How to...

General tips and guides to various practical "how to" topics not covered by the other pages, incuding those requested by respondents to our 2022 Member Survey:

How to...Balance responsibilities

• AASLH Technical Leaflet: DIY Strategic Planning for Small Museums (2008) *

How to...Conduct Oral Histories

• SAA Oral History Section microsite has good resources, especially:
  • This easy to understand primer from UC Irvine 
  • The Oral HIstory Association has many resources that can apply to small projects, including a guide to interviewing remotely.

How to...Fund Professional Development

• The Digital Preservaiton Outreach and Education Network (DPOE-N) offers microgrants for professional development related to digital preservation.
• Many professional organizations offer scholarships for conference attendance and/or educational workshops. These can be found at the national level (e.g. SAA Foundation, ALA/RBMS), the regional level or state level.
• Some grants offer training or professional development funds as part of a larger project. Read grant notices closely to determine if you can include that type of funding in your project.

How to...Freelance

• SAA Independent Archivists Section microsite generally, including:
  • Independent Contractors links
  • Webinars

How to...Manage archives on a shoestring budget

• LA as Subject: Archives at Risk Help Desk - "Funding/Financial/Grants" section *
  • Candid: Foundation Directory *
  • Grants.gov *
  • Propel Nonprofits: Case Flow Template (2017) *
• If you're a section member and are logged in, see also the 2018 listserv conversation on low-cost (or funding sources for) professional development.

How to...Manage interns and/or volunteers

• The SAA Standards Portal has two documents outlining steps that archivists can take to work with people in a way that benefits both parties. There are suggestions and further linekd resources.
  • Best Practices for Volunteers
  • Best Practices for Internships
  • This webinar from Connecting to Collections Care on volunteers is available on YouTube.
  • This website points to great resources, including sample ageement forms and in-depth guides that discuss benefits, goals, and cultiavting good relationships.

How to... Provide primary source instruction

• SAA Solo Archivists Section, "Instruction for Solo Archivists" presentation (2024)
• The Teaching With Primary Resources Collective (TPS) brings together a number of guides, how-tos, and templates to provide a bridge between the Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy and classroom use.