Events

MARAC Virtual Archives Conference: Free for Students!!

Event Start Date: Monday, April 12, 2021 - 12:00 am

Event End Date: Friday, April 16, 2021 - 11:59 pm

Location: Virtual


MARAC Announces First-ever Virtual Conference April 12-16, 2021

MARAC ImageThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in our work lives over the past year. However, institutions large and small have taken these changes and created opportunities for innovation. It is in this spirit that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) announces its first online conference happening in April 2021.

After cancelling three in-person meetings, MARAC will now present an online conference experience during the week of April 12-16. We aim to draw participants not only from the MARAC region, but also nationwide and internationally. A virtual format allows us to reach far outside our borders, and we know that there will be sessions and information of interest to a wide audience. Non-MARAC members are encouraged to join us.

Changing from our customary two-day conference format, the Programming and Local Arrangements committees have spread the meeting out over five half days, two taking place in the morning and three in the afternoon (Eastern Standard Time). We hope this will make sessions available to the greatest possible number of colleagues, accommodating a variety of work schedules, caregiving situations, and the ever-present risk of “Zoom fatigue.”

The theme of the Conference is “Suffrage Legacies: Civil Rights, Political Activism, and Archives.” This program is based on the Spring 2020 Harrisonburg meeting, which was MARAC’s first conference cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 marked significant anniversaries of both the 15th (1870) and 19th (1920) Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These amendments profoundly influenced individual voting rights, while leaving much unfinished civil rights and social justice work to be accomplished, continuing today. Sessions at this conference reflect the fact that many archival and cultural institutions commemorated these anniversaries in 2020, made accessible records related to voting rights and civil rights activism, and highlighted collections documenting American politics and society in this presidential election year.

Sandra Treadway, the Librarian of Virginia will present the plenary address. Also featured will be a live episode of An Archivist’s Tale podcast, hosted by MARAC members Geof Huth and Karen Trivette. They will interview Kelly Wooten, Reference Librarian at the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke University. Whatever your interests or experience level, these sessions are designed to help enhance your career, inspire your daily work, and deliver insights for positive change.

Registration for this conference opens today. Registration fees are incredibly affordable, with costs for MARAC members starting as low as $5.00. For program and online registration, please visit the conference website: https://www.marac.info.

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