The Society of American Archivists has received a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Grant program to establish a prioritized research agenda for the archives profession that builds upon SAA’s recently adopted Research and Innovation Roadmap. Spearheaded by the Committee on Research, Data, and Assessment (CORDA), SAA is convening 35 archival experts, educators, community leaders, and grantmakers–archivists from across key sectors and professional positionality as well as relevant non-archivist stakeholders–to be part of a professionally facilitated two-day forum to take place in Chicago on May 1–2, 2025. The convened archivists will transform the recently adopted SAA Research and Innovation Roadmap into a research agenda and a framework for wider implementation and adoption.

We hope you will consider applying. Though only 35 attendees can be selected, we have designed a selection process that is open to self nomination and will adhere to the criteria presented below. We seek archival experts, educators, community leaders, and grantmakers from across key sectors and professional positionality, as well as relevant non-archivist stakeholders who can distill from the roadmap a research agenda to shape the forward-looking work of our profession. We are specifically seeking an applicant pool that will allow us to appoint individuals representing the following:

• Archivists affiliated with allied professions including the American Library Association (ALA), COSA, Regional Professional Associations, foundations and funders, as well as international organizations including either IFLA or UNESCO, grant makers, and educators.
• Participants will primarily represent the United States of America (West, Midwest, Northeast, South, Pacific, Caribbean).
• We will allocate space and budgetary funds for one international participant (e.g. IFLA, UNESCO).
• The Collective will represent different race/ethnicities and gender, related to individual and community identity, including the attributes mentioned in SAA’s Equal Opportunity/Non-discrimination Policy.
• We seek to include archivists that are individual contributors/solo archivists, managers, and senior administrators/executives in the profession.
• Archivists that are both contract/limited term vs. permanent. Archivists that are entry level (0-5 years), mid-level (6-14 years), and senior (15+ years) in their respective careers.
• Participants representing all sectors of the field including: Academic, Government Agency, Non-profit, For-profit, Self-employed, Community Archives, and Religious Archives.

From the applications received, the CORDA grant project team will make the most strategic selection it can from among the full population of applicants, based upon the publicly available criteria drawn from the SAA Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and utilizing a weighted rubric developed in consultation with the agenda facilitator, RMC Research Corporation (“Research Making Change”).

If interested, please review the grant proposal, and the Research and Innovation Roadmap. Applications are due December 20, 2024.  The application itself will take approximately 40 minutes to complete. Applicants selected for the 35-seats will be required to spend two days at an in-person facilitated retreat in Chicago IL on May 1–2, 2025. Travel and lodging expenses are funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

We thank you for considering offering to participate, and we hope that you will submit your application. If you have any questions or feedback about the application process or the project, please contact Chris Marino, Project Director, at cmmarino@stanford.edu.

With kind regards,

Gwen Higgins

Archivist, Archives & Special Collections

UAA/APU Consortium Library

University of Alaska Anchorage