By: Heather Mulliner
This summer I attended my first Society of American Archivists conference with generous support from the George and Louise Demakis fund. It was held in Washington DC this year, which was a great place to experience my first SAA. The city is great for sight seeing, and the monuments and museums served as a great primer for the conference. I arrived a day before the conference started in full force, so I had the opportunity to visit several historical sites around the city and psyche myself up to talk about archives for the next three days.
Sightseeing on the National Mall Before the Conference
There was a lot to take in as an SAA first timer, but one of my best experiences was meeting with a counselor at the conference’s career center. I was glad I decided to schedule this meeting, because I received a lot of good advice on how to polish my resume and construct a strong cover letter. With only one year of graduate school left, I know I will be entering the job market soon, and this appointment gave me a clear view of what to expect when I start sending out applications in the coming year. I was also happy that I came to my appointment prepared. Career center organizers suggest that job seekers bring a copy of their resume to the meeting, but I emailed my resume and a sample cover letter to the counselor a few days before the conference. This ended up being very helpful, because the archivist I spoke with had time to thoroughly look over the materials I sent and provide me with in-depth feedback.
There were also a lot of great panels at SAA this year, and while I found presentations informative and engaging, I was most interested in the student posters at the conference. The posters were great because they gave me a chance to see what students around the country are working on, and gave me some great ideas for my own projects. In fact, one of my biggest regrets about this conference is that I did not present a poster. I think having a poster would have been a great way to share my own interest as well as meet other archivists that are interested in similar topics.
At the SAA All-Attendee Reception with some APH Alums
Overall, I had a great experience at SAA, and I left with three big lessons about how to get the most out of the conference the next time I go back.
Reconnect with your mentors
SAA is a great place to meet up with mentors in a setting that is less formal than a work environment. I was fortunate to meet up with two of my mentors from past internships and student jobs at this year’s conference. These meetings were the some of the most enjoyable parts of the conference, and they were also a great way to strengthen professional connections and thank people for their guidance.
Break away from the pack
If you plan on going with classmates, as I did, make sure you find time to do activities on your own. While it is good to spend time with your peers, it is also important to step out of your comfort zone and talk with people you don’t know.
Apply for funding
Throughout the year postings for grants and other funding will filter through the listserv, and I advise anybody interested in attending conferences to apply. Even if you are not presenting, you should still apply. There is nothing to lose, and since few students apply these grants, most applicants have a good chance of receiving funding.