News & announcements

MAC is soliciting applications for the 2025 Archie Motley Memorial Scholarship for Students of Color (http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley). The scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to students of color pursuing graduate education in archival administration and to encourage ethnic diversification of the MAC membership and of the archival profession. Two $1,500 scholarships, accompanied by one-year memberships to MAC, will be awarded. 

To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must be of African, Arabic, Asian, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, or Latinx descent; must be a student currently enrolled in or accepted in a graduate, multicourse program in archival administration; and must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in their academic program. If the program is not listed in the SAA Directory of Archival Education, http://www2.archivists.org/dae, the applicant must provide proof of the multicourse standard by submitting copies of course descriptions from the institution’s current departmental catalog.

Applications are due March 1, 2025 and must include the following documents:

• Completed application form, available at http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley
• Current resume that includes education, work history, involvement in campus or community organizations, membership in professional organizations, and any honors or awards received
• Transcript from the applicant's most recent academic program (unofficial transcript is acceptable)
• Essay of not more than 500 words outlining the applicant's interests and future goals in archival administration
• One letter of recommendation  (may be submitted separately by recommender).

Please send all materials (application form, transcript, and essay) as one single file. Completed applications should be sent to:

Megan Keller Young

Senior Instructor and Special Collections Librarian

University of Illinois Chicago

megank@uic.edu

Applications must be emailed by March 1, 2025. 

Awards will be announced no later than June 3, 2025. 

The application period for SAA's 2025 Josephine Forman Scholarship is now open!

The purpose of the Josephine Forman Scholarship is to provide financial support to minority students pursuing graduate education in archival science, to encourage students to pursue a career as an archivist, and to promote the diversification of the American archives profession.  The scholarship is given to applicants who demonstrate excellent potential for scholastic and personal achievement and who manifest a commitment both to the archives profession and to advancing diversity concerns within it.  The scholarship was established by the General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) of The United Methodist Church and named for Josephine Forman, archivist for 18 years of the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The recipient of the award will receive a scholarship of $10,000.  Awardees also may be invited to attend the annual meeting of the General Commission on Archives and History and/or the Quadrennial Historical Convocation, with funding provided by GCAH.  Also included is complimentary registration to the SAA Annual Meeting in the year in which the scholarship is received. All applications must be submitted by February 28th. 

Eligibility:

• The applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
• The applicant must be of American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern/North African, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander descent.
• The applicant must be currently enrolled in a graduate program or a multi-course program in archival administration, or have applied to such a program for the next academic year.*
• The applicant shall have completed no more than half of the credit requirements toward her/his graduate degree or multi-course program at the time of the award (i.e., June 1).
• The applicant must be enrolled in a graduate program and begin school no later than September 1 or the fall semester/quarter immediately following the award.  Otherwise the award will be rescinded.
• Applicants may have full-time or part-time status. 

*The graduate program or multi-course program must offer at least three courses in archival science or be listed in the current SAA Directory of Archival Education.  The applicant must provide proof of the three-course standard by submitting copies of course descriptions from the institution’s current course catalog.

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

A Multitude of Stories

RBMS 2025

Tuesday, June 24 – Friday, June 27, 2025

New Haven, Connecticut

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is currently accepting scholarship applications for the 2025 RBMS Conference, A Multitude of Stories, to be held in New Haven, Connecticut, and online, from June 24-27, 2025. The deadline to apply is December 13, 2024, and applicants will be notified in early March 2025.

RBMS is committed to increasing equity, diversity and inclusion in its membership and the special collections and archives professions. Accordingly, preference is given to applicants from underrepresented groups that have been historically marginalized or excluded due to race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, economic background, age, and/or ability. For more information about the RBMS commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, please visit the RBMS website. You can also give to the RBMS Scholarship Fund to directly impact these efforts.

Full and partial scholarships to the RBMS conference will be awarded. Full scholarships include a waiver of the conference registration fee (a $195 – $360 value depending on registration type) plus a travel stipend ($750). Partial scholarships provide complimentary registration (a $195 – $360 value depending on registration type) and may or may not include a travel stipend depending on applicant need/location ($400). The majority of scholarships will be awarded to support those who have not previously attended RBMS; a limited number of scholarships are available to individuals who have previously attended RBMS.

Eligibility

All candidates must be currently enrolled in a library, information science, or archival studies program; a graduate of such a program; OR currently employed or volunteering as a professional or paraprofessional in a rare books, special collections, or archives capacity.

Criteria

The Scholarships Committee will take into consideration the following criteria when reviewing applicants:

• Evidence of commitment to and interest in the rare books, special collections, and/or archives fields
• For first-time conference participants: Interest in contributing to the profession
• For returning conference participants: Interest in contributing to the profession through proposed conference participation (speaker/moderator) and/or RBMS committee participation
• Potential to benefit professionally from attendance at the conference
• Financial need

Incomplete applications without initials on the final question may not be considered.

The application includes education and ALA/ACRL/RBMS Membership information along with the following questions: 

• What has motivated you to pursue your current career path? (300 words max) 
• Provide a brief statement about your interest in RBMS and in attending the Section's 2024 Conference. (300 words max)
• How do you see increased involvement with RBMS affecting your current career path? (300 words max)
• Please supply a brief statement of financial need. For those who are employed, this means describing the conference/travel support provided to you by your institution. All applicants will be considered for both full and partial scholarships. (200 words max)

Consideration

In awarding the scholarships, preference will be given to:

• Applicants from underrepresented groups that have been historically marginalized or excluded due to race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, economic background, age, and/or ability
• Applicants employed or volunteering at an institution (or in a position) that primarily serves one or more underrepresented and/or historically marginalized group(s)
• Applicants who are ACRL/RBMS members
• Applicants who have not previously received a scholarship from ACRL/RBMS

Requirements

Scholarship recipients are required to attend the RBMS conference and complete the conference evaluation. To help us ensure the ongoing improvement of the scholarship program, all scholarship recipients are also asked to submit a post-conference email with feedback for next year's Scholarship Committee to consider.

The deadline to apply is December 13, 2024. All applicants will be notified in early March 2025. Please see the RBMS Conference Website for more details and to apply: https://web.cvent.com/event/eec2ebfb-c5d9-47b3-8485-6c1def8b7a62/summary.

Please feel free to share this opportunity widely!

Dear NWA Colleagues,

You are invited to participate in a survey with the goal of gathering information about policies that describe criteria for the selection of Special Collections resources (i.e. rare and unique archival photographs, manuscripts, ephemera, rare books, and donated born-digital items) for digitization and publication in open access digital libraries. These policies are often known as "digital collection development policies.” This study is being conducted by two librarians at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library, representing a cross-departmental collaboration between Digital Library Services and Special Collections.

Please click on https://bit.ly/digcolldevp  to take the survey. 

This survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete and will be open until Monday, November 25th. If you would like additional information about the study, please contact any of the people listed below.

We appreciate your time and participation.

Thanks,

Jessica Breiman, Digital Archives Librarian, University of Utah (jessica.breiman@utah.edu)

Rachel Wittmann, Metadata Strategies Librarian, University of Utah (rachel.wittmann@utah.edu) 

The Society of Southwest Archivists is excited to announce our Call for Proposals for the 2025 Annual Meeting, themed "Liberté. Egalité. Fraternité: GLAM Revolution in a Changing Climate." Our 2025 annual meeting will be hybrid, in Lafayette, Louisiana and virtual via Zoom Events from May 6-10, 2025.

In a decade marked by profound shifts in politics, technology, and the environment, archivists play a pivotal role in upholding liberty and equality within our institutions. We invite proposals that delve into innovative approaches, adaptation strategies, and resilience in the face of challenges affecting Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAMs). Whether you join us in Lafayette, Louisiana, or participate virtually, we encourage you to contribute to the dialogue shaping our profession's future.

Submit your proposal today!

We hope that our hybrid format for 2025 will make our conference more accessible for various groups. We encourage proposal submissions from non-SSA members. Join us as we explore how archivists can lead the charge in reshaping GLAMs amidst these transformative times.

Find guidelines, a spreadsheet to facilitate collaborations, and the submission form on the SSA Call For Proposals page.

Are you in the early stages of an archives career (2-10 years of experience) and demonstrate excellence in leadership? Do you have an archives colleague that exhibits great leadership skills? Please consider nominating them or yourself for the Society of American Archivists' Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award.  

The nomination deadline is February 28, 2025.

Awarded for the first time in 2012 and renamed in 2017, the Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award celebrates and encourages early-career archivists who have completed archival work of broad merit, demonstrated significant promise of leadership, performed commendable service to the archives profession, or a combination of the above. Nominees must have more than two years and less than ten years of professional archives experience at the time of nomination. The award is given based on the total experience and contributions of the awardee, including knowledge, leadership, participation, and achievements in the profession.

For more information on award criteria and eligibility, as well as access to the nomination form, follow this link: app.smarterselect.com/programs/...

On behalf of the Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award Subcommittee, thank you!

Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections is currently accepting applications for the James W. Scott Regional Research Fellowship. Applications are accepted from individuals in doctoral programs as well as individuals who have finished the Ph.D.

The James W. Scott Regional Research Fellowships promote awareness and innovative use of archival collections at Western Washington University and seek to forward scholarly understandings of the Pacific Northwest. Fellowship funds are awarded in honor of the late Dr. James W. Scott, a noted scholar of the Pacific Northwest region and a founder and first Director of the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies (CPNWS).

Up to $1000 funding is offered in 2025 to support significant research using archival resources at Western. Successful applicants will be expected to:

·         Spend approximately one week examining CPNWS holdings in support of their research.

·         Share a presentation about some aspect of their research during the same calendar year in which the award is offered and accepted. Presentations will be recorded and made available to the public via WWU’s institutional repository, Western CEDAR (format of delivery may vary depending on topic or time of year).

Applications are due by January 31, 2025, with award announcements expected by the end of February, 2025. Applications must be submitted by email to Ruth.Steele@wwu.edu (please include “Scott Fellowship Application” in the subject line), and contain:

·         Cover letter

·         Curriculum Vitae

·         Research plan outlining on-site use of CPNWS holdings and proposed presentation topic

·         Two letters of recommendation

Detailed guides to archival collections at CPNWS can be accessed and searched at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.

For more information about collections or the application process, please contact Ruth Steele at Ruth.Steele@wwu.edu or (360) 650-7747. Funds will be awarded after a Fellow(s) has conducted research at CPNWS and delivered their presentation.

SAA Privacy & Confidentiality section is hosting a panel Q&A exploring managing access restrictions in archives. Open to anyone, even non-SAA members, this panel is adapted from a session at Archives*Records 2024 for those who couldn’t join. 

A key tenet of archival work is providing access to the records we manage. Yet this is not always a straightforward process. This panel will ask archivists at York University, University of Colorado Boulder, and Minnesota Historical Society to discuss navigating legacy access restrictions, including the process of undertaking an institutional review of access restrictions and lessons learned, the digital repatriation of records, reimagining the role of record subjects in determining access to culturally sensitive records, and how to enact best practices for future acquisitions. There will be planned questions from a panel moderator followed by an opportunity with Q&A on the topic of managing access and access restrictions from the panelists.

Event will be on November 20th at 12:30pm Eastern time. Please register in advance to receive the zoom information. 

Panelists: 

Jennifer Grant is an archivist at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, part of York University Libraries. In this role, she works collaboratively in a small team to manage the university's private and institutional archival records, both digital and analog. She previously worked as an assistant archivist in the Corporate Records and Archives department of the Law Society of Ontario. Jennifer's current research is focused on labour issues in academic archives. 

Her case study uses three examples that illustrate problematic legacy decision-making about access restrictions on private records in a university archives, this talk will examine strategies for mitigating negative impacts, including workarounds and other solutions, and discuss new and better ways forward to manage access restrictions.

Kate Hujda is the Curator of Manuscripts at the Minnesota Historical Society, one of the largest regional historical societies in the United States. As Curator, Hujda acquires collections and works collaboratively across the institution and within communities to ensure public access and use. Her graduate degree is in music history, and she has worked with a number of artists and arts organizations as an archivist, historian, and curator. 

Her case study will reflect on an ethnography collection with a problematic use restriction and efforts to remove barriers to access and use for the native communities documented in the collection.

Ashlyn Velte is the Senior Processing Archivist at University of Colorado Boulder Libraries. She is responsible for project and collection management, processing, and student supervision. Her research has focused on digital preservation and ethical access to archival collections. 

Her case study will focus on a practical model for tracking collections for access restrictions review for collections with PPII, cultural sensitivity, health data, and classified information. 

Please share widely with your contacts! If you would like an anonymous question of the panelists in advance pleaseuse this form. “

Please share with anyone you think might be willing to participate

Dear colleagues,

We are seeking participants for a research survey to assess the uptake of Linked Data technologies for cultural heritage description in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) community. The results from this survey are intended to capture the degree to which Linked Data is being implemented or used by different constituencies, to identify perceptions on added value or pain points of LD, and to infer risks and opportunities for further development in the areas of domain modeling and software development.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete depending on the specific responses. It can be paused at any time and completed at a later point.

Your responses are collected anonymously and cannot be tied to your name or email address. No demographic information relating to your person other than your occupational role will be collected. The data collected in this survey will only be shared in aggregate for research purposes.

10 respondents to this survey will be drawn at random to receive a $30 Amazon gift card.

The survey can be completed here.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the study’s investigators listed below.

Thank you,

Kate A. Bowers (Harvard University, kate_bowers@harvard.edu)
Regine I. Heberlein (Princeton University, heberlei@princeton.edu)
Stephanie M. Luke (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, smluke2@illinois.edu)