Please join SAA’s Issues & Advocacy Section Steering Committee for our 1st meetup of 2024 in the Hive Mind program series, in which we will be discussing Eira Tansey’s A Green New Deal For Archiveson Thursday, January 25th from 2-3pm EST (1-2pmCT/12-1pmMT/11-12pmPST). Zoom information below.
Tansey’s important work brings up a lot of issues archives and archivists are facing and calls for us to take action in demonstrating the centrality of our work.
We invite you to join us for this conversation to talk about this thought (and hopefully action)-provoking piece. Topics we plan to discuss include:
Gaps inarchival education: How do we effectively create opportunities to understand the impacts of climate change on communities and collections in both graduate archival programs and continuing professional education?)
Advocacy: What strategies if any are archival professionals currently using to advocate for engaging with communities impacted by climate change? Are any institutions actively changing collecting practices in ways that adapt to climate change?)
Cross-institutional collaboration: How are institutions supporting one another against the threat of climate change in their region? Are there networks that might be activated to ensure the safety of both communities and collections as threats associated with climate change are realized?
We look forward to seeing you there! Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Issues and Advocacy Section Steering Committee
Elizabeth Call is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: I&A Hive Mind
Time: Jan 25, 2024 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Wondering what it takes to write a research article? Draft a book proposal? Prepare a case study on archival practice? Review a professional resource? Define terminology in the archival lexicon?
Join SAA to find out how! There are a wide range of opportunities to write for SAA and contribute to its newsletters, blogs, case, studies series, reviews portal, magazine, journal, dictionary, and books. Whether you are a novice writer, an experienced voice, or anything in between, learn how to share your experiences and expertise through SAA’s writing opportunities at this free virtual forum on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. CT.
At the forum, SAA publications staff Hannah Stryker will kick-off a discussion with Publications Editor Stacie Williams, American Archivist Editor Amy Cooper Cary, Journal Reviews Editors Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke, SAA staff Julia Pillard on Archival Outlook, and members of the Committee on Data, Research, and Assessment (CORDA) as well as the Dictionary Working Group. Each speaker will highlight their respective publishing outlet and address how to submit content, topic trends, and new directions. There will be a Q&A session following the presentations, as well as more information on how to connect with the editors after the forum.
Submit to Year Two of Intergenerational Conversations This year, the American Archivist Reviews Portal initiated its new series, Intergenerational Conversations, to foster an ongoing dialogue between new voices in the archives profession and authors whose work shaped the literature years ago. The second year will revisit select SAA presidential addresses. Editors Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke are actively seeking authors to contribute to the second year of the series. To apply, fill out this Google form by November 22. Reach out to reviewseditor@archivists.org with any questions.
The last three years have seen substantial changes in the world—a global pandemic, calls for social justice, climate change, economic uncertainty, and political division. Changes that are often beyond our control but affect our work and work life. We must consider the lasting impact of these changes—and ones still to come—as we look to the future of our profession.
Rather than offer a theme to focus the conference around, the Program Committee seeks a multitude of opinions and perspectives from a wide variety of regions and institutions about the state of the field and its future. For those looking for somewhere to start, the Program Committee suggests thinking about the following concepts:
Artificial intelligence and its impacts and opportunities
The future of archival work
Fundraising
Community building and engagement
Public programming and exhibits
Supporting professional growth and leadership
Embedding the archives mindset into the DNA of your organization
Navigating political uncertainty
We are also open to proposals on other topics related to archives and archival work.
Proposal Evaluation
The Program Committee invites submissions for 60–75 minute sessions (live and/or hybrid) and poster presentations. This year, we are introducing one new proposal format and one new session format, which are described below. Proposals are welcome on any aspect of archives, records, and information management—local, state or territorial, national, and international—especially their intersections with other professions and domains. Each proposal will be evaluated on its completeness and the strength of the 150-word abstract. Proposals should incorporate one or more of the following:
Statement of potential impact on archives, records, and information management;
Diversity of presenters, including but not limited to racial diversity, gender diversity, experiential or professional diversity, institutional diversity, diversity of ability, and/or geographic diversity;
Relevance of the topic for SAA members and other interested attendees; and/or
A plan for, or description of, how the session will incorporate interaction and engagement with session attendees.
We expect program sessions to reflect SAA’s commitments to a diverse and inclusive program and profession. Each session should include individuals and/or organizations with varied personal and professional experiences, perspectives, and identities. Please indicate—in a summative way—how your proposal reflects individual, organizational, or geographic diversity and/or supports the development, inclusion, and stewardship of a diverse profession or cultural record. This could include positionality statements that reflect on the unique identities of the panelists in relation to the work they will discuss, a recognition of dominant positionality inherent in your identity or organization, or the ways in which privilege and power manifest in the session and how you will use or respond to it.
Session Formats
The Program Committee encourages submission of proposals that may include, but are not limited to, the following formats:
NEW in 2024!Bring Your Own Breakfast (BYOB). To foster more connection for in-person attendees, we are introducing “Bring Your Own Breakfast” sessions in the morning, before the convening of the main conference. These informal sessions are an opportunity to gather archivists interested in similar topics, particularly emerging areas (like Artificial Intelligence) for connection and collaboration. By proposing a BYOB session, you are committing to facilitating discussion amongst attendees. Similar proposals may be combined.
NEW in 2024! Mix and Match. “Mix and Match” is a new proposal format that will allow individuals to propose an individual talk, rather than a full session. We hope this option will encourage individuals who have not previously submitted a proposal to do so and to provide an opportunity to connect archivists who might not have otherwise met one another. We will accept proposals for 5 or 20-minute presentations.
Lightning Talks. Session consisting of eight to ten lively and informative 5-minute talks. The session chair secures commitments from speakers and compiles all presentation slides into one single presentation to ensure timely speaker transitions.
Panel Presentation. Session consisting of a panel of three to five individuals discussing or presenting theories or perspectives on a given topic. Session may consist of a series of prepared presentations or a moderated discussion, and should include time for audience feedback. If giving prepared presentations, presentation titles should be provided and will be printed in the program. A moderator is required (this role may be performed by the chair); a commentator is optional.
Poster Presentation. Report in which information is summarized using brief written statements and graphic materials, such as photographs, charts, graphs, and/or diagrams mounted on poster board (if in person) or in a PDF document (if virtual). Presenters will be assigned a specific time at which they must be with their poster to discuss it with attendees, if presenting in-person.
Alternative Format. Don’t feel confined by the prescribed formats—suggest an alternative or create your own! Alternative format sessions may take a variety of forms. Examples include world café and fishbowl discussions. Propose a moderated debate offering opposing points of view, or an “experiential” format involving simulation, role play, or games to convey key principles and learning objectives. We welcome your creative ideas about how your topic might best be addressed! Proposals in this category must: 1) specify the format and session facilitator and 2) describe briefly how the format will enhance the presentation of the material. You may suggest up to four presenters for the session.
Your format choice will not affect the Program Committee’s decision. The Committee may, however, recommend that the proposed format be changed if it believes that a different format may better serve the session’s learning objectives or desired audience.
Submit Proposal
Proposals for the 2024 Annual Meeting are due on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. CT. The Program Committee will not consider proposals received after the deadline.
Submission form will be available by November 20, 2023.
The 2024 Program Committee has created a Google spreadsheet to be used as an informal tool to connect individuals who are seeking ideas and/or collaboration on session proposals for the 2024 Annual Meeting. It is not monitored by SAA or the Program Committee and is not part of the official submission process.
Questions? Contact the Conference Office at conference@archivists.org.
American Archivist Editor Amy Cooper Cary is Head of Special Collections and University Archives at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has served as Editor of Archival Issues, Reviews Editor for RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Cultural Heritage and American Archivist, and has been a member of the Editorial Board for Journal of Archival Organization. Outside of her editorial work and writing about archives, she has published various nonfiction articles, encyclopedia contributions, translation from French, and original poetry. She is a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists.
The Graduate Archival Education Subcommittee (GAES) is leading the effort on a strategic priority of the Society of American Archivists to advocate for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) informed curriculum in graduate archival education programs. For this effort, we are developing a resource kit that archival educators can use to integrate DEIA concepts into their courses. These resources might include readings, videos, lesson plans, and rubrics for activities and assignments. A beginning list of these resources, compiled by GAES and the 2022-2023 Archival Educators’ Section Steering Committee, is available at https://bit.ly/deia-in-archival-ed.
We are soliciting suggestions for resources to include in this kit from practitioners and educators in archives and adjacent fields. We are organizing the resource kit around the core archival functions (as articulated in the Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies) to facilitate instructors in using the resource kit to supplement their existing courses. We believe that DEIA concepts are integral to all aspects of archival curriculum.
Please submit citations, URLs, or files for materials not available online using this form. Feel free to share this form with colleagues who may know of additional resources that should be included in the kit.
If you have any questions, please contact Colin Post (ccpost@uncg.edu), a member of the GAES.
Love a good podcast? Have a charming on-air presence? Excel at managing deadlines? Come join us!
SAA’s podcast is looking to add three people to its volunteer team: two Co-Hosts and one Project Coordinator. Archives in Context—now in its eighth season and sponsored jointly by the Publications Board, American Archivist Editorial Board, and Committee on Public Awareness—hosts dynamic conversations with archivists contributing to the archival literature, to SAA and the profession, and to public access and awareness of archives. The podcast team—made up of a project coordinator, four co-hosts, three producers, and SAA staff—release at least six episodes annually.
Co-Hosts are the voices you hear on the podcast. They prepare for interviews by suggesting topics, becoming familiar with the work of guests, and drafting questions and introductions. After conducting interviews virtually, co-hosts listen to the audio and recommend edits to the sound engineer.
The Project Coordinator serves as the “chair” of the team, setting a vision for a season, refining workflow, and bridging the work of the two sub-teams who create the episodes. The Project Coordinator:
Considers broadly the scope of the podcast, overarching themes for the season, diversity of topics and guests, order of episodes, and anything that comes up between planning sessions.
Leads monthly check-ins with the producers and keep both teams apprised of new developments via email.
Sets a timeline for episodes moving through the production process, keep teams on schedule, and liaisons with the sound engineer to finalize episodes.
All candidates should have excellent project management and people skills and be an SAA member. Previous podcasting experience is preferred. The time commitment is about 5-10 hours per month.
To apply: send a letter indicating why you are interested in the position, your favorite podcast, and your résumé to podcast@archivists.org by September 15, 2023.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS “Show? To Who?” Courtney Chartier
A*CENSUS II A*CENSUS II Building a Baseline of Archival Data with A*CENSUS II Jennifer Gunter King; Beth Myers
A*CENSUS II: All Archivists Survey Report Makala Skinner; Ioana G. Hulbert
ARTICLES “Sometimes I feel like they hate us”: The Society of American Archivists and Graduate Archival Education in the Twenty-first Century Alex H. Poole; Ashley Todd-Diaz
The Academic Enclosure of American Archivist Eira Tansey
College and University Archivists: Doing It All for Less Michelle Sweetser; Tamar Chute; Elizabeth James; Jane LaBarbara; Krista Oldham
Adapting for Distance: A Perspective on Team-based Archival Processing during a Pandemic Sarah Jones; Ryan DiPaolo
REVIEWS Archives in Conversation Rose Buchanan; Stephanie Luke
What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom Sara Lyons Davis
Engaging Undergraduates in Primary Source Research Kayla Harris
Exhibiting the Archive: Space, Encounter, and Experience Claire Du Laney
Viral Cultures: Activist Archiving in the Age of AIDS Marissa Friedman
Rescued from Oblivion: Historical Cultures in the Early United States Amber Glen
Narrative Expansions: Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries Heather Mulliner
In the latest episode of Archives in Context, co-hosts Nicole Milano and Camila Zorrilla Tessler speak with editors Rachel Chatalbash, Susan Hernandez, and Megan Schwenke about their recent book Museum Archives: Practice, Issues, Advocacy (Society of American Archivists, 2022). Chatalbash, Hernandez, and Schwenke discuss museum archives and archivists, the genesis of the publication and its connection to the Museum Archives Section of SAA, and what they hope readers will learn from the volume. Listen today!
Publishing in the Archives Profession 