[Below is a year-end update for 2009 on the status of the Oregon Historical Society, sent to NHN Associates via email on Dec. 10 but posted to this blog belatedly]

Greetings, historically-minded friends:

Following is a recap and update on OHS. Much of this is known to many of you, but as we approach a New Year, I thought it would be helpful to recap what has occurred around the OHS Research Library over the last 10 months or so, as well as share some more recent updates. Information is based on the sources listed at the end. As always, any mistakes are mine, and your corrections and updates are much appreciated.

And, on an unambiguously cheerful note: I hope to see you at the holiday party tonight!

Mary Wheeler
Director, NHN
503-240-3344
mary.wheeler@gmail.com

In late February of 2009, citing a financial crisis brought about by reduced annual endowment earnings, a $350,000 take-back from their 2009 state appropriation and a 2009-10 state appropriation that was expected to be 65% lower, OHS laid off a third of its entire staff, the majority of them (11 of 15) research library staff. On February 27th, OHS shut the doors of its library to the public.

Library stakeholders protested the closure. On March 13, over 80 historians, archivists, librarians, filmmakers, authors, students and others held a rally in the Park Blocks across from the Oregon Historical Society in support of the library and its staff. Speakers at the rally included authors Michael Munk, Sandy Polishuk, Martha Gies, Harry Stein, Floyd McKay, Laura Foster, David Millholland, OHS Board President, John Herman, as well as former OHS Executive Director Thomas Vaughan.

Over 700 people signed a petition posted by the Northwest History Network in support of the research library and staff and 900 joined a Facebook group opposing the library’s closure. The closure received coverage from many regional media outlets. Some observers were particularly critical of the decision by legislators to reassign funds from the Cultural Trust to the general fund (Attig 2009, Hallett 2009). On March 17, OHS held a listening session for OHS members.

On April 2nd, OHS re-opened the research library with hours reduced to 12 from 32 a week and staffing at the equivalent of 4.5 full time employees, down from 15.

In May, a Sustainable Business Subcommittee of the OHS board began meeting to develop a long-term business plan. The committee consisted of Jim Richardson, OHS Board Vice President, chair, and also included OHS board members Dan Heine, Bill Failing, Jackie Peterson-Loomis, John Herman (board president), Libby McCaslin, Marc Berg, Maura O’Scannlain, Pete Mark, and staff. According to director Vogt, one of the challenges facing OHS at the time was the difficulty or impossibility of maintaining both a world-class museum and a world-class library in the current economic climate.

In late June, OHS announced that Salem had partially restored funding to OHS through H5054 (“Christmas Bush” bill, $625,000 for the 2007-2009 biennial, down from $2.2 million), and a “Pacific Wonderland” license plate ($633,000).

The Sustainability Subcommittee presented its findings to the OHS Board at a meeting in July. At a September meeting, the OHS Board discussed the recommendations made by the Sustainability Committee. The following summary of recent Board discussions are taken from notes provided by George Vogt:

* The Sustainability Committee recommended ratification of the OHS mission and priorities for its institutional future. Vogt commented that preservation of collections and education are likely to be integrated into the mission. The current mission is, “preserving and interpreting Oregon’s past in thoughtful, illuminating, and provocative ways.”
* The OHS board will approve a 2010 budget at its December meeting. It has reviewed a preliminary budget for 2010, which is a “cost to continue” budget without further significant cuts. The preliminary budget predicts a deficit, with cash reserves sufficient to make up the deficit. It reflects funding for the research library unchanged from current levels, and OHS anticipates the research library will remain open to the public in 2010.
* The sale of Pacific Wonderland license plates will benefit OHS and the Oregon State Capital Foundation. SB 961, which authorizes a “Pacific Wonderland” license plate and divides the net revenue after expenses between the Oregon State Capitol Foundation and the Oregon Historical Society. License plate revenue should be approximately $633,000 in 2009-11 and a little more than that in 2011-13. Because of startup time for plate design, recovery of initial costs, etc., OHS is unlikely to see plate revenue before 2010.

Also according to Vogt, the OHS board is taking the following on-going actions:

* Pursuing a special purpose heritage tax district, which will require one or more county commissions to put OHS on the ballot.
* Working with legislators on ways of accessing Measure 66 (lottery) funds.
* Working with the Cultural Advocacy Coalition (CAN) on efforts to find a sustainable funding source through excise taxes (most likely) for Portland’s larger arts and culture organizations.
* Undertaking some form of peer review of comparable, successful organizations.
* Maximize downtown real estate assets, possibly through developing or selling portions of the city block.
* The board also reviewed a proposal to create a Statewide Library Consortium under the Oregon University System, in which various university and colleges retain ownership of their collections, but could share access, and possibly realizing cost savings through central processing and cataloging. The concept is modeled one used by the Wisconsin Library System. The OHS Board asked Director Vogt (formerly director of the Wisconsin Historical Society) to pursue this possibility, but see this as a direction taking longer than a year or two to implement.

In the meantime, Geoff Wexler has been made Manager of the OHS Library. Wexler was previously Collections Access Manager at OHS and began his 20+ year archival career at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, and since then he has served at the University of California, San Diego; the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, California; and as the archivist for theater artist Robert Wilson in New York City.

The library is now open to the public three afternoons a week (Thursday, Friday, & Saturday), and they continue to take reference calls and emails at all times (503-306-5240, libreference@ohs.org ).

In short, OHS has avoided immediate, catastrophic crisis through the partial restoration of public funding, but the issue of long-term sustainability for the research library has not yet been resolved, and library staffing levels remain very low in relation to the holdings. The reduction in staffing means not only that the library is open to the public for fewer hours, but also that materials donated to the library remain unprocessed and therefore inaccessible to researchers. As solutions are explored, your support and interest in the fate of the OHS Research Library continues to be important. We look with hope, and some trepidation, to what 2010 will bring.

SOURCES

Attig, Rick. “Hard times no license to rob the arts.” Oregon Live, March 7, 2009. http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/03/hard_times_no_license_to_rob_t.html.

Hallett, Alison. “Arts Funding: On the Chopping Block. Again. | Blogtown, PDX | Portland Mercury.” Portland Mercury Blogtown, February 26, 2009. http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/02/26/arts_funding_on_the_chopping.

McCleery, Eamon. “Rep. Shields announces funding that benefits N/NE Portland (press release),” June 29, 2009.

McKay, Floyd. “Will a bad economy wipe out Oregon history? Maybe.” Crosscut, March 19, 2009. http://crosscut.com/2009/03/19/oregon/18914/.

Mirk, Sarah. “It’s History: Oregon Historical Society Shuts Library and Dissolves Staff.” Portland Mercury, March 19, 2009. http://m.portlandmercury.com/portland/its-history/Content?oid=1288899.

Row, D.K. “Oregon Historical Society slashes staff,” February 26, 2009. http://blog.oregonlive.com/visualarts/2009/02/oregon_historical_society_slas.html.

Sabatier, Julie. “Society’s History.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, Think Out Loud. March 24, 2009. http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/society-history/.

Tucker, Kathy, and Mary Wheeler. Notes from a meeting between George Vogt, Kathy Tucker and Mary Wheeler, April 24, 2009.

Vogt, George. Emails to Mary Wheeler. October 12, 2009, October 1, 2009, August 13, 2008, June 30, 2009.

Wexler, Geoff. “OHS Library Statement.” Email to Northwest History Network members via Mary Wheeler. November 23, 2009.

“Does history have a future?” Mail Tribune, August 23, 2009. http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090823/OPINION/908230306.

“Oregon Historical Society News & Press.” Oregon Historical Society. http://www.ohs.org/about-ohs/news-press.cfm.

“Save the Oregon Historical Society Research Library & Staff!” Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=66575438392.

“YouTube – Rally for the Oregon Historical Society Research Library & Staff, 3/13/09, Thomas Vaughn,” April 16, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM3J2FO0fsU.