[Sighfis-l] Oral History Association Seeks New Institutional Home and Executive Director

[Kathryn La Barre]

Of possible interest to HFIS members:

The Oral History Association (OHA), the principal organization of
practicing oral historians in the United States, is seeking a new home
for its executive office and staff beginning in 2013. It also plans to
hire an Executive Director to serve as its principal administrator
after its new institutional home is determined.

Institutions interested in hosting the OHA’s offices are invited to
send an initial expression of interest to OHA by November 1, 2011.
(See details below). Viable candidates will be invited to submit a
full proposal, due no later than March 1, 2012. A final decision is
expected by May 2012.

The OHA will initiate a search for the Executive Director during the
spring/summer of 2012. Appropriate personnel from the host institution
will be invited to participate in this search, and applicants
affiliated with that institution will be welcome to apply. Our aim is
to select the Executive Director by October 2012.

Background

A formal association since 1966, the OHA enjoys a national and
international reputation as a leader in the field of oral history.
Governed by an eight-member Executive Council, OHA has more than 600
individual members from a variety of disciplines and professional
fields; and 250 institutional members, including university programs
and centers, libraries and archives, museums, historical societies,
and community-based projects. Each fall it hosts its annual meeting
with an average participation of 500. OHA publishes a triannual
Newsletter and sponsors the journal Oral History Review (OHR), the
principal journal of the oral history field. Published by Oxford
University Press, the OHR editorial offices are located in and
supported by the University of San Francisco and the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.

Since 1998 the OHA executive offices have been hosted by Dickinson
College and its operations overseen by Executive Secretary, Madelyn
Campbell. With the expiration of our contract with Dickinson and
Campbell’s retirement, the OHA is seeking to strengthen its national
office and advance new initiatives in the field by hiring an Executive
Director, who will be assisted by additional staff.
If you have questions, please contact the Transition Committee
co-chairs, Rina Benmayor (rbenmayor at csumb.edu) or Linda Shopes
(lshopes at aol.com).

Initial expressions of interest, due November 1, 2011, should include
a preliminary explanation of how OHA's presence would benefit your
institution, as well as a description of the resources, facilities,
personnel, programs, relationships, and other factors that would make
your institution an outstanding home. While the OHA is open to
considering a variety of institutional arrangements, it does expect a
significant commitment of institutional resources to the executive
office and staff.

The letter of interest should be sent as an attachment to:
oha at dickinson.edu, with "Letter of Interest" in the Subject line.

To help guide prospective applicants, we are including here a more
detailed Fact Sheet describing OHA's needs and expectations, as well
as specifics for a Full Proposal.

Proposal for Hosting Oral History Association Executive Office: Fact Sheet

Below are summarized Oral History Association’s (OHA) current
financial arrangements for its Executive Secretary and Executive
Office and its anticipated future needs. Responding institutions
should take into account cost of living differentials for their
geographical location. Our current host institution, Dickinson
College, is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a relatively low-cost
suburban area. OHA welcomes additional enhancements that a potential
host institution might offer. It is also open to considering a variety
of arrangements and anticipates a measure of flexibility in
discussions with applicants.

STAFF

Current staff includes a part time Executive Secretary (ES) and
occasional student assistants. The responsibilities of the ES include:
budget development and financial management; coordination of OHA
annual meeting; service to the Executive Council, standing committees,
and membership; management of occasional publications, excluding the
newsletter and the journal; coordination with Oxford University Press,
publisher of the Oral History Review; as well as management of
elections, the OHA website, and ongoing office affairs. The Executive
Secretary currently has a 12-month, 2/3 staff appointment at Dickinson
College, with an annual salary of $48,500. OHA contributes $30,950 and
Dickinson College pays $17,550 plus FICA. Currently, no other benefits
are attached to the position.

OHA intends to hire an Executive Director (ED) and at least a 50% FTE,
12-month Program Associate. Initially, the OHA will contribute a total
of $40,000 annually to the salaries and benefits of both positions.

In addition to overseeing all current association operations, the
Executive Director will have expanded responsibilities, including the
development of special initiatives and fundraising. The ideal ED will
have earned an advanced degree in a field related to oral history,
have experience with oral history, and possess demonstrated
administrative, program management, and fundraising abilities.

The Executive Director will be hired by an open national search, with
the participation of the host institution. Candidates affiliated with
the host institution are welcome to apply.

The Program Associate, to be hired by the ED, will have strong
administrative, accounting, and communication skills and will work
together with the ED to accomplish the association's business. In
addition to the above, the OHA would like to develop stronger
undergraduate and graduate student involvement in the work of the
Executive Office through internships and other professional
development opportunities.

WORK SPACE AND EQUIPMENT

The current Executive Office is located in a large office within
Dickinson College’s Community Studies Center. The college provides
furniture, including desks, chairs, filing cabinet, bookshelves, and
use of a dedicated phone line with voice mail, a computer, and
appropriate business software. In addition, the college provides
access to fax and photocopy machines with appropriate charge back for
usage, and access to a laser printer. OHA pays for toner and paper.
The College provides use of a dedicated mailbox and bulk mailing
facilities with postage on a cost-reimbursement basis.

OHA seeks appropriate accommodation and resources in the new host
institution consisting of: furnished and maintained office space
adequate for at least two OHA staff persons, and one student intern;
storage space; three computer workstations and appropriate software,
photocopier and fax access, voice and data lines, and Internet access.
In addition, it is expected that the institution will replace the
Executive Director’s, Program Associate's, and intern’s computers on a
regular life cycle schedule with the best available replacement. The
host institution will provide software installations, updates, and
other technical services and support.

Oral History Association: Proposal Guidelines for Hosting Executive Office

Full proposals from institutions interested in hosting the Executive
Office of the Oral History Association (OHA) are due no later than
March 1, 2012. Proposals should include the following elements:

1. A narrative statement of no more than 1500 words explaining:
a. why your institution would like to host OHA and why doing so can
advance the mission of your institution;
b. why the institution will be especially suitable for the OHA;
c. where the OHA Executive Office will be located within the
institution's administrative structure; the OHA is open to considering
a variety of institutional arrangements.
d. how the office, staff, programs, and expertise of the OHA might be
integrated into the institution and the community;
e. what financial and in-kind resources the institution will provide for:
i) a significant contribution to the FTE salary and benefits of the
Executive Director;
ii) a contribution to the salary and benefits of a Program Associate;
iii) graduate assistant(s), student intern(s), or equivalent;
iv) appropriate office space, storage space, supplies, and equipment
such as telephones, computers, and access to photocopier, with
upgrades or replacements as necessary;
v) computer workstation for each staff member with network/internet
access, support, and regular lifecycle scheduled upgrades for the
Executive Director and Program Associate and best available
replacement for other staff.

2. A Letter of Support from the institution’s chief administrative
officer acknowledging the availability of and intention to commit
resources for a minimum contract term of five years, beginning January
1, 2013, the projected starting date for OHA at the new institution.

3. Letters of Support from individuals, academic departments,
programs, offices, agencies, institutions, or other entities who can
contribute to a collaborative environment, in-kind support, cultural
and intellectual resources, or other forms of assistance to the goals,
staff, and operations of the OHA.

Please submit one copy of the proposal and supporting documents via
electronic attachments to the OHA Executive Office, at
oha at dickinson.edu, with the subject line "Proposal for Executive
Office."



-- 
Kathryn La Barre
Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign