Sessions

Friday Sessions

Concurrent Sessions 1 | 10:30am - 12:00pm

1.1 New England State Historical Advisory Boards Summit
Within each state, historical records programs are promoted by a State Historical Records Advisory Board. SHRABs represent the full range of records holders and historical organizations. The boards serve as the central advisory body for historical records planning and for NHPRC–funded projects carried out within each state. They provide services to communities and groups, advise institutions on planning and practices, facilitate cooperation among repositories and groups, and review NHPRC and related proposals. This session provides an opportunity to hear from representatives of the state-level boards and is a follow-up to the SHRAB Summit held at the NEA Spring 2017 Meeting. Participants will discuss programs, share ideas and approaches, and consider opportunities for regional cooperation. Specific topics will include outreach through roving and traveling archivist programs, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SHRAB efforts, innovative and less traditional SHRAB programs, and efforts to meet the needs of diverse audiences.

1.2 From the Ground Up: Strategies for Building an Archival Program
In this roundtable discussion, presenters will describe lessons learned in the process of building or rebuilding an archival program, including how we set priorities, what strategies worked well for us, what we would have done differently, and how we found resources such as funding and staff. This session will examine how to lay a solid foundation, create scaffolding for local practices, and design for the future. Speaking from the perspectives of a government archives, religious archives, public library, and research library, presenters will touch on positioning the archives within the broader institution, balancing a variety of essential duties with new opportunities, and advocating for both the archives and the archivist. After sharing their experiences, the presenters will then facilitate a conversation with session attendees so that we can learn from one another. Bring your questions and ideas!

Nadia Dixson (she/her), City of Somerville
Thomas Lester (he/him), Archdiocese of Boston
Eve Neiger (she/her), Boston Public Library
Katy Sternberger (she/her), Portsmouth Athenaeum

1.3 Curiosity, Content, and Materiality: Facilitating Classroom Interactions with Special Collections

The speakers will discuss the advantages and limitations of three pedagogical purposes—curiosity, content, and materiality—for introducing students at a small liberal arts college (Trinity College) to Special Collections. Ultimately, the latter two reasons—interrogation of the Content and Materiality of Special Collections—are more satisfying educational outcomes than the first because they may result in deeper and longer engagements with original sources across the life of an undergraduate. Yet, it is often the aura of the “old” or “famous,” which draws the largest or most easily attained audiences to Special Collections. Inspiring wonder or sparking curiosity may be more effective draws than the intellectual or purely historical ones for students who are not in history, literary, or adjacent courses. Through an examination of an interdisciplinary arts course for first-year students, the panelists will focus on how curiosity can lead to deeper and productive engagement.

Eric Stoykovich, Trinity College, Watkinson Library and College Archives
Peter Kyle, Trinity College, Department of Theater and Dance

Concurrent Sessions 2 | 4:00pm - 5:30pm

2.1 Instruction Knowledge Sharing Across Boundaries through Communities of Practice

Trends around teaching in archives, primary source literacy, and archival literacy have pushed archivists to seek collaborations and build communities of support in and across our field. It is all too common for teaching-focused archivists to be siloed, not only from one another but also from librarians and others providing information and research literacy instruction. This discussion focuses on cross-departmental communities of practice, from the perspective of both archivists and our librarian colleagues, as sites of professional and social knowledge sharing around teaching. We will discuss the origins and activities of these archivist–librarian instruction exchange groups at our institutions, how these groups and their facilitation have evolved over time, and how we envision their futures. We will reflect on the ways we can support and learn from each other as fellow information workers in sites of exchange and how relationship-centered approaches to our work can lead to fuller professional practices and relationships.

Molly Brown (she/her), Northeastern University
Chloe Gerson (she/her), Brandeis University
Anne Graham (she/her), University of Massachusetts Amherst
Laura Hibbler (she/her), Brandeis University
Blake Spitz (she/her), University of Massachusetts Amherst

2.2 Celebrations!

In this discussion-based session, panelists will reflect on the differing experiences of institutional celebrations across different types of institutions. The presenters represent the following types of institutions: an all-boys private middle and high school, a small private liberal arts college, a small public freestanding art college, and a large nationally recognized hospital. At the time of the conference, two of the presenters have been through the experience, while two of the presenters are in the thick of their celebrations. Themes include advance preparation, managing expectations, collaboration and team building, project management, advocacy of the archives, and programming and project ideas.

Caroline Kenney (she/her), Belmont Hill School
Danielle Sangalang (she/her), Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Rachel Jirka (she/her), Amherst College
Lucy Ross (she/her), Massachusetts General Hospital

2.3 Airtable for Archives and Special Collections

Do you like using Excel spreadsheets or Google Sheets, but they always seem to leave you wanting more? Try Airtable! Airtable is a scalable data management option for institutions of any size. To illustrate the connectivity and everyday uses of Airtable for archives and special collections repositories, this session will be part demonstration, part Q and A. Panelists will cover three separate areas of use: pre-custodial and project management, archival processing, and tracking born-digital material.

Jordan Jancosek (she/her), John Hay Library, Brown University
Hilary Wang (she/her), John Hay Library, Brown University
Janaya Kizzie (they/she), John Hay Library, Brown University

Saturday Sessions

Concurrent Sessions 3 | 10:45am - 12:00pm

3.1 DEI in Academic Archives: Description and Access

This panel is a discussion of the ongoing projects and efforts at our academic institutions that feature DEI focused archival collections and the decision-making processes that go along with working on them. These projects include the Global Curatorial Project, which is an international effort to collect oral histories documenting the legacy of slavery, led by Brown University and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, as well as the work of the website of the Historical Accountability Student Research Program, and the ongoing contextualizing of harmful content and repairing archival description at Dartmouth College.

Bianca Pallo (she/her), Brown University
Caro Langenbucher (they/them), Dartmouth College
Valen R. Werner (he/him), Dartmouth College

3.2 Collecting Records for Closed Institutions

In the summer of 2020, the small staff of three archdiocesan archives was called upon to assess, pack, and transfer records of ten Catholic schools that closed due to the financial impact of COVID-19. In this session, panelists will share the challenges they faced, how they refined our collection process, and the strategies they used to capture not only the administrative records but also the cultural and historical records of each school. Panelists hope that in sharing their experience they can help other archivists, especially those working alone or in a small team, who find themselves in a similar position, facing a large transfer of records; for instance, the records of a local business, a community organization, or a defunct department.

Thomas Lester (he/him), Archdiocese of Boston
Violet Hurst (she/her), Archdiocese of Boston

3.3 Virtually Helpful: Archives Volunteers and Digital Projects

In this session, panelists from a variety of institutions will discuss the way their archives utilizes volunteers in its digital spaces. Thoughtful discussion of why volunteers were not utilized for digital projects is also encouraged. Speakers will define how they use the term “volunteer” at the top of each presentation. Volunteers may include contingent workers, board members, collaborators, and other non-full-time-permanent workers. Ideas for discussion are successes and failures, barriers to entry, challenges, time commitments, what still works from the last fifty years in archives and what has changed, and more.

Christina M. Bleyer (she/her), Trinity College
Francesco Buccella (he/him), Sudbury Historical Society
Elisa Graydon (she/her), US Coast Guard Academy
Jen Hale (she/her), Perkins School for the Blind
Sarah Hayes (she/her), Trustees of Reservations
Stephanie Bennett Rahmat (she/her), Trustees of Reservations (Session Organizer)

Concurrent Sessions 4 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm

4.1 Creating Connections in Isolation: Three Archives’ Reference and Outreach Practices through the Pandemic

The specific challenges the COVID-19 pandemic posed for archival reference and outreach—and the way that archivists navigated those challenges with limited resources and within their unique organizational contexts—have resulted in long-term changes in how archives provide services, build connections, and make collections accessible. Hear firsthand case studies from three local institutions in conversation: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Historic New England; and The History Project, Boston’s LGBTQ+ Community Archive.

Joan Ilacqua (she/her), The History Project (Moderator)
Sam Valentine (she/they),The History Project
Cristina Prochilo (she/her), Historic New England
Abbey Malangone (she/her), John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

4.2 Archiving the Archive

Archivists work not just with the histories within their collections but with those of their institutions as well. The work of our predecessors is as central to institutional memory as the material they collected and preserved. As archivists research, process, and reprocess our collections, the notes of previous archival workers surround us, but do not always illuminate past decisions. This panel brings archivists from a diverse array of cultural heritage institutions together to explore meta histories within their institutions while considering the social responsibilities of the modern-day archivist. Panelists will discuss how understanding our predecessor’s processing choices better positions the modern archivist to carry out necessary DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) efforts and reparative description work, and how improving transparency in our own records will make this work easier for future generations.

Sarah Schelde (she/her), Mary Eddy Baker Library
Mik Hamilton (she/they), Simmons University
Esme Rabin (she/her), Peabody Essex Museum
Deborah Rich (she/her), Sandwich Public Library

4.3 Experiential Learning in the Archives

How can we use experiential learning to engage audiences, connect the past with the present, and involve our stakeholders in conscious meaning-making? Panelists will share their adventures in experiential learning, discuss theory and practice, and provide tips for adapting projects for your own students or community. At Champlain College, students delve into the concept of time capsules and create their own for deposit in the archives. They directly shape the archival content representing their college experiences while also learning about history-making, archival silences, media obsolescence, ethics, and collaboration. At The Ethel Walker School, student explorations and mudlarking expeditions on campus yield archaeological finds to study the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of the school’s history. They then develop exhibits to share their finds with the school community. Join panelists in this active conversation!

Erica Donnis (she/her), Champlain College
Amy Rae Howe (she/her), Champlain College
Kim Harris Thacker (she/her), The Ethel Walker School

Concurrent Sessions 5 | 3:30pm - 5:00pm

5.1 Toward Principles of Anti-Oppressive Community Engagement (CANCELLED)

It can be challenging to know where to start when it comes to community engagement in archives and digital libraries. Join Molly Brown and Giordana Mecagni from the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections for a session to introduce attendees to ethical community engagement frameworks. Learn how to develop and navigate relationships with your community that are reciprocal and transformational in our practice as information and cultural memory professionals. The session will include facilitated conversations where participants will discuss envisioning and incorporating ethical engagement in your contexts.

Giordana Mecagni (she/her), Northeastern University
Molly Brown (she/her), Northeastern University

5.2 Filling the Gap: Building Regional Communities of Practice

Are you interested in joining a community of practice to meet colleagues, share ideas and resources, or take advantage of professional development opportunities? This session will feature representatives from programs that connect and support practitioners in the archives field and related disciplines in New England. Panelists representing the Collections Care & Conservation Alliance, Vermont Historical Records Program, Connecticut Conservation ConneCTion, and state-based Alliances for Response will share how they can support you directly or serve as a model. This session is open to all but may be of particular interest to independent practitioners, solo archivists, staff of small or under-resourced repositories, and emerging professionals.

Erica Donnis (she/her), Champlain College
Darlene Bialowski, President of Collections Care & Conservation Alliance
Kathy Craughwell-Varda, Connecticut Conservation ConneCTion
Rodney Obien (he/him), Keene State College
Rachel Onuf, Vermont Historical Records Program and VACDaRN

Asynchronous/Ongoing

2023 Resume+ review!
Sign up to be a reviewer or have your materials reviewed.

It’s never not a good time to improve your resume! Sign up for a one-on-one asynchronous/remote* resume review and get paired with an archivist who can offer a fresh perspective and constructive advice on how to shape your resume/cover letter.

If you are looking for advice on your cover letter it is recommended you supply your reviewer with a copy of the job posting the cover letter is matched to.

BE A REVIEWER! Now is your chance to give back and help out a fellow archivist looking to grow and develop their career. Anyone who has gone through the hiring process is qualified to advise, no matter how new you are to the profession. We are seeking knowledgeable, generous volunteers to review resumes and/or cover letters.

SEEKING REVIEW? Are you ready to take the next step in your career but need a little feedback? Are you dusting off the old resume after a few years in the same position? Are you crafting a cover letter and want advice on how to stand out? If you are interested in having your resume reviewed by an experienced colleague, sign up to participate!

*Spaces will be available at the 50th anniversary meeting for those review teams who want to meet and discuss in person.

Deadline: Please sign up by March 26 to reserve a spot!

We will then make a match and contact both parties to facilitate initial introductions and the exchange of documents. The review can take place at any time that is mutually agreeable to both parties. This event is meant to be an inclusive experience for archivists at all career stages.

If you have questions about volunteering or being reviewed, please reach out to Emily Atkins, NEA Meeting Coordinator at meetingcoordinator@newenglandarchivists.org with your questions.