PEA Recruitment Drive

I just noticed that the last post was from over 1 year ago!  And that is why I am posting today: PEA seeks new members.  Over the past 2 years PEA has provided a platform for students and new professionals in archives to meet, chat and engage one another in discussion relevant to the profession.  We have had a lot of fun too, but in the midst of the fun and the inevitable getting-of-jobs it has become apparent that PEA needs more members and more students!

Here's the strategy moving forward:

-Regular monthly or quarterly meetings that provide a social anchor to archives in Portland
-Annual or twice yearly events coordinated by members
-Leveraging GoogleGroups, Facebook and other webtech to keep each other informed of opportunities and to make connections.

Sound fun?  Interesting?  Here's a little about PEA as we have been:

-Member-driven.  Even though PEA was started out of research conducted by Pete Asch (Oregon Jewish Museum) and Max Johnson (Multnomah County) it would not have gotten off of the ground without support from the steering members Jenn Keyser (Oregon Historical Society), Chris Fuller and Jenny Mundy (Multnomah County).  Furthermore without the assistance of Crystal Rodgers (City of Portland, Oregon Health & Science University, UW-Milwaukee), Katrina O'Brien (Museum of Speed) and Bryce Henry (Portland State University - Capital Projects and Construction) we would not have had such a successful second year.  This is all to say that individual members and their ideas are what drive PEA.  We are interested in getting back into a mode that fosters different members providing programming at different times based on interest and opportunity.  Not only does this grow the experience of the individual member, but provides valuable learning opportunities for the rest of the membership.

-Socially-oriented.  We frequently meet to just catch-up, see what others are up to and get suggestions for new projects and occasionally hear about new positions in the area.

-Innovative.  Our events have included a tour of a local Norwegian historical society, a group viewing of a presentation on Activism in Archives, a micro-conference designed to bring NWA sessions to Portland residents who were unable to attend the conference and lastly we did some practical volunteering as archivists for some local groups.

So, if any this sounds interesting and you would like to be notified of upcoming events, please send an email to Max Johnson (johnsonxm [at] gmail [dot] com) and I will add you to the GoogleGroup.  You can also find us on Facebook.

Cheers,
Max