Reaching Donors in the Digital Age

This session will be a roundtable discussion regarding the need for archivists to upend traditional relationships with record creators in order to guide them in handling born-digital records so that these types of records actually survive in their custody until the point of archival donation. Two archivists will outline projects that showcase their efforts to work with different types of donors and to impact their handling of digital records. Andrew Hinton, Head of Collection Development at the Vietnam Center and Archive, Archive of Modern American Warfare, will discuss a research project investigating the personal archiving practices of post-2001 veterans. James Williamson, Digital Preservation Librarian at Southern Methodist University, will discuss the evolving practice of working with internal donors and collecting their born digital records in a university setting. Following these presentations, attendees will engage in a discussion to share and brainstorm ways to introduce better stewardship of digital records by record creators prior to archival transfer focusing on tools and techniques needed to enable collaboration at the point of record creation.

Breaking Cultures of Silences: Neurodiversity and Mental Illness Advocacy in Archives

Abstract: Inspired by the Society of American Archivists’ Neurodiversity Working Group, our panel will discuss advocacy among and for neurodivergent archivists, archives students, researchers, and collections that record the lives of people with neurodevelopmental differences and mental illnesses. While the SAA working group is in the process of creating documentation that will “make archives and the archival profession more welcoming for neurodivergent people,” it’s critical that we continue these conversations on the regional level to create and collate locally-specific resources that amplify the SAA Neurodiversity Working Group’s efforts. One major goal this panel aims to achieve is integrating intersectional considerations into professional neurodiversity documentation, as negative social models of disability disproportionately impact people who are already marginalized. To do so, panelists will discuss their work appraising, processing, and interpreting government records and family papers, and open the floor for discussion and feedback from attendees.

Mapping Renewal: A Collaborative Approach to Digital Mapping Projects

This panel covers how geographic information systems (GIS) can benefit archives and their public users. GIS enables placing archival materials with geographic coordinates on a map. Researchers can then interact with archives in dynamic new ways — from layering and comparing multiple historic maps at once to visually uncovering patterns into how a place develops. The UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture embarked on its own GIS project called, “Mapping Renewal.” This pilot project focused on providing spatial context to archival materials related to urban renewal in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1954-1989. Our team will demonstrate the Mapping Renewal website and discuss lessons learned and the expertise and resources required to embark on GIS related projects.

Open Pedagogy and Open Texts

This session will look at some of the ways open pedagogy and open texts have been employed in the classroom and across the curriculum. Rebecca Frost Davis will discuss tools and strategies for open pedagogy, as well as some of its implications for how we teach. Ed Nagelhout and Philip Rusche will answer the question, “When is a textbook not a textbook?, by sharing details of their community authored open humanities textbook project.