Developing an Archives: Embracing the Messiness of the Real World

Are you responsible for a storage room full of disorganized materials, or are you uncertain about what archival materials are on your shelves? The prospect of organizing and developing your archive can be daunting. If the process is divided into simple tasks, the process becomes much easier to manage. Where does one begin?

This Archives and Special Collections workshop will include a panel of three archivists from various institution types who will discuss how to assess and plan for the care and development of your archive. The conversation will apply to all sizes of collections, from a small storage cupboard to the contents of a large storeroom.  

This program will be recorded and added to the CARLI Archives and Special Collections Resource Page.

Speakers: 

Rebecca Fitzsimmons is a Special Collections Librarian at Illinois State University. She is the curator of the Children’s and Historical Textbooks Collection and works extensively with the Rare Books and Manuscripts collections. She provides instruction, reference, and collection development services, curates and designs digital and physical exhibits ranging from small to large installations, and engages in a variety of digital scholarship projects and initiatives in the library, with an eye to centering special collections and archival materials in this work. 

Ashley Howdeshell serves as the University Archivist at Northeastern Illinois University. In this role, she collects, preserves, and facilitates access to NEIU administrative records, special collections, and materials documenting campus and student life. Ashley also develops policies and procedures for the effective management of both digital and physical records and provides instruction on primary source research. She holds an MLS from Indiana University, specializing in Archives and Records Management. 

Meghan Ryan has worked with National Louis University’s Archives and Special Collections since 2014. Initially hired to re-establish the Archives program in the absence of an archivist, in 2018 she became full-time faculty and the Special Collections and Cataloging Librarian. Meghan manages the Archives and Special Collections, as well as catalogs library resources. She received her MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and previously worked on CARLI’s Preservation Committee from 2015-2021, and is currently serving on the Archives Task Force. 

Moderator: 

Elaine Page, Elmhurst University

Register to attend.

Sponsored by the CARLI Archives Task Force