Fall Meeting 1996: Program
"Facing the Future: Managing Archives in the 21st Century"
October 25-26, 1996, University Library, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
On Saturday October 26, 1996 archivists from across New England will be invited to the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI to "face the future." The challenge is central to the New England Archivists fall meeting, the theme of which is: "Facing the Future: Managing Archives in the 21st Century". The program will emphasize strategies for career management, dealing with change, and the human resource aspects of the profession.
Susan Fox, Executive Director of the Society of American Archivists, will open the meeting as keynote speaker. Concurrent focus sessions, lasting an hour, will follow the address. These sessions will provide participants with informal presentations and discussion on such topics as: managing volunteers and interns; mentoring; budgets preparation for archivists; and self-management techniques.
Following lunch, there will be four more formal panel presentations. These will delve into such management issues as: the career paths of archivists; the management of archival reference programs; archival administration in a climate of change; and management issues surrounding the adoption of new information technologies.
Saturday, October 26, 1996
"Facing the Future: Managing Archives in the 21st
Century"
9:00-10:00 Registration and coffee
10:00-11:00 Keynote Address: Susan E. Fox, Executive Director of the Society of American Archivists
11:15-12:15 Morning Concurrent Focus Sessions
1) Managing Volunteers and Interns
In an era of reduced budgets and downsized staffs, the use of volunteers and interns in archival repositories is becoming increasingly frequent. How do you manage these staff members? What problems confront supervisors when dealing with unpaid workers? And what solutions promise success? Two speakers with experience in managing volunteers and interns will present their ideas. Their remarks will be followed by a lively discussion of the issues raised.
Presenters: Polly Darnell, Shelburne
Museum
Barbara Austen, Fairfield Historical
Society
2) "Help! I need somebody... (not just anybody)": A Discussion on the Importance of the Archivist as Mentor
There has been much coverage of the Society of American Archivists' mentoring program. This program should enhance the considerable informal mentoring that goes on in New England and elsewhere. These panelists will highlight the importance of mentoring relationships at all phases of an archivist's career by discussing their informal mentor/mentee relationships.
Panelists: Brenda Lawson, Massachusetts
Historical Society
Jennifer Tolpa, Massachusetts Historical Society
Discussion Leader: Megan Sniffin-Marinoff, Simmons College, Graduate School of Library and Information Science
3) A Budget Primer for Archivists
To many archivists, budget preparation is a necessary evil. This session will provide archivists with strategies to make the budget process work for them. Achieving goals, supporting staff, and obtaining proper backing for the repository itself are all contingent on good budget planning. The presenter will discuss budget theory, provide participants with sample forms, and introduce available computer software applications.
Presenter:George Comtois, Lexington (MA)
Historical Society
Moderator: Helen Engle, NARA, New England
Region
4) Beyond the Juggling Act: Successful Self-Management for Archivists
Whether you work alone or as part of a team, you may find yourself functioning as a processing archivist, records manager, grants writer, historian, exhibit designer, reference archivist, receptionist, conservator, museum curator, secretary -- and sometimes, it seems, all at the same time. How you manage your time and energies can be integral to your success as an archivist. This session will focus on a variety of self-management techniques, among them: setting goals and accomplishing them, setting priorities, and keeping your sanity. Bring your experiences, ideas, questions, and concerns.
Presenter: Nora Murphy, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
12:30-1:45 Lunch - University Club
Welcoming remarks James Langevin, Secretary of State, Rhode Island
2:00-4:00 Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
5) The Life Cycle of the Archivist
The goal of this session is to initiate discussion among archivists on defining and advancing their careers in relation to their personal lives and values. Some of the questions raised during this session should include: Do archivists have career tracks? Are higher salaries for other types of work tempting archivists to leave the profession? What role do archivists play in helping archivists to make career decisions? Are there professional roles for archivists after retirement?
Emphasis\Presenters:
- "The Young Professional"
- Peter Nelson, Thomas Jefferson University Archives
- "The Mid-Career Archivist"
- Leith Johnson, Wesleyan Cinema Archives
- "The Repository Manager Responsible for Mentoring and Staff Development"
- Daria D'Arienzo, Amherst College Archives
- "The Senior Archivist Approaching Retirement"
- John Kendall, Provincial Archives and Record Office, Prince Edward Island
Chair: Hal Keiner, CIGNA Companies
6) Managing a Research and Reference Program: Redefining Service
Reference service requires more skill than simply identifying a source for the patron. Four archivists examine aspects of managing the range of activities surrounding the reference interaction: setting and managing the reference environment; developing automated tools to respond to reference correspondence; adapting inherited reference tools; and serving the organization's information needs. Ample time is set aside for discussion of effective reference management.
Emphasis\Presenters:
- "Small Town Smithsonians: Managing Resources and Services at the Local Historical Society"
- Kim King Zea, Norwich (VT) Historical Society.
- "Riding Out the Apocalypse: Technology, Management Philosophy, and Reference Implications of Corporate Efficiency"
- Paul Lasewicz, Aetna, Inc.
- "Managing the Reference Environment: Standards and Priorities"
- Anne Ostendarp, Dartmouth College.
- "An Automated System for Answering Reference Correspondence"
- Helen Engle, NARA, New England Region
Chair: Anne Ostendarp
7) Archival Administration in Times of Change
In these times of budgetary constraint, archives have not been immune to downsizing, administrative restructuring, and significant managerial change. Three archivists, including two who have survived downsizing, will discuss the impact of change and offer thoughts about the skills, tactics, and mindset needed to survive the evolutionary process.
Emphasis\Presenters:
- "Several Degrees of Separation: Five Years into Downsizing"
- Margery Sly, Smith College
- "Strategies for Survival: Preserving Archival Programs Amid Institutional Change"
- Joseph Carvalho, Springfield (MA) Library and Museums
- "Keeping Ahead of the Curve: A Toolkit for Survival"
- Julie Bressor, Norwich University
8) Ready or Not...Management Issues and the New Technologies
Archivists have immersed themselves in the technological aspects of electronic records, digitization, and web technology. At the same time, the excitement over these new technologies often overshadows very real managerial concerns. The panelists will discuss the short- and long-term impact that these technological advances will have on archival planning, decision-making, budgets, personnel, training, and communication.
Emphasis\Presenters:
- "Electronic Records: Strategic and Practical Approaches"
- Jim Henderson, Maine State Archives
- "Whither Microfilm? What Every Archivist Needs to Know Before 'Going Digital'"
- Shawn Diaz, Northeast Document Conservation Center
- "Don't Confuse Me With the Facts...We're Going to Establish a Web Site"
- Tom House, University of New Hampshire
Chair: Bill Ross, University of New Hampshire
4:00-6:00 Reception - Library
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