The 2007 SAA Meeting
The 71st annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists will be held August 28 through September 1, 2007 in Chicago USA. The Program Committee has selected a variety of sessions that cover the spectrum of archival activities. This year’s annual meeting will provide many opportunities to share information and ideas with archival colleagues.
There will be sessions on copyright litigation and legislation as well as appraisal and its relationship to archival processing. For those interested in technology and electronic records, the annual meeting will offer a wealth of sessions. You can learn about using open-source software in your repository, developing digital projects, and merging archival information onto organizational online public access catalogs (OPACs). And representatives of the US’s Council of State Archives will describe how the project team is exploring ways to provide better access to local government records.
There will also be sessions on: ways in which to authenticate electronic records and the best methods for providing access to born digital records; the use of databases instead of finding aids to manage archival collections; and an update on the important Archivist Tool Kit project, including the results of the first round of usability testing and next steps.
If you are intrigued by work with collections that may be out of the mainstream, you will want to check out the session on dealing with sexually explicit collections…or the one on the roles that archives and archivists should play in social justice work…or the one on how to deal with human rights collections that contain sensitive or controversial materials.
Outreach is a critical topic for most of us, and there will be several sessions that deal with various aspects of outreach, including the role of newer technologies (such as blogs and wikis) in outreach. And for those interested in how legislative and regulatory frameworks shape how archivists do their jobs, there will be a program on privacy laws and regulations.
Many archivists look for information about how to become an effective leader and how to continue to grow and develop within the profession. Several sessions will help inform that exploration. Presentations will focus on the best ways in which to obtain leadership skills, using distance education, the role of archivists in our ever-changing society, and how women can become leaders within the archival community.
Continuing our dialogue with records managers, SAA President Elizabeth Adkins will co-host a session with ARMA President Susan McKinney to discuss how our professions and organizations might enhance collaboration – to the benefit of all of us.
In addition to the rich program offerings, the annual meeting Host Committee has planned many repository tours and special events to enhance your conference experience. Chicago is the home of the SAA staff offices and the city is also well known for its world-class architecture, cultural institutions, food, music and much more.
To see the preliminary program and for Registration information, go to
www.archivists.org