Archives Task Force Meeting: April 1, 2024

Zoom / Conference Call

Members attending: Jeannette Bruno (City Colleges of Chicago), Pam Hackbart-Dean, chair (University of Illinois Chicago), Ashley Howdeshell (Northeastern Illinois University), Marcella Lees (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), Michelle Miller (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum), Meghan Ryan (National Louis University)

Members absent: Alex Altan (Prairie State College), Rebecca Fitzsimmons (Illinois State University), Elaine Fetyko Page (Elmhurst University) 

CARLI Staff attending: Elizabeth Clarage, Martin Kong, Sara Mercurio, Annie Serrano

Decisions

• March 4, 2024 minutes were approved.
• For the resources website, decision to keep links to resources labeled as “full text” and “Find in I-Share” instead of posting full URL.
• Decided that sub-blinds for the forms section of the resources website would be best for presentation and organization.
• The June 3, 2024 meeting has been changed to June 10, 2024.

Tasks Assigned

• Minutes taken by Ashley Howdeshell.
• Ashley Howdeshell will rename the form submissions to fit the convention of InstitutionName_FormType by April 5, 2024.
• Task Force will draft an article for the CARLI Newsletter announcing the Archives and Special Collections Resources website and have to CARLI Staff by April 17th if site can be fully launched in April.
• Pam Hackbart-Dean will draft the Task Force Annual Report and share with the group at the May 6, 2024 meeting.
• Task Force will re-read the charge and survey in order to think about topics for professional development workshops that would be best to offer first to members.
• Pam Hackbart-Dean will create a document for the Task Force to use for ideas for professional development workshops.

Announcements

• Member Announcements:
  • Ashley Howdeshell (Northeastern Illinois University): NEIU Libraries’ new Associate Dean, Nathan Putnam started this month.
  • Pam Hackbart-Dean (University of Illinois Chicago): The UIC Special Collections and Archives hope to be posting an Assistant Reference Archivist position soon.
• CARLI Announcements:
  • Article from the Preservation Committee by Bradley Wiles, Northern Illinois University and Bonnie Parr, Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum titled “Disaster Planning 101: Collections Specific Salvage” has tips on materials salvage that would also be relevant to archives.  
  • Soon to be announced- Burn Simulation and Recovery Workshop on May 9, 2024 at the UIUC campus. Participants will work with fire professionals to gain hands-on skills and knowledge. A controlled burn will take place to allow participants to see what materials physically look like after a fire and will do a hands-on recovery. No fee for attendees, two people per institution to start with depending on demand and this a rain or shine event.
  • Workshop: Getting Started with WorldShare Record Manager, Thursday, April 18, 2024 - 2:00pm-3:00pm  

Discussion

• Review draft of website  
  • Decision to keep links to resources labeled as “full text” and “Find in I-Share” instead of posting full URL.
  • There is an issue with the link to the Spanish version of the SAA Deeds of Gift, Pam Hackbart-Dean will attend to this.
  • The last entry in Digital Archives is a book by Samantha Winn and cannot be found in I-Share, should we link to the SAA bookstore?
  • For the Forms section of the website, it was decided that sub-blinds would be the best structure to prevent an endless scroll as more documents get added.
  • The website is technically live, but not linked on the CARLI website yet. As soon as the rest of the blinds are built it will most likely be linked from the Collection Management page.
  • If the website can be fully live in April, the Task Force will draft an article for the CARLI Newsletter announcing the Archives and Special Collections Resources website and have to CARLI Staff by April 17th.
  • If the website can be fully live in April, there will also be another call for forms from CARLI members.
• Will CARLI Task Force continue?
  • Yes, the Task Force will continue. This was confirmed at the last Board meeting.
• Professional Development training (continuing education)
  • In any areas the Task Force identifies as a need for professional development, the CARLI membership should be asked to see if any members can do a 40-60 workshop via Zoom on the topic.
  • David Joens, Director of the Illinois State Archives has offered that the State Preservation Librarian could do a free workshop/webinar on a preservation topic for CARLI.
  • Discussion about if that would conflict with the work of the CARLI Preservation Committee. Solution would be to ask the Preservation Committee to co-host the workshop/webinar done by the State Preservation Librarian.
  • Discussion about whether to have the workshops in-person or as a webinar. The benefit of a webinar is they are free to attend, can be recorded, and do not require a travel funds. In-person workshops are great for networking and developing hands-on skills. CARLI is still working through budget changes and how best to support continuing education, but know that CARLI may ask for in-person attendees to pay for the lunch. As far as lead times for each option, ideally announcements for a webinar should be at least 4 weeks in advance and 6-8 weeks for an in-person workshop.
  • Discussion about potential workshop topics. Where should we begin? Core concepts, selection, appraisal, and an introduction to archives seem like essential starting points. What should be the order of these workshops? Which would be most beneficial to start with? How should we approach these presentations? We could have a super introductory level and a secondary level, catering to both very beginner and intermediate levels (including topics like boxes and environment). Would it be beneficial for participants to have a grasp of the terminology before delving into administrative issues?
  • Task Force will brainstorm potential topics for these workshops.
• How to share information about different topics (beyond webpage)
  • What other avenues besides the website should the Task Force explore for members just starting out in Archives?
  • One idea, open houses. This could be an all-day event were members visit two or three archives followed by a lunch. This could be done by or in conjunction with the Continuing Education Committee.
  • Similar to the Preservation Committee’s Preservation Tips, a site could be created that features articles written by members about certain topics in archives and special collections and/or project they have completed.

Next Meeting Dates and Deadlines

The Archives Task Force will meet next on Monday, May 6, 2024, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.

Task Force Meetings:
May 6, 2024: Minutes taker – Jeannette Bruno
June 10, 2024: Minutes taker – to be determined

Deadlines:
May 31, 2024: Task Force Annual Report