[SOA] PAHR Advocacy Alert - Help secure federal funding for Ohio's historical records

[Jelain Chubb]

To our Archival Colleagues in Ohio:

The Ohio Historical Society, State Archives, and the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board have been working for several months to educate our congressional delegation about status of historical records in Ohio and the positive impact that passage of the "Preserving the American
Historical Record" Act would have on our collective ability to manage, preserve and make available the records that document our state's history and its people. Letters, phone calls and personal visits have broken the ice. 

Now we need your help. Please call or fax a letter to your member of the US House of Representatives and ask them to sign on as a sponsor of this important legislation. 

If you are not familiar with PAHR the following message will provide important information on the Act. Please note that if PAHR is funded at the $50 million level, Ohio would receive approximately $1.7 million annually to be distributed through grants administered by the State Archives to repositories of historical records, including but not limited to: local governments, historical societies, libraries, colleges and universities. 

We think you will agree that $1.7 million in annual funding would go a long way in improving the preservation of and access to Ohio's documentary heritage. 

With best regards and many thanks,

Jelain Chubb, CA, CRM
State Archivist
Ohio Historical Society
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43211
Phone:  614-297-2589
Fax: 614-297-2546 
Email: jchubb at ohiohistory.org
www.ohiohistory.org





-----Original Message-----
From: - COSA-L - Council of State Archivists [mailto:COSA-L at LISTS.DIGITALARCHIVES.WA.GOV] On Behalf Of Kathleen Roe
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:52 AM
To: COSA-L at LISTS.DIGITALARCHIVES.WA.GOV
Subject: February Action Alert on PAHR

Contact House Members Now to Sign on to “Preserving the American
Historical Record” Legislation

The Partnership for the American Historical Record Task Force is
seeking calls and letters to members of the House of Representatives to
urge them to sign on to the “Preserving the American Historical
Record” legislation, which will be introduced soon by Congressman
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY, 22nd district).  The Congressman would like to
have as many co-sponsors as possible before introducing the bill. 
Current sponsors are:  Jerrold Nadler (D-NY 8th), John McHugh (R- NY
23rd), Sanford Bishop (D-GA 2nd), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY 14th), and
Edolphus Towns (D-NY 10th).

It is critical that we work now to enlist as many Members of Congress
as possible to sign on to the bill - and that the co-sponsors represent
a diversity of states and both parties.  (The current list of sponsors
is heavily weighted to the East Coast and the Democratic party.)  As
several Members of Congress have said to me, PAHR clearly represents a
non-partisan issue.  I would add that it is also a nationwide issue -
and we need representation “from sea to shining sea.”  

Act now - as Congress reconvenes from its winter break.   

In the next few days Congressmen Hinchey will send a “Dear
Colleague” letter to invite his House colleagues to join him as
sponsors.  Although some Members will wait to see the letter before
signing on, others will do so sooner.  Notwithstanding their personal
preferences on timing, it is essential that House members know that this
bill is of concern to their constituents so that they WILL sign on. Your
efforts will ensure that your Congressperson has this bill on his or her
“radar.”

Here’s how you can help:

1.	Contact the members of Congress who represent your region and
tell them how important this bill will be to your state.  Please
encourage others to do so as well.  Genealogists, local government
officials, researchers of all kinds, teachers, veterans, and even your
favorite aunt can make the case.
  
To facilitate this, we have posted a number of items on the Web at
www.archivists.org/pahr 

●  A draft letter* that you can customize and then fax (preferred),
email, or send.
●  A draft resolution if you have an organization that is willing to
support PAHR.
●  The PAHR fact sheet.
●  A generic version of a brochure entitled ”Then, Now, Always”
that you can tailor to your own state. 
 
*There is also an Excel file (PAHR-FormulaCalculations-11-2007.xls) in
which you can find the specific amount of funding that would come to
your state if the bill is authorized and appropriated at the proposed
level of $50 million.  

It is particularly important that you also call or visit the Member’s
office.  A visit to the regional office or the Washington office will
have considerable impact.  If you contact the regional office, ask for
the regional director (the name should be on the website, but if not,
ask for the person in that position.)  If you contact the Washington
office, ask for the Legislative director. 
 
I cannot stress how important it is to have a strong set of co-sponsors
for this bill.  The level of support we get at this point will
demonstrate to Congress whether the bill is viable or just one of those
bills introduced to please a constituent.

If you have any questions about how to proceed, I’m happy to talk you
through the steps.  If you’re a bit hazy about PAHR and what it would
do for your state or organization, I’m happy to walk you through that
as well.  

Please take a few minutes in the coming week to make a call, pay a
visit, or send a fax/email/letter to your Members of Congress.  I’d be
grateful if you’d let me know what you’ve done; sometimes we can
encourage another person to follow up with the same Representative, and
it’s always helpful for us to understand how much “traffic” there
is.
It’s time to tell Congress that wh
at we do matters a great deal to
this country and its inhabitants. Americans need and deserve the
resources to ensure access to our heritage.  We can do this-with your
help!

With best regards,

Kathleen Roe, Chair
Joint Task Force on PAHR
Council of State Archivists
Society of American Archivists
National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators