Log in
"Reflection of Mt. McKinley on Wonder Lake in Denali National Park, Alaska, circa 1988." Randy Brandon Collection, Anchorage Museum, B2016.019.06458.036.04.04.
"Bridge across Hess Creek Canyon, leading the the Hartley house, circa 1885." George Fox University Photographs. GFU.01.09. George Fox University Archives. Murdock Library. George Fox University.
Unknown, "Students in Airplane, 1946." Linfield College Archives Photograph Collection. Image. Submission 113.
"Dr. Henry Fielding Reed leading a Mazama party down the soon-to-be-named Reed Glacier on Mount Hood, 1901." Mazama Library and Historical Collections, VM1993.020 Mt Hood, 1901.
Oregon Metro Archives.
"Deputy Seth Davidson rides his motorcycle up Beacon Rock on March 18, 1930. From the records of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office." Multnomah County Archives.
"Mount Hood from Lost Lake, circa 1910." Kiser Photo Co. photographs, Org. Lot 140, bb000223, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
“University of Oregon Medical School football team, 1894,” OHSU Digital Commons, accessed August 16, 2018.
"Old Fort Road Campus, circa 1950s," University Archives, Oregon Institute of Technology.
"Belle Bloom Gevurtz, Sarah Goodman, Ophelia Goodman, Helen Goodman, Lillian Heldfond, and Ann Zaik at Cannon Beach, circa 1914," Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, OJM2996.
"Men repairing the dome of Congregation Beth Israel building on NW Flanders St., designed in 1925 by Herman Brookman, 1981," Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, OJM9966.
"View of OAC from Lower Campus, 1909." Oregon State University Archives and Special Collections.
"Woman with Child, n.d.," C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana. Joseph Henry Sharp Photograph Collection.
"Green Lake Park, 1985." Seattle Arts Commission. [Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs]. Seattle Municipal Archives.
"Aerial view of Century 21 World's Fair, 1962." City Light Negatives, Seattle Municipal Archives.
"PH037_b089_S00208," Angelus Studio photographs, 1880s-1940s, University of Oregon. Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
"Students studying in the library, University of Washington, circa 1908-1909," Arthur Dean University of Washington Photograph Album, PH Coll 903, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Asahel Curtis, "Forest ranger cabin in the Olympic National Forest in the Elwha Valley, 1924." Conservation Department, Planning and Development division, Lantern Slide Shows, Washington State Archives.
Asahel Curtis, "Stacking alfalfa hay near Grandview, circa 1925." Conservation Department, Planning and Development division, Lantern Slide Shows, Washington State Archives.
"Inauguration of Governor Ferry, November 11, 1889." Rogers (photographer), Inauguration of Governor Ferry Photographs, 1889, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives.
Asahel Curtis, "Yakima Pears." Washington State Library collection of photographs by Asahel Curtis, circa 1920-1940 (MS 0544-29).
"Student in Professor Frank Chalfant's Phonetics Laboratory," 1912. The lab was an early precursor to today's Foreign Language Lab. Washington State University Lantern Slides collection.
Bill Phillips, "Wheel Shop employees in Livingston during the last days of Livingston BN Shops," Park County." Yellowstone Gateway Museum.

Western Roundup 2010 Preliminary Program Descriptions


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

  • Pre-conference workshop 1: When Disaster Strikes: Emergency Preparedness & Response
Time: Full day, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Lunch on your own: click here for local restaurant ideas)

Location: West Room/Third Floor

Cost: $50.00

Description:

In the first moments of an emergency, personal safety is your priority. When people and structures are determined to be secure, you may be faced with the overwhelming job of putting your archive/library back in order. The success you have will be the result of how well you have prepared and trained staff. The workshop will assist participants in understanding key steps in disaster preparedness and develop tools and techniques and provide opportunities to create a basic plan and to receive feedback. The workshop focuses on critical skills such as insurance, risk assessment / prevention, working with emergency recovery services, training staff, and testing disaster plans.   You will leave the training with a completed Pocket Response Plan and practical decision-making skills to apply to pre- and post-disaster action priorities for your collection.  

Who Should Attend? This workshop is for those with beginning and/or intermediate level of knowledge from large and small repositories (that may or may not be part of a larger organization); and for those with disaster plans that may need updating as well as those with no disaster plan.

Attendance is limited to 30

Archival Recertification Credits: 5, section B.3.c

Instructors:
Julie A. Page
is Co-Coordinator for the Western States & Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS), NEH-funded, and the California Preservation Program, an initiative of the California State Library. She is a WESTPAS trainer for the “Protecting Library & Archive Collections: Disaster Preparedness, Response & Recovery.” Julie has published in the areas of preservation education and disaster preparedness and established the San Diego/Imperial County Libraries Disaster Response Network. She is a trainer for the AIC NEH-funded Emergency Response for Cultural Institutions program and has presented workshops at numerous professional library and archives conferences, including SCA.

Gary Menges is Preservation Administrator at the University of Washington Libraries. Before assuming his current position he was Head of Special Collections at the UW Libraries for 15 years and served as Chair of the ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section. He teaches the "Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials" course at the UW Information School, is a consultant/trainer for the Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS) and manages the PNW regional preservation listserv, "Preserve NW." Gary has been active in cooperative preservation activities in the Pacific Northwest and served as Chair of the Advisory Group for the state-wide Washington Preservation Initiative and Chair of the Steering Committee of the Washington Connecting to Collections state wide preservation planning project.


  • Pre-conference workshop 2: Grant Writing
Time: Full day, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Lunch on your own: click here for local restaurant ideas)

Location: North Room/Third Floor

Cost: $50.00

Description:

During these lean times, the role archivists play in developing and writing grant proposals has become a key job responsibility.  Given the demand for this skill, learning to write better grant proposals is a must! This practical workshop reviews various types of state, federal, and private foundation grants that have the potential to support the archival enterprise and provides information about researching and writing grant proposals. Topics include types of grants and grant funders, fundamentals of effective grant proposal writing, creating realistic budgets, the grant review process, and funding resources.

Who should attend? Archivists, librarians, and other staff members with a beginning or intermediate level of knowledge who have an interest in improving their grant writing skills.

Attendance is limited to 25

Archival Recertification Credits: 5, section B.3.c

Instructor:

Daniel Stokes is Director for State Programs at the NHPRC, overseeing the State and National Archival Partnership (SNAP) grants program. He has worked at the NHPRC for the past 22 years, serving first as a Program Officer, then as an Archives Specialist from 1995 to 2009. Over the years, he has assisted in virtually every area of the Commission's work, specializing in local government records, Native American records, architectural records, and records of religious organizations. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Mr. Stokes studied architecture and history with a focus on urban history and historic preservation.


  • Pre-conference workshop 3: Implementing “More Product, Less Process”
Please note that this is an Society of American Archivists workshop so you must register for it on the SAA website.  Click here for more information.

Time:
Full day, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Lunch on your own: click here for local restaurant ideas)

Location: East Room/Third Floor


Cost: SAA Members: $185 / $235

Nonmembers with WR discount $210 / $260

SAA Student Members:  $95.50 / $117.50

Nonmember Student: $117.50 / $142.50

Description:

Backlogs don’t have to weigh as heavily as they do!  Focus on implementing concrete strategies for increasing processing rates and reducing backlogs as outlined in the Greene-Meissner article, “More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing,” and learn as you share information and experiences with your fellow workshop participants. Topics include appraisal, arrangement, description, digitization, and preservation, as well as development of processing plans, policies, and benchmarks. This array of topics is addressed through lecture, case studies, and group discussion.

Upon completing this workshop, you’ll be able to: Understand the concepts and arguments outlined in "More Product, Less Process"; Implement strategies for increasing processing rates in a variety of institutions; Apply techniques for managing efficient processing programs, including developing processing plans, policies, and benchmarks; Understand how descriptive standards such as DACS can assist in the creation of descriptive records that adhere to "minimum" requirements and assist in the reuse of data in a variety of outputs; and Develop strategies for integrating processing with other archival functions, particularly accessioning.

Who should attend?  Archivists who process archival collections or manage archival processing programs and administrators interested in processing procedures within their repositories (introductory to intermediate levels).

Attendance is limited to 35

Archival Recertification Credits: 5, section B.3.c

Instructor:
Jennifer Meehan, Accessioning Archivist, at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University

Thursday, April 29, 2010

All Day: Vendor Exhibits 8:00-5:00

Plenary Address, Speaker: Peter Gottlieb, (President, Society of American Archivists) 9:00-10:15

Peter Gottlieb will speak on the challenges of cultural property for archivists, describing recent discussions within the profession on the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials, responses to the American Library Association’s statement of principles regarding traditional cultural expressions, and the possibilities for more deeply engaging the complex issues that caring for cultural property raise.

Morning sessions 10:30-noon

  • Session 1: The Nuts and Bolts of Grant Agencies

Julie Graham, Chair, University of California, Los Angeles
Daniel Stokes, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Elizabeth Joffrion, National Endowment for the Humanities
Christa Williford, Council on Library and Information Resources
Nathan E. Bender, Consultant or University of Idaho Library
Tim Hawkins, Bessemer Historical Society

In the face of shrinking budgets, cultural heritage institutions increasingly seek external funding for their basic archival programs.  The NEH, NHPRC, and CLIR support   archivists, curators, and special collections librarians in their endeavors to identify, preserve, and make accessible primary resource documents. This session will showcase relevant programs from each of these agencies, focusing on their scope and requirements, as well as ways the agencies have experienced the effects of the recent economic downturn. Additionally, the session will feature case studies that explore how successful applicants have used grant funds. The session will also allow audience questions about each of these agencies and their opportunities.

  • Session 2: Web 2.0 and Archives

Polina E. Ilieva, Chair and participant, University of California, San Francisco
Sherri Berger, California Digital Library
Tiah Edmunson-Morton, Oregon State University
Lori Lindberg, Moderator, San José State University
John Murphy, Brigham Young University
Mattie Taormina, Stanford University

Have you been using Web 2.0 tools and technologies for several years or just started experimenting with them? Why should archives use Web 2.0 tools? How can archivists use these tools effectively? How do you assess your Web 2.0 needs? How can you keep up with emerging technologies? Come participate in a lively forum about Web 2.0 and Archives/Archives 2.0, featuring presentations by archivists from throughout the region. Speakers will discuss their outreach and instruction efforts using a variety of technologies, including Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, wikis, blogs, and Second Life. Following the presentations, we also invite you to share your experience, success stories, challenges, and questions. Join us for an opportunity to share hands-on experience with colleagues working on or planning similar projects, discuss emerging trends in archival practices, and find partners for collaborative projects.

  • Session 3: Connecting With Your Community: Innovative Ways to Bring Moving Image Collections to the Public

Nicolette Bromberg, Chair, University of Washington
Hannah Palin, University of Washington
Anne Frantilla, Seattle Municipal Archives

The University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, and Seattle Municipal Archives created innovative programs to focus the spotlight on their moving image collections. These include showing films at local festivals, streaming clips on the internet, airing archival film on local television, engaging the community in events like Home Movie Day or identifying orphan films in a weekly online newspaper series. Panelists will discuss these programs and will invite the audience to brainstorm ideas that will foster connections in their own communities.

All Attendee Luncheon, Speaker: Jack Hamann 12:15-1:45

Jack Hamann will discuss the research for his book "On American Soil:  How Justice Became a Casualty of  World War II".  Much of the research for the book took place in military records at the National Archives in DC and as a result of the research the convictions of several black soldiers were overturned.

Jack Hamann lives in Seattle, where he is an author and journalist. His career spans twenty-nine years, including a decade as a network correspondent and documentary producer for CNN and PBS. His work has earned dozens of journalism honors, including ten regional Emmy awards. He is the author of On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of WWII (Algonquin Books, 2005; University of Washington Press, 2007), a nonfiction investigative account of one of the largest and most controversial events in American civil rights history. On American Soil was selected as the outstanding investigative book of 2005 by Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The book was directly responsible for an October 26, 2007 decision by the US Army Board for Correction of Military Records to overturn the verdicts in the infamous1944 Fort Lawton court-martial. Legislation signed by President George W. Bush on October 14, 2008 ensured that the surviving defendants, or their estates, receive back pay, plus compound interest. Hamann is the winner of the 2007 Horace Mann award, an honor bestowed on those who have achieved "victories for humanity." In 2008, the Washington State Bar Association honored him for "Excellence in Legal Journalism," and the Urban League presented him with its 2008 "Spirit Award." He is a graduate of UCLA (B.A. Economics, 1976) and the University of Oregon School of Law (J.D., 1980).

Afternoon sessions 2:00-3:30

  • Session 4: MPLP and Photographs: A Marriage Made in Heaven or a Pathway to Hell?

Linda A. Whitaker, Chair, Arizona Historical Foundation
Anne L. Foster, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Linda Reib, Arizona State Library
Rebekah Tabah, Arizona Historical Foundation

In a recent Arizona survey of backlogs, 100% of respondents reported that two of their top five processing priorities were stand-alone photograph collections. Many of these have languished for years and will continue to do so in the current fiscal environment. To compound matters, four major Arizona repositories have lost photo preservationists due to budget cuts with no prospects for future funding. Is More Product Less Process (MPLP) simply the last resort or can it serve as a platform to re-think photographs (regardless of format) in a sustainable, practical way? Speakers will expand the overall dialog regarding MPLP for photographs by clarifying the issues, methods, and rationale for implementation.  Additionally they will discuss a spectrum of MPLP approaches adopted by a state, a non-profit, and an institution of higher learning that are now routine practice for under-sourced photo collections.

  • Session 5: Native American Protocols in Action: Users Perspectives

Terry Baxter, Chair, Multnomah County Records Program
Cheryl Gunselman, Washington State University Libraries
Vivian Adams, Yakama Nation Library

In 2007, the Northwest Archivists board committed to discussing the Native American Protocols in each of its member states. This is the third session in that series. Previous sessions discussed the history, scope, and intent of the Protocols and the central role of sovereignty their application. This session will discuss the use of the Protocols in the development and maintenance the Plateau Peoples Portal. The Portal is a collaborative project among the Plateau Center for American Indian Studies at Washington State University and Tribal consultants from the Umatilla, Coeur d'Alene and Yakama nations. It aims to create not just a digital portal to view content, but also a different paradigm for the curation, distribution and reproduction of Native peoples' cultural materials. Cheryl Gunselman and Vivian Adams will talk about the development of the Portal and how the Protocols were used (and not used) by various partners. The session is intended to maximize audience interaction and ample time will be allowed for questions and discussion. Session chair Terry Baxter will provide context and moderate the audience discussion.

  • Session 6: Challenges of the Weird and Whacky: Managing Collector's Collections

Carla Rickerson, Chair, University of Washington
Trevor Bond, Washington State University
Michael Paulus, Whitman College

Unusual collections distinguish libraries and archives, but eclectic collecting patterns and gifts with “strings attached” can also pose enduring challenges for institutions. This session will examine the sometimes difficult transition of Collector’s Collections from private to institutional oversight. We will examine some of the more curious collections held in Eastern Washington, which include historic grasses, a Napoleonic apartment, a 37.5 million word diary, and a dilapidated assortment of 19th-century books marked with bits of paper indicating possible sources used by Edgar Alan Poe. Collections, such as those included in this session, can challenge the very mission of archives and libraries: what do we collect? Who benefits from our collections? Do financial considerations supersede appraisal?

Business Meetings, CIMA, SCA, SRMA 3:45-5:15

Board Meeting, NWA 3:45-5:15

Committee Meetings, SCA, 5:00-6:00

Seattle Area Archivists 25th Anniversary Reception, 5:30-7:30


Friday, April 30,2010

All Day: Vendor Exhibits (8:00-5:00)

Poster Session 9:00-10:00

Posters will be available throughout the conference, with poster presentations on Friday, April 30th at 9 a.m. Please join us for a chance to talk with the presenters about their research and findings. Poster topics include digital collections development, user-centered finding aid system design, and creating archives programs in public libraries.

  • Directory of Archival and Manuscript Repositories in the Northwest
Linda Long
  • An Untapped Resource? Volunteers in Academic Archives
Linda M. Meyer and Charles B. Stanford
  • Digital Treasures from the Mountain West Digital Library
Catherine McIntyre
  • Establishing an Archives at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Galapagos
Elizabeth Knight
  • Designing Archival Access Systems Based on User Needs: Case Studies
Jodi Allison-Bunnell and Cory Nimer

Morning sessions 10:00-11:30

  • Session 7: Your Archives Is A Gold Mine! Developing Fundraising Events

Patricia J. Rettig, Chair and participant, Colorado State University
Gregory C. Thompson, University of Utah
Susan M. Allen, The Getty Research Institute

Every archive is sitting on a gold mine; they just need to know what to do with it! In these tough economic times, archives need to consider exploring (and exploiting!) unique offerings of their collections that engage the appropriate private sector audiences who will support them. Raising funds for archival repositories from private and individual donors via special events is a topic which needs more discussion to share successes and inspire action. This session will begin with an introduction discussing the archivist as a development professional and then proceed to a discussion of successful fundraisers at two different repositories, Colorado State University's Water Resources Archive and the University of Utah's Ski Archives. Each speaker will discuss components essential for an event's success and lessons they have learned along the way. While there are numerous opportunities in any repository for holding a successful fundraiser, there are also costs involved, which the speakers will also discuss.

  • Session 8: Change Is Gonna Come: How to Work with the Inevitability of Organizational Change

Liza Posas, Chair, Autry National Center of the American West
Linda Garnets, Angelo + Garnets Consulting
Nancy Angelo, Angelo + Garnets Consulting
Carrie Marsh, Claremont Colleges
Catherine Quinlan, University of Southern California

Budget constraints, new administrators, new buildings, new technologies, mergers- these are just a few of the agents that prompt major shifts in the workplace. It is arguably safe to say that it’s not a matter if change is going to happen, but when. This panel is designed to help staff and professionals at different levels in archives and special collections understand the dynamics of organizational change and develop some ways they can work with it. Whether you are the architect of that change, someone swept up in forces largely beyond your control, or someone responsible for managing part of the change effort, you may face unfamiliar challenges. The presenters come from a range of backgrounds—museums, small private institutions, large universities, and seasoned consultants with firsthand experience in organizational change. There will be a guided discussion to engage the audience in sharing their ideas, concerns, challenges and solutions so that all participants leave with practical tools and methodologies for successfully managing organizational change.

  • Session 9: The "Why Arizona?" Project: A Tale of Collaboration

Brad Cole, Moderator, Utah State University
Todd Welch, Northern Arizona University
Erika Castano, University of Arizona
Michael Lotstein, Arizona State University

On February 12, 2012, the citizens of Arizona will commemorate 100 years of statehood.  The Arizona Centennial represents an unparalleled opportunity to connect a rapidly evolving and diverse citizenry with the people and places of Arizona’s past.  The centennial celebration also presented archivists at the three public universities with a unique opportunity to collaborate on the construction of a digital collection.  The ‘Why Arizona’ project aimed to present and explore the similarities between the past and present through public interaction with thousands of photos, texts, sound recordings, and moving images documenting how and why people came to Arizona, why they stayed, and why they left.  Archival staff combed through the collections housed at their respective institutions to locate items that best represent the story of migration.  Using free online collaborative tools, such as Google Documents and regular conference calls, the group worked with two university professors and an educational consultant to evaluate selections and identify a sampling of materials that were digitized, described and uploaded to the Arizona Memory Project.

All Attendee Luncheon (will include awards for SCA, NWA, and CIMA), Speaker: Elliott West

The Awards luncheon will recognize individuals or institutions from NWA and SCA that have demonstrated extraordinary support to the archival profession.  Also, CIMA will be introducing their new Life-Time Achievement Award.  

The past lives of ordinary people fascinate most of us.  We are drawn to know what they experienced, and how they felt about it, and what it meant for them as they did what most of us do--moved through their days as best they could.  Yet most of history's ordinary folks remain voiceless to us.  The exception are those who have been saved from oblivion by those secular saints, the archivists.  Relying on forty-plus years of research, Elliott West will provide examples of those voices and reflect on the lessons they hold for us.

Elliott West received his B.A. from the University of Texas (1967)   and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado (1971).    He joined the University of Arkansas faculty in 1979. He is a  distinguished scholar in the field of history and is a past  president of the Western History Association.  His books have won  national acclaim for their insight and their eloquence in  capturing crucial historical moments from many different  perspectives. Two of his books, Growing Up With the Country:  Childhood on the Far-Western Frontier (1989) and The Way to the  West: Essays on the Central Plains (1995) received the Western  Heritage Award. The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and  the Rush to Colorado (1998) received five awards including the  Francis Parkman Prize and PEN Center Award. His most recent book  is The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story (2009).   In 1995 West was awarded the University of Arkansas Teacher of the  Year and the Carnegie Foundation's Arkansas Professor of the Year.  In 2001 he received the Baum Faculty Teaching Award, and in 2009  he was one of three finalists for the Robert Foster Cherry Award  recognizing the outstanding teacher in the nation. 

Afternoon sessions 1:45-3:15

  • Session 10: Protecting Records At Risk on the Green River Flood Plain

Jerry Handfield, Chair, Washington State Archives
Terry Badger, Washington State Archives
Michael S. Saunders, Washington State Archives
Laura Edgar, King County Archives and Records Management
Evelyn Arnold, King County Elections

This session will provide an overview of the Washington State Archives' coordination of the protection of records held by government agencies located on the Green River Flood Plain, which are at increased risk from catastrophic flood damage over the next five years due to damage at the Howard Hanson (flood control) DAM. We will be exploring this policy, the strategic and tactical response elements of records, discussing the Washington State Archives Disaster Recovery Fund, lessons learned through Council of State Archivists work with FEMA and the role of the Archives Oversight Committee, the allocation of budget resources, and the process of organizing and distributing goods and services to the affected agencies.

  • Session 11: Shifting Gears to Improve Access: Applying MPLP to Digitization in California

Shan Sutton, Chair and participant, University of Pacific
Mary W. Elings, University of California, Berkeley
Cristela Garcia-Spitz, University of California, San Diego

This session will focus on how strategies for the digitization of archival collections at three California universities are being guided by the principles of archival processing presented in the landmark article "More Product, Less Process" (MPLP). While this article has inspired a re-examination of processing strategies across the archival profession, a similar trend is occurring in digitization: a desire to move away from costly boutique digitization processes toward more efficient and cost-effective ways to get more collections out to users in digital form. Presenters will explore these issues and look at various projects and processes that are applying MPLP principles to the realm of digitization.

  • Session 12: Western Round-Up Pecha Kucha

Donna McCrea, Chair, University of Montana-Missoula
Glynn Edwards, Stanford University  
Susan Irwin, Arizona Historical Foundation
Katrina Jackson, Texas Tech University
Caitlan Maxwell, Montana Historical Society
Catherine McIntyre, Utah Valley University
Steve McCann, University of Montana-Missoula
Gina Rappaport, Smithsonian Institution
Kristi Young, Brigham Young University

In a Pecha Kucha each speaker shows 20 PowerPoint images for 20 seconds each – resulting in a short but focused presentation. This session will share information from archives around the West and could (should!) result in cross-regional collaborations, ideas for process improvement, and awareness of projects and activities that directly or indirectly impact our individual and institutional work.  Topics: a Digital Forensics workstation for accessioning born-digital material, a new repository supporting the study of major post-1975 US military and diplomatic operations, a student internship experience in rural Montana, using a camera for mass digitization at the National Archives , the good and the bad of nitrate negatives, the Mountain West Digital Library’s aggregation of collections, the value of customizing collection labels, and documenting agrarian culture in Utah County through oral histories.

Late Afternoon sessions 3:30-5:00

  • Session 13: Enhancing Access to Archives and Special Collections through Inter-Library Loan

Elizabeth Nielsen, Chair and participant, Oregon State University
Christian Dupont, Atlas Systems, Inc.
Geoff Wexler, Oregon Historical Society

Researchers are learning more about archival and special collections materials through online finding aids, consortial databases, and WorldCat—but often the materials themselves are not available online and are housed at repositories some distance away. OCLC Research launched a “Sharing Special Collections Project” in 2009 to explore streamlining procedures and developing good practices for lending archives and special collections materials. In addition, an Association of College and Research Libraries/ Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (ACRL/RBMS) task force has been charged with reviewing, updating, and merging the ACRL guidelines for interlibrary loan of rare and unique materials and lending of special collections materials for exhibition. This panel discussion will allow for sharing of ideas, concerns, and questions among panelists and session attendees about the general concepts as well as detailed practices for loaning archives and special collections. It will also include time for discussion of possible next steps to enable or facilitate loaning of special collections and archival materials in the western states.

  • Session 14: The Landscape of Memory: Constructing the Meaning of Archives

Lia Friedman (Chair), University of California, San Diego
Scott Cline, Seattle Municipal Archives
Robin Chandler, University of California, San Diego
Josh Zimmerman, City of Bellevue, Washington

In recent decades, archival scholars have creatively woven such concepts as power, justice, mediation, effacement and erasure, redemption, and memory into the philosophical discourse on archival meaning.  In particular, the idea of memory and its active antithesis, forgetting, support the construction of social and political meanings of archives and archival work.  This session addresses the relationship of archives and memory in three distinct ways.  Scott Cline will discuss remembering and forgetting from the perspectives of modern and Biblical injunctions to remember, and the role of forgetting in archival work.  Robin Chandler will explore the particular problems associated with digital assets and the role they may play in constructing archival memory.  And Josh Zimmerman looks at the development of the notion of memory in archival history and whether a broad definition of memory is appropriate or even compatible with archives.  Panelists hope to engage the audience in reflection on the intersection of archives and memory as part of an ongoing exploration of the fundamental meaning of archives.

  • Session 15: Should I Copy That Photograph? Real-world Duplication Quandaries
Daniel Davis, Chair, Utah State University
Shaun Hayes, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Erin Passehl, Boise State University
Chrystal Carpenter, University of Arizona

Archivists grapple with hard decisions about reproducing images every day. Aside from the copyright gray zone that so many photographs fall under, there are also issues of professional courtesy, digitization, cultural sensitivity, political pressures, and commercial use. In this panel four archivists discuss some of the more difficult reproduction questions, and resultant solutions, they have encountered. These questions will resonate to similar situations that other archivists have encountered and provide some measure of clarity for dealing with difficult reproduction questions. The panel will also be open to questions and situations presented by the audience.
All-Attendee Reception, 6:00-8:00, Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 600 5th Ave
A short walk from the conference hotel (go south on Fifth Avenue). Completed in 2003, Seattle’s City Hall was designed to reflect and respect Seattle’s natural environment through natural light and views. Enjoy a reception in this beautiful room named after Seattle’s only woman mayor!

Saturday May 1, 2010

NWA Membership meeting, 7:30-8:30

Early morning sessions 8:45-10:15

  • Session 16: Something Better Beginning: Documenting and Reclaiming the History of the Arts Advocacy Movement in Postwar Seattle

Helice Koffler, Chair, University of Washington
Brigit Hansen, Pacific Northwest Ballet
Jeff Katz, University of British Columbia
Peter Schmid, James and Janie Washington Foundation

The years from 1950 to 1980 saw the culmination of a movement in the development of Seattle's vibrant arts scene which advocated public participation in and funding for all of the arts as a necessary component in the creation of a more cosmopolitan city.  Various constituencies coalesced around this central civic ideal and succeeded in permanently transforming the city's cultural landscape.  Among the accomplishments of this time were: the establishment of a municipal arts commission, passage of the Percent for the Arts legislation, preservation of historic landmarks, emergence of annual arts festivals, the birth of regional performing arts companies, and the push to make Seattle a glass art nexus.  This session will showcase ongoing efforts made by local organizations and repositories to document this past, and to re-energize advocacy efforts for continued public support of the arts in Seattle. This session will be of interest to archivists, historians, arts administrators and advocates with an interest in Seattle and/or local history, and to community groups or organizations attempting to jump-start their own documentation and processing projects.

  • Session 17: Reaching your virtual audience: Using open source software for online exhibits

Waverly Lowell, Chair, University of California, Berkeley
Mia Jaeggli, University of California, Berkeley
Verónica Reyes-Escudero, University of Arizona Libraries
Jason Miller, University of California, Berkeley

Putting an exhibit or collection of archival documents online is a daunting process, particularly for archives with limited funds and staff. However, a new generation of open source software is making it easier to upload and organize multimedia collections (image galleries, videos and audio) online. One such application is Omeka, created by the Center for History and New Media, which allows for the creation of complex Web sites that grow and evolve.  This panel will explore the purpose of Omeka, its capabilities, why one would choose to use it over other Web-publishing options, and the different ways in which Omeka can be used. The panelists will also address how open source software, such as Omeka, is creating new opportunities for reaching a larger public.

Late morning sessions 10:30-noon

  • Session 18: LGBTQ Collections: Off the Shelves & Into the Saddle

Lisa Cohen, Chair and participant, Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives
Linda Long, University of Oregon
Alan Virta, Boise State University
Lucinda Glenn, Graduate Theological Union Archives

Ever wonder what happens to diaries, papers, photographs, club records and ephemera from LGBTQ organizations and individuals?  Lisa Cohen, founder of the Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives, will host a session with archivists who house and care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) collections.  Linda Long (University of Oregon), Alan Virta (Boise State University), Lucinda Glenn (Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA) and Lisa Cohen will introduce you to their LGBTQ collections and engage in relevant discussion with attendees.

  • Session 19: Back in the Saddle: New and Renewed Perspectives on Collaboration
James Fox, Chair and participant, University of Oregon
Gabriele Carey, History Associates, Inc.
Larry Landis, Oregon State University

Collaborative collection development is gaining renewed interest in institutions around the country.  Recently archivists in Oregon have created a plan for cooperative acquisition, processing, and sharing of collections.  The creation of this plan entailed working with consultants, convening town hall meetings across the state, and writing a final report for web publication.  This panel will discuss the final report, the process, and the way forward.

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