Collections and Archives Recognition Award

The Sonoma County Historical Records Commission’s Collections and Archives Recognition Award is an annual program to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of individuals, groups, agencies, collections, and archives located within Sonoma County. The award focuses on existing collections as well as recognizing special efforts to preserve and use archival material in promoting history and cultural preservation.

The Sonoma County Historical Records Commission will accept nominations as well as actively seek out individuals and organizations worthy of recognition under established criteria.

Eligibility

Any individual (professional or non-professional), private group, local, county, state, federal and/or tribal governmental agency, or private or public collection or archive, located within the boundary of Sonoma County and practicing the collection and preservation of historical records, will qualify for the award.

While preferable, the recognized contribution or achievement will not necessarily have to have occurred during the award year. The Sonoma County Historical Records Commission will have the flexibility to use the award to recognize individual and organizations in their ongoing efforts to preserve and promote historical records.

Award

The award is non-monetary. The issuance of the award will be accompanied by a press release and mention on the Sonoma County Historical Records Commission’s website as well as in other profession-related media. It will be presented by the Sonoma County Historical Records Commission at the Sonoma County Historical Society’s annual meeting.

Selection Committee

The members of the Sonoma County Historical Records Commission will select the awardees.

Submit a Nomination

The 2023 Nomination form will become available in October 2023, please check back at that time. Nominations will be due in January 2024.

Prior Awardees

2022 Awardees

Presented at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa on March 12, 2023, in conjunction with the Sonoma County Historical Society's annual meeting, the following awardees received the second annual Collections and Archives Recognition Awards:

Betsy Penn, in the category of Individual Excellence, was honored for ten-and-a-half years of public service preserving the records of the Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder’s office.
Ed Gilardi, in the category of Individual Excellence, was recognized for his fourteen years of dedicated service to the Cotati Historical Society.
Roberto Esteves, in the category of Individual Excellence, was honored honored for twelve years of dedicated volunteer service to the Russian River Historical Society.
Solange Russek, in the category of Individual Excellence, was recognized for four years of work to preserve and maintain the records of the 125-plus-year-old Petaluma Women’s Club.
Sonoma County Library, in the category of Special Projects, was honored for its year-long efforts to move the documents of the Sonoma County Archives from Los Guilicos, under repeated threat of wildfires, to a safer location, its ongoing efforts to improve discoverability and access to these records.

2021 Awardees

Awarded on March 20, 2022, the following awardees received the inaugural Collections and Archives Recognition Awards:

Judy Gustafson, in the category of Individual Excellence, was honored for more than 10 years of dedicated volunteer service to the Cotati Historical Society.
Office of Cultural Resource Studies, Cal Trans District 4 and Special Collections Archive, Sonoma State University Library, in the category of Special Projects, were honored for their partnership in rescuing and preserving historical records relating to Highway 101 construction in Sonoma County from the early 1940s through the late 1960s.
Santa Rosa High School Foundation, in the category of Education, was honored for its ongoing work with the Santa Rosa High School Museum to document the history of that nearly 150-year-old institution.
Sonoma Valley Historical Society, Inc., in the category of Collaborative Partnerships, was honored for its ongoing work to document and preserve the valley's historical record.