Conference Schedule
NWA 2014 Conference Program -- Online Viewing Version
NWA 2014 Conference Program -- Printable PDF Version
Conference Presentations
Please note that not all presenters submitted their presentation/paper to be made accessible online. If you are interested in a particular presentation that is not available, use presenter emails found in the bios list within the conference program to contact a presenter directly.
Friday May 30th
Morning Sessions 10:30-noon
Session 1: Primary Source Literacy: Special Collections and Archives in the Classroom
Engaging students with primary sources in the classroom can enrich curriculum and inspire learning at all levels, however, introducing students to primary sources can be a daunting task for archivists and special collections librarians. This session will offer insight into the core knowledge and skill sets needed by students to understand original materials held in special collections and archives. Individual presentations will address recent efforts toward the standardization of primary source literacy skills, the impact of standards on teaching objectives, development of exercises and curriculum, instructional collaborations, and assessment techniques. Presenters will offer examples of targeted instruction programs aimed at teaching students how to find, understand, and interpret primary source material, while also developing their reasoning, critical analysis, and problem solving skills.
Presenters: Elizabeth Joffrion, Western Washington University; Anne Bahde, Oregon State University; Trevor Bond, Washington State University; Rozlind Koester, Western Washington University
“Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn: The Heritage Resources Instruction Module and Primary Source Literacy at Western Washington University” by Rozlind Koester
Session 2: Archives: Viewing Archives through an Artist’s Lens
The City of Portland Archives and Records Center worked with the Regional Arts & Culture Council to create an artist-in-residence program within the archives as a means to reach out to atypical researchers. The first team of artists started working in the Archives in early 2013 and will complete their project in 2014. This endeavor is a collaborative approach to exploring new ways to interact with archival collections, and for introducing archives to new audiences in non-traditional ways. The session will provide the background for the artist-in-residence program, and discuss the specific collaboration happening between the archivists and artists for the current project. The artists will talk about their experiences working with the materials and the archivists, describe their project, and will share some of the artistic outcomes.
Presenters: Diana Banning, City of Portland Archives & Records Center; Kaia Sand, Portland State University; Mary Hansen, City of Portland Archives & Records Center; Brian K. Johnson, City of Portland Archives & Records Center, Garrick Imatani, Lewis & Clark College
Session 3: Projecting Our Past: Bringing Films to the Forefront
Film and other forms of visual media have long been important parts of archival collections, and the last five years have seen sea changes both in digital preservation and in public sharing of these resources. Working with films is moving from something costly and complex to something an archive can do at minimal expense. These media resources can provide their institutions with powerful resources to engage their constituents and to entice in researchers and new collections. The presenters will share programs and projects from their institutions and others in the northwest, looking at the historical, cultural, and educational value of our collections, physical and digital preservation issues, project planning, sharing your materials out to your public, and outreach to users ranging from donors to fellow archivists.
Presenters: Mark O'English, Washington State University; Hannah Palin, University of Washington; Elizabeth Peterson, University of Oregon
“Projecting Our Past: Bringing Films to the Forefront” by Mark O'English
Afternoon Session 2:00-3:00 pm
Session 4: One bourbon, one wine, one beer: academic alcohol archives that document the cultural history of a community
Collaborative projects aren't new for archivists. We work with our colleagues, creators, and researchers to bring together collections and people. Community archiving projects are also becoming much more mainstream, allowing archivists to work with content creators to save, preserve, and share their histories to curate collections for preservation and access. It also allows us to explore varied opportunities for engagement, content creation, funding, sustainability, privacy, and access, as well as how we define collecting scope in academic archives. The beer, bourbon, and wine industries bring together communities that blend regional identity, engagement, agriculture, business, and pleasure. This session will explore panelists' experiences establishing an academic archive dedicated to preserving the cultural history of a community that has formed around alcohol, creating an archive from scratch, and working with communities and corporations to tell their stories in a post-custodial archives world.
Presenters: Tiah Edmunson-Morton, Oregon State University; Rachael Cristine Woody, Linfield College; Doug Boyd, University of Kentucky; Melissa Salrin, Whitman College and Northwest Archives (Session Chair)
“Establishing the Oregon Hops & Brewing Archives at Oregon State University” by Tiah Edmunson-Morton
Session 5: The Washington State Archives - Reaching New Audiences with the Past
The Washington State Archives is working to attract new audiences through a number of innovative programs and collaborations. Some of the topics we will discuss include: going global, the reach of the digital archives, crowd sourcing, returning to our roots, Archives Month, student audiences, and how technology keeps us moving forward.
Presenters: Debbie Bahn, Washington State Archives; Amber Raney, Washington State Archives; Tracy Rebstock, Washington State Archives; Benjamin Helle, Washington State Archives; Frank Oesterheld; Washington State Archives
Session 6: Lightning Talks Part 1
Collaborations with Performing Arts Organizations: Collection Processing and Exhibit Curation
In 2013 the Oregon Multicultural Archives (OMA) began work on processing two Portland based performing arts organizations’ collections: the Obo Addy Legacy Project, an African dance group, and the Miracle Theatre Group, a Latino/a theatre. Two interns and one and a half years later, the OMA curated a joint exhibit, hosted a reception, and the two collections became open to public for research.
Natalia Fernández, Oregon State University
In October 2013 the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives at the University of Alaska Fairbanks increased their archives month events from 1 the previous year to 4 events in 2013. It was fun, collaborative and very exhausting. This presentation shares what we learned.
Rachel Seale, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Taste of the 'Chives-Hall of Fame Recipes
An unconventional look back at the most memorable, tasty, and mysterious recipes prepared for Oregon State University’s "Taste of the 'Chives" Oregon Archives Month event.
Karl McCreary, Oregon State University
Connecting the Collections to the Classroom
Research shows that enriching the classroom experience with relevant local and regional history improves educational outcomes. The trick is how to extend, engage, and ultimately educate wide diverse audiences. This poster session focuses on how to create educational outreach programs that meet the actual needs of classroom teachers and fit the mission of the institution.
Renee Cebula, Graduate History Candidate Eastern Washington; Erin Pulley, Graduate History Candidate Eastern Washington University
Collaborative Instruction with Tribal Communities: The Northern Paiute History Project: Engaging Undergraduates in De-Colonizing Research with Tribal Community Members
This session will highlight the experience of the University of Oregon Clark Honors College colloquium “Race and Ethnicity in the American West: Northern Paiute History,” taught in fall 2013 by Dr. Kevin Hatfield and Jennifer O’Neal, which engaged students with local tribal community members from The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Burn Paiute to document previously unexamined or lesser known portions of tribal history.
Jennifer O'Neal, University of Oregon
Afternoon Session 3:15–4:15 pm
Session 7: Latino Voices: Preserving and promoting Oregon Latino history
Latinos are the fastest growing population in the State of Oregon – jumping from 8 percent of the state's population in 2000 to nearly 12 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The University of Oregon Libraries, in conjunction with community organizations and other UO initiatives have formed an interdisciplinary, community collaborative, called the Oregon Latino Heritage Collaborative (OLHC). In this session, presenters will discuss initiatives to enable and promote the use of Latino primary sources within undergraduate curricula at the university, Latino communities in Oregon, and researchers at large. Presenters will also cover the decisions made while processing manuscript collections, look at ways of promoting the collections through finding aids and web exhibits, and review the alliances maintained with local Latino organizations to ensure the continued preservation of Latino voices in Oregon.
Presenters: Stephanie Kays, University of Oregon; Sonia De La Cruz, University of Oregon, David Woken, University of Oregon
Session 8: Spokane Historical: A New Way to Present Archives-Based Research
Have you ever visited a new city, or even a familiar one, and wondered about its history? Cities are living monuments to the past. But connecting a community to their city’s history can be a challenge. In a digital age public historians are looking at new ways to engage people with their city’s past. Spokane Historical is a free app and website with over 250 historic sites with text, images, podcasts and videos, created for those curious about Spokane’s past. The “Ghosts of Spokane” is a Spokane Historical project that documents the many still-visible painted advertisements that can be found on brick buildings in Spokane’s Historic downtown. In addition to the digital tour of these signs in the digital application, the project seeks to engage the community by providing walking tours within the city.
Presenters: Larry Cebula, Eastern Washington University; Anna Harbine, Eastern Washington University; Frank Oesterheld, Eastern Washington University
Session 9: Lightning Talks Part 2
Presenters:
“Maps as Archival Materials: Enhancing Context and Improving Access”
The Special Collections & Archives Research Center at Oregon State University has undertaken an extensive project to identify appropriate historic maps in the OSU Libraries’ collections, transfer them to the Center’s collections, and describe the collections following archival descriptive practice and standards. This talk will describe OSU’s project and explore the advantages (and possible disadvantages) of treating historic maps as archival materials – from the perspectives of description and cataloging; preservation; and reference.
Elizabeth Nielsen, Oregon State University
Archive Engine West: Outcomes and Next Steps
Over the last four years, the Northwest Digital Archives program at the Orbis Cascade Alliance has developed and created Archive Engine West (formerly known as the Cross-Search and Context Utility), a demonstration project to create an integrated presentation of digital content and associated finding aid metadata from across the region. With the end of IMLS funding this winter, the program is summarizing project findings and considering possible next steps. The NWDA Program Manager will present the project's outcomes and report on the Alliance's decisions about future directions.
Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Northwest Digital Archives, Orbis Cascade Alliance
Opening the Digital Door to Hidden Collections at the C.M. Russell Museum
As a lone arranger, Kathryn Kramer’s duties include both processing the Frederic G. and Ginger K. Renner Special Collection and establishing a functional, accessible archives that will serve staff members and academic researchers in perpetuity. In this talk she will share her work writing and enforcing policies and procedures, creating publicly accessible finding aids, and implementing the museum’s plan to digitize archival materials and create a “virtual research center” that can be accessed through a dedicated website.
Kathryn Kramer, C.M. Russell Museum
“The Kimble Northwest History Database: Fulfilling the Spirit of the WPA”
Ten years ago, Washington State University libraries initiated the digitization of a WPA clipping project. The Wallis and Marilyn Kimble Northwest History Database currently hold 1000,000 records; the finished database will have 400,000 records. To highlight access and relevancy of the database, the digitization team resolved to use storytelling to promote the collection and the digitization team foregrounded the narratives of Washington State depression era men and women.
Lipi (Israt) Turner-Rahman, Washington State University
Speech Recognition Software in the Archives
This talk will examine the uses and limitations of voice recognition software, Dragon Naturally Speaking, in the archive. An example use for this software in archival work is indexing. The voice recognition software allows the archivist to dictate to his/her computer while keeping their hands free to navigate through folders or boxes. There are also limitations to this software. For example, voice recognition software is usually quite accurate except when it comes to places and names. Many records deal heavily with names and places making the software difficult to use. The information presented will further expose archivists to the possibility of using this software.
Cory Carpenter, Eastern Washington University
Afternoon Session 4:30-5:30 pm
Session 10: What Happened to Handwriting?: The Decline of Cursive Writing and the Implications for Archivists and Scholars.
Young students are routinely taught touch-typing instead of cursive in school. They communicate through text messages, tweets, and email instead of handwriting. As a result, novice scholars in college today often do not know how to read cursive, the predominant penmanship script used until the late 20th century. The implications for new historical research are becoming apparent. For one thing, historical methodology will likely change, because students will first have to be taught how to read cursive in order to conduct primary source research. Handwritten documents permeate collections in archives across the country, and access to these documents requires an understanding of cursive script in its many variants. Today we will discuss the history of penmanship, the enduring value of original handwritten documents, and the impact that the decline in cursive handwriting could have on historical research. The audience will also get to try writing Spencerian script, the principal penmanship style of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Presenters: Geoff Wexler, Oregon Historical Society; Linda Long, University of Oregon; Marianne Nelson, Portland Society for Calligraphy
“Teaching Handwriting in Portland, Oregon” by Marianne Nelson
Session 11: Congressional Image: Strategies for Processing, Promoting and Doing Outreach Using Photograph Collections of Twentieth-Century U.S. Congressmen
This session will explore the processing of two twentieth-century U.S. Senators’ photograph collections: Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Senator Lee Metcalf (D-MT). Around the country, photograph collections of U.S. congressmen who served after World War II to the 2000s are being processed. However, a lack of informational and written historical context for many of these images exists due to the relatively recent nature of the congressmen’s service. To overcome these challenges, the presenters will discuss their approaches to the organization of the collections; the difficulties encountered in image identification; the benefits for processing photographs utilizing information learned through new digital tools, databases, and online archival records from across the U.S.; their strategies by which they conducted outreach to the public to assist in image identification and description; and their work to develop public programs around the senators’ photograph collections.
Presenters: Matthew M. Peek, Montana Historical Society; Elsie Eckman, University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Session 12: Bringing the long lost "Grays Harbor Happenings" back to the community: or how we became "archival rock stars"
The session will discuss the Grays Harbor Newsfilm collection project to preserve a rare collection of nitrate newsfilm at the University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections and "Grays Harbor Happenings," a documentary film produced by University of Washington Libraries and UWTV as part of that project. The documentary depicts the effort to preserve the film and shows the community as it was in the 1920s and as it is now and discusses why it is important to save our historical film. The session shows how archives can successfully partner with local communities to bring their history back--(and how you too can be an "archival rockstar."). Presenters will discuss how the collection came to University of Washington Libraries; finding funding to support work on the collection; efforts to preserve and create access to the films; how the Grays Harbor community was involved in efforts to identify the content of the films.
Presenters: Nicolette Bromberg, University of Washington; Hannah Palin, University of Washington; Joyce Agee, University of Washington
Saturday, May 31st
Morning Sessions 10:30-noon
Session 13: Training on the Archival Fringes: Projects, Programs, and Professional Value
Through a series of presentations, panelists will explore various training programs or projects situated on the fringes of the archival profession, a space where audiences are not primarily archivists, but the skills imparted are archives or archives-related skills. Furthermore, these trainers are not necessarily archivists, in any traditional sense; they are librarians or hybrid professionals charged with much more than the care of archival records. Through this look at training happening on the fringes of the profession, we can ultimately examine the value of our work and our profession as well as the way that we convey that value to others.
Presenters: Ross Fuqua, Washington State Library; Lindsay Zaborowski, Ballard Historical Society; Tony Kurtz, Western Washington University; Caitlin Oiye, Densho; Joshua Zimmerman, Archdiocese of Seattle (Session Chair)
“Training on the Archival Fringe: Reflections on training Washington Rural Heritage participants” by Ross Fuqua
“What Shall We Do with this Fringe?” by Lindsay Zaborowski
Session 14: Imagination at Work: Reaching New Users with Innovative Instruction and Outreach
In a college or university setting, archivists are often charged with developing innovative ways to inspire campus users to think expansively and creatively about primary sources. Individual presentations will address developing a fictional collection that can be mobilized and expanded to fulfill learning objectives across multiple disciplines; adapting an interactive game from NYPL to promote and generate interest in archives during New Student Week; and collaborating with faculty and French majors on a grant-funded project to build and promote collections. Other presentations will extend the conversation to assessment and will consider integrating primary source literacy in first-year library instruction classes and employing the ARCS Model for Motivational Design in composition classes to create a classroom of engaged learners. By highlighting the challenges and rewards of these strategies, panelists aim to provide attendees with practical suggestions and creative ideas that they can adapt and immediately implement at their home institutions.
Presenters: Erin Passehl-Stoddart, Western Oregon University; Tiah Edmunson-Morton, Oregon State University; Janet Hauck, Whitworth University; Eva Guggemos, Pacific University; Melissa Salrin, Whitman College and Northwest Archives (Session Chair)
“Gone Squatchin’: in the archives with a hairy beast” by Tiah Edmunson-Morton
"Archives in First Year Experience Programs” by Eva Guggemos
“Whitman College Instruction” by Melissa Salrin
Session 15: Challenges and Opportunities: Creating Digital Indigenous Cultural Heritage Resources
A 2013 report by the Association for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) suggests a digital divide between TALMs and their non-indigenous counterparts. The report cites a number of reasons that digital projects and tools are not more widely implemented by tribal archives, from lack of staffing and funding to prioritizing more essential needs above digitization and the implementation of digital workflows. This panel will present digital projects as case studies to explore the story inside the numbers to flesh out the unique challenges faced by tribal archivists and discuss how specific constraints and opportunities are negotiated. Within these specific case studies, the panel will discuss keys and barriers to success, which in turn, should help illuminate the possibilities and limitations of digital technology to address the preservation and access needs related to indigenous cultural heritage materials.
Presenters: Michael Holloman, Washington State University; Larry Cebula, Eastern Washington University and Washington State Digital Archives, Guy F. Moura, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; Stacey Baldridge; Steven Bingo, Washington State University (Session Chair)
“Getting Technological: A Look at the Digitization of Indigenous Cultural Heritage in the Northwest” by Stacey Baldridge
Spokane Historical by Larry Cebula
“Creating a Sustainable Heritage Network” by Steve Bingo
Lunch Meeting: Native American Collections Roundtable
Afternoon Sessions 1:30-2:30pm
Session 16: Using the SAA Digital Archives Specialist Certificate (DAS) Program as a Continuing Education Opportunity for Library and Archives Staff
While investigating the new SAA Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certificate program in Spring, 2012, Eastern Washington University staff noticed that once you have purchased a DAS webinar, SAA allows you to invite anyone you want to view it. Seeing potential in the DAS webinars for a continuing education opportunity that would benefit people beyond just the Archives, and help staff begin to understand what would be involved in the coming Institutional Repository, staff submitted a proposal to EWU Libraries to have the institution purchase the DAS webinars to make them more widely accessible. The presenters will discuss how the proposal was presented to the library administration, how the program was administered and expanded for people interested in pursuit of the DAS certificate, how we arranged three mandatory on site workshops, and the results of the project.
Presenters: Charles V. Mutschler, Eastern Washington University; Doris Munson, Eastern Washington University; Justin Otto, Eastern Washington University
Session 17: Archives and Special Collections in Discovery Environments
A panel of Washington State University librarians discusses issues that arise when experienced archives and special collections researchers accustomed to searching for known and unique items traditionally represented in the OPAC by localized metadata attempt research fulfillment in an information environment designed to facilitate user discovery. Questions addressed include: What is a discovery environment and how is it different from an OPAC? How does highly customized metadata describing manuscripts, archives, and special collections work in a discovery environment designed to fulfill user needs by means of shared, standardized metadata? What are some of the best practices for working in discovery environments that archivists and manuscript and special collections professionals can share with their users? How might archival initiatives like NWDA and Western Waters provide models for standardizing specialized metadata for use in information environments?
Presenters: Greg Matthews, Washington State University; Ray Henry, Washington State University; Alex Merrill, Washington State University
“Archives and Special Collections in Discovery Environments”
Session 18: Collaborative Stewardship of Cultural Heritage Archives: The Theodore Stern Papers at the University of Oregon Libraries and the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
This session will examine the collaborative stewardship of the Theodore Stern Faculty Papers between the University of Oregon and the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute. Stern was an Anthropology professor for over 20 years at UO during the 1960s - 1980s and he studied various tribal communities across Oregon, including The Confederated Tribes of Umatilla and the Klamath Tribe. This presentation will highlight the information contained in the collection, why it is important to tribal communities, how UO has engaged in a collaborative processing project with the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, and provide next steps. The session will also detail lessons learned thus far and will provide the detailed perspectives of the holding institution and the tribal community.
Presenters: Jennifer O'Neal, University of Oregon; Katie Barry, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
“Collaborative Stewardship of Cultural Heritage Archives: The Theodore Stern Papers” by Katie Barry