RICHARD L. HAAS RECORDS MANAGEMENT AWARD

First awarded in 1990, the New England Archivists Richard L. Haas Records Management Award of up to $1,000 is given annually in support of a project that promotes increased cooperation, understanding, and knowledge between the archival and records management professions. This award honors Richard L. Haas, who held records management positions at Wright State University, University of Cincinnati, and Harvard University.

Completed applications are due by February 15th. Applications are reviewed and the recipient chosen by the Haas Award Committee. Applicants are informed of the Committee’s decision no later than March 1st. Upon completion of the proposed activity, the recipient will submit a report on the project to the NEA Newsletter and/or will present at the next annual NEA Spring Meeting.

How to Apply

Applicant Eligibility
This award is open to individual members and non-members alike. Applicants must be practitioners, educators, or students in the areas of records management or archives in New England, but the award is not limited to members of NEA. Applications submitted by collaborating individuals are welcome. Institutions are not eligible to apply. Individuals may not apply with the goal of furthering an institution or corporation.

Recipients cannot receive the award in more than one consecutive award cycle; therefore, the recipient from the previous award cycle is not eligible.

Elected board members are not eligible for the award during their terms in office and for one year after they leave the board.

Members of the Haas Award Committee are not eligible for the award during the application cycle in which they serve.

Application Submission
The application period begins in December, and completed applications are due by February 15th. Each applicant is permitted to submit only one application for the Richard L. Haas Records Management Award per award cycle; however, applicants may apply for other awards or scholarships in the same award cycle.

Examples of past proposals include: attendance at seminars or workshops, preparing articles which are of interest to both professions, and research projects. Proposals are not limited to these suggestions. The NEA Board encourages applicants to be creative with their proposals. Preference will be given to those that integrate records management and archival issues.
Upon completion of the proposed activity, the recipient will submit a report on the project to the NEA Newsletter and/or will present at the annual NEA Spring Meeting.

Submit complete applications to RepAtLarge@newenglandarchivists.org with “Richard L. Haas Records Management Award Application” in the subject line.

Complete nominations will consist of:

A cover sheet including
- Applicant's name and contact information
- Applicant’s title and institutional affiliation (if applicable)
- Date of application
- Applicant’s signature
A brief essay (500 words or less) proposing an activity related to both the the archival and records management professions, how the award would support the activity, and the expected benefits of the activity
A timeline for the completion of the project
Applicant’s current resume
A projected budget with total award amount specified

Incomplete nominations will not be considered.

Application Review and Recipient Selection
One recipient can be chosen to receive this award each award cycle. The recipient of this award will be chosen on the merit of their application, including submission of a realistic budget. Preference will be given to applicants who integrate records management and archival issues.

A simple majority vote of the Haas Award Committee will determine the recipient. Votes are submitted by Committee members privately to the Committee Chair, who compiles them and provides the Committee with the results. In the case of a tie, the President will cast the deciding vote.

If the Committee does not select a recipient from the applicants, or in the absence of applications, the award will not be made.

Applications for the Haas Records Management Award will be considered independently from any other applications submitted by the same applicant to other NEA awards during the same award cycle.

Fund Distribution
The NEA Treasurer will present a check for the total amount of the award to the recipient at the Award Ceremony at the Spring Meeting (or will mail the check to the recipient if the recipient is unable to attend the Spring Meeting). In the case of a joint application, collaborators should select one individual to serve as the award check recipient. It is the responsibility of the collaborators to divide funds among themselves according to their needs.

Funds can only be used toward expenses specified in the application.

Previous Recipients

2024 - no award made
2023 - no award made
2022 - no award made
2021 - no award made
2020 - no award made
2019 - no award made
2018 - no award made
2017 - Julia Logan and Curtis Hill (to attend the Ivy Plus Archives/Records Management Affinity Group’s annual meeting)
2016 - no award made
2015 - Julia Demir
2014 - Christina Zamon (to experiment with AToM as both an archives and records management tool and to assess its interoperability with Preservica)
2013 - no award made
2012 - no award made
2011 - James DaMico (to attend DigCCurr Professional Institute: Curation Practices for the Digital Object Lifecycle)
2010 - Deanna Hauck (to attend at the SAA/CoSA/NAGARA conference)
2009 - no award made
2008 - Eliot Wilczek (to support "E-Discovery Forum: A Series of Four Seminars" organized in conjunction with ARMA)
2007 - no award made
2006 - no award made
2005 - no award made
2004 - no award made
2003 - no award made
2002 - Sally Stephensen (to attend course on Managing Electronic Records) and William S. Dow (to attend course on Environmental Monitoring & Control)
2001 - no award made
2000 - Heather Baptista, Catherine Lea, Charlene Nalle, and Gayle Salve (to attend a records management introduction seminar)
1999 - no award made
1998 - Paul Bergeron (to attend an exhibit design course)
1997 - Andrea Sheehan (to attend SAA annual meeting)
1996 - Margaret Cornell (to assess Chelmsford (Mass.) School District architectural plans)
1995 - Daisy Monsalve (to facilitate preservation of Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board glass plate negatives at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority)
1994 - Frank T. Wheeler (to investigate the interaction of archivists and records managers at colleges and universities)
1993 - no award made
1992 - Kathryn Hammond Baker, Stanley F. Moss, and Nancy Richard (to establish a records management and archives program for the AIDS Action Committee)
1991 - Michelle B. Bartlett (to attended ARMA annual meeting)
1990 - Peter Carini (to survey committee records in academic archives)

Procedures

Haas Award Committee
Applications are reviewed and recipients are chosen by the Haas Award Committee, which is appointed by the Executive Board annually prior to the start of the application period. The Committee is made up of:

the four (4) Representatives-at-Large on the NEA Executive Board (one serves as Chair)
two (2) NEA members in good standing (selected by the Committee Chair)
and one (1) member of the Records Management Roundtable (selected by the Haas Award Committee Chair); if a member of the Roundtable does not volunteer, a member of the Newsletter Committee will be selected to fill the open position

In selecting the members of the Committee, the Chair should strive to create a committee that is diverse and inclusive, reflecting a range of tenure in the profession and NEA, geographical representation, gender, and professional practice.

Committee Files
Haas Award Committee files, including applications, are stored on NEA’s content management system and managed in accordance with the NEA Record Schedule.

Timeline

By November 1st, Communications Committee begins advertising the award.
By November 10th and at the request of Representatives-at-Large, Communications Committee solicits volunteers from NEA membership to serve on the Haas Award Committee.
By November 20th, Committee Chair submits final Committee selection to Membership Secretary to verify member standing.
Upon verification of membership standing by Membership Secretary, Committee Chair submits final Committee selection to Board for approval.
By December 1st, Board approves Committee membership.
By December 1st, Communications Committee begins advertising that the application period for the award is open.
By February 15th, all completed applications must be submitted to Committee Chair.
Within fourteen days of the submission deadline, Committee Chair announces recipient to Board and alerts applicants of decision. Committee Chair seeks permission from winner to acknowledge their receipt of the award publicly in print and at the Awards Ceremony at the Spring Meeting. Committee Chair provides award amount and recipient details to Treasurer.
At discretion of Board, Communications Committee handles announcements and press releases.
At the Award Ceremony at the Spring Meeting, Committee Chair acknowledges recipient and Treasurer presents check for total amount of the award to recipient. If recipient is unable to attend Spring Meeting, Treasurer mails check.
When next annual Spring Meeting call for proposals is announced, Representatives-at-Large follow up with recipient about required submission of a report to the NEA Newsletter and/or presentation at the annual NEA Spring Meeting.

Updated 8/6/2015

Questions? Feedback? Contact the Representatives-at-Large at RepAtLarge@newenglandarchivists.org.