News & announcements

Register here. Early Bird deadline is March 31st. Preliminary conference program now available!

The program committee is currently reviewing and selecting conference sessions and pre-conference workshops.

Conference registration information and fees will be posted after 20 Jan 2016.

This is a reminder that the program committee for NWA 2016 is currently accepting proposals for the 2016 conference.Proposals are due January 11, 2016.

Please see the Call for Proposals (also below) for more information on the conference and submission process. We’ve also created an unofficial program suggestions and connections document for folks looking for collaboration opportunities, additional panelists, speakers, etc.

Check out the NWA annual meeting collaboration spreadsheet here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19iEy85Zsr7pEDrv42r-y8CxlFP-0ugiXb6C0b2YLTOc/edit?usp=sharing

It's time! Free Registration for SAA's 2015-Teaching with Primary Sources Conference is now open. Register here: bitly.com/SAA15TPS.  Want to lend your expertise to a session? Just let us know in your registration! Conference will be held August 19, 9:30am-4:30pm at the Cleveland Public Library and is open to individuals from all institutions and with all levels of experience who use primary source material for instruction/classroom setting.

A new exhibit explores the hidden costs of the Grand Coulee Dam was created by students in a graduate history class. Read about it here.

A film collection by late WSU professor Humphrey Leynse is at the center of a new partnership with South Korea’s Dokdo Museum. Read about it here. 

NWA, PAA, and PEA bring to you an opportunity to have a conversation with your colleagues about our collective identity as archivists, curators, and special collections librarians.

 Identity Crisis in the Archives:  We Know Who Your Grandpa Is, But Not Who We Are

 ***Please read the following for important information about the unconference.***

The Portland venue for the unconference is at capacity!  If you are interested in participating but can’t make it in person or didn’t RSVP in time, all is not lost.  NWA has provided funding to test out videoconferencing as a way of extending participation for a variety of events.  If you would like to join the unconference from your office or home, please use the instructions for videoconferencing below. 

Preparation for the discussion:  Even though this is an unstructured discussion among colleagues, we encourage you to read Kate Theimer’s “What is the Professional Archivist’s Role in the Evolving Archival Space?” (A talk given in Christchurch, NZ), which can be found here: http://www.archivesnext.com/? p=3829. 

Some other suggested readings include:

Archival Ideals and the Pursuit of a Moderate Disposition, by Scott Cline (in latest American Archivist, Fall-Winter 2014); and The Discipline of History and The Education of the Archivist, by Hugh Taylor (http://archivists.metapress. com/content/m6n85l340358r788/) .

Please feel free to read other articles or online discussions about professional identity.  But even if you don’t read the articles, be sure you come prepared participate.

 For those attending in person:

         Date: March 27, 2015

         Time: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

         Venue:  Soma Space

4050 NE Broadway Street
Portland, Oregon, USA 97232
http://www.somaspace.us/

We encourage people to carpool or use transit.  Soma Space does not have a parking lot, but parking is available on the streets surrounding the building.  Depending on other events happening in the neighborhood, you may need to expand your parking radius out by a few blocks. 

If you would like to use transit, the Hollywood Transit Center (HTC) is 0.2 miles from Soma Space – a very short and easy 5 minute walk to the building.  Many buses and the Red, Blue, and Green MAX lines stop at the HTC.   There are several other buses that stop within a couple of blocks of Soma Space, so the transit options are great.  If you have any questions about using transit in Portland, check out the TriMet site http://trimet.org/index.htm.  If you have other questions about getting to the event, please contact Diana Banning (Diana.banning@portlandoregon. gov or 503-865-4110).

          Other information: 

Soma Space is a dance studio with a beautiful floor, meaning this is a no-shoe space.  Light appetizers, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available.  Since this is during the typical dinner hour, please feel free to bring heartier food with you, or to eat before arriving.  If you have dietary restrictions, you are welcome to bring your food and drink.

 For those joining via the web:

         Date: March 27, 2015

         Time: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. PST

• You can join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone by clicking on the link below and following its instructions.
  
• • https://global.gotomeeting. com/join/446259621
  •  You can listen in with either your computer speakers or telephone. A microphone will not be necessary as we will not be supporting voice chat online.
    

  • • United States (Long distance): +1 (872) 240-3412
      Access Code: 446-259-621
      Some things to note: 

      Please remember that this is the first attempt at videoconferencing for NWA; there will undoubtedly be glitches or failures, but we hope you will give it a try.  It would be helpful to receive feedback from all who join us via the ether so we know what worked and what didn’t.  Please send your feedback to:  johnsmax@ohsu.edu.

      The event begins at 5:30 p.m., but we anticipate the first 20 minutes will consist of getting name tags, food, and small talk.  We will break into small groups for the first portion, which may make it difficult to follow the live conversations online, but the remainder of the evening will be a large group discussion.  People joining us through the web will hopefully be able to see and hear what is going on and can respond via GoToMeeting's IM feature.  We will have someone following the IM thread and incorporating it as much as possible into the conversation.
      

Please contact Diana Banning (Diana.banning@portlandoregon. gov) if you have any questions.

The Montana State Historical Society is pleased to announce the availability of four paid internships for the summer of 2015. Below are announcements for the Archives, Library and Photo Archives programs.  Each announcement provides unique contact information.  Applications forms can be found on NWA jobs page.  Applications should be mailed, emailed or faxed by April 15. 

The MHS Archives program is offering an Archives Internship for the summer of 2015. This year’s project will focus on inventorying, rehousing, and cataloging an extensive map/blueprint/architectural drawings collection. The collection consists of materials related to 19th and early 20^th century mining sites, state institutions, and architectural renderings of historic buildings. The intern will gain experience in cleaning, repairing and encapsulating oversize materials as needed; and creating inventories in EAD and scanning/uploading select items on to our Montana Memory Project (CONTENTdm based). The internship is a commitment of 400 hours of work (10 weeks at 40 hours per week) and includes a $5,000 stipend. Any questions can be directed to Jodie Foley (406 444-7482 or jofoley@mt.gov).

Continuation of Student Archivist program. The Montana State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) is pleased to announce the continuation of an on-site assistance program for cultural heritage institutions in Montana.  Two graduate level student archivists will be chosen to provide up to 320 hours of archival project assistance to one Montana heritage institution over the summer of 2015 (June to September). Students will provide assistance based on specific goals set by the institution and may include archival surveying, processing, cataloging, basic conservation, archival basics training, creation of finding aids and creation of online inventory/content access options.

The MHS Library program is offering an internship for the summer of 2015. This year’s project will focus on visual materials found in our poster and ephemera collections. The project will involve a survey of our poster collection (approximately 850 items) to identify items that should be removed from this collection, items that should be cataloged and items with great visual appeal that should be digitized. The project will also include work with our ephemera collection including categorizing items by Library of Congress subject headings and identifying items that should be digitized.  If time allows there will be a chance to digitize some of the items and load them into our digital repository, the Montana Memory Project, using CONTENTdm. The ideal candidate will have a passion for providing access to special collections. The internship is a commitment of 400 hours of work (10 weeks at 40 hours per week) and includes a $5,000 stipend. Any questions can be directed to Roberta Gebhardt, Library Manager, at 406-444-7402 or at rgebahrdt@mt.gov.

The MHS Photograph Archives is pleased to announce the availability of a Photograph Archives Internship for the summer of 2015. This year’s project involves the cataloging of photographs:  The first portion of the project entails re-cataloging photographs that were originally cataloged for the Montana Shared Catalog using Dublin Core metadata terms or elements. This group of catalog records, approximately 190 records that describe 13,000 images, will be amended and completed in OCLC Connexion using MARC/RDA cataloging standards.

The second portion of the internship will focus on comparing yearly accession registers with catalog records in the Montana Shared Catalog, to locate collections that have not been cataloged.  Once these uncataloged collections have been identified, the intern will complete MARC/RDA records for the MHS online catalog for these photographic collections. This will require checking five years of accession registers (from 2006 through 2010) that will have approximately 50 collections to be cataloged.

Familiarity with MARC cataloging standards and the use of LOC Authorities is expected of the successful candidate. 

The internship is a commitment of 400 hours of work (10 weeks at 40 hours per week) and includes a $5,000 stipend. Any questions can be directed to Delores Morrow (406-444-4714 or dmorrow@mt.gov).

Take a look at the Western Roundup page for all the details on registration and to get a view of the program offerings.

Western Roundup 2015