Archives In Context: Recent Episodes
Society of American Archivists
Archives in Context is a podcast about archives and the people behind them. Cosponsored by the Publications Board, American Archivist Editorial Board, and Committee on Public Awareness of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the podcast is hosted by Bethany Anderson, Chris Burns, Ashley Levine, Nicole Milano, Colleen McFarland Rademaker, and Anna Trammell.
In this episode, co-hosts Chris Burns and Camila Zorrilla Tessler speak with Maryna Paliienko, a Ukrainian historian, archivist, and Fulbright Scholar conducting research at New York University on the topic “Archives in the Time of War and Emergency: Problems of the Cultural Heritage Preservation and Usage (from the Experience of the United States and Ukraine).” Listen to learn more about Dr. Paliienko’s work, the crucial role that archives play in documenting shared history and memory during times of war, and evolving strategies for preserving archives in times of emergency.
Read the transcript.
Episode ExtrasVisit Maryna Paliienko’s faculty website and learn more about the projects and collections mentioned in the episode:
Fulbright Scholar Program: Maryna Paliienko
Fulbright Visiting Scholars and FRDP Fellows, 2023–2024
The State Archival Service of Ukraine
Archives of Ukraine journal
In this episode, cohosts Chris Burns and Camila Zorrilla Tessler speak to counterculture historian and archival music producer Pat Thomas about his new book Material Wealth: Mining the Personal Archive of Allen Ginsberg. Join us for a discussion about Pat’s research process, favorite items from Ginsberg’s collection, and thoughts on Ginsberg’s legacy.
Read the transcript.
Episode ExtrasOrder your own copy of Material Wealth: Mining the Personal Archive of Allen Ginsberg here!
In this episode, cohost Chris Burns speaks with dindria barrow, Marika Cifor, Sarah Nguyễn, and Anna Trammell about their work on The Community Archives Center Toolkit, which was collaboratively developed by the Tacoma Public Library and the University of Washington.
This free resource is now available for other libraries and archives to use in creating community-focused projects. Listen to learn more about the toolkit and how you might use it at your institution.
Read the transcript.
Episode ExtrasCheck out the web version and the PDF version of the toolkit. To learn more about Tacoma Public Library’s Community Archives Center, visit their home page and their collections access portal.
What is on the minds of our newest professionals? In this episode, host Nicole Milano speaks with Lyric Evans-Hunter, Allegra Favila, and Lia Warner, all new or recent graduates of New York University’s Archives and Public History program. They share how they came to the field, what they find exciting and daunting about the profession, … Continue reading Season 7, Episode 6: Lyric Evans-Hunter, Allegra Favila, and Lia Warner
In this episode, co-hosts Nicole Milano and Camila Zorrilla Tessler speak with Rachel Chatalbash, Susan Hernandez, and Megan Schwenke about their recent book Museum Archives: Practice, Issues, Advocacy (Society of American Archivists, 2022). Chatalbash, Hernandez, and Schwenke discuss museum archives and archivists, the genesis of the publication and its connection to the Museum Archives Section of SAA, and what they hope readers will learn from the volume.
Read the transcript.
The editors want to thank all the contributors to the publication: Seth Anderson, Susan Anderson, Brad Bauer, Ellen Brooks, Rebecca Chandler, Emily Connell, Maygene Daniels, Sarah R. Demb, Nancy Enneking, Christina Velazquez Fidler, Jessica Gambling, Heather Gendron, Melissa Gonzales, Rebecca Morgan, Samantha Norling, Suzanne Noruschat, Michael Pahn, Lesley Parilla, Lynette Stoudt, Dawn Sueoka, Jennie Thomas, Madeleine Thompson, Lindsay Turley, and Kathleen M. Williams.
Episode ExtrasOrder your own copy of Museum Archives: Practice, Issues, Advocacy via the SAA Bookstore!
In this episode, co-hosts Anna Trammell and Chris Burns speak with Kristine K. Fallon, Aliza Leventhal, and Jody Thompson about their new book Born-Digital Design Records (Society of American Archivists, 2022), the ninth installment of SAA’s Trends in Archives Practice series. The interview explores the unique challenges of managing born-digital design records, prior efforts to address these issues, emerging research on user needs, and much more. Give it a listen!
Read the transcript.
Episode ExtrasThe authors reference various resources in this episode including “An Archive of Interfaces: Exploring the Potential of Emulation for Software Research, Pedagogy, and Design” by Daniel Cardoso-Llach, Eric Kaltman, Emek Erdolu, and Zachary Furste; “Attending to Process and Data: A Research Alignment for Historical Videogame Production Artifacts and Their Archives” by Eric Kaltman; and “Digital Visual Literacy” by Anne Morgan Spalter and Andries van Dam.
To learn more about Born-Digital Design Records, see SAA’s press release and read Aliza Leventhal’s interview from the September/October 2022 issue of Archival Outlook.
Order your own copy via the SAA Bookstore!
Marika CiforHow 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.
Episode ExtrasFor more information:
Viral Cultures: Activist Archiving in the Age of AIDS, to purchase from the publisher click here.
Marika Cifor’s about page and faculty website.
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
More podcasts about the book: https://share.transistor.fm/s/95fe97c6 and https://newbooksnetwork.com/viral-cultures
Cheryl OestreicherHow can archivists reimagine reference services as they increasingly serve a broader and more diverse user base? In this episode, cohosts Anna Trammell and Chris Burns speak with Cheryl Oestreicher about her recent book, Reference and Access for Archives and Manuscripts (Society of American Archivists, 2020), the fourth volume in SAA’s Archival Fundamentals Series III and the recipient of SAA’s 2021 Waldo Gifford Leland Award for writing of superior excellence and usefulness.
Oestreicher is a professor at Boise State University and the head of Special Collections and Archives at Boise State’s Albertsons Library. In this episode, she shares memorable reference experiences and discusses the evolution of the reference model away from acquisitions and toward advocacy.
Listen to learn how access informs all areas of archival practice.
Read the transcript.
Episode ExtrasFor even more information about Reference and Access for Archives and Manuscripts, see Kayla Scott’s review of the book in Issue 84.1 of American Archivist.
Reference and Access for Archives and Manuscripts is the current selection for SAA’s One Book, One Profession reading initiative—learn more, download study guide questions, and consider reading it with your colleagues! To order your own copy, visit the SAA Bookstore.
Archivists attend ARCHIVESRECORDS 2022 conference in Boston. More than 1,000 archivists came together in-person—many for the first time since 2019—in Boston in August during ARCHIVESRECORDS 2022, the annual conference of the Society of American Archivists. Another 1,000 archivists tuned in virtually. In this episode, co-hosts Chris Burns and Anna Trammell talk with attendees about their favorite conference sessions, the perks and challenges of remote work, the “glass half-full” lessons we can take away from the pandemic, and the joy of connecting with other archivists.
Read the transcript.
Episode ExtrasIf you missed ARCHIVESRECORDS 2022, or attended but didn’t get to all the sessions you would have liked, don’t worry! All education sessions, both plenaries, and the open forums were recorded and are available for on-demand access on the conference website. Register today to get access—and join us next year for ARCHIVESRECORDS 2023, which will take place July 22–29, 2023 in Washington, DC.
“Archivists helping archivists”—in this episode, cohosts Nicole Milano and JoyEllen Williams speak with Bob Clark and Beth Myers, members of the Society of American Archivists Foundation Board. Myers and Clark discuss the Foundation’s purpose, goals, and opportunities for engagement. Listen to learn how the Foundation supports SAA, archivists, and the profession. Bob Clark is director … Continue reading Season 6, Episode 4: SAA Foundation with Bob Clark and Beth Myers
As the United States continues to confront systemic racism on several fronts, archival repositories are rethinking the idea of space and how it pertains to inclusivity. A leader among these conversations is Dr. Jesse Erickson, author of “The Gentleman’s Ghost: Patriarchal Eurocentric Legacies in Special Collections,” published in Archives and Special Collections as Sites of … Continue reading Season 6, Episode 3: Jesse R. Erickson
Interested in publishing with the Society of American Archivists? Cohosts Anna Trammell and Chris Burns talk with SAA Publications Editor Stacie Williams and American Archivist Editor Amy Cooper Cary about the many publishing opportunities that SAA offers. Williams and Cooper Cary provide an overview of these opportunities and ways that archivists of all experience levels can engage … Continue reading Season 6, Episode 2: Amy Cooper Cary and Stacie Williams
Cohosts Nicole Milano and JoyEllen Williams conduct a special interview with the Society of American Archivist’s new executive director, Jacqualine Price Osafo. In this interview, Jackie shares her professional and personal roots, including her long-time passion for associations and the impact of an inspiring relative. Jackie also explains what drew her to SAA and why … Continue reading Season 6, Episode 1: Jacqualine Price Osafo
Cohosts Nicole Milano and JoyEllen Williams interview Educational Resource Specialist Danna Bell and Folklife Specialist Guha Shankar from the Library of Congress. During this conversation, Bell and Shankar discuss the intersection of archives, community, and education, specifically addressing how the country’s renewed focus on social justice impacts their work at the Library of Congress. Episode … Continue reading Season 5, Episode 6: Archives, Community, and Education at the Library of Congress with Danna Bell and Guha Shankar
Many archivists are reevaluating workflows and practices in order to create more equitable, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist metadata in their repositories. This important work is foregrounded by the Anti-Racist Description Resources, authored by the Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia’s (A4BLiP) Anti-Racist Description Working Group. Archives in Context spoke with A4BLiP’s Anti-Racist Description Working Group members Alexis A. … Continue reading Season 5, Episode 5: Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia’s Anti-Racist Description Working Group
As American society reckons with racial injustice, many archivists wonder how they can combat systemic racism in the workplace and the profession. Archives in Context reached out for guidance from Petrina Jackson, director of the Special Collections Research Center, Bird Library, Syracuse University; and Verónica Reyes-Escudero, Katheryne B. Willock head of special collections, University of … Continue reading Season 5, Episode 4: Petrina Jackson and Veronica Reyes-Escudero
As we leave 2020 behind us, Archives In Context begins 2021 on a hopeful note. In this special episode focused on archivists and archival work during COVID-19, we hear from you! Archivists called and wrote to us with their advice on navigating this challenging time and shared the ways they are finding joy, what they are … Continue reading Season 5, Episode 3: Archivists Call-In
What is self-care, and why should archivists care? Listen to our conversation with Dorothy Berry, digital collections program manager at Harvard University’s Houghton Library, as she explores a more sophisticated understanding of self-care—one that goes beyond eating brownies and taking bubble baths. With wisdom and humor, Dorothy talks about how and why we should be kinder … Continue reading Season 5, Episode 2: Dorothy Berry
In this episode of a special Archives in Context season on how the events of 2020 have affected archivists, we meet two of the driving forces behind the Archival Workers Emergency Fund (AWEF): Anna Clutterbuck-Cook, reference librarian at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and Lydia Tang, special collections archivist-librarian at Michigan State University. Anna and Lydia … Continue reading Season 5, Episode 1: Archival Workers Emergency Fund
What do sex, awards, and the occult have in common? They are all themes that the Los Angeles Archivists Collective explored in its online publication Acid Free. In this episode, Courtney Dean, head of the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) in UCLA Library Special Collections, and Grace Danico, an independent archivist and freelance designer, … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 7: Courtney Dean and Grace Danico
Finding ways to connect diverse audiences with archives is an art. It is also an important aspect of leadership. Jennifer Johnson, director of Corporate Archives at Cargill, Incorporated, discusses her essay “Cultivating Success: The Business of Archives” in volume one of SAA’s Archival Fundamentals Series III, Leading and Managing Archives and Manuscripts Programs. Jennifer describes … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 6: Jennifer Johnson
“The stories in between” are what drive Liza Posas, head of Research Services and Archives at the Autry Museum of the American West, and her work on the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials. The Protocols were created by the First Archivist Circle in 2006 and endorsed by SAA in 2018. Liza discusses the workbook … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 5: Liza Posas
Dr. Trevor Owens, head of digital content management at the Library of Congress, thinks about the intersection of history and digital media—a lot. He discusses his award-winning book, The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation, providing encouragement to under-resourced archivists who need to add digital preservation to their very full professional plates. Trevor also muses … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 4: Trevor Owens
What does “Archiving While Black” feel like? Dr. Ashley Farmer, assistant professor in the Departments of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, follows up with us on her Chronicle of Higher Education article and her talk at the 2019 SAA Annual Meeting. She also discusses the role … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 3: Ashley Farmer
Dr. Lydia Tang is working to make archives more accessible and break down access barriers for people with disabilities. Lydia, who is the special collections archivist at Michigan State University, talks about her work on the SAA Task Force to Revise Best Practices on Accessibility and the SAA-ACRL/RBMS Task Force to Revise the Joint Statement … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 2: Lydia Tang
How do you document a student movement? Student activists organize and mobilize within ephemeral spaces that need to be documented ethically and with care. Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, university archivist at the University of Maryland, and Tamar Chute, university archivist and head of Archives at the Ohio State University, discuss the impetus behind Project STAND (Student Activism … Continue reading Season 4, Episode 1: Lae’l Hughes-Watkins and Tamar Chute
Listen to compelling stories about archives from A Finding Aid to My Soul, a storytelling event at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019, sponsored by SAA’s Committee on Public Awareness (COPA). The event was hosted by Micaela Blei, two-time Moth Grand Slam Story Champion and former director of the Moth’s Education Program, who coached the ten storytellers in advance of … Continue reading Season 3, Episode 4: Finding Aid to My Soul, Part 3
Listen to compelling stories about archives from A Finding Aid to My Soul, a storytelling event at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019, sponsored by SAA’s Committee on Public Awareness (COPA). The event was hosted by Micaela Blei, two-time Moth Grand Slam Story Champion and former director of the Moth’s Education Program, who coached the ten storytellers in advance of … Continue reading Season 3, Episode 3: Finding Aid to My Soul, Part 2
Listen to compelling stories about archives from A Finding Aid to My Soul, a storytelling event at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019, sponsored by SAA’s Committee on Public Awareness (COPA). The event was hosted by Micaela Blei (pictured), two-time Moth Grand Slam Story Champion and former director of the Moth’s Education Program, who coached the ten storytellers in advance … Continue reading Season 3, Episode 2: Finding Aid to My Soul, Part 1
“What’s an archivist? Who uses archives? Isn’t everything online?” As archivists, we sometimes find ourselves answering questions about what exactly we do and why we do it. During ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019 in Austin, Texas, hosts Chris Burns, Colleen McFarland Rademaker, Nicole Milano, and Anna Trammell “took to the streets” to ask attendees to respond—on the spot … Continue reading Season 3, Episode 1: Elevator Going Up!
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an archival consultant? Margot Note, founder and principal of Margot Note Consulting, shares with us her journey into consulting work and her experiences working in nontraditional archival settings. In her new book with SAA, Creating Family Archives: A Step-by-Step Guide to Saving Your Memories for Future Generations, … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 7: Margot Note
As president of the Society of American Archivists from 2014 to 2015, Kathleen D. Roe called upon archivists to expand their advocacy efforts by demonstrating how “archives change lives.” In this episode, Kathleen, who recently retired from the New York State Archives as director of Archives and Records Management, reflects on writing her new book for … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 6: Kathleen D. Roe
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. … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 5: Teresa Brinati
In this bonus episode, we meet Davia Nelson (left), one half of The Kitchen Sisters along with Nikki Silva. Their podcast, The Keepers, spotlights activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors, historians and other keepers of culture. Because of their work, The Kitchen Sisters received SAA’s 2019 J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award. Learn how The … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 4: Davia Nelson
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 … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 3: Christine Weideman and Mary Caldera
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 … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 2: Laura Millar
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 … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 1: Peter Wosh
Dominique Luster, Teenie Harris archivist at the Carnegie Museum of Art, discusses her TED Talk and her role in building community to better steward a large photographic collection documenting African American life in mid-twentieth century Pittsburgh. Her experiences in cleaning up “dirty data” and her thoughts on archivists’ understanding of professionalism round out the conversation. … Continue reading Episode 7: Dominique Luster
Anthony Cocciolo, dean of the Pratt Institute School of Information, speaks about his award-winning book, Moving Image and Sound Collections for Archivists. He discusses his inspiration for the book and explains how his recommendations can be realized even in small archival programs. He also shares his thoughts on archival outreach for audiovisual and other archival … Continue reading Episode 6: Anthony Cocciolo
Karen Trivette, head of special collections and archives at the Fashion Institute of Technology, provides a behind-the-scenes look at An Archivist’s Tale (a podcast produced by Karen and her husband, archivist Geof Huth), tells her own archival origin story, and talks about her passion for sharing archival and special collections materials. Episode Extras … Continue reading Episode 5: Karen Trivette
Listen to four compelling stories from the archives in this selection from A Finding Aid to My Soul, the open-mic storytelling event at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2018, sponsored by SAA’s Committee on Public Awareness (COPA) and emceed by COPA member Chris Burns, University of Vermont. Storytellers are Petrina Jackson, head of Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State … Continue reading Episode 4: A Finding Aid to My Soul
Michelle Caswell talks about her research for the book Archiving the Unspeakable: Silence, Memory, and the Photographic Record in Cambodia, the history of the bureaucratic recordkeeping regime of the Khmer Rouge, and the ways in which these photographs are both testaments of archival silence and agency.
Cal Lee, professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and editor of American Archivist, shares his vision for the journal, advice in writing for peer-reviewed journals, and strategic ways to get involved in professional associations.
Kären Mason, curator at the Iowa Women’s Archives, discusses her passion for women’s collections, the role of women’s archives in contemporary archival practice, and SAA's 2018 One Book, One Profession selection, Perspectives on Women’s Archives.