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2026 Northwest Archivists Annual Meeting --Tacoma, Washington
June 24-26, 2026
Grit and Memory: Preserving the Stories That Built Our Communities
Whether from indifference or irreverence, holding in equal regard all the triumph and tragedy of our past, for better or for worse, Tacoma—Grit City prevails.
The 2026 NWA Annual Meeting gives us an opportunity to gather, collaborate, and learn from the work of archivists from across our membership. Our 2026 meeting will be held in Tacoma, Washington, also known as Grit City. The theme for 2026 is Grit and Memory: Preserving the Stories That Built Our Communities. Grit is the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges in our work: burnout, understaffing, budget cuts, backlogs, growing large workloads with shrinking resources, and many other challenges. How does grit help us to overcome these challenges and preserve the stories of our communities? At the same time, others have critiqued the concept of grit, so we ask, what does it mean to critique the concept of grit in the archival profession? Do we always have to be so gritty and make do with what we have? Or, can we find creative ways to identify and remove obstacles that should not be there for ourselves, our colleagues, our profession and our users?
Questions? Please contact Program Committee Co-Chairs: Nikki Koehlert: nikki.koehlert@multco.us or Tabitha Masters: tabitha.masters@mt.gov.
To learn more about "Grit City" read The Real Story Behind Tacoma's Nickname: Grit City.
Registration
Registration is open
Registration rates:
- Member Early Bird: $230 (End date: May 22, 2026)
- Member Regular: $280 (Start date: May 23, 2026)
- Non-Member: $330
- Student: $115
To become a member, visit the Membership webpage.
LocationThe venue will be at the Marriott Tacoma Downtown. Hotel room group rate: $269 per night, per room. Marriott Tacoma Downtown 1538 Commerce Street Tacoma, Washington, USA, 98402 Photos: Interior, exterior, and guestroom Reservation deadline: May 22, 2026. A group reservation link will be included in the confirmation email sent to each conference registrant. If you have problems accessing this page, email orouse@pugetsound.edu. Check-in is at 3:00 pm, and check-out is at 11:00 am. Discounted on-site parking at $19/day and an electric car charging station are available. Hotel phone: +1 253-294-9200 Visit the Hotel Website for more information. Travel Information
Nearest major airport to Tacoma:Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) 17801 International Blvd SeaTac, Washington, USA, 98158 Driving directions to Marriott Tacoma Downtown:From the South (e.g., Olympia/Centralia/I-5 South)
Get on I-5 North toward Tacoma/Seattle. Take Exit 133A for E 26th St toward Stadium District/City Center. Keep right at the fork and follow signs for City Center. Turn left onto S 15th St. Turn right onto Commerce St. The hotel will be on your left at 1538 Commerce St. From the North (e.g., Seattle / Everett):Take I-5 South toward Tacoma. Use the right 2 lanes to take Exit 133A for E 26th St / Stadium District. Keep right and follow the signs for City Center. Turn left onto S 15th St. Turn right onto Commerce St. The hotel will be on your left at 1538 Commerce St. | Special EventsSAA Pre-Conference Workshop"Managing Digital Records in Archives and Special Collections" registration available here through SAA. This in-person course will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. U.S. LOCAL time on June 24, 2026, in Tacoma, Washington at the Marriott Tacoma Downtown hotel. Early Registration Cut Off Date: 5/24/2026 9:45 PM PST Fees: Early / Regular SAA Members: $299 / $349 Employees of SAA Member Institutions: $359 / $419 Nonmembers: $419 / $479 Opening ReceptionThe Opening Reception for the conference will be hosted by the University of Puget Sound in the Collins Memorial Library on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00pm. MIPoPS Archival Screening NightMIPoPS (Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound) will host the seventh annual Archival Screening Night at Collins Memorial Library (Archives & Special Collections Seminar room, 2nd floor) on Thursday, June 25 from 7:00-9:30pm. Collins Memorial Library 1500 N Warner St Tacoma, WA, USA 98416 Group TourThe Washington State Historical Society has generously organized a complimentary tour of their Research Center for conference attendees on Wednesday, June 24 at 3:00pm. If the 3:00pm tour fills up, a 1:00pm time slot will be added. Be sure to navigate to the Research Center on Stadium Way, not the Washington State History Museum on Pacific. Washington State Historical Society: Research Center 315 N Stadium Way Tacoma, WA, USA 98403 For more information, including driving directions, visit: https://www.washingtonhistory.org/research/research-center/. |
Local Arrangements Committee
- Olivia Rouse (chair)
- Emily Cabaniss (fundraising)
- Benjamin Helle
- Hannah Morrison
- Ashley Sands
- Margaret Wetherbee
Program Committee:
- Nikki Koehlert (co-chair)
- Tabitha Masters (co-chair)
- Erik Bauer
- Mariecris Gatlabayan
- Heather Mulliner
- Ben Murphy
- Olivia Rouse (local arrangements)
- Sabrina She