CUA CHIM Forum Update: Call-For-Posters Submission Deadline Extended

The Department of Library and Information Science at the Catholic University of America will be hosting the Cultural Heritage Information Management Forum on June 5, 2015.  This year’s Forum will include a poster session.  Call-For-Posters: Cultural Heritage Information Management Forum at the Catholic University of America, posted on January 31, 2015, outlined the specifications for submitting poster proposals to the Forum Planning Committee.

Since the original press release, the CHIM Forum Planning Committee has elected to officially extend the poster proposal submission deadline to March 15, 2015.  All subsequent call-for-posters announcements and related information releases will reflect this change.  All other “important dates” related to the Forum and call-for-posters remain the same, including the March 23, 2015 notification of proposal acceptance.

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For more detailed information on submitting a proposal, please refer to the original blog post.  Those seeking further details about the CHIM Forum itself may refer to the event website.

As always, questions and concerns can be answered by contacting the CHIM Forum Planning Committee.

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Important Changes:  Deadline for poster proposal submissions has been changed from March 2, 2015 to March 15, 2015.

Check Out the Upcoming 7th Annual “Bridging the Spectrum Symposium”

No matter what sector of librarianship you happen to be in, you’re sure to gain valuable knowledge and useful insights at this year’s annual “Bridging the Spectrum” Symposium! The Symposium is coming up on Friday, February 20, so register now for:

• Keynote speaker Superintendent of Documents Mary Alice Baish’s update on the changes underway at the recently renamed Government Publications Office, and the future of government information.
• Panelists and speakers sharing experiences and insights from across the spectrum of librarianship, from School Library Media to Law Librarianship and more.
• Lunch and poster sessions that provide opportunities to catch up with old friends and make unexpected new connections.

As the National Capital region’s only regional symposium featuring diverse contributions from your local colleagues, and at an incredibly affordable $25, this is a “don’t miss” event!

For more information, visit the Symposium’s homepage. To register now, please visit the event registration portal.

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CUA Library and Information Science students are eligible to have their registration fee supported by AGLISS!  Simply register for the Symposium, using this form, by Friday, February the 6th, and you will be registered for free, courtesy of AGLISS.

Once you’ve requested the registration fee waiver, AGLISS will verify your current enrollment as a CUA LIS student and send you a confirmation message.

The Art of Navigating Conferences

Written by Justine Rothbart

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“You’ve been to a lot of archives conferences,” my fellow CUA CHIM cohort member said to me last weekend while attending the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) in Baltimore. Yes, she’s right. The conference last weekend was my third MARAC conference. I’ve also attended conferences for the Society of American Archivists and the American Alliance of Museums. Along the way, I’ve picked up some tips for how to navigate these conferences. I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t work. Becoming more accustomed to attending conferences gives me a greater understanding how to experience them to their fullest potential. So here’s a few of my tips for navigating these conferences:

(P.S. This not only applies to archives-related conferences, but it applies to any conference.)

1. Plan Ahead

I know our lives are very busy, but if you get the chance before you attend, print out the conference schedule. Download the app. Plan your schedule. For conferences that are smaller, such as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, I like to actually print out the conference schedule (if it’s not too many pages). Maybe I’m old fashioned, but there’s something satisfying with circling the sessions I plan to attend. For larger conferences, such as the Society of the American Archivists, download the app and select the sessions you plan to attend. Planning ahead gives you a greater idea of everything that is offered. By planning ahead, you probably won’t miss a session because you “didn’t know about it.” Planning is always done with a pencil and eraser. This means that you don’t have to stay committed to those sessions. Chances are, you’ll decide to attend different sessions on the actual day(s) of the conference. And that’s a good thing.

2. Tell Everyone

Tell everyone you will be attending this conference. How many times have I heard, “I didn’t know you were going to be here!” It’s great running into people at conferences you didn’t know were attending. However, sometimes  you might run into them at the end of the conference and you don’t have enough time to talk. It would have been nice to plan ahead so you can grab a cup of coffee with that person earlier in the conference. How do you tell people? Start by e-mailing your previous co-workers, supervisors, and other archives-related contacts. This will start a conversation if you haven’t “talked” in awhile. Even if that person can’t come, this will give you the chance to plan another time to meet. Also, spread the word on social media. Tell your friends you’re attending this conference via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. Tag the organization hosting the conference and add relevant hashtags. If it’s an archives-related conference, tell your archivist friends and also your non-archivist friends. You’d be surprised who might be interested that you’re attending. This summer at the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Conference in Washington, D.C., I posted to Facebook, “I am at SAA!” I immediately get a text from my non-archivist friend who saw my Facebook post. She asked if I will be going to the reception the next night at the Library of Congress. Of course I was attending, but I was kind of confused how she would know about it. It turned out, she was attending as someone’s guest! We ended up meeting at the reception the next day and had a great time! If you don’t have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or e-mail to spread the word, try sending smoke signals.

3. Be Spontaneous 

Even though you planned your schedule ahead of time, leave some room for spontaneous encounters. When the day(s) to attend the conference finally arrives, you might change your mind to attend a different session than you planned. That’s ok. You never know what you’ll stumble upon. Maybe you should grab a cup of coffee with a new person you just met at the conference instead of sticking to your previously planned schedule. Maybe you should spend an extra 30 minutes in the exhibit hall. Whatever it is, don’t be tied down with your previously planned schedule and have fun. In May at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in Seattle, fellow CUA CHIM cohort member, Kelsey Conway, and I ran into a fellow alumni from our undergraduate school (University of Mary Washington). We ditched our plans and spontaneously joined her for a lunch at the Seattle Public Library hosted by her Museum Studies program at the University of Washington. We didn’t plan to go to this event (because we didn’t know about it), but I’m glad we did! We ended up meeting other students in the program and listened to their poster presentations. Read more about the AAM conference in my blog post: A Latte of Museum Fun in Seattle.

4. Be Flexible 

This goes along with the whole spontaneity thing. Just remember, some things don’t always work out as planned. Maybe there are no seats available in the session you planned to attend. Be flexible, and go to a different session. Who knows, you might end up enjoying it. This summer when there was a major delay on the metro during the Society of American Archivists Conference in Washington, D.C., I had to remind myself, “Be flexible.” Maybe it’s meant to be this way. Because of the metro delay, I could not go to some sessions I planned to attend. I still had a great time! Check out my blog post about being flexible at the SAA Conference: Go with the Flow (Even if it’s hard for Archivists).

5. Get out of your comfort zone

You might be tempted to attend sessions where you know the subject really well. But one of the reasons to attend conferences is to learn something new, right? So try to pick at least one session where you know nothing about. Are you planning on attending all sessions relating to education? Mix it up a bit and attend a session about professional development. You never know what you might learn. Read about my experience of being out of my comfort zone at the Library of Congress National Book Festival: Geeking Out.

6. Socialize 

As you can tell by now, socializing is a high priority for me at conferences. Yes, it is important to learn new things and to attend the sessions, but it is also important to meet new people in your field and see old friends. So when you’re at a conference, try not to turn down a socializing event. Is there a reception? Great! Go to the reception and tell other people to attend too. Do you have some free time to kill before the next event? Great! Meet up with other people from the conference to talk in a more casual setting. At the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference last weekend, a group of us (from Catholic University and University of Maryland) decided to go to a restaurant (in a historic hotel, of course) while we had some time before the reception. This gave us the chance to meet new people and talk to classmates outside of class.

CUA “CHIMers” at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference reception at the Peabody Library in Baltimore. Left to Right: Justine Rothbart (me) and Kelsey Conway. October 17, 2014.

7. Think about the Future

What’s going to happen when you go home after the conference? What can you do to harness the momentum? While you’re at the conference, make connections with people who live in your geographic region. At the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), there are different regional caucuses. I am a member of the MARAC DC Caucus and get local updates through e-mail and Facebook about DC related archives topics and MARAC DC happy hours. At MARAC last weekend, I attended the DC Caucus session where we received updates and we able to put a face to the name. Also, share your experience! Tell people that you attended a conference. After the conference, post on your social media accounts or write a blog post. Writing a blog post (longer than 140 characters) about your experience, what you learned, and your thoughts about the conference gives a little more depth and perspective. It is also a good way for you to reflect on your own experience. By sharing your conference stories afterwards, you might encourage someone to attend the same conference in the future or make a connection with someone unexpectedly. After attending the MARAC conference last year in Philadelphia, I wrote this blog post: A is for Archives and Advocacy. A member of the Society of the American Archivists (SAA) Issues & Advocacy Roundtable was grateful I wrote a blog post about their session in Philadelphia and recommended I should write a blog post for the SAA blog! I wrote this blog post for the SAA Issues & Advocacy Roundtable blog called: Oh my gosh, this is so cool!

I hope these tips will help you when you attend your next conference. Whether it’s your first conference or your 50th, remember the most important tip of all: Have fun.

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Wondering which conferences to attend? Here’s a couple archives-related conferences you should check out:

Society of American Archivists

Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference 

 

Go with the Flow (Even if it’s hard for Archivists)

Written by Justine Rothbart

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I downloaded the app. I mapped out my day. I planned my schedule. When the day finally came to attend the Society of American Archivists conference, I was prepared. What I wasn’t prepared for was the announcement I heard while waiting on the metro platform, “We are experiencing residual delays from an earlier train malfunction at Farragut West. We regret your inconvenience. We thank you for your patience.”

Doesn’t WMATA know that the Society of American Archivists conference is in town? Don’t they know that I need to go to a session on crowdsourcing?!

Unfortunately, those of us from Washington, D.C. are too familiar with this announcement. We sometimes schedule time for metro delays. But I didn’t schedule time for a two hour commute from my home in Reston, Virginia to the conference. Alas, I did not make it to the crowdsourcing session. When the sessions were too crowded to find a seat, I just decided to wait until the next session.

While meandering through the hallway of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, upset that my dreams have been dashed by, yet again, another metro delay (too dramatic?), an unexpected surprise happened. I ran into people I did not expect to see! I ran into my previous supervisor, co-workers, professors, and classmates. That’s when I realized, conferences, like the Society of American Archivists Conference, are not just about attending all the sessions and learning so much new information until your head explodes. It’s about the unexpected surprises. It’s about the serendipitous encounters. It’s about the connections.

Catholic University graduate students at the Society of American Archivists Conference

I know as archivists, it’s difficult for us not to plan and for us not to organize. It’s our job to organize. But maybe we should plan for spontaneity. Maybe we should plan for those unexpected encounters. And who knows, you might even end up having more fun than you planned.

University of Mary Washington Alumni at the Library of Congress for the Society of American Archivists reception

 

Mark Your Calendars!

Written by Justine Rothbart

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It’s almost that time of year again! Back-to-School? Christmas? Nope. It’s almost time for the Library of Congress National Book Festival! This year the festival will be held on August 30th, 2014. It’s the first year to be held indoors at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. For more information on why you should go, check out my blog post from last year’s festival: Cupcakes are out. Archives are in. Last year I discovered new trends in archives (and maybe some fashion trends). Let’s see what we’ll discover this year!

What: Library of Congress National Book Festival

When: August 30, 2014

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C.

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For more information visit: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/ 

Passing by Remnants of the Past

Written by Justine Rothbart

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Since starting at Catholic University almost two years ago, I have seen many changes during my metro commute. I see the burgeoning development in NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) among remnants of the past. I see the new glass office buildings rising as the 1970s Greyhond Bus Terminal is being demolished. I wonder if this place will even be recognizable in five years. There are still a few icons that ground this area to it’s history. Some of these historic icons include Union Station’s “K” tower and Woodward & Lothrop Service Warehouse. But my favorite building I pass is actually one that is not the most beautiful one to look at. Some people might even call it an eye sore. But it is my favorite building because of the event that happened there fifty years ago. It is the site of The Beatles’ first concert in the United States.

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Just two days after their television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles performed their first US concert at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C. While riding the metro to class, I pass the crumbling brick facade of this building which is seeped in history. Through the concrete curved roof accented with graffiti, I can almost see the 8,000 screaming fans packed into the arena. I can almost hear The Beatles sing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” as I the metro speeds by.

As we remember this event fifty years later, we hear tales of the people who were there to witness the historic event. We hear about the previous owner of the Washington Coliseum and the historical society which recently acquired his scrapbook. We hear about other concerts that took place at the Washington Coliseum in 1964. And we hear about today’s re-enactment events inside the historic building.

Our collective memory is what makes the Washington Coliseum important. It’s the photographs and the oral histories. It’s the stories and the memories. Anniversaries like this one, shines light onto what happens to our history fifty years later. What happens to the buildings? What happens to the photographs? Where are the memories stored?

As cultural heritage information professionals we need to think of the whole picture. Let’s think of the photographs, the oral histories, and let’s even think of the brick and mortar. We need to blend historic preservation with archives. Preserving a building is preserving information.

So the next time you’re riding the metro to Catholic University, take a look outside the window. Through the noises of new buildings being constructed, you might be able to hear in the distance the voices of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

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While in jeopardy of demolition, the Washington Coliseum was added to D.C Preservation League’s “Most Endangered Places for 2003.” In 2007, the Washington Coliseum was added to the National Register of Historic Places. After being used as an indoor parking lot for several years, the Washington Coliseum will soon begin a $77 million renovation into retail and office space.

Click here to watch the documentary video “The Washington Coliseum – The Forgotten Landmark” created by the DC Preservation League.