Historical Records Commission Minutes June 8, 2023

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Members present:
Margaret Purser (Chair)
Michael Mueller (Vice-Chair)
Robert Chase
Seana Gause
Steven Lovejoy

Members excused:
None

Associate Members present:
Amanda King, Secretary
Erika Thibault, Director, Sonoma County Library
Eve Goldberg, County of Sonoma Library Commissioner and Liaison to the Historical Records Commission

Guests present:
Zayda Delgado, Supervising Librarian, History & Genealogy Library
Mark DeBacker, Landmarks Consulting, LLC

Call to order 4:03 pm
Introduction of Guests
Swearing in of Commissioners appointed on June 6, 2023
1. Steven Lovejoy, Seana Gause, and Robert Chase were sworn in.
2. Secretary to send new commissioners Welcome Packet
The April 13, 2023 minutes were approved
1. Motion by Michael Mueller
2. Second by Steven Lovejoy
3. Abstain by Robert Chase and Seana Gause
4. Approved
Budget Discussion
1. Balance is $3,796.07
2. Secretary to reach out to Seana and Robert for Business Card information
3. Secretary to check into whether the account is interest-bearing
Continuing Business
1. HRC Commissioners Report
  1. Margaret's report:
    - No report
  2. Michael's report:
    - Brian Curtis, Surveyor in Healdsburg passed away and Surveyor community is trying to get the records but they are being given out piecemeal
    - Discussion in Surveyor community with the County Surveyor’s office on Survey Monument Fee use to possibly purchase private survey records
  3. Steven's report:
    - No report
  4. Seana's report:
    - No report
  5. Robert's report:
    - No report
2. Library Commissioner Report
  1. Update from Eve Goldberg:
    - Finally have a full Library Commission
      - Cotati Library Commissioner – Cyan McMillan
    - Three commissioners went to the Pride Parade last weekend
    - Passed 2023/24 budget
    - Three new full-time staff people for the new Community Engagement division.
  2. Update from Erika Thibault:
    - Met with one of the people overseeing the Archives management project. The new CAO has a lot of projects and will re-visit in 4 months
    - County is working with the Courts for reimbursement of the rent for the records that are held at the Archives
    - Planning to put security cameras and badge access in the Westwind location, looking for further ways to control access and security to the Archives.
    - Completed the Facilities Master Plan and ADA Transition Plan
      - Questions from Steven:
        
        What needs to be improved?
        
        Zayda: The ramp and the bathrooms
      - We were hoping the people negotiating on behalf of the County would be able to attend the HRC meeting.
        
        Secretary did reach out to Christel Querijero and invited her to the HRC meeting
3. Archives Activity Report
  1. Update by Zayda Delgado:
    - Month of May, 15 resources requested; 5 requests came from two different County departments for 7 unique requestors.
    - History and Genealogy Library is launching the Memory Lab (digitization lab) for the public to digitize their photos, documents, VHS, etc. A lot of remodeling occurring at the H&G Library.
    - Open House for Memory Lab, July 15^th
    - Archives Catalog – Launch, Fall 2023 overview of new cataloguing program and database.
    - Upcoming Library events:
      - Saturday, April 29, 10AM, Rincon Valley Regional Library, former library commissioner and genealogist, Melissa Kelly, will be giving a presentation, “From Migrants to Mermaids: Researching Your Ancestry” Her talk will highlight resources and strategies for compiling and organizing family research
4. Collections & Archives Recognition Awards
  1. Secretary sent drafts of last year’s instructions and forms.
  2. Commissioners will review last year’s instructions and forms for updates at the next meeting.
  3. Historical Society Luncheon date is not yet set and where it will be located.
5. Outreach
  1. “Researching the History of a Sonoma County Property” pamphlet update:
    - Margaret to send Secretary one update for June 2023.
    - 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
    - Margaret received the spreadsheet from Gretchen.
    - Seeking a commissioner to complete the spreadsheet and contact the remaining 8 counties.
      - Steven volunteers to take back the spreadsheet.
6. County Recorder update on the status of the Restrictive Covenant Modification Program
  1. RFP Proposals were due May 12, 2023.
  2. Evaluation process is still underway.
7. Legislative Updates pertaining to public records
  1. Assembly Bill 1193 – Real property: property records: personal identifying information.
    - Held as a 2-year bill and may not be acted on until January 2024.
    - County Recorders continue to prepare alternative options to present in lieu of redacting names and addresses on official recorded documents.
New Business
1. None
Public Comment
1. Library Commission meeting, July 5, 2023, 6pm, Rohnert Park Branch Library
2. Sonoma County Heritage Network Meeting, July 8, 2023, 10AM-12PM, location TBD
3. Museum of Sonoma County Exhibits:
  1. Sculpture Garden, May 31, 2023-June 16, 2023
  2. Nature Abstracted, June 17, 2023-November 5, 2023
4. Sonoma County Finding History Day, October 21, 2023, 10:00AM-2:00PM, Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa
  1. Steven to check in with Ray Johnson about application for tabling at Finding History Day.
Meeting adjourned at 5:00PM

Next Meeting - July 13, 2023 - ZOOM, 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.