https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/
Reviewed by Hannah Pryor, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections [PDF Full Text]
Introduced in 2010 by past Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, Citizen Archivist is a web-based, crowdsourced transcription and metadata program hosted by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).[1] The online dashboard launched in 2011 and provides a home page for eponymous volunteer “citizen archivists” to begin...
SAA President Helen Wong Smith began her term at the conclusion of ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2023. As new leadership takes their seats in working groups, committees, and sections this fall, Helen shares her vision for the coming year and what SAA hopes to accomplish as we work together toward a bright archival future.
To paraphrase the Nobel Prize recipient bard, Bob Dylan, there has never been a better time to redefine the boundaries of our profession and shape the fabric of SAA. Recent changes and...
Edited by Tarez Samra Graban and Wendy Hayden. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2022. 354 pp. Softcover $40.00. Softcover ISBN 978-0-8093-3857-3 EPUB $25.99. EPUB ISBN 978-0-8093-3858-0.
Reviewed by Laura Semrau, Humanities Librarian, Baylor University Libraries [PDF Full Text]
As an academic librarian rather than an archivist, I approached Teaching Through the Archives: Text, Collaboration, and Activism as a novice. To my surprise, I found the book accessible and...
Edited by Jens Boel, Perrine Canavaggio, and Antonio González Quintana. London; New York: (1st ed.). Routledge, 2021. 352 pp. eBook. ISBN 9780429054624.
Reviewed by Andrea Howard, Visiting Processing Archivist, Grand Valley State University [PDF Full Text]
Archives and Human Rights is a compilation of case studies written by contributors with backgrounds in archives, law, activism, and political science, among others. Introductory chapters provide an overview of historical archives...
https://app.transkribus.eu/
Reviewed by Jonathan Lawler, Archivist and Digital Collections Manager, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary [PDF Full Text]
Transkribus Lite is a web browser–based text recognition and transcription tool helpful to archivists with varying levels of career experience serving in all types of institutions. The tool was developed by the Recognition and Enrichment of Archival Documents (READ) project and is now supported by READ-COOP. READ-COOP counts...
This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series.
Review of John Fleckner’s speech “The Paradox of Change and Continuity.” Dedication of Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University, 1994.
By Amanda Greenwood, Bigelow Project Archivist, Union College [PDF Full Text] | [PDF Article + Full Text]
Dedicated to the Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University, John Fleckner’s 1994 speech “The Paradox of Change and Continuity”...
What is on the minds of our newest professionals? In this episode, host Nicole Milano speaks with Lyric Evans-Hunter, Allegra Favila, and Lia Warner, all new or recent graduates of New York University’s Archives and Public History program. They share how they came to the field, what they find exciting and daunting about the profession, and how we might increase mutual understanding between archival practitioners and those who rely on our work.
Read the transcript.
Episode Extras...
This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series.
Review of John Fleckner, “What Is a Tribal Archives?” and “Tribal Archives: Some Basic Archival Ideas,” in Native American Archives: An Introduction (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1984).
By Vina Begay (Diné Nation), Assistant Librarian, Labriola National American Indian Data Center, Arizona State University Libraries [PDF Full Text] | [PDF Article + Full Text]
During the 1970s and 1980s, many...
Saunders, Richard L. Ann Arbor, MI: The Legacy Press, 2021. 196 pp. $25.00 Softcover ISBN 9781953421074.
Reviewed by Ashley Howdeshell, University Archivist, Northeastern Illinois University [PDF Full Text]
Reams in the Desert: Papermaking in Utah, 1849–1893 details the early history of papermaking in the American West. Richard L. Saunders focuses on a desert valley in Utah and how this unlikely location was the first to produce paper west of the Mississippi River. The Church of Jesus...
By Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke, Reviews Editors
The American Archivist is always looking for new ways to keep readers apprised of the latest archives resources. Our newest format, the microreview, is a short, informal contribution (about 100–400 words) that provides a summary of a work or tool and shares the reviewer’s reaction. Microreviews might address some of the following questions: What are you reading? What apps are you using to make your work easier? How did you come across this...
By Jessica Schomberg and Wendy Highby. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, 2020. 220 pp. $35.00. Softcover ISBN 9781634000864.
Reviewed by Lily Hunter, Library Information Specialist, Missouri School of Journalism [PDF Full Text]
Jessica Schomberg and Wendy Highby draw on personal experiences as librarians with disabilities in their 2020 book Beyond Accommodation: Creating an Inclusive Workplace for Disabled Library Workers. The comprehensive and informative text helps define what it...
This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series.
Review of John Fleckner, “Enduring Values Within Glass Houses: Reflections on the Archival Enterprise in the Year 2000.” NEA Newsletter [New England Archivists], 2000.
By Brenna Edwards, Manager for Digital Archives, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin [PDF Full Text] | [PDF Article + Full Text]
Shaping archival literature is an honor, but how have foundational readings, lectures, and keynotes fared...
In this episode, co-hosts Nicole Milano and Camila Zorrilla Tessler speak with Rachel Chatalbash, Susan Hernandez, and Megan Schwenke about their recent book Museum Archives: Practice, Issues, Advocacy (Society of American Archivists, 2022). Chatalbash, Hernandez, and Schwenke discuss museum archives and archivists, the genesis of the publication and its connection to the Museum Archives Section of SAA, and what they hope readers will learn from the volume.
Read the transcript.
The...
Erika Alfieri (they/them) is a graduate student at Florida State University pursuing a degree in Information Science. They are working on an oral history project based in Jacksonville, Florida covering the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Amy C. Vo (she/her) is a Processing Archivist at Princeton University Library. She served as the Newsletter Editor for the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable from 2019-2020, co-chaired the MARAC Finding Aids Award Committee from 2020-2023,...
In this episode, co-hosts Anna Trammell and Chris Burns speak with Kristine K. Fallon, Aliza Leventhal, and Jody Thompson about their new book Born-Digital Design Records (Society of American Archivists, 2022), the ninth installment of SAA’s Trends in Archives Practice series. The interview explores the unique challenges of managing born-digital design records, prior efforts to address these issues, emerging research on user needs, and much more. Give it a listen!
Read the transcript...
The Society of American Archivists’ Mentoring Program is happy to announce the pilot of a new Self-Service mentoring option for the community. Inspired by the Digital Library Federation (DLF)’s Forum Mentors, Self-Service mentoring will be a hybrid in-person/online opportunity held during SAA’s annual meeting for archivists to easily connect and get specific, short-term practical guidance. The pilot will use Appointlet to create online listings of mentors for prospective mentees to review and...
I’m Katie Rojas, Head of Archival Processing at the University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. My previous positions were as Manuscripts Archivist for the University of Texas at San Antonio and as Municipal Archivist for the City of San Antonio. I earned my MLIS with archives concentration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and I hold DAS and CA certifications. I currently serve as the Vice-Chair of the SAA Manuscript Repositories Section, and I am...
Allison Fischbach is Digital Archivist at the Johns Hopkins Chesney Medical Archives. She is also Secretary and past-Student Member for the SAA Web Archiving Section steering committee, and current Maryland Caucus Representative for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC). Allison is also a printmaker and book artist, and has taught studio courses at both the Maryland Institute College of Art and Towson University in Maryland.
What are your main responsibilities as an archivist...
