Join Us for the 2025 Annual PLASC Section Meeting!

We’re excited to invite you to this year’s PLASC section meeting, featuring a panel presentation on Description Remediation in Action.

Katie MacKendrick (Cataloging Supervisor) & Laura Ruttum Senturia (Archives Access Supervisor) from the Denver Public Library will share their experience conducting a diversity audit of nearly 6,000 manuscript and photograph collections from 2020–2022. They’ll discuss key findings and the ongoing reparative cataloging efforts resulting from the audit.

From the Boston Public Library, archivists Margaret Peachy & Kim Reynolds, along with rare books curator Viv William, will present their work remediating the description of collections related to indentured servitude and Haitian manuscripts. Their project combines batch scripting with manual methods to address harmful or outdated language.

Come learn how public library archives are rethinking archival description to create more inclusive and accurate access points for users.

Presenter Bios:

Katie MacKendrick is the Cataloging Supervisor for Special Collections and Archives (SCA) at the Denver Public Library. She joined the Diversity Audit Action Committee in 2022 and became a co-lead in March 2025. Her favorite item in SCA's collection is this book on witchcraft and demonology, which may also be the most surprising acquisition.

Laura Ruttum Senturia is the Archives Access Supervisor for Special Collections and Archives (SCA) at the Denver Public Library. She co-led the design and implementation of the Diversity Audit, and continues this work as a co-lead of the Diversity Audit Action Committee. Her favorite item(s) in SCA's collection are the Denver Sanborn maps, which are great for solving property mysteries!

Margaret Peachy is an archivist at Boston Public Library where she helps manage the library’s vast archival holdings, with a special focus on architectural collections. She enjoys working in ASpace and using its API to manage metadata in bulk via homemade Python scripts.

Kimberly Reynolds is an archivist at the Boston Public Library where, during Women's History Month, promotes, through blogs and an Open House event, the contributions made by women librarians and donors, processes collections, and participates in projects across the Special Collections Department.

Viv Williams is the Boston Public Library's new Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts where she works to steward, develop, and promote printed and manuscript collections dating from 1800 to present. She was previously the Commission Archivist for the Cambridge Historical Commission where she oversaw a collection that documented the history of Cambridge's built environment and facilitated Cambridge's annual Open Archives event.

1-2:30pm CT (11am-12:30pm PT / 12-1:30pm MT / 2-3:30pm ET)

Join Us for the Annual PLASC Section Meeting! Register Here