2022 Citizen Archivist Award Recipients

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that Sister Nancy Garson of the Dominican Sisters of Peace Archives, Flossie Hulsizer of the Clark County Historical Society, and Carolyn Shaffer of the Trumbull County Records Center & Archives, are recipients of the 2022 OHRAB Citizen Archivist Award.

The OHRAB Citizen Archivist Award honors volunteers in Ohio’s archives who work long hours, unpaid and often unacknowledged, answering reference requests, processing collections, and indexing historic records.  This award recognizes volunteers in Ohio archives who best exemplify the dedication and hard work volunteers–our citizen archivists–contribute to Ohio’s archives each day.

When Sister Nancy became a volunteer at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Archive in 2016, she undertook organizing the archives according to modern archival standards.  She had no background in archives, but she soon learned by seeking archival training, working with a consultant, and joining professional organizations.  She created policies, processed collections, and organized the archives according to archival best practices.  Sister Nancy oversaw the moves of three archives following the merger within the Dominican Sisters and secured approval for a new HVAC system for the archives.  She laid the foundation for the archives to hire professional archivists in 2022 and continues to volunteer, processing collections and answering reference requests.

Flossie Hulsizer has been a volunteer with the Clark County Historical Society and the Clark County Genealogical Society for over twenty years.  She contributed nearly 6,000 hours of her time to preserving the history of Clark County and making it accessible to the public.  Flossie maintains the Genealogical Society’s family surname files and the family materials related to the First Families of Clark County, a society where members trace their lineage back to the earliest settlers of Clark County.  At the Historical Society, Flossie researches incoming requests and helps researchers find the resources they need. She has printed and bound many booklets of information for the research library and archives that abstract birth, deaths, marriages, and more.

Carolyn Shaffer has been a volunteer at the Trumbull County Records Center & Archives for eight years.  Carolyn is a retired high school teacher from Warren, Ohio.  Carolyn has indexed court case records dating back to the early 1800s, coroner’s files, naturalizations, and many other records.  She prepares records for scanning, a tedious job that she describes as “soothing.”  She helps researchers visiting the archives and is full of knowledge about the events and citizens of Trumbull County.  Carolyn also volunteers at the Trumbull County Historical Society. 

Please join OHRAB in celebrating the accomplishments of Sister Nancy Garson, Flossie Hulsizer, and Carolyn Shaffer and their contributions to the history of Ohio.  We applaud the dedication, talent, and love that they and their fellow volunteers bring to Ohio’s archives each day.