Call for Workshop Proposals

The Meetings Coordinating Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) is currently soliciting proposals for workshops at the Spring 2013 conference in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Workshops will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2013. Workshops may be either a half-day or a full-day and may focus on any topic of interest to MARAC’s constituency, for example: Appraisal, Arrangement & Description, Records Management, Donor Relations, Disaster Planning, Digitization, Electronic Records, and Reference. This year we are especially interested in workshops related to management topics and also digital/electronic records. Workshop leaders will be provided with a monetary stipend.

Please complete the workshop proposal form, available through the MARAC website:
(See Item #4) or directly here.

Deadline is October 1, 2012.

Interested parties may also specify a preference to be considered for the Fall 2013 conference.

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MARAC Session Proposal Collaboration

The Syracuse University Archives is looking for parties interested in joining together for a MARAC conference session for Spring 2013, tentatively titled “History in a “Snap”: Archives and Mobile Technologies.”

The Syracuse University Archives has completed a project that brings information on the history of campus buildings directly to a user’s smart phone web browser. This project uses Quick Response, better known as QR, codes to allow visitors to easily “snap” the code with their smart phone camera and proceed directly to the Archives’ web site where they can view history pages created for each building. These codes have been placed on all academic and administrative buildings as well as remote buildings in New York City, Washington D.C. and the Adirondacks.

We have employed QR codes in exhibitions posters, in PR materials and on our collections boxes as well and feel they are an ideal outreach tool for archives, libraries and museums. The Archives is hoping there are other institutions using QR codes or other mobile applications to facilitate access and as part of a well-developed outreach program.

Anyone interested in collaborating on a session at MARAC’s Spring 2013 conference or at another professional conference should please contact Assistant Archivist Cara Howe at cahowe@syr.edu or 315-443-0632.

SAA Roundup from Sunny SoCal

Author: Jordon Steele, Member-at-Large

I recently returned from the Society of American Archivists’ Annual Meeting in sunny San Diego. I was surprised and pleased to see so many of my colleagues from the MARAC region in attendance—when in an unfamiliar place, it’s always good to see some familiar faces. Nevertheless, allowing that it is often difficult to attend the annual meeting of one of our peer organizations when it is held on the West Coast, I thought I would summarize some of the great sessions I went to for those of you interested in the latest in archival theory and practice.

I began the conference at the meeting of the Metadata and Digital Object Roundtable. Among its excellent programming, Professor Katherine Wisser’s demonstration of a social network analysis of literary networks pointed to both the future of archival description and the ways in which our researchers will be using our collections as we embark on a new area of scholarship generally referred to as Digital Humanities. More information is located here.

One of the brainer sessions I attended concerned the application of Human-Computer Interaction and Archives. Researchers from the University of Texas have developed a tabletop computer using surface computing technology (for example) in hopes of better educating archives students about two essential activities of our profession, arrangement and description. A video demonstrating the project can be found here.

One final session of note centered on the topic of how changes in academia are affecting archives. The increasing centrality of preserving research data has compelled many archives departments to respond to this evolution. One notable contribution to this session came from archivists of MIT and Harvard, who are developing something known as “Rescue Repository,” a “middleware” repository designed to allow faculty to deposit valuable data and records for safe keeping. This software is currently in production; updates can be found on the project website.

In other conference news, I paid $1.50 for the best fish taco in my life and I got sunburned talking about archives with people by the water. San Diego was fun, but I look forward to a great conference in Richmond!

Fall 2012 Conference in Richmond

Online registration for MARAC’s Fall 2012 Conference in Richmond is now available.

When: October 25-27, 2012
Where: Richmond, Virginia
Hotel: Omni Richmond Hotel
Room rate: $139

Click here to register online.

Click here to download the conference program.

Upcoming Workshops

Copyright Fundamentals for Archivists and Librarians

Date: September 18, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York
Instructor: Peter Hirtle, Cornell University Libraries

Cost: $85.00

This workshop will explore what strategies special collections can follow to minimize the risks inherent when reproducing and distributing unique and/or unpublished material.  Click here for more information and to register.

Archival Instruction: Promoting Collections, Information Literacy and Collaboration
Date: December 6, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
Instructors: Jason Byrd, George Mason University and Leah Richardson, University of Chicago
Cost: $85.00

In 2011, the presenters started an outreach initiative at George Mason University Libraries using library and archival resources to collaboratively teach primary and secondary source research skills at the undergraduate level.  Workshop participants will craft learning outcomes and research assignments that are appropriate for a variety of educational levels and institutions, focusing on four key aspects: research; instruction: collaboration; and outreach.  Click here for more information and to register.

New York Caucus News

Author: Susan Woodland, New York state caucus rep

The New York state caucus is pleased to report that Pratt Institute Information and Library Science faculty member Anthony Cocciolo has been recognized by the Library of Congress with a National Digital Stewardship Alliance Innovation Award. For the complete press release from Pratt, please click here.

The award is one of a series of awards created last year by the National Digital Stewardship Alliance Innovation Working Group at the Library of Congress to recognize innovative work in digital preservation. For more information about the awards, the Alliance, and the program at the Library of Congress, please click here.

In other news, the Archivists’ Round Table of Metropolitan New York (ART) in collaboration with the New School Archives and Special Collections is sponsoring a symposium, “Archives and Activism”, to bring together a diverse group of archivists, activists, students, and theorists with the aim of facilitating discussion of their respective concerns. The symposium will take place on Friday, October 12, 2012 during Archives Week. Please watch the ART website for more information on the symposium and plan to attend.

And we sadly note the loss of Michael Nash, Head of the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University.

Call for Papers

Bridging the Spectrum: The Fifth Annual Symposium on Scholarship and Practice

The Bridging the Spectrum Symposium offers a knowledge-sharing forum and meeting place for practitioners, students, and faculty in Library and Information Sciences and Services.

Presentations on innovative practices and initiatives as well as research studies are encouraged. Presentations may originate from any type of library, archive, or information services activity, and may encompass any aspect of Library and Information Professional work. Our aim is to host a diverse set of presentations and to foster connections across the spectrum of the information professions.

Event Details:

Friday, February 1, 2013

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Great Room, Pryzbyla Student Center

Catholic University of America

Presentation Formats:

Proposed contributions may be for any one of three formats:

• Briefings: 15-minute descriptions of an innovative practice, initiative, or research activity. There will morning and afternoon briefing sessions.
• Posters: exhibits describing a practice, project, or research activity. Posters will be viewable throughout the day, and there will be a dedicated poster session.
• Panels: discussions of a single topic by a series of speakers, typically 30 minutes to 1 hour in length.

Sample Themes:

Suggested themes include, but are not limited to:

• Trends and developments information organization
• Digital preservation
• Innovative service modes
• Social media, marketing, and advocacy for library services
• Managing library and information services
• Management and analysis of data and information

Important Dates:

Proposal Submissions Open: July 26, 2012

Proposals Due: September 14, 2012

Notification of Acceptances: November 16, 2012

Final Program Abstracts Due: December 7, 2012

Symposium: February 1, 2013

To submit your proposal, go to http://cuaslis.org/openconf/openconf.php

Program details are posted on the Symposium website at http://slis.cua.edu/symposium/2013/index.cfm

Information on past Symposia is available at http://slis.cua.edu/symposium/