NWA 2012 Strategic Planning Survey Results

NWA Annual MeetingSalem, ORApril 2012

Survey Results

• NWA has 202 active members• Survey was sent to 209 members• 74 survey responses were received and

analyzed• A 36% response rate!

Question 1HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS: Continuing Education / Professional Development (workshops,

mentoring, training, etc.)

Very important

Somewhat important

I'm neutral

Not important

Question 2HOW WELL DO YOU FEEL NWA IS DOING WITH: Continuing Education / Professional De-

velopment (workshops, mentoring, training, etc.)

Very well

Somewhat well

I'm neutral

Not well

Question 3

NWA does these things well re: Continuing Education:• Hosting SAA workshops (EAD and DACS, etc.)• Mentoring program• Annual meeting sessions re: professional

development• Holding workshops in various places around the

Northwest • Holding workshops at various times of the year• Being present when called upon

Question 4NWA could do these things better re: Continuing Education:• List of local / national experts to call with specific issues• Focus on innovative skills development• Listen to members’ wants / needs• Better mentoring / helping new archivists get jobs• More offerings throughout the year• Offer workshops toward DAS certification• Partner with other local / regional groups to increase offerings• Bring in SAA training at times other than annual meeting• Alternative methods of delivering training (online, etc.)• Develop comprehensive plan that includes topics / instructors• Develop a funding model• Distribute training throughout the region• Advertising and outreach• Increase frequency of offerings• Give support to institutions / subgroups needing assistance• Need general workshops for beginners / new archivists• Have at least 1-2 SAA workshops available at each annual meeting• Develop home-grown workshops that are less expensive than SAA’s• Include non-members

Question 5HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS: Advocacy / Outreach (new members, new audiences, funding,

etc.)

Very important

Somewhat important

I'm neutral

Not important

Question 6HOW WELL DO YOU FEEL NWA IS DOING WITH: Advocacy / Outreach (new members, new

audiences, funding, etc.)

Very well

Somewhat well

I'm neutral

Not well

Question 7NWA does these things well re: Advocacy / Outreach:• State representatives• Archives Month• Manageable membership fees• Emails and new member welcome• Active interest of new members• Sense of community among members• Mentor program• Legislative advocacy• Represents entire region• Easy Access

Question 8NWA could do these things better re: Advocacy / Outreach:• Partner with libraries, museums, historical societies• More activities within each state to galvanize members (AK)• Provide guidance in how to recruit new members• Outreach to students and new professionals• Partner with other archival organizations more often• Better promote our scholarships, mentor program, awards, and grant programs (via website)• More efforts toward local issues / advocacy / crises (budget, etc.)• Encourage NWA members to get together locally• Benchmark other regionals to learn new things• Give members a break in cost for meeting and workshop registration – make it close to or above cost of

membership• Aim for national impact like MARAC and MAC• Bring in general public and professional groups as allies• More involvement in History Day, Archives Month, other groups with interest in preserving records• More inclusive outreach• Identify ways to lobby / promote archives’ funding and support in state and local govt.• Work with SAA on national issues• Communicate more effectively with membership about what’s being done avocacy-wise• Demonstrate advantages of professional development and opportunities• Outreach to programs that train archivists• Approach members who rarely serve on committees to become involved

Question 9HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS: Organizational Structure (officers, state representatives, etc.)

Very important

Somewhat important

I'm neutral

Not important

Question 10HOW WELL DO YOU FEEL NWA IS DOING WITH: Organizational Structure (officers, state

representatives, etc.)

Very well

Somewhat well

I'm neutral

Not well

Question 11

NWA does these things well re: Organizational Structure:• State reps engaged with local members• Recruiting young professionals into positions• Clearly defined officer positions• Organizational guidelines clear and easy to use• Fair and well-publicized elections• Good mix of elected and appointed service opps• Regional news in Easy Access

Question 12NWA could do these things better re: Organizational Structure:• Encourage more people to participate in leadership• Better use of state reps – expand their duties / highlight their contributions• Add a Board position representing students / new professionals• More communication between Board and membership throughout year• Interact with state agencies• President should communicate more with membership – discuss initiatives and

work being done for NWA• Share the workload to prevent burnout• Add a Board position of “NWA Archivist” for knowledge management and

outreach• Put one Board member on every NWA committee• Establish Board-member-only committees as well – Finance Committee with

Treasurer / state rep(s) – Compliance Committee with Secretary / state rep(s) – Member Outreach Committee with Member Coordinator /state rep(s) – etc.

Question 13HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS: Committee Structure (current committees, new committees,

etc.)

Very important

Somewhat important

I'm neutral

Not important

Question 14HOW WELL DO YOU FEEL NWA IS DOING WITH: Committee Structure (current committees,

new committees, etc.)

Very well

Somewhat well

I'm neutral

Not well

Question 15NWA does this well re: Committee Structure:• Targeted, project-based committees• Current committees sounds good in theory• Committee goals get accomplished• Recruiting new people for committees• Use of committees to address needs and issues• Great = local arrangements, program, mentoring• Guidelines and expectations are very clear• Doing fine = publications, awards, nominating• Always have enough members

Question 16NWA could do these things better re: Committee Structure:• Keep track of standing committees and keep them functioning• More activity in committees – have phone conferences, etc.• Need progress reports from committees• Publicize all committees and member opportunities to increase involvement• Strategically tap new people to serve• Recruit more new professionals for committees• More formal integration into NWA organizational structure• Board member on every committee• Committees need formal mandates, charges, timelines, accountability• Committees need structure, direction, monitoring• Form new committees for special projects• Don’t let committees get lost from one administration to another• General awareness of which committees are active, including ad-hoc

Question 17HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS: Communications / Publications (website, social media,

listservs, Easy Access, etc.)

Very important

Somewhat important

I'm neutral

Not important

Question 18HOW WELL DO YOU FEEL NWA IS DOING WITH: Communications / Publications (website,

social media, listservs, Easy Access, etc.)

Very well

Somewhat well

I'm neutral

Not well

Question 19NWA does these things well re: Communications / Publications:• Website• Easy Access (electronic)• Emails / Listserv• Social media• Facebook page• Responsive to correcting errors• Multiple methods to reach diverse membership – good balance• Creating member interaction for fun and bonding• Website for job vacancies• Website for paying membership dues

Question 20NWA could do these things better re: Communication / Publications:• Enhance awareness of and use of Listserv• Newsletter is difficult to read in current format• More member contributions to Easy Access re: projects and challenges being faced• Update website more frequently• Publish annual meeting details earlier• Give less attention to social media – too time-consuming• Empower people to communicate• Website is hard to navigate – how to find Board minutes?• Make “News from the Northwest” more concise• NWA blog – is anyone using it? Shall we keep it?• More communication from officers on regular basis• Social media being under-utilized• ALL communication should go out via Listserv to create dialog between all members

Question 21HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS: Annual Meeting (session content, registration, meetings, etc.)

Very important

Somewhat important

I'm neutral

Not important

Question 22HOW WELL DO YOU FEEL NWA IS DOING WITH: Annual Meeting (session content, regis-

tration, meetings, etc.)

Very well

Somewhat well

I'm neutral

Not well

Question 23NWA does these things well re: Annual Meeting:• It’s a good length• Rotating meetings around wide geographic area• Well-organized• Excellent content• Very welcoming• Sessions feature innovative projects and professional content• Registration is affordable and process is easy• Sessions feature variety and appeal to the entire demographic• Involving students• Local interest at meeting site• Meeting minutes are helpful• Local Arrangements Committee always does a great job• Makes good use of alliances• Well-promoted

Question 24NWA could do these things better re: Annual Meeting:• Have archival researchers as speakers• Hold the meeting during the work week – not on weekend• Give advance guidance to local arrangements committees• More sessions about practical problems – donations, state archives, processing• Problem with distance and lack of funds• Explore other meeting collaborations• Hotel with free wi-fi• Sessions should appeal to all types of repositories• More sessions on records management• Stop having meetings with non-archival groups – especially ones devoted to a single state• Hold meetings in centrally-located venues (most members are in the I-5 corridor)• More sessions to promote networking and getting to know one another• Better coverage on website regarding what to expect at meeting• Experiment with session formats• Have ALL states present on general topics• Offer three sessions per time period in “tracks” – 1) how-to sessions from beginning to advanced, 2) theory,

philosophy, history, 3) showcase state in which meeting is held• Coordinate between Education Committee and Program Committee on sessions and workshops• Put a student / new professional on annual meeting committees• Put chairs of Local Arrangements Comm. and Program Comm. on 3-year cycle to gain more experience• Session ideas – panel of State Archivists; open forum where members interact over current issues

Question 25NWA should also address these areas:• Align with libraries and museums• Address digital collections• Address future of archives• Need to boost membership in Idaho• Diversity in employment AND in the historical record• Better communication between members outside annual meeting• Designate a repository for the NWA Records• Highlight accomplishments of members more often• Determine role NWA plays within larger scope of archival organizations –

collaborate!• Address finances• Address growth plans for next 5-10 years

Survey Priorities – Most Important

1. Continuing Education / Professional Development – 77% very important

2. Communications / Publications – 67% very important

3. Annual Meeting – 64% very important4. Advocacy / Outreach – 40% very important5. Organizational Structure – 17% very important6. Committee Structure – 13% very important

Survey Priorities – Most Improvement Needed

1. Committee Structure – 6% not well2. Continuing Education – 5% not well3. Advocacy / Outreach – 3% not well4. Annual Meeting – 3% not well5. Communications / Publications – 2% not

well6. Organizational Structure – 0% not well