Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The meeting included several key action items, such as the approval of an increase in archaeology curation fees, recommendations for certified local government grants, and the presentation of volunteer awards and retirement resolutions. The commission also received departmental reports covering the State Historic Preservation Office, the State Archives, the State Museum, and the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, along with legislative and legal updates. New business addressed the planning for a new welcome exhibit at the State Museum, and an executive session featured a presentation by the State Ethics Commission.

The meeting agenda included several key discussion points. Topics covered were the report on the Cultural Repository Directory, updates on HARC Grants including a call for volunteers for the next round and follow-up on grantees, and a report on the present NHPRC grant. There was also a discussion scheduled regarding the next NHPRC grant, focusing on new guidelines, staffing, and the future of NHPRC. Repository Reports were slated for discussion if time permitted.

The meeting included updates from the PA State Archives regarding tours of the new archives building, upcoming events, and the progress of the Digital Archives and Digital Record Center project. An update was provided on the Historical and Archival Records Care grant program (HARC), highlighting successful projects and a call for grant reviewers. The Empowered History grant program was also discussed, noting the high volume of applications and the selection of grantees. SHRAB members shared updates from their regions, including renovations, collection sharing, and community center initiatives. Feedback was gathered on the State Archives' finding aid website (ARCH), with concerns raised about page load times, mobile device usability, search functionality, and confusing record dates and material types.

The meeting included updates about the State Archives' preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic, its online initiatives, and the progress of indexing historical PA land surveys. Members reported on their institutions' responses to COVID-19, including the University of Pittsburgh's reopening, the Phoenixville Historical Society's mini-tours, and Elizabethtown College's collection of COVID-19 related materials. There were discussions on SHRAB's NHPRC funding, Archives Without Tears workshops, HARC grants, and the Community Archives Project. The board also discussed Pennsylvania historical repository surveys, COVID-19 grant ideas, and priorities for archival resources. Additionally, members addressed the preservation of Stanford University's mapping website for historical newspapers and the SAA Foundation's archival workers emergency fund.

The committee discussed the duties as determined by the County Records Act of 1963 and the 2014 law allowing permanent storage of certain electronic records. A chair was elected, and the new PDF/A policy guidelines were discussed and approved for the permanent storage of electronic records. The committee also discussed records retrieval in disaster situations, the technology needed to create PDF/A records, quality control, and the roles of different organizations in providing advice and support for the creation of the PDF/A policy. The committee set a tentative date for the next meeting and discussed future meeting topics and outreach strategies.