Job description for Chronicler, Barony of Rising Waters

Chronicler is one of the Great Offices, and the holder must be a paid member of the SCA in good standing.

The job of the chronicler, first and foremost, is the timely production and distribution of the newsletter, monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. It must contain the standard disclaimer, the date for which it is published, the baronial officers and their contact information, and at least the great officers of the Kingdom. The rest is composed of letters from the officers, any articles submitted by the populace, pertinent information from e-lists, and artwork. The phone list should be included at least twice a year. Permission to publish is detailed in the Chronicler’s Handbook, which is required reading for the position. Pay particular attention to the section on copyright.

The published newsletters act as the report to Kingdom and Society, with a Domesday due in December.

A computer with Internet access is a necessity for this position. A scanner/printer is also strongly recommended.

The chronicler can also be responsible for disseminating information through the various electronic media, such as our Facebook page and Yahoo group, working closely with the web-minister to keep everything as up-to-date as possible. Knowledge of WordPress is recommended.

As of this writing, there are only 4 printed/mailed subscriptions at $12.00 per year. The rest, including those sent to various officials as required, are sent via e-mail from chronicler.risingwaters @ gmail.com. A spreadsheet with the subscribers is very useful, both for addresses and to keep track of mailing and renewals. Microsoft Office with Publisher is the current word processor, along with a reader for pdf files.

Using the basic format of the newsletter from the month before, it is a matter of updating the calendar, the regnum and officium, and the date. Then the inner content is put in place and proofread. This usually takes a day, perhaps a bit more if that last piece of information is late in arriving, and depending on how much artwork or special formatting is included. Then print a test copy plus the mailed copies; address, stamp, and stuff the envelopes; and get them to a mailbox. Update the spreadsheet. Burn a copy of the current newsletter to the archive DVD in at least pdf format. Paper copies are optional for the file.

Once the calendar is set, the Facebook file and the Yahoo calendar (found under the ’More’ pull-down menu as ‘Events’) are updated, along with the website calendar.

The chronicler may also act as an informal secretary, taking notes of the meetings. Technically, all changes of phone number are sent to the Seneschal, who forwards them to the Chronicler. In practice, this often works the other way around.

Submitted by Baroness Ariadne Athinagana of Ravenglass in June of 2014, A.S. XLIX.