Aother copy with the odd mistake corrected; if you haven't sent the first.
I was typing quickly and didn't proof read adequately -- which should be a
requirement for all of us!  sorry

carol



>To: carol kammen <[log in to unmask]>
>From: carol kammen <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re:
>Cc:
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>>      Holding a position about which no one has any expectations is
>>something of a toss up:  there are disadvantages but there are also some
>>opportunities that municipal historians in New York should consider.  I
>>think these are important because what we do is important to the community
>>and we should show our municipalities how we conduct our business in order
>>to educate them about the possibilities of the positions we hold.
>>
>>      I really think that every municipal historian should expect to be
>>treated professionally, which also means that we need to act professionally
>>too.  I think we should all be connected to the internet via a
>>municipalities connection, even if we have a connection of our own at home.
>>This is not asking much in terms of what the municipality needs to do but
>>it does give us a formal way of communicating with others, with the
>>municipality, and with people in the area.
>>
>>      In addition, we should have a mail box in the municipality and we
>>need to collect materials from it quite regularly.  This is a simple thing,
>>but it does establish our presence and our activity.
>>
>>      Appointed historians should also have a business card from the
>>municipality and ideally, a place to work where we can keep records safely.
>>This is difficult for some places to provide, but it should be a goal for
>>all of us.  There should be a phone number where we can be reached; people
>>in the municipal office should know how to contact you when questions arise
>>or when people leave things off for you.
>>
>>      Additionally important is an annual report.  The State Historian's
>>Office sends us a form which we should fill out and return.  Some municipal
>>historians simply copy that form and hand in it to the municipality.
>>
>>        That is probably OK, but it would be much more effective to write
>>a simple, one page report that shows the hours we work, how we spent them,
>>the number of calls and inquiries we had and answered, the conferences
>>attended for education, and the range of activities undertaken.  This
>>report should be delivered in person to the Town/City/County Board with a 3
>>to 5 minute oral report in which we talk about one thing we consider
>>important undertaken during the year.  It could be the publication of a
>>tour guide to the community, the preservation of records, the development
>>of a filing system for town records, or whatever.
>>
>>      I would strongly recommend that we not tell the officials everything
>>on the report but educate them to our activities with one specific thing.
>>They can read the entire report later and they will do so with more
>>information about our activities having heard a very short report first.
>>
>>       I think it is very important that we also thank the Board for the
>>opportunity to serve the community; that we stress our needs; that we
>>indicate preservation activities concerning municipal records, and that we
>>show we are getting whatever education about our jobs that is available.
>>We should also ask if the Board has any questions?
>>
>>      These things are small in themselves, but they do show our
>>seriousness and they indicate to others that the job is not without
>>importance to how people think about the communities in which they live.
>>
>>      Carol Kammen
>>      Tompkins County Historian
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