Notes from the 2013 AMTF Forum

Topics:

• What kinds of experiences have you had with online access with other organizations and what would you like to see SAA offer, with the caveat about expense?

• What types of session formats would you like to see offered? 

• What types of networking opportunities should be available at the annual meeting?

• What are you looking for in a plenary session? 

• Should the Annual meeting be shortened to contain attendees’ costs? 

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ONLINE ACCESS

TWITTERFALL  Sasha Griffin – live streaming

            Deployed at SNAP meeting this year.

Online recordings from SAA meeting:

n  People could step-up & volunteer to improve search functions

n  Would give speakers more options for making presentations available online.  (Slides alone often lack context or offer very incomplete information.)

PDFs of previous years’ programs kept available online

Also, for these to be useful, ideally they would be OCRed as well as simply scanned—which should still be pretty easy for typed documents like this (because some programs already up are not OCRed and thus not searchable.)

What are other organizations doing?

            Vendors

            DIY – students volunteer for reduced rate

WIFI

Corporate sponsorship? (As at Business Archives Colloquium.)

Livestreaming

            Coordinated / sponsored by regionals ("Viewing parties")

Presentations

            Can't/ require people to submit materials, but we want to strongly encourage it

            Offer options of hosting material or links to material hosted elsewhere (e.g. at presenter's site/their workplace)

            Focus on Education sessions for now

            Continue to watch section, committee, etc. meetings for innovations

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SESSION FORMAT

Time for questions!

Panel speakers should co-ordinate more (avoid repetition)

Shorter sessions!

More interaction (but keep in mind that different topics lend themselves to different formats)

People don’t get to the heart of the matter g too much context, not enough content (we’re archivists g with a little info, we can figure out if your situation/institution is relevant)

Tracks for experience levels

Less focus on tools, more on our professional responsibilities g the WHY more often than HOW

Networking needs to be incorporated into sessions

Descriptions in program need to more accurately reflect the session g more time to adjust?  Feedback?  “did description reflect actual session?”

Yes to juried sessions:  read papers, have discussion

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NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Not easy for new archivists

Speed dating

-          Small group discussion

Session w/ interactive component, provides a good networking environment

Sessions are open forum discussions – with a facilitator

            Problem solving

Other organizations have had experimental conferences which had lots of breakout groups – MAC sometime in the late 90s, MARAC more recently, but they were never repeated.  Why didn’t we learn from these?

Breaking out of silos

Physical space – a coffee house w/out the coffee

Not doing anything right now at the conference? Go to this room and discuss issues with your colleagues!

Blank Table Tents:  you come to the room and write a topic on the table tent and people join you for a discussion.

Be more nimble g for session proposals

Networking

Logistically – everyone was nervous that it could be pulled off

New member meeting – have space available

            Ask SNAP to be at tables to discuss what they are interested in (see table tent idea)

SNAP – look at the questions which have been placed under your chair to start discussion

World Café format is a networking opportunity, planned

Encourage, want to hear from students

What opportunities that already exist and take advantage of them

Education session  - then an hour discussion after.  Often most impassioned discussions happen at the front of the room with the speakers, after a session – but everyone has to leave to make way for the next session.

Spillover room to discuss the session.  World Café format – central location

Tables close to where there are sessions.  White boards, flip charts

If open room not open at lunch, not useful

Flipped classroom [read at home, do “homework” in the classroom and interact/discuss.]  Make reservation ahead of time, then discuss.

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PLENARIES

Dynamic, relevant speaker

Kick off conference

Flexible but substantive content

2 not 3 plenaries

One general session is good

Opening session outgoing president report

Closing session w/ incoming president

Definitely a sense that we need at least one plenary to kick off the conference.

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SHORTER MEETING

Main educational timeframe Wed – Sat/Sun

            Compared to Regionals one day more

Leadership/workshop though educational – 7 days

            Lack of support from institutions for full event (*program committee may work on how)

            Some people get $$ for leadership involvement

Whether we can vs. How we can:  why

Roundtables, sections, colloquia

Saturday night stay – still makes a difference re:  $$ for conference

Still aware of transportation issues in selecting site city

-          Shorten on front end to bump things to end Sunday

-          What are you willing not to do to have things stacked up?

-          Are there other ways for roundtable/sections to meet (programmative vs. business only)

-          Already making choices – option for purchasing recordings

-          May time change to roundtable & sections still allow for info & networking

-          Business meetings – online or lunch sessions

-          Or having whole roundtable/section meeting online

-          Social/happy hour to support networking options

-          Provide leadership support for programming consolidation between roundtable & sections – how may SAA facilitate this?

More online access may support shortening

            What else beyond the business meeting?

Roundtables vote in person or online – move to all online voting

Upend current structure to allow for roundtable & sections to meet at other times

Are there some roundtable & sections who could meet wholly online?

Balance face to face needs

Research Forum – stream/record this to allow greater access.  Move to Wednesday?

Cost is key to travel on Saturday

No one wants to cut anything – per membership

Review past evals re:  info on perception of plenaries (not just in attendance)

“bring in someone big” / are they relevant enough?  -- gain more info from members

Sacrifice roundtable & sections for educational sessions

If involved, stay longer

Have Sunday to wind down rather than travel:  Wednesday – Saturday; sightseeing on Sunday

What are people saying about leaving on Saturday:  $$, non-interest

What about SAA business meeting?  Put online, too?

Annual meeting for those who can make it

Virtual may allow for others/all to be involved

Member benefit:  greater participation throughout the year

Remove business meeting, combine groups for programming

Put educational sessions up against programming sessions

Allow flexible, timely presentation not apparent [?] when program committee [decided?]