Greetings!

We would like to invite you to consider participating in a short survey that focuses on recruitment of information professionals in academic libraries. It will examine how elements of an academic job description are perceived by participants. The purpose is to identify if any patterns exist in how features of the advertisement are perceived by participants, based on factors including the participant’s work experience, educational background, and individual differences. Anticipated benefits of this study include the potential to identify the most widely appealing factors of academic library advertisements to improve diversity in applicant pools. 

Anyone over the age of 18 who identifies as a librarian and/or archivist is eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to answer approximately 50 questions, which should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The informed consent and survey are available at: https://towson.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5z1qFAZvYKqs0Vo

Please do not put any information in your response that could be used to identify you. 

The survey will be live for 4 weeks until November 24, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact the Principal Investigator, Ashley Todd-Diaz (atodddiaz@towson.edu). 

Thank you in advance for considering,  

Ashley Todd-Diaz, Towson University, Principal Investigator  

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Ashley Todd-Diaz
Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections and University Archives
Towson University

Dear colleagues:

We are seeking participants for a research survey to assess the uptake of Linked Data technologies for cultural heritage description in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) community. The results from this survey are intended to capture the degree to which Linked Data is being implemented or used by different constituencies, to identify perceptions on added value or pain points of LD, and to infer risks and opportunities for further development in the areas of domain modeling and software development.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete depending on the specific responses. It can be paused at any time and completed at a later point. Your responses are collected anonymously and cannot be tied to your name or email address. No demographic information relating to your person other than your occupational role will be collected. The data collected in this survey will only be shared in aggregate for research purposes.10 respondents to this survey will be drawn at random to receive a $30 Amazon gift card. The survey can be completed here.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the study’s investigators listed below.

Thank you,

Kate A. Bowers (Harvard University, kate_bowers@harvard.edu)

Regine I. Heberlein (Princeton University, heberlei@princeton.edu)

Stephanie M. Luke (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, smluke2@illinois.edu)

As part of a graduate thesis, I am conducting a survey to explore the use of service-learning (SL) in archives. 

SL is defined as “a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflects on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995). 

This survey will collect data on both archivists who have participated in SL projects using archives and those who have not participated in SL projects using archives to understand more about SL in the archival community. This short, anonymous online survey is expected to take ten minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary. If you do not wish to participate in this survey, do not submit a response. By clicking the “Submit” button at the end of the survey, you are indicating that you voluntarily consent to participate. 

An Institutional Review Board responsible for human subjects research at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania reviewed this research project and found it to be acceptable, according to applicable state and federal regulations and University policies designed to protect the rights and welfare of participants in research.

Your survey responses will be kept confidential. Any part of the research that is reported or published will not contain any identifiable information. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Elizabeth M. Scott at escott8@esu.edu.

Please click on the following link to participate in the survey: 

https://corexmsc96kb2vfcb7vm.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bph6iWZQvC4ekoS

The survey will be available until May 5, 2023.

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth M. Scott, MLS, CA

Archivist and Special Collections Librarian/Assistant Professor

Professional and Digital Media Writing Program, Candidate

East Stroudsburg University

escott8@esu.edu

You are invited to participate in an English-language survey aiming to measure the current scope of digitization projects and programs across institutions. Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in the survey.

We are a team of researchers from archival, librarianship, and information management backgrounds investigating the intersection of digitization and artificial intelligence (AI). This research is part of the study Model for AI-assisted Digitization of Archives and Documentary Heritage Materials, part of the multi-national, interdisciplinary project InterPARES Trust AI (2021–2026).  ITrustAI aims to design, develop, and leverage AI to support the ongoing availability and accessibility of trustworthy public records. 

Our target audience for this survey are professionals in any role or position (including consultants) working in institutions with archival and documentary heritage holdings or collections. No prior experience with artificial intelligence or digitization is needed to participate in the survey. 

Our main goals are:

1) To understand the current state of digitization within organizations;

2) To understand whether or not organizations are using artificial intelligence in digitization projects, and if so, in what ways;

3) To understand the drivers and barriers, challenges and opportunities for organizations in relation to both digitization and AI.

This questionnaire consists of 50 questions and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Your responses can be saved if you cannot complete the survey in one sitting. All responses will be de-identified and analyzed in aggregate form.

Through the study, we aim to encourage sustainable digitization projects for access and long term preservation of archives and documentary heritage materials; investigate the impact of digitization efforts on the broader archival and documentary heritage landscape; and learn from organizations that are using AIin their digitization-related activities. Anonymized survey results and other findings from the study will be shared. Your responses are very appreciated.

To participate, please submit your answers by May 1st, 2023. For questions or comments, please contact: e.sengsavang@unesco.org.

Link to the survey: Survey on Digitization and AI

Thank you for your time and participation!

Sincerely,

Model for AI-Assisted Digitization study team:

Eng Sengsavang, UNESCO Archives (study lead)

Hrvoje Stancic, University of Zagreb

Marta Riess, International Atomic Energy Agency

Adam Jansen, Hawaii State Archives

Shadreck Bayane, University of South Africa

Marina de Souza, University of British Columbia (GAA)

Kailey Fukushima, University of British Columbia (GAA)

Zeljko Trubusic, University of Zagreb (GAA)

My name is Evangeline Giaconia (University of Florida), and my research partner is Kestrel Ward (University of Florida). We are undertaking a study to understand how archival institutions engage their LGBTQ+ materials. To that end, we have developed a survey to collect data on how institutions around the US catalog, collect, use, and make accessible their LGBTQ+ archival materials.

The purpose of this study is to determine how archives use these historically invisible materials, with the aim of developing strategies for making LGBTQ+ materials more easily accessible. We encourage everyone to take this survey, no matter your knowledge about LGBTQ+ materials or culture. The survey is less than 20 questions, and data will be anonymized in any resulting work.

This is the anonymous link for the survey: https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5APXNsY6oKKKFsq

Thank you very much for your time!

Hello, 

I am recruiting participants for a research survey looking at the factors that affect why or why not archives and archivists have implemented the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials. This survey is intended for archivists and memory workers at non-tribal institutions within the United States. All perspectives, all lengths of time in field, and all kinds of working experiences are welcome. 

Through this research I am hoping to understand if archivists and memory workers are interested in implementing the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials (PNAAM) in their work as well as exploring reasons archivists and memory workers might or might not implement the Protocols. The study findings have implications for understanding how and why new practices are adopted in archival work.  

Thank you for your time and consideration, 

Kim

Eligibility: 

To be eligible for participation in this study you must be an archivist or memory worker working in the United States in a non-tribal library or archives that has archival materials related to Indigenous people and/or communities.  

Procedures:

Participants will be asked to fill out an online questionnaire. The majority of the questions are not required, and no identifying information is requested about you or the repository at which you work. The survey is estimated to take 10 to 15 minutes of your time if you choose to answer all questions. Declining to participate or stopping your participation will not have any negative effects on you. 

Questions: 

If you have questions about this research, you may reach me at kda@unr.edu or 775-682-5614. 

——————————
Kimberly Anderson
Director, Special Collections and University Archives
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno NV
library.unr.edu/SpeColl

I am conducting a survey regarding the work experience of people with dual roles as archivists and librarians and I was wondering if you would send out the link to your members? I am also open to suggestions for other places to place the call. I am a long-time librarian recently moving into archives so I am very likely oblivious to the best spots to generate some interaction on the archival side.

https://uidaho.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8uo3HsmEwmyQgRv

Thank you for considering this request!

Robert

Robert Perret
He/him/his
Special Collections and Archives, Reference
University of Idaho Library
208-885-6631
rperret@uidaho.edu

A Study into Environmental Sustainability and Archival Practice

I am Georgina Robinson, an Archives and Records Management MA student at University College London currently undertaking dissertation research to explore environmental sustainability within archival practice. My aim is to quantify levels of awareness and action in the UK. This investigation will form the basis of my dissertation and the results may be published as an article to encourage further discussion on this topic.

For the purpose of this study:

• Those involved in archival practice are taken to be anyone (aged 18 or over) whose work involves the care and curation of archives, records or data, e.g. archivists, records managers, conservators or digital curators.
• The practice of environmental sustainability is to ensure that the needs of today’s population are met without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This is done through responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources.

If you are interested, please follow or share this link to the online questionnaire: https://opinio.ucl.ac.uk/s?s=67873

There are 17 questions it total, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. The closing date for responses is the 22^nd June 2020.

If you have any questions please contact me on georgina.robinson.18[at]ucl.ac.uk

Background to this study

In archival discourse, the term ‘sustainability’ has mostly been used in relation to the sustainability of running an archive service. This may seem understandable in a sector where many are subject to financial and practical limitations in their work. This study aims to explore whether costs are ever a contributing or motivating factor in the implementation of environmental sustainability. An example would be the assertion that decreasing energy consumption in an archive will save money and reduce fossil fuel consumption.

Although environmental sustainability has been less frequently explored in archival theory, significant literature exists on how to be a ‘Green’ Archivist[1] or how to build a ‘Green’ Archive.[2]

This project, however, seeks to explore current awareness of our environmental impact and what cultural heritage professionals in the UK are doing about it. Interest in this study has already shown that there is significant concern about the issue of Climate Change and desire to act upon it from within the Archive sector. In part this may have been accelerated by the recent waves of environmental awareness seen over the world with climate strikes and protests.

This is true in US as well as in the UK and Europe. Over the last couple of years, we have seen an increasing level of discussion on this issue from archive professionals in the US. Detailed papers, such as Harvard Library’s Toward Environmentally Sustainable Digital Preservation[3] and Ben Goldman’s It’s Not Easy Being Green(e): Digital Preservation in the Age of Climate Change[4] detail the impact of Digital Preservation and what Archivists can do to alter theory and practices to better reduce their collection’s toll on the environment.

The common theme of these studies is whether we, as archivists, records managers or conservators, have a duty to mitigate the impact of our work on the environment? Do we have any power in the struggle for Climate Justice? Why should we care?

I would like to hear about your experiences, thoughts and opinions on this issue. I am looking for UK based archivists, record managers and conservation professionals who are willing to participate in this study. Any support with this will be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,
Georgina Robinson

Department of Information Studies
University College London

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-robinson-90160bb1

Twitter: @georginarobin

[1] Heidi N. Abbey, The Green Archivist: a primer for adopting affordable, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible archival management practices,
Archival Issues, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 91-115, 2012

[2] IFLA PAC, Library & Archives Facing the Challenges of Sustainable Development, International Preservation News, No 44, 2008.

[3] Keith L. Pendergrass, Walker Sampson, Tim Walsh, and Laura Alagna, “Toward Environmentally Sustainable Digital Preservation”, The American Archivist 82 (1): 165–206, 2019.

[4] Benjamin Goldman, “It’s Not Easy Being Green(e): Digital Preservation in the Age of Climate Change,” in Archival Values: Essays in Honor of Mark Greene, Society of American Archivists, 2019.

Image from page 141 of “The Canadian field-naturalist” (1919). Cortesy of Internet Archive Book Images.