This August, I’m attending the Society of American Archivists gathering to contribute to the Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force that is creating and or compiling material for ready accessibility by archivists who are facing a sudden tragedy.
I wrote about the lack of such materials in an essay earlier this year for Collaborative Librarianship, so I’m excited to contribute this hard and important work to make those resources available.
In April, I'll be part of two panels at the annual National Council on Public History conference in Las Vegas. These sessions will be recorded and made available online to serve as a resource for anyone in the community following the event.
THURSDAY, APRIL 19
8:30 am - 10:00am
Documenting Resilience: Condolence Collection Projects in the Wake of Violence
This session aims to provide insight and guidance to historians,
archivists and librarians who must develop responses to unanticipated
and unthinkable tragedies. Presenters will discuss research and
experiences with the condolence archives created in the wake of
violence at Virginia Tech, the University of California, Santa Barbara,
and in Las Vegas. Through the presentation of these case studies, we
will foster a discussion around essential questions and best practices
for those working with condolence artifacts and collections.
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Exhibiting Sorrow: Memorial Tributes to Victims andCommunity Healing in the Wake of Violence
This session aims to provide insight and guidance to historians,
archivists, and curators who are developing memorial exhibitions
paying tribute to lives lost in massacres and terrorist attacks.
Presenters will discuss research and experiences with curating
exhibitions related to the 9/11 terrorist attack; the Pulse Nightclub
shooting in Orlando, Florida; the rampage in Isla Vista, California;
the AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina; and
the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut.