Memories of the Nuclear Age: An International Conference
November 18-20, 2015
Rice Campus and the Texas Medical Center Library
See website for more details

Archives Roundtable Meetup (KAKEN and AHA members only)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Texas Medical Center Library’s Historical Research Center (HRC)
8272 El Rio, Suite 190
6:00-8:00 pm

The Conference
The Texas Medical Center Library’s McGovern Historical Center, along with Rice University’s Humanities Research Center and School of Humanities and the KAKEN group of Japan, is presenting a conference titled “Archiving Nuclear Memories.”

Archivists and historians from Japan will join with colleagues, faculty and staff from Rice, the TMC, and the general public to learn about the challenges of preserving and sharing information related to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Japan.

The Meetup
AHA members have an opportunity to eat and visit and talk about future collaborations or learn about best practices on both sides of the Pacific. During this informal meeting, KAKEN members can talk about their history and archive projects and learn about Houston archives. (Some food will be provided).

Currently, two archivists are scheduled to attend:
Akiko Kubota: a Gakushuin University graduate student, who can talk briefly on the topic of Atomic Bomb archives from the viewpoint of Science History

Maki Hirose: a Gakushuin University doctoroal student, who can talk about conservation and preservation of archives relating ot the War in Japan.

Please join us in welcoming our Japanese colleagues to Houston!

I am disappointed to announce that we have had to cancel our tour of Olivewood Cemetery again… The weather will just not cooperate with us!  Because we are heading into the holiday season, we are not going to try to reschedule at this time, but look forward to an opportunity to tour the cemetery in the spring sometime.

If you would like to support the Descendants of Olivewood organization that maintains the cemetery, you can send your donations to PO Box #70644, Houston, TX 77270.

If you have some free time and feel like volunteering, the group is also looking for some direction with their archival material.

You can reach the Descendants’ voicemail box at (713) 396-0640.  They have been so gracious in trying to work with our organization and were very excited to connect with us.

Explore Your Archives is a joint campaign run by The National Archives of the United Kingdom and the Archives and Records Association, UK & Ireland. Similar to American Archives Month, Explore Your Archives seeks to promote the preservation of our cultural heritage and raise awareness of archives as a unique community resource.

As part of Explore Your Archives, on Monday, November 16, 2015, archives across the globe are being asked to join the #ExploreArchives Thunderclap, simultaneously promoting archives through social media in a virtual flashmob.

In addition to the Thunderclap, November 16-20, 2015, will feature various themes for archives to showcase some of their interesting and unique items through social media.

Engaged Scholarship and Knowledge Communities in the Age of the Web

Jon Voss
Thursday, November 5, 2015
4:00pm in Sewall Hall 309, Rice University
(A reception will follow; no need to RSVP)
See attached flyer for parking information, a campus map, and more information on the event.

“The World Wide Web has changed how we work together in the world, and our social
institutions are still in the early days of transition. Through a project like Historypin and several
others, we explore what the future may hold for memory institutions in the Age of the Web.”

Jon Voss is a leader in the Linked Open Data in Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LODLAM) community and is Strategic Partnerships Director at ShiftDesign, where he helps lead Historypin (a nifty platform for locating historical images on an interactive map). On top of that, he’s an engaging, animated speaker, and he’ll be speaking on a topic directly relevant to libraries / archives.

ALSO! In addition to the talk, you’re also invited to attend a hands-on workshop on Historypin on Friday, 11/6 from 12-1:30ish in the Fondren Library Collaboration Space, at Rice University.

Please let Dr. Lisa Spiro know if you plan to come to the workshop by emailing her at lspiro@rice.edu.

Position Description: The Rothko Chapel seeks a trained archivist or librarian to volunteer in the Rothko Chapel archives. The Rothko Chapel Archives currently amount to over 400,000 items stored in archival quality boxes and filing cabinets documenting the Chapel’s 44-year history. We are in need of support in the ongoing efforts to archive the currently daily activities of the Chapel, ensure that all past materials are stored properly and accessible, and assist with research requests.

Qualifications

• Trained Librarian or Archivist
• Flexible schedule and the ability to volunteer during workweek (Monday through Friday, between 9am and 5pm)
• Reliable transportation
• The ability to work independently with little to no supervision

About the Rothko Chapel: The Rothko Chapel, founded by Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil, was dedicated in 1971 as an intimate sanctuary available to people of every belief. A tranquil meditative environment inspired by the mural canvases of Russian born American painter Mark Rothko (1903-1970), the Chapel welcomes over 70,000 visitors each year, people of every faith and from all parts of the world. On the plaza, Barnett Newman’s majestic sculpture, Broken Obelisk, stands in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rothko Chapel is an independent institution, a sacred place open to all people, every day, whose mission is to inspire action through art and contemplation, nurture reverence for the highest aspirations of humanity, and provide a forum to address global issues of worldwide concern. www.rothkochapel.org

Responsibilities may include:

• Assist contracted archivist in the organization of the archives
• Assist in the preparation of a finding aid by inputting all contents into Filemaker Pro software
• Process incoming and backlogged collections by accessioning them into the main collection
• Organizing archival materials
• Re-housing documents in acid-free folders and containers
• Assist on-site researchers at the Rothko Chapel Archive by explaining archival policy:
  • Identifying and retrieving research materials
  • Photocopying documents
  • Monitoring the researcher
• Correspond with researchers, search for the materials, and produce required reproductions
• Digitizing the collection (some can be done in-house, others will have to be sent out)
• Lift boxes of no more than 50 lbs

For more information or to submit your interest, please contact Ashley Clemmer Hoffman at Ashley@rothkochapel.org

This is an invitation to participate in a study entitled “Software Preservation for Cultural Heritage.” Our research is part of an IMLS-funded project to establish a Software Preservation Network. With this study, we want to better understand cultural heritage practices/experiences surrounding long-term preservation and access to digital primary resources stored in proprietary file formats.

While the cultural heritage community has developed tools and workflows for bitstream preservation, the community lacks empirical data regarding the experiences and efforts of cultural heritage repositories to access material stored in proprietary file formats during appraisal, accessioning, description, and reference activities.

As part of this survey, you will also be invited to opt-in for a follow-up semi-structured interview regarding proprietary software challenges. Anonymized data from the study will be made available to the profession and software rights holders, along with analysis of current trends and possibilities for future research.

Take the survey (roughly 20 minutes): https://utexas.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eJr7lm1aCaC4McJ

Questions? Contact:

Jessica Meyerson
j.meyerson@austin.utexas.edu
Digital Archivist
Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

Zach Vowell
zvowell@calpoly.edu
Digital Archivist
Robert E. Kennedy Library
California Polytechnic State University

The report from the Regional Archival Associations Consortium (RAAC) meeting held at SAA this past August in Cleveland is now available.

The report contains plans from the subcommittee for the next few years on areas such as Disaster Planning, Advocacy, Awareness, Education, Grants, etc.

Many of these areas affect the work which we are doing locally through AHA! and regionally.  Please contact AHA! representative Emily Vinson with any questions you may have.

Meeting minutes: Regional Archival Associations Consortium report 10-2015