Effective archives and records management are of paramount importance in the realm of grant management records.
Establishing an archives involves answering a pivotal question: “What do we save?” This query forms the basis for decisions regarding the repository’s organization, storage, conservation, and access.
University archives are indispensable in stewarding and preserving historical records.
These materials are related to the seven core functions outlined in Helen Willa Samuels’ seminal work, Varsity Letters: Documenting Modern Colleges and Universities.
University archives are indispensable in preserving academic institutional history, achievements, and cultural legacy.
These archives encompass a variety of materials, from administrative documents and correspondence to publications, photographs, and digital records.
At the heart of socially astute archivists lies emotional intelligence, encompassing the understanding and regulation of emotions while also empathizing with the feelings of others. Developing emotional intelligence empowers archivists to forge meaningful connections with team members, stakeholders, and researchers. By discerning their needs, concerns, and motivations, they establish a positive and collaborative workspace that amplifies productivity and teamwork.
In your collections, you will often come across photographs in a format that you cannot identify. These are primarily early photographs. By understanding the type of photograph you have, you can begin to learn when or why it was taken. Knowing the format is also helpful in finding out the best way to preserve the images.
A zine (short for magazine or fanzine) is a small-circulation, self-published work. Zines come in a variety of styles: photocopied, printed on cheap paper, or professionally printed. They could and were about any topic imaginable. My favorites were the punk and true crime-related ones. Extreme Noise in Minneapolis had a free zine bin that I happily dig through every time I visited and I'd leave with the most interesting ones. Zines were particularly popular in the mid- to late-1990s, and were later replaced by blogs and social media.
Families gather together to celebrate the Festival of Lights because it brings warmth, hope, and coziness to our lives. Hanukkah is traditionally celebrated by lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and eating foods like latkes, or potato pancakes. Chocolate gelt, a candy that gets its name from the Yiddish word for money, is another popular treat.
As Thanksgiving and the holidays approach, I wanted to create a 40-question guide that could capture these special food-related memories. I crafted a list of questions to record as much information about a favorite family recipe as possible. As you gather together over a meal, take a moment to ask about the nuances of your favorite dishes.
One of the most common questions I receive from people learning how to create their family archives is what supplies to buy. I've curated a collection of the best, most affordable, and most useful archival products that every home archivist should invest in.
I was recently interviewed on the Genealogy Happy Hour podcast about my book, Creating Family Archives: A Step-by-Step Guide for Saving Your Memories for Future Generations. Considering that I just got back from a red eye flight from Portland, Oregon for the annual conference of the Society of American Archivists, I think I did pretty good!
Whether written, spoken into a voice recorder, or recounted to the lens of a video camera, your stories are awaited by the most appreciative audience of all—your family. Far into the future, your family will read your words or listen to your voice and be grateful you took this time to put this gift together for them.
