For archivists and other memory workers, the theme of “Find It Here” prompts questions about how we ensure that members of typically underrepresented groups can find themselves reflected in the archives and in the stories of the past we share through teaching, exhibits, and other outreach. Through four case studies, this panel explores a range of approaches to preserve and increase access to materials that shed light on diverse regional histories, centering the voices of working-class union activists, Jewish women, LGBTQ+ communities, and tribal nations.
John McKerley will discuss an Iowa oral history project to document the participation of UAW Local 450 in a nationwide strike against John Deere, to make content digitally accessible, and create a website placing the interviews in a broader historical context. Heather Cooper will present on the “Jewish Life and History in Iowa” LibGuide, which provides topical descriptions of collection materials across repositories and serves as a resource for teaching, research, and a public history initiative aimed at connecting the memory of Anne Frank to Iowa public spaces. Claire Du Laney Dunker will talk about a traveling exhibit drawing on materials from the Queer Omaha Archives to share Nebraska LGBTQ+ history, giving communities the opportunity to learn, engage, and reflect through the exhibit and materials online. Finally, Zeineb Yousif will discuss a partnership with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and Office of Indian/Multicultural Education to update, republish, and create e-book access to a series of Tribal History and Culture books produced by and about North Dakota tribes from the 1970s onward, increasing access to Indigenous-authored accounts for use in K-12, university, and tribal college classrooms.
Speakers Amy C. Schindler, University of Nebraska at Omaha (Session Chair) Heather L. Cooper, University of North Dakota Claire Du Laney Dunker, Univeristy of Nebraska at Omaha John McKerley, Iowa Labor History Society Zeineb Yousif, University of North Dakota
Effective outreach and engagement are essential to a successful records management program. This session presents three case studies that demonstrate practical strategies for connecting with employees and improving records practices across campus.
Hannah Pryor, an archivist and records manager at the University of Louisville, shares her approach to developing a structured outreach plan aimed at improving institutional records management practices. Her initiative demonstrates how progress can be achieved even with limited staffing and resources.
Anne Ryckbost, an archivist at Xavier University, describes her role coordinating evidence for the university’s accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission. She shares how archivists and records managers are uniquely positioned to succeed as institutional accreditation team members and how the process serves as a vehicle for records management outreach and engagement. She proposes strategies for university archives collection appraisal and acquisition based on her accreditation experience.
Amanda Rindler, university records manager at Indiana University, was tasked with increasing visibility and awareness of a young records management program. Rindler will detail the development of a records management newsletter targeting records coordinators and partnering with the library communications team to send out messaging promoting online training and office hours. She will share techniques to promote records management awareness among employees.
As a profession, we all have to do more with less. Outreach, collaboration, and maximizing hidden opportunities can be efficient methods to ensure that employees know procedures and follow records disposition.
Speakers Hannah Pryor, University of Louisville Amanda Rindler, Indiana University Anne Ryckbost, Xavier University
