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Since 2006, American Archives Month has given the profession an opportunity to tell (or remind) people that items that are important to them are being preserved, cataloged, cared for, and made accessible by archivists. To help you participate in American Archives Month, SAA has provided members with practical information and great ideas to help make your archives program more visible. Or check out our #AskAnArchivist Day page, which details how you can participate in an opportunity to engage with the public via Twitter on October 2.
This October, take steps (big or small) to reach out to your communities, make connections, and show others the significance of archives.
Archives Month Philly
Archives Month Philly is celebrating American Archives Month with more than 30 events and exhibits around the city. Browse events here and check out Hidden City Philadelphia's feature on it.
Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia
In honor of American Archives Month, the Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia launched its Digital Archives and Museum. The new website) will increase the visibility, utility and accessibility of the Company’s archival and object collections by allowing users to browse high-resolution images of its collections, many of which date back to the eighteenth century. The Digital Archives also include biographies of many early Company members, Master Builders who designed and constructed much of colonial Philadelphia. Also of interest is an ongoing online exhibit, “Changing the Face of the City and the Nation,” which provides geographic and temporal context to many of the historical events and buildings associated with the Company, whose members were integral in building the structures, civic institutions, and ideals that were foundational to the new Republic.
Estey Organ Musuem
The Estey Organ Museum in Brattleboro, Vermont, is celebrating American Archives Month with a two-week exhibit of some of the Estey Company’s pipe organ records. The company’s 3,000-plus pipe organs were custom-made for unique individual sites—churches, clubs, residences, and even a yacht. The archives features the correspondence and many of the drawings and specifications related to these pipe organs. Learn more.
Florida International University
Florida International University's (FIU) Special Collections and University Archives celebrated with the third Annual Archive Day on October 3. Several museums, historical societies, universities, and library professionals from across South Florida gathered to share information about the rare and unique items in their collections. Participants included The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc.; Digital Library of the Caribbean; the Government Resources and Information Department and the Digital Collections Center at FIU Libraries; The Wolfsonian-FIU; FIU Sound and Image; Florida Memorial University Library Special Collections; Historic Homestead Town Hall Museum; Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives; Miami-Dade Public Library System Special Collections and Archives and the Digitization Division; Miami Military Museum and Memorial; Monroe County Library; Nova Southeastern University; the South Florida Collections Management Center Everglades National Park; and the University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection. Each institution had a table to display brochures, digital collections, and highlights from its collections. Students, faculty, staff, and the community discovered new repositories andunique collections in South Florida. Next year, Archive Day will expand to include presentations and a keynote speaker.
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library in Durham, North Carolina, highlighted one of its collections on Duke University's blog. Aligning with this year’s American Archives Month theme in North Carolina—Activism and Social Justice in North Carolina—Paula Jeannet, visual materials processing archivist at the Rubenstein Library, shared about the Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) collection. Read more.
State Archives of Florida
The State Archives of Florida is celebrating with the spooky theme, Tales from the Archives, to include events that unearth the darker side of the archives. Research hours are extended on October 8, 12, and 29. On October 8, a behind-the-scenes presentation “Terror of the Archives: Preservation Issues” discusses preservation horrors archivists encounter and how to address them. On October 5 and 12, a staff-led walking tour of Tallahassee’s Old City Cemetery shares the history of the cemetery, its notable interred, and historical records related to those individuals. On October 12 and 29, the presentation “Documenting the Dearly Departed: Records for Family History Research” will use the archives to demonstrate the types of information found within death records and how to use them in genealogical and historical research. On October 30, archives staff will partner with the Tallahassee Film Society for a presentation on the newly-acquired Bruce Mozert Photographic Collection, followed by a special screening of the 1954 film Creature From the Black Lagoon, on which Mozert worked. From September 6 to October 31, the archives, in collaboration with the Florida Folklife Program, invites all Floridians to record and share retellings of favorite Florida urban legends and ghost stories. Learn more about these events.
State Archives of New Mexico
The State Archives of New Mexico (SANM) will host an event on October 19 in conjunction with Santa Fe ComicCon, featuring historian and author Don Bullis as the keynote speaker. The event, sponsored by ComicCon and Buffalo Thunder, will highlight SANM's recently acquired collection of Billy the Kid comic books and a talk on pop culture's role in history from Dr. Lynnea Chapman King, professor of English at Adams State University, coeditor of No Country for Old Men, and executive director of the Southwest Pop Culture Association. On October 31, the public is invited to join the New Mexico Commission of Public Records (NMCPR) for a free Haunted History takeover of the Lumpkins Ballroom of the La Fonda, an event that drew more than 100 attendees last year.
Texas Historical Records Advisory Board
The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) ) is kicking off Texas Archives Month with the 2019 poster "The Power of Water." The theme acknowledges both the prevalence of archival records dealing with water-related subjects and the threat water poses to those very materials. The design features images from Rosenberg Library, the University of Texas at El Paso Library, Fort Worth Public Library, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and the Archivists of Central Texas. Download a copy of the poster here and learn more about Texas Archives Month activities.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries showcased rarely seen items at "Night at the Archives," from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 10. The event took place at the History Nebraska Headquarters, also known as the Nebraska History Museum, and at the university libraries. Read more about the event in the Daily Nebraskan.
Utah Archives Month
The theme of American Archives Month in Utah is "Education in Utah." The state website lists all events going on in the state. Every Wednesday in October, the archives is open for a tour. During a brown bag lunch discussion on October 16, the local government archivist will reveal the contents of a time capsule from 1887 that was found in the old Ogden High School.
Virginia Archives Month
Virginia Archives Month is hosting its fourth anual REMIX contest, organized by the Virginia Caucus of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. The contest encourages out-of-the-box ideas for using cultural heritage collections in art, erasure poetry, GIFs, collages, coloring pages, creative writing, memes, and other creative "remixed" inventions. Participants can share their creations online using #archivesremix and #archivesbookart. The contest closes October 31.
Washington State Archives Month
The 2019 theme for Washington State Archives Month (WSAM) is "Celebrate Washington's Heritage." The Seattle Municipal Archives has organized several commemorative programs and activities related to the 150th year anniversary of the city of Seattle's incorporation, including a book, a free exhibit, trivia night, and an Archives Fair, which will bring together 20 local repositories at Seattle City Hall on October 30. The WSAM Planning Committee has also organized collaboration across the state for additional programs. Check out the WSAM Facebook page for more information.
Wyoming State Archives
The Wyoming State Archives will celebrate American Archives Month with a special public lecture on Tuesday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m. Rick Ewig, former associate director of the American Heritage Center, will present “Ira Hanna: Cheyenne’s Around-the-Clock Mayor.” Ewig’s talk will explore bribery, corruption and gambling by the mayor of Cheyenne and its chief of police, culminating in a 1944 trial and prison sentence for all involved. The Wyoming State Archives will also participate in #AskAnArchivist Day on October 2 (follow the archives at @WyoArchives) and in Electronic Records Day on October 10. Learn more about Wyoming history at http://wyoarchives.org/ and explore the online resources listed under the “Find It in the Archives” tab.