Pictured: Dainan Skeem (BYU Special Collections), Alan Barnett (Utah Archives) and Paula Mitchell (CIMA President and Southern Utah University Library Special Collections)
The Utah Division of Archives and Records Service is pleased to announce that Alan Barnett, Local Government Archivist and Research Center Manager, has been honored with the 2019 CIMA Service Award from the Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists (CIMA), an association of archivist, conservators, historians, and archival professionals from Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, and New Mexico.
The CIMA Service Award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions in recent years to the CIMA organization, to the archival institutions of the intermountain region, and to the archival profession. The award is given in appreciation for service, leadership, and support of the region’s archival community.
“The State Archives is proud of Alan for this well-deserved accomplishment,” Division Director and State Archivist Kenneth Williams said. “As an experienced member of the Archives reference and local government team, Alan has always provided exceptional service so it’s fitting that he be recognized at the national level.”
Over his auspisious career at the Utah State Archives, Barnett has worked to include the records of all of Utah’s 29 counties. Most recently, he spearheaded a project to identify, collect, and preserve cemetery records in Utah. Working with a colleague, Barnett identified all the cemeteries in the state and collected reliable contact information for the cemetery caregivers. For this effort, Barnett visited 17 counties, 45 cemeteries, and traveled hundreds of miles. Because of his work, the State Archives created 112 new record series for cemetery records. Barnett continuously mentors interns and volunteers at the Utah State Archives, providing instruction from the basic to the more advanced functions of archival processing and preservation.
The Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists honored this year’s award recipients during a luncheon at the organization’s Annual Conference held in Tucson, Arizona (May 15-18, 2019).