[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2009-01-27

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Scholarships available for Northwest Extravaganza
2.  Sesquicentennial series slated at State Library
3.  'Swedes in Oregon' author to speak
4.  Survey launched to improve state parks website


SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR NORTHWEST EXTRAVAGANZA

Two organizations will be offering a limited number of scholarships for
people attending the Northwest History and Heritage Extravaganza April
15-18 in Portland.

The Northwest Archivists and the Oregon Heritage Trust will be giving
the scholarships. The scholarships are intended for people who students
considering an archival career, beginning professional archivists, or
are from an Oregon-based heritage organization with an annual budget of
less than $50,000.

The Northwest History and Heritage Extravaganza includes the Oregon
Heritage Conference, the Pacific Northwest History Conference and the
annual meetings of the Northwest Archivists and the Northwest Oral
History Association. The mix of presentations that would normally be
done separately at these annual events will be exceptionally exciting
when they are combined at the Extravaganza.

The Extravaganza theme of "Rendezvous" reflects the sharing of ideas,
perspectives, skills and cultures in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. 
The Extravaganza website, which includes a link to scholarship
information, is located at
http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/OHC/Conference.shtml. 


SESQUICENTENNIAL SERIES SLATED AT STATE LIBRARY

The Oregon State Library will have four free lunchtime lectures this
spring in recognition of Oregon's 150th birthday. You may bring your
lunch or purchase a lunch or beverage at the library. All lectures are
held from 12 noon - 1 p.m. at the Oregon State Library in Conference
room 102/103.  The public is invited to attend.

The speakers will include William Robbins, "Oregon Stories: Reflections
on the Sesquicentennial," on Feb. 18; Richard Engeman, "Land of the
Empire Builders: the Story of the Lyrics to the Oregon State Song," on
March 10; Lawson Inada, "The Poet Laureates of Oregon - Reflections and
Readings," on April 16; and William Lunch, "Innovation in Oregon
Politics; Imagery or Reality?" on May 13. 

Lecture details and directions to the State Library can be found on the
following web site: 
http://library.state.or.us/services/training/lectures.php.


'SWEDES IN OREGON' AUTHOR TO SPEAK

The Scandinavian Heritage Foundation and the Portland State University
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature will present a talk Feb.
6 by Lars Nordstrom, the compiler and editor of "Swedes in Oregon." The
talk will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Room 171 of Cramer Hall on the PSU
campus.

Nordstrom will discuss how this book, covering over a century of
Swedish history in Oregon, evolved and provide some background to the
material he discovered during its research.  The lecture is free and
open to the public.


SURVEY LAUNCHED TO IMPROVE STATE PARKS WEBSITE

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has launched a survey
designed to gather opinions and ideas on ways to improve its website
www.oregonstateparks.org , which includes the web pages for the
National Register program in Oregon, the Oregon Commission on Historic
Cemeteries, the Oregon Heritage Commission, and the State Historic
Preservation Office, including its archaeology and Section 106 programs.


The survey, which will remain online until Feb. 13, can be found at
http://library.state.or.us/services/surveys/survey.php?sid=386. 

An agency-wide task force was created several months ago to review the
department*s web services. The department introduced its website in
1996, and has made minor improvements every few years since then. In the
late 1990s, OPRD began offering online campsite reservations through a
third party, Reserve America. 

*We hope the public will take a few minutes to let us know what kind
of online services they want and expect,* said MG Devereux, the
manager of Tryon Creek State Natural Area, who is heading up the task
force. *Communicating with our customers and doing business online is
more than just a convenience for people. It is a business necessity.*

The OPRD website and survey covers the full range of department
services: Oregon heritage programs, state parks and outdoor recreation,
and the state fair and exposition center. Devereux said that any changes
in web services would be subject to budget constraints and a thorough
cost analysis. 
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Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission,
which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us