Historical Records Commission Minutes July 13, 2023

Members present:
Margaret Purser (Chair)
Michael Mueller (Vice-Chair)
Seana Gause

Members excused:
Robert Chase
Steven Lovejoy

Associate Members present:
Amanda King, Secretary
Erika Thibault, Director, Sonoma County Library

Guests present:
None

1. Call to order 4:05 pm
2. Introduction of Guests
3. The June 8, 2023 minutes were approved
   1. Motion by Seana Gause
   2. Second by Michael Mueller
   3. Approved
4. Budget Discussion
   1. Balance is $3,796.07
   2. Account is not interest-bearing.
5. Continuing Business
   
   1. HRC Commissioners Report
      1. Margaret's report:
         • Thank you to the Library for the tours arranged for the Sonoma County Archives on Westwind Blvd.
      2. Michael's report:
         1. No report
      3. Seana's report:
         • No report
   2. Library Commissioner Report
      1. Emailed Update from Eve Goldberg:
         • The month of June and beginning of July were busy for the Sonoma County Library Commission. In June, we approved the library’s 2023-2024 budget, then in July we approved minor adjustments to the budget in the gifts and donation fund, and in the bequeathment fund.

           Commission Chair Doyle attended the California Library Association’s annual conference in Sacramento, the International Public Library Fundraising Conference in Austin, and the American Library Association’s conference in Chicago. A key topic at all three conferences was the rising threat of censorship and book bans.

           We elected new officers for the 2023-2024 year. Deborah Doyle (Windsor) has been re-elected as Chair. Brooke Greene (Cloverdale) has been elected as Vice Chair.

           The Commission received lots of community feedback about Drag Story Hour. This event was held at four branches as part of the library’s celebration of Pride Month and our commitment to serving people who have been historically marginalized. Community members had lots to say about this event. Some showed up and made comments at both our June and July Commission meetings. A small group of people who opposed Drag Story Hour protested outside the Petaluma branch on the weekend prior to the event, and they also protested outside each branch during the actual events. A great many more community members held counter-protests to support the library’s inclusive programming.  Commissioners supported the library Director and staff during this challenging situation.

           That’s it for now. Thank you.
      2. Update from Erika Thibault:
         • When we had protests, we had a plan in advance and had a Security Guard and Police at all of the locations. Made sure staff was safe and people were able to access the library during the protests. 
         • Received great feedback from the community and families that attended the event.
      3. Secretary to update agenda to separate Library Report from Library Commissioner Report.
   3. Archives Activity Report
      1. Update by Zayda Delgado:
         • Twenty-two (22) resources from the Sonoma County Archives were used during the month of June.  There were no county department requests; all of these requests were from the public.
         • Work on the public archives catalog continues; public launch is fall 2023.
         • History and Genealogy Library will host an Open House for the Playback Memory Lab this Saturday, July 15, from 1:00PM-5:00PM. Come by to explore our digitization lab, learn to make an appointment, watch an orientation video, and talk to staff about personal preservation. We’ve seen an overwhelming amount of interest in this program but there are still some appointments available here.
   4. Collections & Archives Recognition Awards
      1. Steven checked in and at this time there is no date set for the Sonoma County Historical Society Luncheon where the awards are presented.
      2. Robert proposed changes and submitted them to Margaret. Margaret read changes at the meeting and submitted changes to the Secretary.
      3. Discussion on altering the Nomination Form to
      4. Secretary to send Robert and Margaret’s suggested changes to review for everyone to work on a single document.
   5. Outreach
      1. “Researching the History of a Sonoma County Property” pamphlet update:
         • Secretary has made a single update and the PDF has been updated on our website.
         • Margaret to email Heritage Network to request testimonials on the use of the pamphlet to include in future versions.
         • Commission to review pamphlet for March 2024 for updates to be published in June 2024.
      2. Other California County Historical Records Commission
         • No update
      3. Finding History Day, October 21, 2023, 10:00AM-2:00PM, Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa
         • Steven sent Secretary application following the last HRC meeting.
         • Secretary to submit application to Ray Johnson for HRC tabling.
         • Margaret asks Erika to consider if the public archives catalog is avialable in the Fall if that could be an idea at the Finding History Day.
   6. County Recorder update on the status of the Restrictive Covenant Modification Program
      1. Evaluation process is still underway.
   7. Legislative Updates pertaining to public records
      1. Continuing to monitor legislation.
6. New Business
   1. Secretary requests moving future meeting dates due to availability:
      1. September 14, 2023
         • Secretary not available September 21
         • Margaret and Seana available September 7
         • Michael is available any Thursday.
      2. October 12, 2023
         • Seana will be unavailable October 12
         • Proposed date is October 5 to have meeting prior to Finding History Day
      3. December 14, 2023
         • Proposed date is December 7
      4. Secretary to send proposed dates to Steven and Robert for review.
7. Public Comment
   1. Library Commission meeting, there is no meeting in August for a recess.  The next meeting will be September 6, 2023, 6PM, Rohnert Park Branch Library
   2. Sonoma County Heritage Network Meeting, October, 2023, 10AM-12PM, location TBD
   3. Museum of Sonoma County Exhibits:
      • Nature Abstracted, June 17, 2023-November 5, 2023
   4. Katherine Rinehart emailed in asking if there has been a permanent replacement for the Records Manager position at Information Services Department (ISD).  Secretary did receive an update from Sherry Bevens, who is the acting Records Manager.  They have not hired a permanent Records Manager and she will continue to fill that function.
8. Meeting adjourned at 4:50PM

Next Meeting - August 10, 2023 - 4:00PM

• In Person: County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor, Sonoma Room, 585 Fiscal Dr Rm 103, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
• Virtual: Guests may also join virtually. Please see the meeting month’s agenda for login information.