The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that Patti Ark of the Clark County Historical Society, and Cristopher Shell of the Cummings Center at The University of Akron, are recipients of the 2023 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 those in Ohio archives who best exemplify the dedication and hard work volunteers–our citizen archivists–contribute to Ohio’s archives each day.

Patti Ark has been an invaluable volunteer for the Clark County Historical Society at the Heritage Center since she first stepped through its doors.  Within the first week of being a volunteer, she was thrown into a disaster recovery effort after a pipe burst in the Heritage Center.  Over the next several months, she helped dismantle and move the entire archives space.  According to Natalie Fritz, Archivist and Outreach Director, “She never complained about the work, and we could always count on her to be there with a smile and encouraging words.”  Since then, Patti has dedicated herself to the Clark County Historical Society, lending a hand wherever she can to preserve its collections and expand its reach into the community.

Cristopher Shell is a volunteer at the Cummings Center at The University of Akron.  His area of expertise is the David P. Campbell Postcard Collection.  He has worked tirelessly to preserve this collection of over 250,000 postcards.  During his time working with the collection, he has relocated, organized, digitized, created metadata, and designed community outreach education for the collection.  He is the co-founder of the Akron Postcard Club, which promotes the postcard collection and spreads Cris’s love of postcards.  He created a postcard education table, teaching young people how to send a postcard.  Cris has even pursued new postcard donations to be added to the collection and helped with fundraising.  He is truly a dedicated protector, supporter, and promoter of the beauty, fun, and romance of postcards. 

Please join OHRAB in celebrating the accomplishments of Patti Ark and Cristopher Shell 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.

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.

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Citizen Archivist Award honors volunteers in Ohio’s archives who work long hours answering reference requests, processing collections, and indexing historic records.  This award recognizes a volunteer in an Ohio archive who best exemplifies the dedication and hard work volunteers—our citizen archivists—contribute to Ohio’s archives each day.

All Ohio institutions responsible for archival records that provide free public access to at least a portion of their collections are eligible. Preference will be given to volunteers whose work increases access to archival collections in Ohio.  OHRAB will accept nominations from Ohio archival institutions as well as the general public.

Departments employing members of OHRAB are not eligible, but other departments in their institutions are eligible.

Nominating letters should be no longer than two pages, 12-pt, single spaced, describing the accomplishments and dedication of the volunteer. Include the nominee’s name along with a contact person’s name, mailing and email addresses, and phone number.  If the nominee’s contributions include online collections, please include a link to the website.

Send nominations via email or U.S. mail to:

Tina Ratcliff

County Records & Information Manager
Montgomery County Records Center & Archives
117 South Main Street

P.O. Box 972
Dayton, OH 45422
937.496.6932 

[email protected]

Nominations must be received by September 30, 2022.

Questions? Contact Tina Ratcliff at [email protected] or 937-496-6932.

2022 OHRAB Citizen Archivist Award Announcement

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that Barbara Matthies of the Clark County Historical Society at the Heritage Center, is the winner of the 2021 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 a volunteer in an Ohio archives who best exemplifies the dedication and hard work volunteers–our citizen archivists–contribute to Ohio’s archives each day.

Barbara Matthies volunteers at the Clark County Historical Society at the Heritage Center. After many years as a linguistics professor at Iowa State, Barbara returned to the Springfield area to be closer to family and contacted the Clark County Historical Society about volunteering. For nearly a decade she has been scanning the Society’s photograph collections. Thanks to Barbara, the society has gone from having very few photographs scanned to now having most of its enormous photographic collection imaged and indexed. Barbara has donated over 2,000 hours to making the Clark County Historical Society’s photographic collections accessible to staff, volunteers, and the public.

For more information about Barbara and her accomplishments, please see the attached announcement.

OHRAB congratulates Barbara and thanks her for her dedication to the history of Ohio!

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Citizen Archivist Award honors volunteers in Ohio’s archives who work long hours answering reference requests, processing collections, and indexing historic records.  This award recognizes a volunteer in an Ohio archive who best exemplifies the dedication and hard work volunteers—our citizen archivists—contribute to Ohio’s archives each day.  After all that has happened in the past year, we have once again been reminded of all that our volunteers do for us.

All Ohio institutions responsible for archival records that provide free public access to at least a portion of their collections are eligible. Preference will be given to volunteers whose work increases access to archival collections in Ohio.  OHRAB will accept nominations from Ohio archival institutions as well as the general public.  See the attached announcement for nomination details.

Nominations are due September 17, 2021.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tina Ratcliff, Chair, OHRAB Awards Committee ([email protected]; (937) 496-6932). 

2021 OHRAB Citizen Archivist Award Announcement

The Ohio Historical Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that Leslie Korenko of Kelleys Island, Ohio, is the winner of the 2020 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 a volunteer in an Ohio archive who best exemplifies the dedication and hard work volunteers–our citizen archivists–contribute to Ohio’s archives each day.

Leslie Korenko volunteers at the Kelleys Island Historical Association. She has donated her time to help the Association with every aspect of the its operation. Leslie organized the Association’s archives to make the collection accessible to the public. She transcribed the island’s township and city council minutes from the 1800s and posted them online.  She scanned and uploaded Kelleys Island newspapers to the Associations’ website, allowing readers to delve into the daily life of the island. Leslie reinvigorated the Association’s website and social media presence, creating content and posting videos and blogs about the island’s history.  In addition, she made the history of Kelleys Island come alive by creating a new layout for the Association’s museum and updating its displays. Leslie has done all of this and more while volunteering for the Association.

Chris Carrig, President of the Kelleys Island Historical Association, says this of Leslie: “She has become our go-to person for everything and she does it all with a smile.”

Please join OHRAB in celebrating the accomplishments of Leslie Korenko and her contributions to the history of Ohio. We applaud the dedication, talent and love that she and her fellow volunteers bring to Ohio’s archives each day!

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board is pleased to announce the creation of a new award, the OHRAB Ohio Citizen Archivist Award.  This award honors volunteers in Ohio’s archives who work long hours answering reference requests, processing collections and indexing historic records.  In these hard times, we are proud to acknowledge those who give their time to our archives so freely and with such joy. 

All Ohio institutions responsible for archival records that provide free public access to at least a portion of their collections are eligible. Preference will be given to volunteers whose work increases access to archival collections in Ohio. OHRAB will accept nominations from Ohio archival institutions as well as the general public.

Nominating letters should be no longer than two pages, 12-pt, single spaced, describing the accomplishments and dedication of the volunteer. Each must include the nominee’s name along with a contact person’s name, mailing and email addresses, and phone number.

Nominations are due September 1, 2020 and should be sent to Tina Ratcliff, Montgomery County Records & Information Manager ([email protected]). More information on the award is available here.