The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) is made up of professionals from around the state who have experience in the management, preservation, and care of historical records. Board members are appointed by the Governor and serve three-year terms, each bringing their own expertise to the group and acting as a regional representative from all of Utah’s far-flung corners. We are very pleased to introduce our two newest Board members!
Kathleen Broeder
Special Collections Librarian, Southern Utah University
Growing up in northern Utah listening to my parents telling local history stories is the foundation of my love for history. I always knew I wanted to work with history, but it wasn’t until I had the chance to work in the archives as a college student that I discovered a possible route for my future. Debating between two career paths; a history professor or an archivist, I picked up and moved across the country to attend graduate school for both history and information science. While there I experienced a new place and culture, and realized how important many perspectives are in daily life and in historical records. I realized that for me the historical record was my priority. As I saw it, training historians is important, but without the records history is erased. Every day, I appreciate the ability to learn from the past while being able to work directly with the historical documents. I hope through my efforts in archives others can experience their own love of history and historical records.
Marety Hill
Uintah County Regional History Center Clerk
I do not have a formal background in museum or archives work, but history and storytelling have always been two of my favorite topics of study. I started working at the Uintah County Heritage Museum in 2016 and am currently working at the Uintah County Library Regional History Center (an archive) as a liaison between the two institutions. Most of the training I have received has been on the job. Because of this, I am always trying to learn things that will help me do my job better. For this reason, I have attended trainings and workshops through AASLH, USHRAB, CIMA, and UMA.
At the museum, I have had a lot of experience processing objects and accession records into our cataloging software. I have also had minimal experience creating exhibits. At the history center, I have uploaded our local high school’s yearbook collection online (1918-2016) as well as over 400 maps. I write finding aids and catalog them while processing our new accessions. I also help with adding photographs and negatives online.
What are our new Board members working on?
There are several really exciting projects happening in Special Collections at Southern Utah University right now that Kathleen is excited about! They’re developing an interdisciplinary virtual reality museum exhibit of Paiute baskets in collaboration with the Paiute Tribe of Utah. They’re aiming to break rules of physical museums by creating a space that allows you to pick up the artifacts and look inside. In collaboration with the VR exhibit, they are creating an onsite exhibit featuring plants used by Southern Paiutes scheduled to open this fall. She’s also focusing on strengthening their internal processes. Most of an archivist’s work is invisible, because if we do our jobs right our researchers will only see the easy access end product!
The Uintah County Regional History Center and Museum are getting ready to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their Spirit of the American Doughboy war memorial this November, so Marety is working on writing an Outlaw Trail Journal article and an exhibit for that. She’s also working on putting together an exhibit to share the stories of local World War II veterans.
What are our Board members looking forward to during their terms?
Kathleen is excited about supporting Utah Archives Month as an outreach tool to help archives and repositories demonstrate the crucial work they do every day.
Marety is excited to do something challenging, to learn more, and contribute something meaningful.
What do our Board members like to do in their free time?
Kathleen loves experiencing books, audiobooks, and podcasts. Last year, she enjoyed over 70 fiction books. On the other hand, she prefers podcasts with a solid works cited list and academic focus.
Marety loves to spend time with her Australian Shepherds.
The USHRAB is supported with a programming grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives. Our mission is to assist Utah’s public and private institutions in historical records preservation and access.
