KEYNOTE ADDRESS

9am to 10am

Snowden Becker, Center for Home Movies and co-founder of International Home Movie Day

Five Easy Steps, Five Good Reasons: Turning Benign Neglect into Radical Control [Video Presentation]

Everyone's got it -- the box, pile or shelf-load of stuff that we don't like looking at or thinking about. Often, this dirty little secret is made up of material in odd or challenging formats, and we know it needs urgent attention, which we just don't feel prepared to provide. How did we get to this point? How do we get beyond it? And what happens when we do? Using motion picture film as an example, and drawing on lessons learned over more than a decade of working with families and institutions who have been studiously ignoring their historic home movies, this talk will inspire you to actually tackle the tough stuff in your collection -- to DO IT YOURSELF -- instead of just wishing it would go away. (Note: Archivists who are looking for further excuses to neglect audiovisual media in their collections should not attend this session!)

SESSIONS 10:30am to 11:45am

a. Born Digital Archives: Strategies for Acquisition and Access Part I

In part I of this session, presenters discuss workflows and procedures established for digital records. Melissa Watterworth Batt and Kristin Eshelman will discuss how they used case studies, collaborations, and Serendipity in successfully implementing a basic workflow to process personal digital archives. With NHPRC funding, Mount Holyoke College has established basic workflows and procedures for archiving electronic records from four campus offices. Jennifer Gunter King will describe the workflow they developed using several professional open-source tools.

Speakers:
  • Jennifer Gunter King (speaker and chair), Director of Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA [Presentation]
  • Melissa Watterworth Batt and Kristin Eshelman, Curators at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

b. The Preservation Cooking Show

In the format of a cooking show, preservation specialists will demonstrate how to perform simple preservation techniques on a small budget and in a small space. Donia Conn will show how to construct a humidification chamber for humidifying and flattening rolled paper materials and how to make a sink mat for storing and protecting glass plate negatives. Stephanie Wolff will demonstrate how to construct a clamshell box for protecting special collections, archival materials, and other fragile items.

Speakers:
  • Jessica Steytler (chair) Archivist, Congregational Library, Boston, MA
  • Donia Conn, Education and Outreach Coordinator NEDCC, Andover, MA [Handout 1 and Handout 2]
  • Stephanie Wolff, Conservation Technician, Dartmouth College Library, Dartmouth, NH [Handout and Sticker]

c. Strategies for Engaging Your Constituents

Lone arrangers often struggle with communicating the importance of their archives to their various constituencies due to time constraints and heavy workloads. In this session, three speakers will discuss their efforts to educate and engage their constituents using the archives. Louise Sandburg will discuss events, an exhibit, a symposium and several other activities she has planned as part of a yearlong centennial celebration. Linda Hocking will discuss programming successes, failures, and new ideas using examples from the Society. Erika Wolfe Burke will discuss her efforts to educate elementary school students using primary sources and demonstrate one station: Henry Crandall and the Logging Industry.

Speakers:
  • Christina Zamon (chair) Head of Archives and Special Collections, Emerson College, Boston, MA
  • Erica Wolfe Burke, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Crandall Public Library, Glen Falls, NY
  • Linda Hocking, Curator of Library and Archives, Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield, CT
  • Louise Sandburg, Special Collections Librarian, Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence, MA

SESSIONS 1:45pm to 3pm

a. Born Digital Archives: Strategies for Acquisition and Access Part II

In part II of this two part session, speakers will discuss various tools and procedures developed to archive born digital records. Veronica Martzahl will demonstrate the Transfer Agreement Tool created by Tufts University to regularize the submission and accession of electronic records. Kelli Bogan will discuss solutions developed to maintain Colby-Sawyer College's student newspaper when they moved to a digital format; including a demonstration of Archive-It, the digital collections archiving service format he Internet Archive. Michael Forstrom will talk about Yale's role on the Born Digital Collections: An Inter-Institutional Model for Stewardship (AIMS) project and the new collection guidelines they've developed based on AIMS' recommendations.

Speakers:
  • Kelli Bogan, College Archivist, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH [Presentation]
  • Michael Forstrom, Archivist, Beinecke Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT
  • Veronica Martzahl (speaker and chair), Records Archivist, Digital Collections and Archives, Tufts University, Medford, MA [Example of Presentation]

b. Archival Ethics: Balancing Privacy and Access

Sensitive and private information can be found in many archival collections In this session, speakers will discuss ways archivists can mediate sensitive and personal information found in collections. Jenny Gotwals will address ways archivists can protect the privacy of lawyers and their clients while still providing access to records of historical importance. Nora Murphy will discuss how the M.I.T. reference staff screens collections for privacy issues and have experimented with ways to avoid screening any folder more than once. James Roth will talk about common legal issues faced by archivists and how the JFK Presidential Library deals with classified, confidential and sensitive information and interprets SAA's Code of Ethics.

Speakers :
  • Jenny Gotwals, Lead Manuscript Cataloger, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Cambridge, MA [Presentation]
  • Nora Murphy, Archivist for Reference, Outreach and Instruction, Institute Archives and Special Collections, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA
  • James Roth, Deputy Director, JFK Presidential Library, Boston, MA
  • Michael Comeau (chair), Assistant State Archivist, State Archives of Massachusetts, Boston, MA

c. Start the Presses! Publishing to Promote your Archives

This session explores the ways archivists can affordably and effectively promote their collections and work through a variety of publishing options. Robert Hubbard, author of two local history books, will discuss how to effectively partner with a publisher to produce a successful book without a large budget. Drawing upon her experience as community partnership coordinator at the Maine Historical Society, Larissa Vigue Picard will consider how to use a variety of social networking tools, e-newsletters, and book clubs to brand and promote an archives. Dominic McDevitt-Parks, the first ever Wikipedian-in-Residence at the National Archives, will demonstrate how to leverage the power of Wikipedia and Wikimedia to provide wide access to archival materials.

Speakers:
  • Kat Stefko (chair), Head, Technical Services, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, Durham, NC
  • Robert Hubbard, Director of Computer Information Systems, Albertus Magnus College, CT
  • Dominic McDevit-Parks, Wikipedian-in-Residence, NARA, Maryland
  • Larissa Vigue Picard, Community Partnership Coordinator, Main Historical Society, ME

d. With a Little Help From My Friends: Building Community Archives with Volunteers

How can volunteers create and sustain an archives? What kinds of archives can they create? And how can archives generally benefit from volunteerism? This session examines these questions format eh perspectives of three very different Community Archives that were created through the efforts of volunteers. Occupy Boston Archives (A to Z Library), The Papercut Zine Library, and the Modern Poetry Collection at Keene State College were all initiated and are managed primarily by volunteers. These three grass-roots archives, personifying community activism and community-building through archives and records, will share their experience and suggest strategies for maximizing volunteer efforts.

Speakers:
  • Jeannette Bastian (chair), Associate Dean, Professor, and Director, Archives Management Concentration, Simmons College, Boston, MA
  • Clai Lasher-Sommers, graduate student, Keene State Archives, Keene, NH
  • Adrienne Marie Naylor, Librarian, Papercut Zine Library, Somerville, MA
  • Frances Harrell, Archivist and Volunteer, Occupy Boston Library

SESSIONS 3:15pm to 4:30pm

a. Technology and Social Innovations

This session will focus on ways for librarians and archivists to make their collections more accessible to a wider audience sing innovative and cost-effective technology. Heidi N. Abbey will provide an overview of the Penn State Harrisburg Library's efforts using geocaching, Facebook and Flickr to promote their unique collections. Russell Beauchemin will demonstrate how to use smart phones and augmented reality to connect an share archival collections with the public. Tracey Kry and Elizabeth Pope will cover the technical aspects of creating a blog, including how to determine what to write about, finding ways to keep content fresh and creative, and what benefits can be gained.

Speakers:
  • Janaya Kizzie (chair), Archivist, Citizens Bank, RI
  • Heidi N. Abbey, Archivist and Humanities Reference Librarian, Penn State, PA [Presentation]
  • Russell Beauchemin, Instructional Design Specialist, Roger Williams University Library, RI
  • Tracey Kry and Elizabeth Pope, Librarians, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA

b. Funding your Archives Project: Money Does Grow on Trees!

Does the prospect of applying for a grant appear overwhelming? This session will present useful tips, ideas, and practical knowledge on the in's and out's of securing those much needed project funds. Linda L. Carroll will explain the process her library went through in applying for an archival grant. Gwenn Stearn will discuss what grant reviewers look for in a grant application. And finally, Giordana Mecagni will illustrate how outreach and advocacy may just be your best source for finding funds for that special project.

Speakers:
  • Russell Franks (chair), Librarian for Special and Archival Collections, Providence College, Providence, RI
  • Linda L. Carroll, Reference and Local History Librarian, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA
  • Giordana Mecagni, Acquisitions Archivist, Center for the History of Medicine, Countway Library, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA [Text and Presentation]
  • Gwenn Stearn, Chair of the Rhode Island Historical Records Advisory Board and State Archivist, Rhode Island State Archives, Providence, RI
c. Online Exhibits

Online exhibits offer archivists chances to publicize their collections to a wide audience. This session will focus on creating successful web exhibits, format he basic to the more advanced with little technical support and a minimal budget. Jessica Frankenfield will share her experiences using Omeka to create an online exhibit featuring the W.E.B. DuBois papers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Jaclyn Penny will discuss the design, implementation, and collaboration involved in crating the American Antiquarian Society's upcoming online exhibit celebrating its bicentennial. Mark Caprio will highlight a range of technologies used at Providence College to support the building of collection-focused websites that aggregate locally created and remote resources.

Speakers:
  • Veronica Maher (chair), Media Services and Reference Librarian, Roger Williams University Library, RI
  • Mark Caprio, Commons Librarian, Head of Digital Publishing Services, Phillips Memorial Library, Providence College, RI
  • Jessica Frankenfield, Graduate student in public history, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA
  • Jaclyn Penny, Graphic Arts Assistant and Imaging Rights Coordinator, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA [Presentation]