Historical Records Commission Minutes August 15, 2024

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Members present:
Robert Chase (Vice-Chair)
Seana Gause
Margaret Purser

Members excused:
Michael Mueller (Chair)
Steven Lovejoy

Associate Members present:
Amanda King, Secretary
Deva Marie Proto, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor & Registrar of Voters
Jaime Anderson, Collections Services Division Manager, Sonoma County Library

Guests present:
Zayda Delgado, Supervising Librarian, History & Genealogy Library
Mark DeBacker, Landmarks Consulting, LLC

Call to order 4:01 pm
Introduction of Guests
Approval of Minutes
1. July 18, 2024 minutes
  1. Minutes move to the September 12, 2024 meeting due to lack of quorum
Budget Discussion
1. Balance is $3,719.59
Continuing Business
1. HRC Commissioners Report
  1. Robert's report:
    - One very engaged person showed up to the conference in Hawaii for presentation on animal arrests in Sonoma County.
  2. Seana's report:
    - No report
  3. Margaret's report:
    - No report
2. Library Commissioner Liaison Report
  1. Update from Eve Goldberg:
    - The Commission authorized further funding and contracts to move ahead with the Petaluma and Healdsburg Library modernization projects.
    - The Commission has been robustly discussing funding and design changes regarding the construction of the Southwest Library branch near Roseland
3. Library Report
  1. Library Director Report
    - Library Update by Jaime Anderson:
      - The library’s sales tax renewal has been issued the letter W. Measure W will be on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot! Arguments for or against the measure are due by Aug. 16 to the Registrar’s office. A campaign committee is forming now.
      - H&G Library is receiving funding for its building project as part of the Building Forward Together grants. These funds had previously been on hold pending the Governor’s May revision to the state budget. We received notification last week the funding will be awarded after all.
      - The library is in the process of updating its Mission and Vision statements, and creating new value statements.
      - The Healdsburg Library is closing Aug. 25 for a 6-8 month renovation. It will reopen in a smaller mini-library on Sept. 3 at the Healdsburg Community Center.
    - Archives Operating Agreement Update
      - No update
  2. History and Genealogy Library Report
    - Update by Zayda Delgado:
      - Working through the Preservation grant money; getting supplies ready and making improvements
      - Waiting to hear back on several other preservation grants; hoping to get an archives grant
      - Planning meeting for a mini-interior refresh for furniture and shelving and a planned ADA refresh via the State later this fall.
      - Hiring a part-time library associate position that will be filled by mid-September
      - In conversations with Mariposa County regarding information for the County Archives.
      - Upcoming Events:
        
        Playback Memory Lab has a handful of appointments still available in August and September: https://events.sonomalibrary.org/events/month/2024/08?program_types%5B306%5D=306
4. Archives Activity Report
  1. Update by Zayda Delgado:
    - 15 resources requested in the month of July, from 7 unique requestors and no requests from any county agencies.
5. Collections & Archives Recognition Awards
  1. Reviewed timeline document; before August meeting the Chair would consult with the Sonoma County Historical Society for a confirmed meeting date or place. Margaret requested information from the Historical Society and has not yet received a response.
6. Outreach
  1. “Researching the History of a Sonoma County Property” pamphlet update:
    - Secretary will review submitted changes for a new update.
  2. Finding History Day, Saturday, November 2, 2024, 10:00am to 2:00pm, Veterans Memorial Hall, Santa Rosa
    1. Secretary to look into office iPad and iPad stand
    2. Secretary to look at HRC table runner for events
7. Strategic Planning
  1. No update
8. County Recorder update on the status of the Restrictive Covenant Modification Program
  1. Documents January 1964 through September 1995 have been sent through the system for OCR
    1. Staff is currently reviewing documents from November 1989 that include keywords clues.
    2. 2,709,358 documents have been reviewed
    3. 5,794,876 pages have been reviewed (of an approximate 24+ million)
9. Legislative Updates pertaining to public records
  1. Assembly Bill 1785
  2. Continuing to monitor legislation
New Business
1. Possible Records Retention Schedule review in September
Public Comment
1. Robert Chase giving presentation on Animal Arrests history project in Australia, via ZOOM, September 4, 2024
2. Mark DeBacker notified the commission that the County Landmarks Commission has not had a successful meeting since October 2023 due to having difficulty getting quorums and cannot get sworn in creating a longstanding vacancy on the board. Requests the HRC support historic preservation in the County.
3. Library Commission meeting, September 4, 2024, 6PM, Rohnert Park Library
4. Sonoma County Heritage Network Meeting, October 12, 2024, 10AM-12PM, TBD
5. Museum of Sonoma County Exhibits:
  - Sonoma County Stories, September 9, 2023-Ongoing
  - Light, Clay, and Copper: Mid-Century Arts and Crafts in Sonoma County, September 9, 2023-Ongoing
  - On Tap: Sonoma County Hops & The Beer Revolution, April 20, 2024-September 1, 2024
  - Cruisin' Sonoma County Lowriders and the Art of Justin Favela, June 22, 2024-November 24, 2024
  - MSC Collections Gallery: New Acquisitions, June 15, 2024-ongoing
Meeting adjourned at 4:24PM

Next Meeting - September 12, 2024 - 4:00PM

In Person: County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor, Sonoma Room, 585 Fiscal Dr Rm 103, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Virtual: Guests may also join virtually. Please see the meeting month’s agenda for login information.