The Annual Meeting of the Capital Area Archivists was held on Saturday, April 12 in conjunction with the Spring program at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Board members present: Molly Beisler, Geoff Williams, Amy Schindler, Bonnie Weddle, Chris Hunter

Molly Beisler, Secretary, called the meeting to order at 10:40 a.m. In the absence of the President, former President Geoff Williams led the meeting.

I. Membership
Members attending the meeting were asked for their ideas about how CAA might increase its membership. One suggestion was to try and recruit local and county historians. Laura Lee Linder from the Schenectady Museum will be attending a regional historians meeting in two weeks, and she is going to take some information about CAA membership to that meeting.

II. CAA Newsletter
The Fall newsletter deadline is August 20, 2003. We will try to have this issue out by September 15, 2003.

III. Future Programs
A number of suggestions were put forth for future programs:

Peebles Island
Schenectady Museum – they’ve recently completed the first phase of a grant-funded project to preserve a collection of glass-plate negatives, and currently have an exhibit up about this
Roundtable discussion about preserving and working with photographs, including coping with the growing prevalence of digital images and the problems of trying to maintain prints and negatives when there are fewer studios out there who can provide quality work. This could tie into the Schenectady Museum program.
Security and disaster planning
Program concerning the work church historians and church archivists do: Where are they? What services do they provide? How can they be contacted?

IV. Board members
CAA Board members appointed since the last Annual Meeting were approved: Amy Schindler, Chris Hunter, and Bonita Weddle.

V. Upcoming events and announcements

LOAC meeting: June 12-13, 2003, in Saratoga at Skidmore College. Members approved the CAA partial sponsorship (at $150) of breakfast on Friday.
The New York State Archives has received an NHPRC pass-through grant. Funds from this grant should be available to applying repositories in the next grant cycle (for 2004).
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the New York State Archives. Presidential historian Michael R. Beschloss will give the first “Archives at 25” lecture on May 7 at 7:00 p.m. in “The Egg” in Albany.
The regional conference of the Association of Public Historians of New York State will be held on Saturday, April 26 at the Stillwater Community Center in Stillwater, NY.
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will be opening a new exhibit’ “Affirmed, In Front,” on May 11 and will host a “Countdown to the Triple Crown” on Saturday, April 26.

VI. Future meetings
The next meeting of the CAA Board was not determined. It will be either during the summer or in early September.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Molly Beisler