2008 Governor's Archives Awards Winners Announced

Marshfield Public Library Wins Award for Archival Achievement

The Marshfield Public Library has won the 2008 Governor's Award for Archival Achievement. The archival achievement award goes to the library for its creation of genealogy and local history indexes and for support of public programming related to historical records. The library's  work represented outstanding progress in increasing access to historical records.

A five-member panel of archival professionals selected the Marshfield Public Library for the award from a field of five nominees.

Kay Demrow and the Late Judith A. Simonsen are Co-winers of Award for Archival Advocacy

Kay Demrow of Janesville and the late Judith A. Simonsen of Wauwatosa have both won the 2008 Governor's Award for Archival Advocacy. The archival advocacy award goes to Demrow for her volunteer work on behalf of the Luther Valley Historical Society over many years. She supported the organization's work with historical records and made a significant contribution to the preservation and public access for those records.

Judith Simonsen contributed her knowledge and skills with historical records for the Wauwatosa Historical Society between her retirement and her death in 2007. This posthumous award recognizes her outstanding volunteer work to improve the historical society's archival collections.

A five-member panel of archival professionals selected Demrow and Simonsen for the awards because both women exemplify the support for historical records work that the archival advocacy award honors.

The Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board

The Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board jointly sponsor the Governor's Archives Awards annually. The Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board consists of 10 members appointed by the governor. It assists Wisconsin institutions in applying for federal grants for archival work and in improving the appreciation and care of historical records in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Historical Society Board of Curators' Awards Committee conferred the 2008 Governor's Archives Awards at its meeting in Arbor Vitae on Saturday, June 21.