Archives In Context

How did archivists partner with activists to document and preserve the history of AIDS activism? How are archivists and community partners activating AIDS archives to reveal AIDS’s continued impact on marginalized communities? What lessons can archivists take from this moment of social and community memory-building as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic?

In this episode, co-hosts Anna Trammell and Chris Burns speak with Marika Cifor about her recent book, Viral Cultures: Activist Archiving in the Age of AIDS (University of Minnesota Press, 2022). Cifor is an assistant professor at the University of Washington. In this episode, Cifor discusses her inspiration for exploring AIDS archives, how the concept of vital nostalgia can inform archival theory and practice, and lessons for memory workers and activists interested in documenting other social justice movements.

Read the transcript.

Visit Marika Cifor’s about page and faculty website and learn more about the projects and collections mentioned in the episode:

• Visual AIDS, The Artist+ Registry and Archive Project
• Visual AIDS, Artists+ Registry
• Lesbian Herstory Archives
• New York Public Library, Gay and Lesbian Collections and AIDS/HIV Collections
• New York Public Library Digital Collections, ACT UP New York Records
• NYU Special Collections, Downtown Collection

Listen to additional conversations about the book via the University of Minnesota Press podcast.

The Society of American Archivists has a remarkably robust publications program. Providing continuity behind-the-scenes is the director of publishing Teresa Brinati, who gives a guided tour of the wide-ranging program and invites archivists of all experience levels to imagine themselves as authors and to find their place within SAA’s suite of digital and print publications. She also divulges what she, as a non-archivist, appreciates most about the archival profession and the archivists she has encountered during her lengthy career with SAA.

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Teresa has shared successful strategies and experiences from SAA with the association industry in a number of articles, including “Remote Possibilities: Telecommuting Is Gaining Momentum” (Oct 2019), “The Business of Memory Keeping” (Aug 2018), “Getting the Most Out of #GivingTuesday” (Mar 2018), “By the Numbers: Disrupting Membership Programs” (Aug 2017), and “Annual Meeting-Palooza: Rock Your Publications and Make Your Authors Feel Like Rock Stars” (June 2017) in FORUM Magazine. She has also presented “A Hybrid Approach to Open Access Publishing” at the Art Libraries Society of North America’s 45th Annual Conference (Feb 2017) and highlights archivists in SAA’s Archival Outlook, as in the May/June 2016 article “The Music Man: Peter Balestrieri’s Journey from Punk Rock Band to Special Collections.”

What values do you hold dear as an archivist and why? In this episode, Christine Weideman, director of manuscripts and archives at Yale University Library, and Mary Caldera, head of arrangement and description at Yale University Library, talk about their new book, Archival Values: Essays in Honor of Mark A. Greene. Both Mary and Chris reflect upon the values that animate their work and ways in which archivists can engage with foundational principles of the profession.

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In Archival Values: Essays in Honor of Mark A Greene, twenty-three archivists honor the late SAA Felllow and past president Mark A. Greene by offering a variety of perspectives on the Core Values of the Society of American Archivists and their relevance today. These essays clearly demonstrate how core values empower archivists’ interactions with resource providers, legislators, donors, patrons, and the public. For anyone who wishes to engage in thinking about what archivists do and why, Archival Values is essential reading. The book is available from the Society of American Archivists.

We live in an age where evidence and facts matter more than ever. Laura Millar, an independent consultant in records, archives, and information management and in publishing and distance education, discusses the “evidence crisis” and the urgency of all citizens to share a vested interest in preservation and access to archival evidence in her new book, A Matter of Facts: The Value of Evidence in an Information Age. Laura talks about why it is vital for the public to understand the nature and importance of records and archives, and actionable steps everyone can take to protect authentic evidence.

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In this urgent manifesto, Laura Millar makes the case that authentic and accurate evidence is crucial in supporting and fostering a society that is respectful, democratic, and self-aware.

A Matter of Facts: The Value of Evidence in an Information Age is the inaugural book in the Archival Futures Series, copublished by the American Library Association and Society of American Archivists. Read more about it.

SAA Fellow Peter Wosh, editor of the Archival Fundamental Series III and former director of the Archives/Public History Program at New York University, kicks off the second season of Archives in Context. Peter discusses his path to archival work and the ways that teaching changed his understanding of archival practice. He also reveals the process behind reimagining the Archives Fundamental Series and what archivists can expect from the seven new volumes.

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The seven-volume Archival Fundamental Series III published by the Society of American Archivists, provides a gateway to contemporary archival best practices. Whether a student, new professional, seasoned archival veteran, or in the information science and public history fields, you’ll find the books in this series accessible, stimulating, and indispensable to your daily work. In addition to editing the series, Peter is the author of Volume 7: Introducing Archives and Manuscripts, forthcoming 2021. In the meantime, check out his other SAA books, Waldo Gifford Leland and the Origins of the American Archival Profession andPrivacy & Confidentiality Perspectives: Archivists & Archival Records or his award-winning American Archivist essay, “Going Postal.”