You know that box is here, somewhere. You saw it when you were looking for a *different* collection years ago. You just can’t…find it. What you did find was a handful of unprocessed accessions and a section of your stacks space packed way beyond conservation standards. These situations are not all that uncommon throughout archival institutions. Many are constantly grappling with space constraints, dated accessioning practices, and the never-ending flow of incoming materials. Good management of space is key not only to collection storage, but in the accessioning of new, unprocessed materials. Best practices in accessioning workflows and records also go hand-in-hand with the physical management of the materials and can shape how an accessioning program operates. How do archivists or processing professionals address all three of these pinch points in a meaningful way, what/where are the gaps in the management of space? How do we end the continuous cycle of space crunches and accessioning backlogs?
This session will reflect and highlight how intellectual and physical control was regained through inventory work and led to new accessioning workflows. The University of Iowa, with remnants of a choose-your-own-adventure style of management, has a never-ending, forever-changing space management project to address a list of issues. At Iowa State University, a stack read to better understand the processing and accessioning backlog led to changes regarding retrospective accessioning legacy materials. And at the American Library Association Archives how did a 580-plus box accession go awry during the pandemic, and what was its resulting impact.
Speakers Jessica Green, Iowa State University (Session Chair) Cara Setsu Bertram, American Library Association Archives Jenna Silver, University of Iowa
Renovations are both exciting and terrifying, offering an opportunity to modernize legacy practices, policies, and platforms during a moment of great change. UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is currently preparing for a building renovation, slated to run from fall 2026 to fall 2028, and two years in interim housing.
This upcoming renovation creates many challenges, chief among them findability. How will our users find us in our interim location? How will we deliver services, including digitization, in-person research access, and instruction, spread out across multiple buildings? How will this construction work impact our current efforts to foster novel outreach? How will we secure and retrofit interim spaces for patron use, collection storage, and staff processing workspace? How might we maintain current acquisition levels and practices? Post-renovation, how will we reassemble our onsite storage? Will we even be able to find all of our collections again? Will people be able to “Find It Here” when “it” and “here” are ephemeral and constantly changing?
Join three archivists working in all aspects of the university’s special collections, from manuscripts to print collections and technical services to public services, for a series of four short presentations covering their strategies for the collection move and the continuity of services through the renovation period. The session will offer tips, tricks, and practical workflows for anyone preparing for a renovation at their institution regardless of size.
Speakers Megan Mummey, University of Kentucky Libraries (Session Chair) Colleen Barratt, University of Kentucky Libraries Sarah Coblentz, University of Kentucky Libraries
Small institutions often find themselves faced with large collections. This session will explore many of the challenges large collections present and how institutions with limited resources and staffing respond to them. From donor negotiations and physical acquisition, through description and processing to access and use, presenters will share how they’ve handled large collections and provide practical advice for those faced with their own large collection challenges.
Laurinda Weisse from UNK will talk about two large collections of authors’ papers, focusing on donor negotiations and physical acquisition of the collections, as well as touching on ongoing processing and use of them. They will share challenges faced, particularly in navigating complex ownership issues and in physically acquiring international collections.
Benedict Chatelain from Drake will discuss four distinctive large archival collections, including the papers of Senator Tom Harkin which consist of over 800 linear feet and several terabytes. These collections each present unique challenges in restrictions, acquisition, description, and processing. He will share practical strategies for managing these challenges while promoting collection accessibility and use.
Tyson Koenig from Southeast Missouri State University will present on the history of inventory and processing work done on an extremely large collection of records from a local drainage district, with varying amounts and types of arrangement and description done in the 20 years since the collection’s acquisition. He’ll discuss his repository’s plans for transitioning to a new phase of work with the collection to move toward fuller processing.
Speakers Laurinda Weisse, University of Nebraska at Kearny (Session Chair) Benedict Chatelain, Drake University Tyson Koenig, Southeast Missouri State University
Are you ever asked about retention schedules or how long to keep records? Are you responsible for any aspect of records management in your organization? Is storage (physical or virtual) becoming an issue? Do you want to help mitigate storage costs, data breaches and other records-related legal and compliance risks? Join Ohio State University’s records managers for a casual discussion and exchange of ideas around your records management experiences and challenges. Your questions and topics will guide the discussion.
Facilitators:
Beth Crowner, Records Management Coordinator, The Ohio State University
Pari Swift, University Records Manager, The Ohio State University
Three religious archivists share their experiences with grief and trauma in archives. Sarah Aisenbry, Sarah Lubelski and Michelle Ganz will talk about how their experiences shaped their archival practice and then open the session up for discussion. The panelists will also share a little from their recently published book A Practical Guidebook to Trauma Informed Archival Practice: Best Practices and Case Studies.
Speakers Michelle Ganz, Dominican Sisters of Peace (Session Chair) Sarah Aisenbry, Sisters of the Precious Blood Sarah Lubelski, Women Religious Archives Collaborative
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
