Tag: SAA

Call for Applications: American Archivist Editor

The Society of American Archivists seeks an avid reader, writer, and editor of professional archival literature to serve as Editor of American Archivist. 

SAA seeks a dynamic individual with excellent communication skills who will enhance the visibility of American Archivist in the archives and allied professional communities and grow the number of high-quality submissions.

Established in 1938, American Archivist is the leading publication in the archives field. Published semi-annually by the Society of American Archivists, the journal features research articles, case studies, perspectives, and international scene pieces as well as reviews of professional literature, archival technologies, and resources. It strives to publish contributions that advance the core organizational values and strategic goals of SAA.

The Editor is responsible for the solicitation, selection, peer review, and final approval of articles and features. A successful candidate shall demonstrate an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as reflected in the SAA Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Critical to advancing the goals enumerated in the SAA Strategic Plan, we seek a candidate who will continue to diversify and strengthen the peer review system, harness the diverse talent and perspectives of the Editorial Board, and focus on making our journal more inclusive and accessible. Thus, we welcome a candidate who will maintain the independence, prominence, and credibility of American Archivist as a critical venue for presenting the diversity of knowledge and ideas relevant to the archival profession through a rigorous peer review process that values diversity and inclusivity and produces excellent scholarly and professional contributions.

The Editor will use PeerTrack (an author- and reviewer-friendly manuscript submission and peer review system) to work with authors and prospective authors on necessary revisions. In addition, the Editor works closely with the reviews editors, a copyeditor, an indexer, and SAA staff (who handle journal production and business matters). The Editor coordinates the activities of the American Archivist Editorial Board, serves ex officio on the SAA Publications Board, and reports to the SAA Council.

Candidates should possess the following qualifications:

  • Demonstrated leadership skills, including a strong and clear showing of a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, and a vision that places the journal at the forefront of professional dialogue.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop and nurture relationships with authors, both emerging and established, to encourage them to explore interesting questions, and to submit ideas and articles to the journal.
  • Strong understanding of archival work or the archival profession
  • Ability and willingness to develop ideas in emerging areas of the profession and to support the thoughtful reexamination of past professional insights, and to address issues of particular relevance to historically underrepresented populations.
  • Ability to nurture intriguing, but not completely formed, submissions to successful publication.
  • Excellent personal communication and writing skills, including the ability to edit scholarly material, to give feedback to authors, and to make timely reports to those in SAA with oversight responsibility for the journal.
  • Sufficient financial and time-management skills to ensure that the journal is published regularly, on time, and on budget.

The new American Archivist editor will serve a three-year term, beginning no later than October 1, 2026. The honorarium is budgeted at $36,000 per year.

Application

Submit letter of interest and curriculum vitae/résumé by May 15, 2026, to hr@archivists.org with the subject line “Application for Editor of American Archivist.” Interviews of finalists will be conducted in June 2026. 

Call for Participation: Digital Design Records Survey

The Society of American Archivist’s Digital Design Records Committee invites you to complete the Digital Design Records Survey.

Last administered in 2016, the goal of the survey is an updated snapshot of the landscape of design records contained in the collections across all types of institutions and the strategies being employed by archival professionals and other practitioners managing them. Preliminary results will be reported out at the SAA Design Record Section’s annual meeting this summer.

If you have any questions, please reach out.

Thank you for your participation in this important data gathering effort,

Anna Reznik and the Digital Design Records Committee

Article Discussion: Archival Literacy and Primary Source Literacy: A Collaborative Instructional Toolkit for Introductory Composition and Beyond

Join SAA-RAO Teaching with Primary Sources Subcommittee for an article discussion on the article “Archival Literacy and Primary Source Literacy: A Collaborative Instructional Toolkit for Introductory Composition and Beyond” by Kristin Leaman and Adriana Harmeyer on Monday, May 11, 2026 @ 1 PM EDT/12 PM CDT/11 AM MDT/10 AM PDT. Both authors will be joining us for the discussion, so come prepared to talk about the article with the authors! If the article is inaccessible to you, you can reach out to the email listed in the Zoom confirmation for assistance.

Register here: https://tpscollective-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/o78vK684QHCF12cmQLxfpw

Call for Presenters: RAO Marketplace of Ideas

The RAO Section will once again host its Marketplace of Ideas during the Section’s annual meeting on Monday, May 4 at 12pm EST. The meeting will be held virtually and is free to attend.  

For those unfamiliar with the Marketplace of Ideas, this is a fun and interactive way for archivists to discuss and exchange innovative ideas and practical approaches to many of the challenges faced in reference, access, and outreach. Multiple small breakout rooms are created, and, at 15-minute intervals, attendees can virtually travel from one breakout room to another to engage in conversation with colleagues. In this virtual marketplace, the connections extend beyond walls and geography, creating an open, inclusive forum where ideas are exchanged, refined, and shared with the entire community. 

We are looking for people who are interested in serving as presenters in the Marketplace! As a presenter, you will be the host of your own breakout room. You will provide attendees with a short (3-5 minute) presentation or overview of the topic or theme of your choice and facilitate a conversation with attendees. You might present a particularly challenging situation you’re facing and ask for suggestions and feedback. You might present a case study about an innovative assignment you’ve created and facilitate a Q&A with attendees who want to learn more about your work.   

Presentation topics focused on any aspect of archival reference, access, instruction, advocacy, and outreach are encouraged. We are particularly interested in proposals that align with the work of RAO’s Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) and Exhibits and Events (E2) Subcommittees. In past years, the Marketplace has included topics such as: 

  • The Future of the Archives & Special Collections Reference Desk & Reading Room: Open for Walk-Ins, By Appointment Only, or Other? 
  • Engaging MFA Theatre Students in Archival Studies and Memory Work 
  • Break Out! Gamify your Collections 
  • Navigating Minimal Processing and Public Services 
  • Lending Archival Materials 

You can submit your presentation proposal here: 

2026 RAO Marketplace of Ideas proposal submission – Fill out form 

Please submit by Friday, April 17, 2026. We will notify successful applicants no later than Friday, April 24, 2026.  

If you have questions, please reach out to Erin Lawrimore, RAO Chair, or any member of the RAO Steering Committee. 

Call for Presenters: Spring Triple A Talk

The Accessioning, Acquisitions, and Appraisal Section of SAA is looking for speakers for our next “Triple A Talk.” The virtual panel will focus on funding freezes and collecting pauses. Is your institution changing how they think about collecting due to budgetary concerns? What thoughtful solutions are you employing to ensure collections are stewarded with care? We’d love to have you on our panel to share your perspective, experience, and concerns. Contact me at sludewig@loc.gov for more details if you’re interested in serving as a panelist.

Call for Lightning Talks at STHC Annual Section Meeting

The Science, Technology, and Health Care Section is seeking members to present brief lightning talks during their Annual Section Meeting, May 26th from 2-3.30p EST. Lightening talks are brief, 5-10 minute presentations designed to share ideas, projects, initiatives, successes, and opportunities with the larger section membership.

Talks may also include calls for participation in research, surveys, partnerships, or introductions to tools or concepts you have found compelling in your work and feel inspired to share.

All Section Meetings are conducted virtually. Presenters are welcome – but not required – to create a brief deck of slides (less than 5) to accompany their talk. Presenters and attendees are not required to register for SAA to attend.

If you are interested, contact STHC Section Co-chair Allison Fischbach (afischbach@jhu.edu) by April 6.

CFP: Graduate Student Paper/Poster Proposal, SAA Annual Conference

To submit a paper or poster proposal, please complete the proposal form below no later than March 30.  (Proposals received after this date will not be considered.) E-mailed submissions or submissions in any other format will not be accepted.

SAA encourages broad participation in the ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2026. All presenters including speakers, session chairs, commentators, and poster presenters are limited to participating in one session. Please alert the 2026 Student Program Subcommittee if you have agreed to participate in another accepted session.

If presenters wish to attend any portion of the 2026 Annual Meeting, they will need to secure institutional or personal funding to register for the conference. SAA is not able to consider complimentary registration for student presenters.

Proposals are due on March 30.

Proposals received after this date will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact conference@archivists.org. 

Submit a proposal.

Call for Nominations for the Archival History Article Award

The Archival History Section is now seeking nominations for its annual Archival History Article Award. The prize encourages and rewards an article or other short piece of excellence in the field of archival history, regardless of subject, time period, or national boundaries. Journal articles as well as stand-alone chapters in edited essay collections and anthologies will be considered for the award. Nominations may include works by archivists as well as by others writing scholarly articles on the history of records and archives. The work must be published in English during the previous calendar year (January-December 2025).

We encourage you to nominate your own work or that of a colleague. Please send your nominations to Elizabeth Jones-Minsinger (ejonesmins@haverford.edu) by Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

Call for Proposals for the 2026 SAA Research Forum, due May 1, 2026

May 1 DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS FOR THE SAA RESEARCH FORUM 

On behalf of the 2026 Research Forum Committee, we invite you to submit abstracts (of 300 words or fewer) for either 10-minute platform presentations or 5-minute lightning talks. Topics may address research on, or innovations in, any aspect of archives practice or records management in government, corporate, academic, scientific, or other settings.

The 2026 Research Forum will be conducted as two Zoom-based virtual sessions, each four hours long, on July 8 from 12:00 – 4:00 pm CT and July 15, 12:00 – 4:00 pm CT.

The 2026 Research Forum will be made up of 10-minute platform presentations and 5-minute lightning talks. A limited number of presentations will be accepted to allow for longer presentation times, extended Q&A periods, and opportunities for discussion between attendees. An abstract submission rubric will be used by the Committee to evaluate submissions. Before submitting, please review and adhere to the Norms and Recommendations of the American Archivist Generative AI Statement. The Research Forum webpage provides additional information about the schedule and links to past Forum proceedings.

The Research Forum Committee and CORDA encourage submissions on a range of topics, including:

  • Rethinking archival training
  • Demonstrating the value of archives
  • Collaborating with communities
  • Making archives more accessible
  • Engaging with technology
  • Responding to the climate crisis

These themes can be found in the SAA Research Agenda (first draft available here).

Abstracts will be evaluated by the 2026 Research Forum Committee convened by Emily Lapworth (University of Massachusetts Boston) and Jane Fiegel (Tulane University).

Deadline for submission of abstracts: May 1, 2026.

Proposals can be submitted online here. On the submission form, please indicate whether you intend a platform presentation or a lightning talk.

Best,

Emily Lapworth and Jane Fiegel

2026 SAA Research Forum Coordinators

Upcoming Talk on A Practical Guidebook to Trauma-Informed Archival Practice, Feb. 25th

Please join us for the first public online talk of 2026 of the Society of American Archivists’ (SAA) Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group (CDTRWG). 

CDTRWG maintains and updates SAA’s Documenting in Times of Crisis: A Resource Kit; develops and provides immediate and ongoing resources and response assistance to archivists, allied cultural heritage professionals, and their communities in times of tragedies, disasters, or other crises; and builds partnerships with organizations focused on relief efforts and cultural stewardship and preservation. As part of that partnership building, we are conducting a series of public talks in 2026 to hear about related work. 

Book launch for A Practical Guidebook to Trauma-Informed Archival Practice

Wednesday, February 25th 2026, 12 noon EST (9am PST; 5pm BST)

Register for the event

Summary

Join editors and authors, Michelle Ganz, Veronica Denison, and Sarah Aisenbrey as they discuss their new book about archival trauma. The authors will discuss their experiences with trauma and how it impacted their approach to archives and how the book can be used to develop your own policies around trauma.

Biographies

Sarah Aisenbrey has served as the Archivist for the Sisters of the Precious Blood in Dayton, Ohio since 2018. She also serves as Vice President/President-Elect of the Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious. Sarah became a Certified Archivist in 2020 and holds a Master’s in Public History from Wright State University.

Veronica Denison is an Assistant Professor, and the Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Rhode Island College. She received her MLIS from Simmons University in 2013 and has published articles and book chapters on disability and accessibility in the archival profession, as well as teaching with primary sources.

Michelle Ganz is the Archives Director for the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She has previously worked in academic, museum, corporate, and private archives. Michelle has served in section leadership roles in the Accessibility & Disability Section, the Independent Archivists Section, and was part of the working group who first developed the Best Practices for Working with Archives Researchers with Physical Disabilities in 2008. Michelle received her MLIS from the University of Arizona in 2006, her Archival Certification in 2008, and her Bachelors in Medieval literature from The Ohio State University in 2003.

The event will be recorded and be made available on the CDTRWG Website after the event.