Welcome to the 2014 Annual General Meeting
Archives and the Public
It is with pleasure that the Society of California Archivists' Board of Directors, the Program Committee, and the Local Arrangements Committee welcome you to this year’s Annual General Meeting! We trust -- and have worked hard to ensure -- that this year’s AGM will prove a worthwhile time of professional enhancement, interesting visits to Palm Springs’ many attractions, and socializing with colleagues old and newly made at this AGM.
This year’s theme, “Archives and the Public,” was designed to give our members a chance to explore the different aspects of what has become a central theme and preoccupation of our profession. AGM sessions will examine, among other things, specific cases where privacy and public access have conflicted, a successful program for archival outreach to teenagers, and archives and National History Day. There’s more, though: always critical concerns such as processing and technology are covered in the program. In all, this year’s AGM fully explores topics and problems that we, as archivists, find important for our profession.
The pre-AGM educational workshops offer training valuable to all of us in our profession. The SCA is co-hosting with the Society of American Archivists a workshop on the accessioning and ingest of electronic records. It's part of the SAAs’ Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum and Certificate Program and one of the courses in the Tactical and Strategic Courses. In an effort to serve more fully our members, the Society of California Archivists has subsidized the registration fee for SCA members. The other workshop is on the preservation of audiovisual materials and is taught by Pamela Vadakan, of the California Preservation Program.
Besides education workshops and educational program sessions, the important SCA members meeting will be held on Friday. At the members meeting, you’ll have the chance to catch up on SCA business, ask questions of our board, and find out the results of this year’s SCA elections. Attend the members meeting if you want to serve on a SCA committee. Our committee chairs will be attending, and they’ll be happy to find a committee for you to serve on.
For our new members, there will be two opportunities to find out more about the SCA: a Friday morning meeting and a happy hour at the Rocks Lounge that same day. Please join us, so that we can start to know you. Members: join us as well to welcome new colleagues.
For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting Palm Springs, visions of warm weather, palm trees, and swimming pools may be whirling in your head, and on this front it surely will not disappoint! Palm Springs is also known for unique homes and buildings, with one of the world’s best-preserved concentration of modernist architecture. In recent years the city has seen significant transformation with many new fine dining and shopping establishments. The recently renovated Renaissance Hotel will be providing a beautiful backdrop to the Annual General Meeting, providing nicely appointed accommodations, luxurious pool area, and meeting space for our workshops, programs, exhibitors and other events. The hotel is located in the heart of Palm Springs, in walking distance from shops, restaurants, and cultural institutions.
On Thursday afternoon there are three featured local events: tours of the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, and a historical walking tour of downtown Palm Springs. This year’s opening reception will be held in Sunnylands Center & Gardens, designed by Los Angeles-based architect Frederick Fisher. Tours of the Sunnylands library and archive will also be available during the reception.
There are many other not to be missed attractions in the Coachella Valley. Please view the points of interest page for ideas on ways to explore Palm Springs and surrounding cities on your own.