The Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group (CDTRWG) welcomed Pamela Schwartz, Executive Director of the Orange County Regional History Center. Through review and juxtaposition of case studies in preserving oral histories containing instances of contemporary and generational trauma, this presentation will include a discussion of purpose, process, ethics, challenges, and use of oral history on topics relating to the Pulse nightclyb shooting, the Ocoee Massacre, politics and law, and...
The Teaching with Primary Sources sub-committee of the Reference, Access and Outreach Section of the Society of American Archivists is accepting applications for the role of Associate Editor for the Case Studies on Teaching With Primary Sources series. For more information about the series, visit: https://www2.archivists.org/publications/epubs/Case-Studies-Teaching-With-Primary-Sources.
The Associate Editor works with the Editor to maintain the Teaching with Primary Sources Case Studies as a...
If so, please consider running for a Steering Committee position! You can find more information here.
Dear SAA members!
I am thrilled to announce the final Archival Vistas Briefings Seminar for the 2024-2025 season from the International Archival Affairs Section (IAAS).
As you might recall, the Archival Vistas Briefings virtual program series began in 2023 and discusses a topic or theme of international focus. The theme for 2024-2025 is archival standards and how we experience and use them. In each seminar, an international guest speaker(s) introduces attendees to how they have...
A Talk by Dr Jennifer Douglas, University of British Columbia
Wednesday, February 5th, 2025, 10am PST (1pm EST; 6pm GMT)
Online - Recording of Presentation (YouTube)
AbstractTamarin Norwood is a writer, a life writing scholar, and a bereaved mother. In an award-winning essay published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, Norwood reflects on the care she received in hospital after the death of her newborn son and introduces the notion of institutional love. Referring to how nurses...
Louisville Underground Music Archive Project Oral HistoriesHeather Fox, Archivist for Manuscript Collections and Co-Director of the Oral History Center, University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky has a rich musical heritage, including an underground scene that influenced the sound of not only punk, indie, and hardcore, but also popular music regionally, nationally and internationally. In 2013, after the loss of several members of this scene, archivists in the University of...
It’s time to Vote! Please take a moment to vote for the 2025-2026 PLASC section Steering Committee!
Ballot link: https://mysaa.archivists.org/myballots
Ballots will remain open for 3 weeks, closing on Tuesday, July 15th.
You will be voting for:
- One Co-Chair, for a two year term
- One Secretary, for a one year term
2025 - 2026 Cadidates
Nazelie Doghramadjian
Secretary
PhD Candidate, University of Michigan School of Information
Bio
Nazelie Doghramadjian is a doctoral candidate at the...
This is a new position at the National Gallery of Art. The Media Archivist is responsible for supporting the Gallery Archives program in managing physical (analog) and digital time-based media objects, consisting of a large collection of institutional, unaccessioned audio and moving image materials. The incumbent spearheads the Gallery Archives’ development and implementation of A/V media retention policies; metadata standards for A/V materials; preservation storage of the media collection;...
Cliff Hight, Candidate for VP/Chair-Elect
Biographical statement:
Cliff Hight has been the university archivist at Kansas State University Libraries since 2011. His primary stewardship is the preservation and accessibility of historically-significant university records in all formats. He holds an MSIS in archives and records administration and an MA in history from the University at Albany, State University of New York. He was the archivist/curator at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and...
On Saturday, August 3 11:30-12:45, RAO will host its Section Meeting and 7th Annual Marketplace of Ideas at the SAA Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. Please join us for our Business Meeting followed by the Marketplace!
Saturday, August 3rd from 11:30-12:45
Business meeting
Committee Reports
PSAC (Public Services Assessment Committee)
TPS (Teaching With Primary Sources)
E2 (Events and Exhibits)
Accessibility
Chair update
“Interested in contributing to RAO?”
Marketplace “pitches...
The Reference, Access, and Outreach Section invites applications for four unpaid internships. See the flyer below for position descriptions and application information. The deadline to apply is April 5.
Calling Privilege a Right is Just Plain Wrong
Greetings and salutations, all. Christine Anne George here. Perhaps you remember me from post #5 where I wrote about the Belfast Project back in November. Well I’m back to talk about it again in light of the document from the Government Affairs Working Group (GAWG) on the subject and the latest post on SAA president Jackie Dooley’s blog, Off the Record (OtR). In the interest of full disclosure, there are a few things you should know. I believe that...
VICE CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT (Select 1)
Danielle SangalangArchivist and Records Manager, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Biography:
Danielle Sangalang is the Archivist and Records Manager at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and History from Simmons University. Danielle is an active member of the Digital Commonwealth Board of Directors and Past President (July 2019-June 2020). In 2020, she had the opportunity to help guide...
A press release announcing the approval of the Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries was jointly issued by ACRL and SAA on January 25, 2018.
The new document was approved by the ACRL Board of Directors in October 2017 and by the SAA Council in January 2018. Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries is available on the ACRL...
Join us for a joint meeting of the Museum Archives (MAS) and Science, Technology, and Health Care (STHC) Sections on July 23, 2025 from 11am-12:30pm (central). Following brief section business meetings, we’ll hear from two speakers on the topic of incorporating archives into exhibits and leave plenty of time for questions.
View the Recording here:
Science, Technology, and Health Care and Museum Archives Sections | 2025 Joint Annual Meeting | SAA
Agenda (central time):
11:00-11:05 -...
Dear IAAS Members and SAA Community,
Please give a warm welcome to our newest International Archival Affairs Section (IAAS) Member-at-Large: Elaine Akin!
Thanks to everyone who voted in the special election, and a big thank you to all the candidates. We really appreciate your passion and desire to contribute to the IAAS!
Thanks again for all your support and participation! If you are not yet a member of IAAS, please join us by becoming an SAA member, navigating to your profile, then selecting...
We are very excited to announce the details of our meeting at SAA 2013 in New Orleans. Our time slot is Friday, August 16th from 4:00-5:30.
This year we are experimenting in a joint program with the Science, Technology and Health Care Roundtable. Our joint program is a memorial to Joan Warnow Blewett, documentation strategy pioneer, and SAA Fellow: http://www.aip.org/history/historymatters/warnow.htm
Speakers include Jennifer Head (Blessed Virgin Mary Congregation Archivist); Tanya Zanish...
What is an RAO Hot Topic?
An RAO hot topic is an issue, a concern, an idea that has sparked recent attention in RAO circles. It can be something that seems novel or cutting-edge; it can be an enduring issue that is garnering new attention or approaches.
What Makes an RAO Hot Topic HOT?
An RAO hot topic can be provocative and even fractious; it can also be surprising and funny. Above all else, a hot topic should engender passion, engagement and excitement.
What is an RAO Cool Demo?
An...
If you missed the annual section meeting on July 24, catch-up with the chair’s report slides, minutes, and presenters’ slides from our program on reparative description of institutional records. Full Winter 2024 survey results are also online.
The meeting featured presentations about steps archivists at three museums are taking to implement reparative description practices on institutional records. Though the principles discussed in articles and conference presentations apply to and inform...
The Donald Peterson Student Travel Award given by the SAA was established in 2005, supporting students and recent graduates from graduate archival programs within North America to attend SAA’s Annual Meeting. The goal of the scholarship is to stimulate greater participation in SAA events, such as presenting research or joining a committee or section.
Inoue is the Pratt Archives and Digital Initiatives graduate assistant. In this role, she processes archival collections, digitizes black and...
Hi everyone,
I am excited to announce our newly elected steering committee members- Denise Gallo and Gailyn Bopp. Denise Gallo will serve as Member-At-Large and Gailyn Bopp as Co-Chair/Chair-Elect. Listed below are their bios as refresher.
I want to thank all the candidates again for stepping up to support the section as well as all the section members who participated in our elections.
Denise Gallo Provincial Archivist of the Religious of Jesus and Mary
Denise Gallo has served as Provincial...
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) Archival Repatriation Committee is pleased to announce that SAA Council approved the "Principles in Indigenous Archival Repatriation” (PINAR) as a professional standard on August 24, 2025. PINAR marks the culmination of work begun by the committee in 2022 to create professional guidance for the ethical return of archival materials to Indigenous communities, in line with the committee's charge: https://www2.archivists.org/governance-manual/archival-...
A former project (circa 2019) Zotero bibliography can be found here.
If you have questions about the bibliography, please contact Katharina Hering or one of the IAAS steering committee members.
The RAO Section is organizing a Community Call to encourage discussion and support among members. This Community Call will be focused on how the RAO community has been performing reference work during this time of varied work environments. We hope this call will allow members to share challenges and successes, whether you are working remotely, in a hybrid model, or fully back in the reading room.
Please join us on Tuesday, April 27 from 1:30pm – 3:00pm EST. Feel free to drop in and stay as...
2025 IAAS Special Election: Slate of Candidates
The ballot will open on Monday, September 29, and remain open for 2 weeks, closing on Monday, October 13, 2025.
Please find the 2025 IAAS Special Election Candidate Statements below:
Open Position: Member-at-Large
(3-year term ending on 9/1/2028)
CANDIDATES (3 TOTAL):
1. Elaine Slayton Akin
Biographical Statement:
Elaine Slayton Akin holds a master's in art history from the University of Memphis and has been the Archivist of Riverside Avondale...
