America 250: Reflections from the Archives

by Natalie Fritz, Archivist and Outreach Director, Clark County Historical Society at the Heritage Center.

It’s July 2026, and we’ve officially arrived at the big celebration stretch for America 250. But if you’ve been doing this work in your own community, you already know the anniversary isn’t really about a single day. It’s not just the 4th of July. The commemorations, programming, and reflection have been unfolding all year long (and even before), and they’ll keep unfolding well past the fireworks.

As the Archivist and Outreach Director at the Clark County Historical Society in Springfield, I’ve spent the last year and a half feeling like I’m neck-deep in that work, and I wanted to share how it’s gone here. This is partly as a record for our own institution, and partly because I know so many of you are navigating the same in your own communities.

Leaning on the Ohio Commission

We’re fortunate in Ohio to have infrastructure behind this anniversary. The America 250 Ohio Commission has been planning for years, well before 2026, and launched many of its programs and initiatives back in 2025. One of the most useful things they provide is monthly guidance: a rotating set of themes and topics for local organizations to build programming around throughout the year. That guidance has shaped a lot of what we’ve done in Clark County, and I suspect it has shaped your work too.

Screenshot of three images from the America250 Ohio website. First image is a number 1, second image is a lightbulb, and third image is a man playing a saxophone.

Some of Ohio’s Themes, from https://america250-ohio.org/, where you can find anything and everything about what’s going on across Ohio throughout this celebration year.

At its core, the assignment for all of us has been the same: look at our own community’s place in America’s story, and share the pieces that make us unique. Continue reading →

Last Updated on July 16, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Ohio Archivist newsletter: Call for News & Notes, Fall 2026

Submissions are being collected for News and Notes for the Fall 2026 issue of the Society of Ohio Archivists’ newsletter, Ohio Archivist. Submissions should be under 250 words and are due to news editor Jessica Heys no later than Friday, July 3, 2026.

You do not have to be a member of SOA to submit your news – all Ohio archives, records, and special collections news is welcome!

Think you don’t have anything to share? Think again!

  • Upcoming events: Did you create a great new exhibit or host an interesting conference or program?
  • Institutional news: Did you receive an important collection or write a successful grant? Did you embark on a digitization project or do something cool with social media?
  • Personal news: Did you change jobs? Did you earn a promotion or award? Did you speak at a major conference or have an article published?

These are just a few examples, but you get the idea! You can check the News section of previous issues of the Ohio Archivist to get ideas of the kinds of things we are looking for.

Make sure to include who, what, when, where, and why, as well as how readers can access more information. Please see the Ohio Archivist Submission Guidelines.

Also, the more photos to illustrate your news, the better! Please send images in high resolution of at least 300dpi.

Last Updated on June 8, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Council Meeting Minutes from January-March 2026

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from January, February, and March 2026, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on May 7, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Ohio Archivist Spring 2026 Issue Available

The spring 2026 issue of Ohio Archivist, SOA’s biannual publication, is now available to download as a PDF!

In this issue, you will find information about the upcoming MAC/SOA Joint Annual Meeting (May 14-16); feature articles titled “Make All Meetings Accessible!” and “Fifteen Years/Miles on the Erie Canal”; news and notes from members; and much more!

Contents:Screen shot of the front page of the Ohio Archivist newsletter.
– SOA/MAC Annual Meeting 2026
– President’s Message
– OHC Director Megan Wood’s Letter to SOA
– New SOA Mentorship Task Force
– Feature: Fifteen Years/Miles on the Erie Canal by Emily Rinaman
– DEIA: Make All the Meetings Accessible by Michelle Ganz
– News & Notes

See all past Ohio Archivist issues on the publication’s page.

Questions? Contact Ohio Archivist Editor-in-Chief Jessica Heys.

Last Updated on April 17, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Cast Your Vote: 2026 Ohio Archives Month Poster Images

Vote for the SOA October Archives Month poster images!

For the 2026 Society of Ohio Archivists’ October Archives Month poster, we asked for archival image submissions related to the theme, America 250: Unique Ohio. We asked how archival collections across the state showcase the things that make Ohio unique.

We received 41 images and enjoyed viewing each of the submissions. The ten images that receive the most votes will be submitted to the designer for consideration.

How to vote:

  • View images and submit your votes in the Google Form
  • Vote for no more than 10 images
  • Please only vote once
  • Voting runs April 13 through 11:59 p.m. on May 1, 2026

Thank you for your participation and support,
Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy & Outreach Committee

Last Updated on April 17, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Mentorship Survey Now Open

During the Spring 2025 SOA Annual Meeting, members voiced interest in an SOA mentorship program during the final Crucial Conversations session.  This led to the creation of a task force charged with surveying the membership and exploring possible formulations for a mentorship program that meets the needs of the member base.

Please complete the SOA Mentorship Survey to let the task force know your thoughts about how SOA can best support mentorship for its members!  Survey closes May 20, 2026.

Questions? Please contact the Mentorship Task Force.

Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Registration Open for SOA/MAC Joint Annual Meeting 2026

Registration is now available for the 2026 Midwest Archives Conference/Society of Ohio Archivists joint annual meeting! The meeting will be held on May 14-16, 2026, on the campus of The Ohio State University. Conference workshops, sessions, and meetings will be held in the Ohio Union. 

From 2015 until 2023, Ohio’s tourism slogan was “Find it Here.” As a slogan, it raised the obvious question “find what here?”; but as an archives motto…well, to “Find it Here” is an archivist’s greatest hope for anyone exploring their collections. Come to Columbus to find information and insights on a wide range of topics central to all archivists.

To register, see the program, and for more information, visit the Annual Meeting website. NOTE: You do not need to be a MAC member to create an account to register. SOA members receive the MAC member rate at registration.

During the meeting, SOA will host a meet-up on Thursday, May 14, from 11:30am to 12:30pm in the Third Floor Lounge. Meet and greet your fellow SOA members before the conference starts. See who’s in town or meet new friends before heading off to lunch, on your own or with a group. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Archives Month Poster: Call for Images 2026

This year for the annual Society of Ohio Archivists’ October Archives Month poster, we are looking for archival image submissions related to the theme “America 250: Unique Ohio.” As we consider the 250th anniversary of the nation, how do archival collections across the state showcase the things that make Ohio unique?

Does your archive have images of iconic architecture? Do you have photos related to contributions made by Ohio’s innovators and creators? Does your photographs collection include any depictions of “largest,” “first,” or “best” landmarks? Do you have photographs of signature events held in the state? All of these are examples for potential submissions!

If you are interested in participating, please submit your related images to Emily Rebmann by Saturday, April 4, 2026.

Institutions can submit a maximum of three (3) images. Please ensure that the image quality is a minimum of 300 dpi; higher quality is encouraged. With your submission, please include a description of the image that explains its importance and a brief one-sentence caption that can be used on the poster if the image is selected.

SOA members will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite entry between Monday, April 13 – Friday, May 1, 2026. We are hoping to receive submissions from across the state of Ohio. Entrants do not need to be members to submit images. If you know organizations with archival materials that would fit well with this year’s theme, please share this call for photo submissions with them!

We look forward to your participation!

Thank You,

Society of Ohio Archivists Advocacy & Outreach Committee

Last Updated on March 2, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Council Meeting Minutes from Dec 2, 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from December 2, 2025 can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Last Updated on February 19, 2026 by Emily Gainer

Scholarships to Attend the SOA/MAC Annual Meeting 2026

The Society of Ohio Archivists is pleased to announce six scholarships available to students and archivists to attend the SOA/MAC joint annual meeting on May 14-16, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio:

  • Student Scholarship Award – 2 awards for enrolled graduate students.
  • New Professional Scholarship Award – 2 awards for new archival professionals with three years or less experience in the workplace.
  • Ohio Preservation Council Student/New Professional Scholarship – 1 award for either students or new professionals.
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Award – 1 award.  This is an identity-based scholarship designed to help diversify the profession.

This year’s scholarship consists of full registration to the MAC/SOA annual meeting, a per diem for lunch costs, hotel accommodations, a one-year SOA membership, and a $100 travel stipend. Awardees are required to submit a photograph and write about their experience for publication in the Ohio Archivist newsletter.  Deadline to apply is March 13, 2026.

The Membership & Awards Committee is responsible for soliciting applications and submitting recommendations to Council. The awards will be presented at the SOA annual business meeting on May 15, 2026.

How to Apply

A PDF Scholarship application is available to download. The Scholarship rubric is available for your reference. Applications and inquiries can be sent via email to Membership & Awards Committee co-chairs Stephanie Shreffler and Julia Teran. See more details on the scholarships webpage. 

Last Updated on January 30, 2026 by Emily Gainer