MANAGING PRESERVATION AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS WITH THE MA SHRAB

This instructional session offered by the Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board will provide an overview of managing and using public records — what they are, where you can find them, and how you can access them. This class is applicable to both records holders who manage public records and anyone interested in researching or using public records. Topics covered will include: an overview of SHRAB programming and what resources are available to you to help you preserve your records; a general introduction to the municipal records landscape – from privacy and confidentiality to understanding the Massachusetts Public Records Law; insights from two local municipal archives and how they provide access to town records; and an open Q&A session with a representative from our state’s Public Records Division on making public records requests.

Presenters

Irene Gates is currently the Interim Roving Archivist for the Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board. She received her MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons University in 2014. She previously held positions at the Harvard Law School Library, the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology, and the Harvard Business School Baker Library.

Gloria Greis has been Executive Director of the Needham History Center & Museum since June 2002. Prior to Needham, she was Peabody Research Fellow at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (Harvard) (2001-2002), and Collections Manager for the Peabody’s Archaeology and Human Osteology Collections (1989-2001). She has worked in museums since 1988. Gloria holds a PhD in Anthropology, specializing in the archaeology of prehistoric Europe. She is the author of two books on archaeology, a book and three films on local history, and a blog and numerous articles on history, archaeology and various other topics. Gloria is a Needham resident and serves on numerous town and local committees, including Chair of the Needham Historical Commission and Co-President of the Needham Great Hall Concert Series. She is a member of the MA State Historical Records Advisory Board, and an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Daniel McCormack, CA, has served as Archivist/Records Manager for the Town of Burlington since 2002, where he is responsible for maintaining the historical and business records of the town and providing technical advice to the town’s Historical Commission. Previously he was adult services reference librarian at the Brockton Public Library. He holds masters degrees from the University of Massachusetts Boston and Simmons College. Currently he serves as chair of the Privacy and Confidentiality Section of the Society of American Archivists and on the Steering Committee of SAA’s Human Rights Archives section. He also serves on the Advisory Board of NEDCC. Previously, he was a newspaper reporter and editor in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been a member of the Massachusetts State Historical Advisory Board since 2013.

Angela M. Puccini is a senior attorney in the Public Records Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office whose practice focuses on resolving complex legal disputes as well as developing long term solutions for future problems by educating government offices, the media and the general public on the commonwealth’s public records law and other intersecting laws. Attorney Puccini serves as a liaison for public records related disputes and inquiries, a role she has developed from her time serving as both the permanent on call attorney as well as developing the office’s compliance program. In her capacity as the Division’s on-call attorney, a role she has held for almost 9 years, she handles legal questions regarding the records law and related matters from the public, media, law enforcement, and government offices. Attorney Puccini has a special interest in the Public Records Law and its implications for privacy law. She has further developed an understanding of its relationship to law enforcement agencies, journalism, and Information Technology management. She believes in its utility for victims’ rights, special education, and pro se litigants and its power to facilitate discussion and education around the myriad existing legal resources for agencies, municipalities and the public regarding privacy rights. Attorney Puccini has seventeen years of government experience and has worked in several divisions of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office. She prides herself on making law and legal language understandable and accessible to anyone, no matter their education or background. Attorney Puccini obtained her law degree from Suffolk University Law School and her undergraduate degree from Suffolk University. She is also a trained mediator.

Kaari Mai Tari is the Town Clerk in Concord, Massachusetts. She has worked in the public sector since 1996, beginning as Secretary to the Select Board in Concord. She served as Westford’s Town Clerk from 2001-2017 when she returned to her roots in public service as the Town Clerk for Concord. In January 2017, sweeping changes to the public records law went into effect, making municipalities more accountable for timely responses to public records requests by setting forth strict timelines. Kaari worked with the Town Manager to create the position of Municipal Archivist to help Town departments manage records to better respond to public records request and to ensure the preservation of both early and contemporary archives. Kaari serves on the State Historic Records Advisory Board as an Alternate Member, is a member of the Mass Town Clerk’s Association Education Committee, and is a member of the Northeast Document Conservation Center Advisory Board. In 2014 she worked with faculty from Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, the State Archives, and the Board of Library Commissioners to develop a Municipal Clerks Archival Records Training Program.

John D. Warner, Jr. has served as the Archivist of the Commonwealth since 1996. A native of Massachusetts, Warner received a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He worked as an Assistant Account Executive in an advertising firm in New York City, a chef and restaurant manager in Massachusetts, and a teacher at Newton North and Watertown High Schools before completing a PhD in Nineteenth Century American History from Boston College and an MLIS from the University of Rhode Island. Warner taught five years as Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He also served 30 years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve before retiring in 2018 as a Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate.

Admittance to this event is included in the 2021 Mass History Conference registration fee. If you did not register for the Mass History Conference, you can register here for $5.

Town Clerks are eligible for free access to this event, courtesy of SHRAB. Contact registration@masshistoryalliance.org for details.