Category: General (Page 8 of 22)

“History and the Public” Book Series from Temple University Press

Temple University Press has recently announced a new book series dealing with “History and the Public.”  This series, edited by Steven Conn of the Department of History at Ohio State University, seeks monographs related to public history.

Thanks to a generous grant from the George and Louise Demakis Fund, I was able to attend the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The theme of the “Friends Meeting” was Art and Advocacy along the Delaware, which was undoubtedly inspired by the great variety of cultural institutions all located in and around the historic city. An advertisement in the conference program, which drew a clever parallel between Philadelphia and the archival profession, enticed me when I first signed up. While I certainly looked forward to attending the meeting’s sessions and workshops, I was just as excited to explore Philadelphia—despite the impending rain I encountered for the entirety of my drive to the city.

The meeting, though, did not disappoint. As a graduate student just about to begin my career as an archival professional, I found the hands-on workshops the most helpful events in the three-day schedule. Joyce Conyer’s presentation in Working Outside the Walls was particularly interesting. It explored the challenges that archivists face in the modern world’s culture of instant connectivity. The entire session was an exercise in becoming more comfortable with face-to-face interaction despite social media and networking tools, a lesson that Conyers highlighted as essential to guiding patrons to the physical archives and to becoming a successful advocate for your repository.  

The most rewarding moments I experienced at MARAC, however, were spent among the assembled group of archivists, records managers, curators, and other professionals at the meeting. Their personal stories about tackling new technologies, pursuing professional development opportunities, and collaborating with others encouraged me to really think about the skills I know I will need to cultivate in my professional future. Networking—a sometimes awkward but often-unavoidable conference activity—was both enlightening and enjoyable at MARAC. I learned so much at the meeting’s sessions and I had a great time informally discovering more about the archival community from the archivists that I was able to meet.

I was privileged to receive a grant from the Lawrence Geller Fund to cover the cost of attending the 2013 annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. This year’s meeting in New Orleans was actually not my first SAA conference- I also attended the 2012 meeting in San Diego. Needless to say, the weather at the 2012 meeting was far more pleasant, but I think I learned some lessons from my first conference that helped make my experience in New Orleans much more rewarding.

My foremost recommendation to first-time attendees is to give yourself some flexibility in your schedule in regards to attending panels and other events. It’s a good idea to look at the conference schedule ahead of time and pinpoint the few panels and events that you’re really interested in and want to make sure you attend. Don’t plan your time at SAA down to the last second, though. Give yourself some freedom to attend a panel on a topic that you haven’t explored yet but that just happens to catch your eye once you’re at SAA, or a panel that you hear about from another attendee. One of the best panels I went to at this year’s SAA was one that I initially hadn’t selected to attend, but I tagged along with another attendee- and was ultimately very glad that I did!

On a similar note, don’t be afraid to leave a panel if you feel you’re not getting much out of it. You may think you’re being rude by getting up in the middle of someone’s presentation (and certainly you should try to be as discrete as possible), but don’t get too worried about offending the panelists- plenty of other attendees will be doing the same thing! You’re at SAA to learn, so if there’s another panel taking place at the same time that you think would be more educational for you, don’t feel self-conscious about leaving a panel to attend a different one.

While of course you’re at SAA for professional development, don’t forget to leave some time to sightsee around the city where the conference is being held. I had an entire day to be a tourist at this year’s SAA, which was great, but if your schedule doesn’t allow you to take that much free time, at least get out in the evenings. The hotels where SAA conferences are held are sometimes a bit pricey, but try to stay in the conference hotel or at least close to it if you can. I stayed with a relative at when I attended the 2012 conference, and while that was nice for my wallet, I lost a lot of time traveling between my relative’s house and the conference. The conference hotels are also usually in prime sightseeing areas.

APH Students (from left to right) Janice Liao, Nicole Greenhouse, and Rachel Schimke with the APH Program Director, Professor Peter Wosh, at the SAA’s All-Attendee Reception at the National World War II Museum

Attending SAA’s annual meeting is a wonderful opportunity to learn about new developments and current debates in the field and to network with other students and professionals. If you’re entering your final year or semester of the APH program, I highly recommend submitting a proposal to present a student poster or paper at the 2014 conference in Washington, D.C. Presenting at SAA is a great way to get more presentation practice and be able to talk one-on-one with other archivists who share your interests. For more tips for first-timers, see the guide created by SAA’s Students and New Archival Professionals Roundtable (SNAP). While some of the information is specific to the 2013 conference, much of the guide is applicable to any SAA meeting.  Happy conference-ing!