Institute for
Public Policy
110 Fifth Avenue Southeast, Suite 214 y PO Box 40999 y Olympia, WA 98504-0999 y (360) 586-2677 y FAX (360) 586-2793 y www.wsipp.wa.gov
November 2004
1
SSB 6568, Section 1, Laws of 2004.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
SSB 6568, Section 2(1).
1
states, and convened a group of experts. universities, historical societies, the State
These efforts produced a clear consensus Archives, the Office of the Superintendent of
among those consulted: Washington should Public Instruction, the State Library, and local
create a women's history consortium with the historians. Appendix A provides a list of these
Washington State Historical Society (WSHS) individuals.
as the host organization. The consortium
would be a partnership of existing The Institute also surveyed individuals and
organizations focused on a common purpose. organizations. Appendix C describes the
This arrangement was selected as a cost- survey methodology, the detailed results, and
efficient alternative to building a physical a copy of the survey.
center.
To learn about similar efforts, we reviewed five
This consortium would have two entities:
implementation phases. In the first phase,
activities would include the following: y Center for Columbia River History
(partnership of the WSHS, Portland State
• Compiling and providing public access to University, and Washington State
information about existing materials and University)
gaps in current collections related to
y Women and Social Movements in the
Washington women’s history;
United States (State University of New
• Establishing partnerships, raising funds, York, Binghamton)
and developing long-range plans; and
y The Sallie Bingham Center for Women's
• Reporting these plans to the legislature History and Culture (Duke University’s
after one year. Special Collections Library)
y Museum of the American West (Los
Activities in the second phase would be
Angeles, California)
dependent on these plans.
y New York State Archives (program of New
The rationale for these recommendations York’s Department of Education)
follows. Details regarding the structure, goals,
and implementation of the consortium are A summary of these organizations’ structures,
presented in Appendix B. scopes, staffing, and budgets is provided in
Appendix D.
Soliciting Views: Experts, the Public, We asked these experts and citizens about
and Other Organizations operational priorities for an organization
dedicated to women’s history in Washington
An advisory group of experts was convened. and for potential ways to organize and
The members included representatives from structure this entity. A summary of views
Washington museums, colleges and follows.
2
Setting Priorities Exhibit 1 summarizes information about
historical materials compiled from the
The 2004 legislation outlined multiple Institute’s survey.
purposes for a Washington women’s history
organization, directing the Institute to develop
recommendations covering the following: Exhibit 1
Washington Women’s History Materials:
• Collecting, preserving, and providing public Survey Findings
access to historically valuable records and The small budget and short timeline for this study
artifacts pertaining to Washington women’s precluded compiling a comprehensive catalog of
history; materials. To gain preliminary information,
however, we asked survey respondents to
• Developing a general outline of the location identify items they have, as well as topic areas
and historical periods inadequately represented
and accessibility of existing records and in current collections.
artifacts;
Identified Materials. Materials identified by
• Encouraging citizens with historically respondents date from 1787 to 2004. The
significant records and artifacts to make majority of items (55 percent) are publicly
their items accessible, including provisions available. Half the materials reported are in one
of five cities: Seattle, Olympia, Spokane,
for making donations to public collections; Tacoma, and Lacey.
• Encouraging development of educational Areas Not Well-Represented. Survey
programs and displays for K–12 students respondents identified an array of historical
as well as colleges and universities; periods and topics not well-represented in
publicly accessible collections in Washington
• Promoting the collection of oral histories; State. The most commonly mentioned areas
and include the following:
• Minority and Native American women;
• Encouraging research about this history.5
• Oral histories;
• Women’s movements, including the 1970s
Advisory group members agree with the value ERA campaign, suffrage, and homesteading;
of these activities but caution that priorities • Health care, especially public health issues
would need to be set for the first stage. The and nursing programs;
group strongly recommends that a • Private papers, diaries, letters, and other
comprehensive catalog of existing resources is items from “everyday women”; and
compiled before collecting new material. With • Women in non-traditional occupations.
a comprehensive list of already accessible
Appendix E provides a selected list of materials
historical materials, a better informed and identified by survey respondents.
more specific acquisitions plan—one focused
on filling in gaps rather than duplicating
previous efforts—can be developed.
5
SSB 6568, Section 2(1)(a-i).
3
Staff at the five organizations reviewed for this Type of Organization. There is strong
study note that marketing and outreach are consensus among the advisory group that
core functions that should not be overlooked if building a stand-alone physical center is not an
the public is to learn about opportunities efficient use of resources. No member prefers
provided by the women’s history organization. a “brick and mortar” approach, particularly at a
Developing exhibits early in the project was time when resources for the state’s existing
noted by one individual as critical to building museums and historical societies are scarce.
support and credibility for any historical center Most survey respondents had similar opinions;
or network. only 3 percent preferred a stand-alone
physical center, and a majority chose a
Taken together, these findings lead to the combination approach (see Exhibit 2).
Institute’s recommendation that the
consortium initially focus on compiling and Exhibit 2
disseminating information about existing Survey Respondents’ Preferred
women’s history collections and identifying Type of Organization
gaps.
6
SSB 6568, Section 2(1).
4
Staff at the organizations reviewed for this responsibilities—and regularly monitored to be
study emphasize extensive use of Internet- effective and sustained over time.
based exhibits to provide public access to their
materials. Advisory group members also Overall, a consortium is believed to be the
emphasize the growing importance of using most efficient structure for a women’s
the Internet and other electronic technologies history organization. This consortium
to preserve historical artifacts and increase should focus on building an information
public access. Public opinion as measured by network. The advisory group recommends
the survey aligns with these sentiments. that the consortium have a separate board of
directors to oversee fiscal, operational, policy,
We found little support or precedent for and planning activities. The board of directors
creating a stand-alone physical center should be composed of individuals
devoted to women’s history. There is representing a diversity of views, including
strong support for an online information private citizens, tribes, historians, and
network. This structure complements the high educators.
priority placed on information collection and
dissemination. Who Should Lead? Several organizations
reviewed for this study are housed in
Expand an Existing Organization or Create universities, and colleges and universities
a New One? Most advisory group members were most frequently chosen as the preferred
concur that an effective approach is to organizational base by survey respondents,
establish a consortium, or structured although by a small margin. Members of the
partnership, of museums, historical societies, advisory group agree, however, that it is less
archives, and other interested parties for important where the women’s history
essentially the same reason an information consortium is based as long as it has a strong
network is preferred: creating an entirely new online presence. By establishing a solid
organization is not an efficient use of network of partner organizations, the
resources. The group also agrees that consortium could act as a statewide
involving only a single organization would limit organization from almost anywhere. The
coordination among entities, as well as the advisory group stresses the importance of
scope of the women’s history organization. selecting an organization that has the capacity,
interest, and commitment to support the
Public opinion, as measured by the survey, consortium.
does not lean strongly toward any of the
choices (new, existing, or consortium). The Based on the consensus of the advisory
organizations reviewed for this study are part committee, the Institute recommends that
of a larger organization, usually a college or the Washington State Historical Society
university; two, including the Center for lead a consortium devoted to Washington
Columbia River History, are consortia. women’s history.
According to staff from these organizations,
consortia must be clearly structured— Other factors that contribute to the selection of
particularly regarding members’ roles and WSHS include its funding structure and
mission. As a hybrid entity, WSHS is both a
5
state agency and a charitable (501 c3) Exhibit 3
nonprofit organization. WSHS has the Survey Respondents’ Ratings of Strategies
capability to raise and spend private funds to to Provide Educational Opportunities
supplement state funding. This capability is Percent of respondents indicating ...
"Somewhat or highly effective"
essential, according to the advisory group, to "Less effective"
obtain adequate specialized funding. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Teacher training
Providing Educational Opportunities
Traveling exhibits
7
The statute reads, in part, that the duties of the
state’s historical societies are “[t]o collect, catalog,
preserve, and interpret objects, manuscripts, sites,
photographs, and other materials illustrative of the
cultural, artistic, and natural history of this state.”
RCW 27.34.070 1(a).
8
Primary sources are original materials that might
include a newspaper article, meeting minutes, a
position paper from a private organization,
correspondence, photographs, or an oral history.
6
Resources available. A few suggest that the supervising
role of professional historians would help
Most individuals consulted for this study ensure the quality of the consortium’s work.
recommend that the consortium make use of All agree that future funding and staffing
both public and private funding sources. Staff levels, as well as private supplemental funding
at organizations reviewed for this study note sources, need to be determined after more is
that “niche museums,” such as one dedicated known about existing collections.
to the history of Washington women, have
difficulty surviving as independent entities For startup, the consortium will need state
because they typically do not generate the funding for two FTE staff.
broad interest or funding necessary to sustain
them.9
Conclusion
According to the advisory group, having a
sizable, private endowment is preferred as a The 2004 Washington State Legislature
supplement to state general fund expressed concern about losing valuable
appropriations, with short-term project grants materials related to Washington women's
playing a more limited role in funding. Other history. The Legislature directed the Institute
suggestions include seeking free space (such to develop recommendations for an
as using existing exhibition spaces in organization devoted to women’s history.
museums around the state) and clearly Based primarily on the consensus of an
defining potential future collection policies, advisory group of experts, the Institute
because the scope of collections often dictates recommends the creation of a women’s history
the size of the budget. consortium with the Washington State
Historical Society as the host organization. As
Staffing. To initiate operations, the a first step toward preserving and improving
consortium needs funding for two full-time access to Washington women’s history
equivalent (FTE) staff, according to WSHS. materials, the consortium would systematically
Early staff activities would include identify available collections as well as
organizational development, fundraising, materials at-risk of disappearing.
marketing, and database compilation and
management. Administrative support could be
provided by WSHS staff.
9
One staff suggested that, for long-term survival, a
women’s history organization needs to be defined in
statute and funded through a line item appropriation
in the state budget.
7
For additional information on this study, please contact Annie Pennucci at (360) 586-3952 or
pennuccia@wsipp.wa.gov.
Washington State
Institute for Public Policy
The Washington Legislature created the Washington State Institute for 8 Public Policy in 1983. A Board of Directors—representing
the legislature, the governor, and public universities—governs the Institute and guides the development of all activities. The
Institute's mission is to carry out practical research, at legislative direction, on issues of importance to Washington State.