What:

Veterans History Project Open House & Mixer – SAA 2010

The nation’s largest oral history project, the Veterans History Project holds 70,000 first-hand accounts of veterans from World War I through Iraq and Afghanistan.  Created by Congress in 2000, VHP resides within the Library’s American Folklife Center, and works with folklorists, community organizations, Members of Congress and volunteers across the country to collect the oral histories, letters, photographs, artwork, and home movie footage of veterans. Hundreds of collections arrive each month.

As part of our tenth anniversary, VHP invites SAA attendees to join us for an Open House at our Information Center in the Library of Congress Madison Building. View collections, learn about our project, meet members of our processing and collections development teams, and watch excerpts of oral history.

Following the Open House, join VHP and the SAA Oral History Section for a happy hour mixer at Capitol Lounge, a Capitol Hill fixture.

Interested participants are also encouraged to register for a tour of the American Folklife Center at either 3 or 4 p.m. in the Library’s Jefferson building.

Where:

Library of Congress

James Madison Memorial Building

Room 109

101 Independence Ave. SE

Washington, D.C. 20540-4615

When:  

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

3:30 – 5:00 p.m., Open House (Library of Congress Madison Building #109)

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Mixer (Capitol Lounge, on Capitol Hill)

Contact:

http://www.loc.gov/vets

vohp@loc.gov

(202) 707-4916 or (888) 371-5848

Directions:

http://www.loc.gov/visit/directions.html

http://www.capitolloungedc.com/location

ARCHIVES: Keeping the Goods
February 2nd, Tuesday, 3:00pm, Martin E. Segal Theatre
Who keeps the papers safe? How are they kept? And does it make any difference where? For without the collected debris of a life, without the voice of a sister or a wife on the tape or digital recording device, what can a biographer know? The answer of course may be a great deal, but let’s talk to those people who take it as their art to keep safely whatever is in their care. Moderated by Nancy Milford, Founding Director Emerita of the Biography Center, and featuring William L. Joyce, the Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair at Pennsylvania State University; Stephen Enniss, Eric Weinmann Librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington; and Allan Goodrich, the Direction of Archives and Head of the Audio/Visual Division at the JFK Presidential Library, Boston.
Sponsored by the Leon Levy Center for Biography.

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

Change and Continuity

A Conference for Students and Beginning Professionals on Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections

FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University’s student chapter of the Society of American Archivists is proud to announce our second conference for students and beginning professionals, to be held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Lilly Library in Bloomington, Indiana.

If you are a student in a library science, archives, or rare books program or have entered the profession within the previous three years, we invite you to submit your papers on topics related to archives, rare books, or special collections for presentation at the conference. In addition to paper sessions, the day-long conference will include a workshop and a tour of the Lilly Library, Indiana University’s rare books and manuscripts library.

Each paper session will be just under an hour and will include two presenters. Each presenter will have approximately 20 to 25 minutes to speak, and the session will conclude with a ten to fifteen minute period for questions and answers.

To be considered as a presenter, please submit your paper (or, if your paper is not yet complete, an abstract of 150 to 200 words and a working title) to iusaaconference@gmail.com by Monday, February 1, 2010. Along with your paper or abstract, please include your name, email address, institutional affiliation, and any audio/visual needs you may have.

The papers will be discussed and voted on in a blind judging process and you will receive an acceptance or rejection by February 8, 2010.

If your paper is accepted, you will be sent a more detailed registration form. At this time, you will also be asked to submit a registration fee of $15 to cover your breakfast and lunch. More details about meals, accommodations available in Bloomington, etc. will also be provided at this time.

For more information on our previous conference, please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~saarchiv/gradconference.html, and feel free to send any questions you may have to iusaaconference@gmail.com.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Sincerely,

The Conference Committee

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

CALL FOR SCHOLARSHIP NOMINATIONS

SAA seeks nominations for the Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award no later than February 28, 2010.

Purpose and Criteria for Selection:

Established in 1993, this award recognizes and acknowledges minority undergraduate and graduate students, such as those of African, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino or Native American descent, who, through scholastic and personal achievement, manifest an interest in becoming professional archivists and active members of the Society of American Archivists. This award supports the Society of American Archivists/Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable objectives of:

1. identifying minority students enrolled in postsecondary educational institutions;

2. encouraging minority students to consider careers in the archival profession; and

3. promoting increased minority participation in SAA by exposing minority students to the experience of attending national meetings and encouraging them to join and remain members of the organization.

Eligibility:

Awarded to minority students, with preference given to full-time students possessing a minimum scholastic grade point average of 3.5 while enrolled in a graduate program focusing on archival management during the academic year preceding the date on which the award is given.

Sponsor and Funding:

The Society of American Archivists/Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable, in honor of archival pioneer Harold T. Pinkett, the first African American to be appointed an archivist at the National Archives, where he served for more than 35 years as a specialist in agricultural archives, senior records appraiser, and chief archivist of the Natural Resources Records Branch. An SAA Fellow, he served as editor of The American Archivist from 1968 to 1971.

Prize:

Full complimentary registration to the 73rd SAA Annual Meeting and related expenses for hotel and travel for attending the SAA Annual Meeting. This year’s SAA Annual Meeting will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC from August 10-15, 2010.

Nomination Forms:

Available at: http://www.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-pinkett.asp

Application Deadline:

Nominations will be considered only if all materials and other supporting documents are postmarked by the deadline, Saturday, February 28, 2010. Completed applications and supporting documents should be submitted to the Award Committee at:

Society of American Archivists

ATTN: Awards/Scholarships

17 North State Street, Suite 1425

Chicago, Illinois 60602-3315 USA

Electronic submissions are also acceptable and should be sent to saahq@archivists.org. Please indicate the name of the award or scholarship in the email subject line; use standard file applications such as Word, Excel, or Adobe; attachments should not to exceed 5MB

Rebekah Kim

Chair, Harold T. Pinkett Award Subcommittee

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

See below for an interesting upcoming conference at Yale.

http://digitalhumanities.yale.edu/pdp/

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

A friendly reminder for your students about the upcoming deadline for proposals for the Student Papers & Posters sessions, 2010:

Call for Student Proposals–Deadline January 22, 2010!

The 2010 Student Program Subcommittee is accepting proposals for two special sessions (papers, posters) dedicated to student scholarship at ARCHIVES*RECORDS: DC 2010, the Joint Meeting of CoSA, NAGARA, and SAA in Washington, D.C., August 10–15. Work from both Master’s and PhD students will be considered. Deadline is Friday, January 22, 2010.

See full details at http://www.archivists.org/conference/dc2010/AM10-call-students.asp

Best, Deb Torres, member 1010, SAA Student Program Subcommittee

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

Change and Continuity

A Conference for Students and Beginning Professionals on Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University’s student chapter of the Society of American Archivists is proud to announce our second conference for students and beginning professionals, to be held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Lilly Library in Bloomington, Indiana.

If you are a student in a library science, archives, or rare books program or have entered the profession within the previous three years, we invite you to submit your papers on topics related to archives, rare books, or special collections for presentation at the conference. In addition to paper sessions, the day-long conference will include workshops and a tour of the Lilly Library, Indiana University’s rare books and manuscripts library.

Each paper session will be just under an hour and will include two presenters. Each presenter will have approximately 20 to 25 minutes to speak, and the session will conclude with a ten to fifteen minute period for questions and answers.

To be considered as a presenter, please submit your paper (or, if your paper is not yet complete, an abstract of 150 to 200 words and a working title) to iusaaconference@gmail.com by Friday, January 1, 2010. Along with your paper or abstract, please include your name, email address, institutional affiliation, and any audio/visual needs you may have.

The papers will be discussed and voted on in a blind judging process and you will receive an acceptance or rejection by the middle of January. If you have only submitted an abstract, your acceptance will be conditional. You will be required to submit the completed paper by mid-February to have your acceptance finalized.

If your paper is accepted, you will be sent a more detailed registration form. At this time, you will also be asked to submit a registration fee of $15 to cover your breakfast and lunch. More details about meals, accommodations available in Bloomington, etc. will also be provided at this time.

For more information on our previous conference, please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~saarchiv/gradconference.html, and feel free to send any questions you may have to iusaaconference@gmail.com.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Sincerely,

The Conference Committee

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

Re-Membering LOISAIDA:
A conference to member-in the cultural vitality and consequences of the Puerto Rican sector of the Lower East Side into the Downtown scene, past and present.

November 18th and 20th @ Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center,
107 Suffolk Street, 6pm

Free

Closing reception @ O.P. ART studios
(3rd floor CSV Center) Nov 20 | 8:30pm

The Centro Library and Archives at Hunter College holds the archives of several important writers and artists, notably, Clemente Soto Vélez, Pedro Pietri, Marlis Momber and Ed Vega, whose works reflect a supplemental narrative of `Loisaida’ to the ethos of the Lower East Side. This event will gather archivists, scholars, photographers, artists and activists who produce scholarship on the history and contributions of Puerto Ricans and Latinos to the revitalization of the Lower East Side, and will integrate connoisseurship with the relevance of the Centro’s collection. This conference falls within the activities celebrating the centennial of poet and community activist Clemente Soto Vélez.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18th, 6:00 pm
On Archiving and `Lure of the Retro Lens’: the technique and transaction to assemble the present through organizing the past. Historians and cultural critics discuss issues of institutional politics, material culture, artist community affiliations, different types of cultural belongings, and the shadow and situational sphere of peripheral players to the art-world canon.

Panelists:
Gregory Sholette- Artist/writer/founding member of REPOhistory, Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Queens College, CUNY.
Urayoán Noel- Poet/ critic/co-founder of `Spanic Attack/Assistant Professor of English, University at Albany, SUNY.
Marvin J. Taylor- Founder of the Downtown New York Collection, Director of the Fales Library and Special Collections at NYU.
Mario H. Ramirez- Project Archivist at Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College.
Carolina Gonzalez- Author, journalist.
Alfredo Irizarry- Former artistic director of El Teatro Ambulante and founder of The Quality of Life Magazine in Loisaida.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th, 6:00 pm
Visualizing Loisaida: The panel will compare instances of local cultural practices within the phenomena of cultural appropriation that leads to the re-invention of place identity. Insiders, poets and documenters of everyday life from the 1970′s forward, will trace and re-present the Puerto Rican sway in the Loisaida scene.

Round Table:
Luis Aponte-Parés- Architect/urban planner/ Director of Latino Studies at CPCS, UMASS Boston
Ed Morales- Author/journalist/documentary filmmaker
Alan W. Moore-Independent Scholar, member of Colab, co-founder ABC No Rio

Panelists:
Edwin Torres- Poet/Performer
Marlise Momber- Photographer
María Dominquez-Muralist/visual artist
Clayton Patterson- Artist/documentarian.

CURATED/CHAIRED BY: Libertad O.Guerra and Yasmin Ramirez.

Sponsored by New York City Council Member Rosie Méndez and the Clemente Soto-Vélez Cultural Center. [category Public]

Peter J. Wosh
Director, Archives/Public History Program
History Department
New York University
53 Washington Square South
New York NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-8601
Fax: (212) 995-4017

http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.gradprog.archivespublichistory.html

A really interesting session on Encyclopedias in American Studies — yes, they are proliferating — took place on Sat. at the American Studies Association Conference in Washington, DC. The panelists were Miles Orvell (Encycl. of ASA), David Gerstner (Queer Encyc.), Simon Bronner (Encyl. of Am. Folklife), and moderator Cecelia Tichi. I found their comments on organizing knowledge a fascinating counterpoint to the way in which archives and museums gatekeep, update and arrange collections.

As you would expect, the panel reflected deep ambivalence about the authorizing implications of encyclopedic activities (jeez, Diderot never sweated that one), but nevertheless they went ahead and tried to represent both a picture of knowledge at the start of the 21st century and some of its dynamism.

The issue of making oneself conscious of priorities, theories of culture and everyday practices is one highly applicable to the field of public history. Good exhibitions and collecting policies thrive on this sort of self-scrutiny, and we can build on how others have gone through that process in assembling encyclopedias for the various fields. I use these sometimes to check on how our exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society, and sometimes collections interpretations dovetail with new work in the field.

I particularly appreciated how the panel noted that encyclopedias in the field differ from Wikipedia in many ways, but importantly in their determination to somehow address ideas and theory. Philosophy, epistemology and theory are customarily weak in Wikipedia entries but one needs to have that habit of mind to function well with the foundations of both archiving and public history.

For me, it was revealing to realize that encyclopedia editors are much like major collectors, assembling knowledge in a sampling that is meaningful, and reflects a taste and time. The problem of fixing knowledge at one point may be partially addressed by users such as ourselves realizing that these volumes are launching points for a dialogue about organizing knowledge.

A note on publishing: the most curious factoid to emerge from the panelists’ astute commentaries was that publishers have been having a vogue for reference works because markets for monographs have greatly diminished but library budgets for encyclopedias, etc. have remained strong. Thus these works have in all three cases above been commissioned by publishers for profit. Amusingly, Simon Bronner noted that publishers have inquired about mining his Encyclo. of Am. Folklife for its urban folklife to make a recombinate product assembled from the larger version for a niche market. Meanwhile, the Am. Studies Encyclopedia is dealing with the vicissitudes of commerce by having its contents now online under the control of the ASA, taking the product from commercial publishing to non-profit distribution and updating. (Joining ASA gives you entree to the every-expanding corpus of the Encyclopedia.).