Upcoming archival events at the ASI

The Society of Southwest Archivists (composed of the states of Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) will be holding their 39th annual conference in Little Rock, May 18th-21st, at the Peabody Hotel. The SSA conference rarely gets this far east or even to Arkansas (the last time was in Fayetteville, in 2001) so it is a rare but excellent opportunity to find out what is going on in the archival world.

Click here to view a preliminary program schedule and conference registration information.

Prior to the conference there will be workshops, several of which might be of interest to local historians and paraprofessionals -- attendance at the conference is not a requirement but we encourage everyone to attend both!

The deadline for early-bird registration is April 18th, 2011. Please note: there is no on-site registration

1. The Basics of Archives – May 17 - $75.00 – Arkansas Studies Institute -- max 20 attendees

This is a workshop for people who work or volunteer in organizations that deal with the past—whether it’s a museum, historic house, the city clerk’s office, the library’s local history room, a historic site, or a college archives. You will get practical advice, sample forms and policies, and learn basic practices you need to follow so that you can collect, protect, and help people use the historical treasures in your care.

In this workshop you will learn: What historical records are—and aren’t; How to decide what to keep so you have historical records that people want to use; How to make sure you have legal title to your collections; How to handle collections when you get them so you know what you’ve got and where it’s at; How to protect your collections from theft; How to deal with copyright issues; What tools you need to create to help users find the information in your collections; How to take care of historical records so they are preserved and can be used in the future.

2. Oral History on a Budget – May 18 -- $100.00 – Arkansas Studies Institute – max 20 attendees

This workshop is designed for those with limited oral history experience and a limited budget for oral history projects. Local oral historians Jo Blatti and Jajuan Johnson will cover theoretical and practical information for both audio and video projects, through instructor presentations and class exercises.

Students in this workshop will: learn oral history project planning and management techniques, including information on working with volunteers; gain knowledge of current recording, preservation and access technologies; gain insights into collections management issues, such as releases, IRB, finding aids, tape summaries/transcription and publishing; get experience in oral history interviewing and equipment handling [audio and video]; present project ideas in development; learn of Arkansas and Mid-south oral history projects as well as contributions to the field and best practices.

3. Digital Archives Systems and Applications – May 18 – $100.00 – Arkansas Studies Institute – max 20 attendees

This workshop will provide information about managing digital collections, including both born-digital and digitized material. It will focus on evaluating, adapting, and developing systems and applications to manage access and control of digital objects, with an emphasis on archival collections. Additional workshop materials and supplementary exercises will be made available online to registered attendees.

The workshop explores the following topics: User-Centered Design: Functional Requirements, Use Cases, and Usability Components of Digital Collections: Objects and Collections, Descriptive and Administrative Metadata, and System Models Workflows: Creating, Acquiring, Administering, Accessing, and Disposing of Data Interoperability: Protocols, standards, and transformations

4. Emergency Management – May 17-18 – max 35 attendees, cost dependent on Society of American Archivist membership – go to: http://tinyurl.com/4h6euho (or go the the SSA web site and click on workshops)

In this two-day, Society of American Archivists workshop, you are introduced to the basics of emergency management for archivists. You’ll discuss the four phases of a disaster (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery), as well as how to conduct a risk assessment, write a disaster plan, prioritize collections, and sustain preparedness.

In addition to theoretical planning, you’ll have the opportunity to gain hands-on skills in analyzing and mitigating risks by conducting an on-site assessment during a walkthrough of the hosting institution! The practical tips and tools you’ll discuss will help you get started so you won’t be caught unaware when disaster strikes.

Upon completion of this workshop, you’ll be able to: Identify the four phases of emergency management; Specify how you can mitigate risks associated with your collections; Conduct a basic risk assessment and write a disaster plan; Ascertain priority items in your collection; Establish relationships with emergency managers and first responders; and help educate your co-workers about the importance of EM.