they do to “preserve, protect, and share the historical records of the United States to promote public inquiry and strengthen democratic participation.”

In solidarity,

Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists