You probably don't want to house the Oral History Association's office (although it would be great if you did). However this message reminded me that people in the history of computing may not be aware of the Oral History Association, which is described in detail below and on its website: http://www.oralhistory.org/. Tom -----Original Message----- From: sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org [mailto:sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Kathryn La Barre Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 12:52 PM To: sighfis-l@asis.org Subject: [Sighfis-l] Oral History Association Seeks New Institutional Home and Executive Director Of possible interest to HFIS members: The Oral History Association (OHA), the principal organization of practicing oral historians in the United States, is seeking a new home for its executive office and staff beginning in 2013. It also plans to hire an Executive Director to serve as its principal administrator after its new institutional home is determined. Institutions interested in hosting the OHA's offices are invited to send an initial expression of interest to OHA by November 1, 2011. (See details below). Viable candidates will be invited to submit a full proposal, due no later than March 1, 2012. A final decision is expected by May 2012. The OHA will initiate a search for the Executive Director during the spring/summer of 2012. Appropriate personnel from the host institution will be invited to participate in this search, and applicants affiliated with that institution will be welcome to apply. Our aim is to select the Executive Director by October 2012. Background A formal association since 1966, the OHA enjoys a national and international reputation as a leader in the field of oral history. Governed by an eight-member Executive Council, OHA has more than 600 individual members from a variety of disciplines and professional fields; and 250 institutional members, including university programs and centers, libraries and archives, museums, historical societies, and community-based projects. Each fall it hosts its annual meeting with an average participation of 500. OHA publishes a triannual Newsletter and sponsors the journal Oral History Review (OHR), the principal journal of the oral history field. Published by Oxford University Press, the OHR editorial offices are located in and supported by the University of San Francisco and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 1998 the OHA executive offices have been hosted by Dickinson College and its operations overseen by Executive Secretary, Madelyn Campbell. With the expiration of our contract with Dickinson and Campbell's retirement, the OHA is seeking to strengthen its national office and advance new initiatives in the field by hiring an Executive Director, who will be assisted by additional staff. If you have questions, please contact the Transition Committee co-chairs, Rina Benmayor (rbenmayor@csumb.edu) or Linda Shopes (lshopes@aol.com). Initial expressions of interest, due November 1, 2011, should include a preliminary explanation of how OHA's presence would benefit your institution, as well as a description of the resources, facilities, personnel, programs, relationships, and other factors that would make your institution an outstanding home. While the OHA is open to considering a variety of institutional arrangements, it does expect a significant commitment of institutional resources to the executive office and staff. The letter of interest should be sent as an attachment to: oha@dickinson.edu, with "Letter of Interest" in the Subject line. To help guide prospective applicants, we are including here a more detailed Fact Sheet describing OHA's needs and expectations, as well as specifics for a Full Proposal. Proposal for Hosting Oral History Association Executive Office: Fact Sheet Below are summarized Oral History Association's (OHA) current financial arrangements for its Executive Secretary and Executive Office and its anticipated future needs. Responding institutions should take into account cost of living differentials for their geographical location. Our current host institution, Dickinson College, is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a relatively low-cost suburban area. OHA welcomes additional enhancements that a potential host institution might offer. It is also open to considering a variety of arrangements and anticipates a measure of flexibility in discussions with applicants. STAFF Current staff includes a part time Executive Secretary (ES) and occasional student assistants. The responsibilities of the ES include: budget development and financial management; coordination of OHA annual meeting; service to the Executive Council, standing committees, and membership; management of occasional publications, excluding the newsletter and the journal; coordination with Oxford University Press, publisher of the Oral History Review; as well as management of elections, the OHA website, and ongoing office affairs. The Executive Secretary currently has a 12-month, 2/3 staff appointment at Dickinson College, with an annual salary of $48,500. OHA contributes $30,950 and Dickinson College pays $17,550 plus FICA. Currently, no other benefits are attached to the position. OHA intends to hire an Executive Director (ED) and at least a 50% FTE, 12-month Program Associate. Initially, the OHA will contribute a total of $40,000 annually to the salaries and benefits of both positions. In addition to overseeing all current association operations, the Executive Director will have expanded responsibilities, including the development of special initiatives and fundraising. The ideal ED will have earned an advanced degree in a field related to oral history, have experience with oral history, and possess demonstrated administrative, program management, and fundraising abilities. The Executive Director will be hired by an open national search, with the participation of the host institution. Candidates affiliated with the host institution are welcome to apply. The Program Associate, to be hired by the ED, will have strong administrative, accounting, and communication skills and will work together with the ED to accomplish the association's business. In addition to the above, the OHA would like to develop stronger undergraduate and graduate student involvement in the work of the Executive Office through internships and other professional development opportunities. WORK SPACE AND EQUIPMENT The current Executive Office is located in a large office within Dickinson College's Community Studies Center. The college provides furniture, including desks, chairs, filing cabinet, bookshelves, and use of a dedicated phone line with voice mail, a computer, and appropriate business software. In addition, the college provides access to fax and photocopy machines with appropriate charge back for usage, and access to a laser printer. OHA pays for toner and paper. The College provides use of a dedicated mailbox and bulk mailing facilities with postage on a cost-reimbursement basis. OHA seeks appropriate accommodation and resources in the new host institution consisting of: furnished and maintained office space adequate for at least two OHA staff persons, and one student intern; storage space; three computer workstations and appropriate software, photocopier and fax access, voice and data lines, and Internet access. In addition, it is expected that the institution will replace the Executive Director's, Program Associate's, and intern's computers on a regular life cycle schedule with the best available replacement. The host institution will provide software installations, updates, and other technical services and support. Oral History Association: Proposal Guidelines for Hosting Executive Office Full proposals from institutions interested in hosting the Executive Office of the Oral History Association (OHA) are due no later than March 1, 2012. Proposals should include the following elements: 1. A narrative statement of no more than 1500 words explaining: a. why your institution would like to host OHA and why doing so can advance the mission of your institution; b. why the institution will be especially suitable for the OHA; c. where the OHA Executive Office will be located within the institution's administrative structure; the OHA is open to considering a variety of institutional arrangements. d. how the office, staff, programs, and expertise of the OHA might be integrated into the institution and the community; e. what financial and in-kind resources the institution will provide for: i) a significant contribution to the FTE salary and benefits of the Executive Director; ii) a contribution to the salary and benefits of a Program Associate; iii) graduate assistant(s), student intern(s), or equivalent; iv) appropriate office space, storage space, supplies, and equipment such as telephones, computers, and access to photocopier, with upgrades or replacements as necessary; v) computer workstation for each staff member with network/internet access, support, and regular lifecycle scheduled upgrades for the Executive Director and Program Associate and best available replacement for other staff. 2. A Letter of Support from the institution's chief administrative officer acknowledging the availability of and intention to commit resources for a minimum contract term of five years, beginning January 1, 2013, the projected starting date for OHA at the new institution. 3. Letters of Support from individuals, academic departments, programs, offices, agencies, institutions, or other entities who can contribute to a collaborative environment, in-kind support, cultural and intellectual resources, or other forms of assistance to the goals, staff, and operations of the OHA. Please submit one copy of the proposal and supporting documents via electronic attachments to the OHA Executive Office, at oha@dickinson.edu, with the subject line "Proposal for Executive Office." -- Kathryn La Barre Assistant Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign _______________________________________________ Sighfis-l mailing list Sighfis-l@asis.org http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sighfis-l