Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Archiving Appalachia: An exploratory discussion on the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee at ASA
Session Abstract or Summary
Appalachian special collections and archives are a critical component of Appalachian Studies research and are found at colleges, universities, public libraries, history associations, museums, and other places in the region. Since the disbanding of the Appalachian Consortium’s Regional Collections Committee in 2002 there has been no coordinated organization of Appalachian archives and special collections. Over the last several years a number a group of Appalachian archivists, special collections librarians, and research librarians have proposed the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee. This roundtable will gather together archivists, librarians, curators, and other interested participants for a discussion about forming this committee as part of ASA.
Such a committee could continue the work of the Special Collections committees that existed under the Appalachian Consortium. This could manifest itself in many ways, including publishing a newsletter or blog, updating the Consortium’s 1985 survey of Appalachian Collections, setting up a listserv or blog to share information with smaller repositories, promoting and raising awareness of Appalachian resources throughout ASA, and generally establishing a stronger presence for repositories, collections, archivists and librarians, and their work in Appalachian Studies and ASA. Additionally, the network could offer trainings, workshops, and other skill-sharing events to help community and activist groups document and preserve their own records.
Roundtable conveners will give a brief overview of the Appalachian Consortium’s past efforts in this area and propose a few ideas for an Appalachian Special Collections Committee at ASA. The focus of the session will be to solicit feedback and ideas.
Presentation #1 Title
Archiving Appalachia: An exploratory discussion on the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee at ASA
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Appalachian special collections and archives are a critical component of Appalachian Studies research and are found at colleges, universities, public libraries, history associations, museums, and other places in the region. Since the disbanding of the Appalachian Consortium’s Regional Collections Committee in 2002 there has been no coordinated organization of Appalachian archives and special collections. Over the last several years a number a group of Appalachian archivists, special collections librarians, and research librarians have proposed the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee. This roundtable will gather together archivists, librarians, curators, and other interested participants for a discussion about forming this committee as part of ASA.
Such a committee could continue the work of the Special Collections committees that existed under the Appalachian Consortium. This could manifest itself in many ways, including publishing a newsletter or blog, updating the Consortium’s 1985 survey of Appalachian Collections, setting up a listserv or blog to share information with smaller repositories, promoting and raising awareness of Appalachian resources throughout ASA, and generally establishing a stronger presence for repositories, collections, archivists and librarians, and their work in Appalachian Studies and ASA. Additionally, the network could offer trainings, workshops, and other skill-sharing events to help community and activist groups document and preserve their own records.
Roundtable conveners will give a brief overview of the Appalachian Consortium’s past efforts in this area and propose a few ideas for an Appalachian Special Collections Committee at ASA. The focus of the session will be to solicit feedback and ideas.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Elizabeth Skene is Special and Digital Collections Librarian and assistant professor at Western Carolina University where she is responsible for special collections, the institutional repository, digital preservation, data management, and digital collections. She holds an MSI from the University of Michigan School of Information. Prior to working at WCU, Skene was Curator of Collections at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, MI.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Gene Hyde is Head of Special Collections at UNC Ashville and previously served as Appalachian Collection Librarian at Radford University. He has an MA in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University and an MLIS from the University of Tennessee. He has managed Appalachian and Ozark special collections for over a decade and his research is on the history of Appalachian special collections in the context of Appalachian Studies.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Stewart Plein is the Curator of Rare Books, the Appalachian Collection, and Print Resources at the West Virginia and Regional History Center, the special collections unit at West Virginia University. She received her BA from Emory & Henry College and her MLIS from the University of South Carolina. Stewart’s research and publishing interests include book history, bookbinding design and Appalachian Studies, with a focus on stereotype on the covers of Appalachian local color literature.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Rachel Vagts is the Head of Special Collections and Archives at Berea College. She holds a master degree in Library and Information Studies with a concentration in Archival Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelors in history and political science from Gustavus Adolphus College. She held positions at the Wisconsin Historical Society, the University of Maryland, and Luther College before coming to Berea in 2013. Rachel has served as the director of the Archives Leadership Institute since 2013.
Conference Subthemes
Education
Archiving Appalachia: An exploratory discussion on the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee at ASA
Appalachian special collections and archives are a critical component of Appalachian Studies research and are found at colleges, universities, public libraries, history associations, museums, and other places in the region. Since the disbanding of the Appalachian Consortium’s Regional Collections Committee in 2002 there has been no coordinated organization of Appalachian archives and special collections. Over the last several years a number a group of Appalachian archivists, special collections librarians, and research librarians have proposed the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee. This roundtable will gather together archivists, librarians, curators, and other interested participants for a discussion about forming this committee as part of ASA.
Such a committee could continue the work of the Special Collections committees that existed under the Appalachian Consortium. This could manifest itself in many ways, including publishing a newsletter or blog, updating the Consortium’s 1985 survey of Appalachian Collections, setting up a listserv or blog to share information with smaller repositories, promoting and raising awareness of Appalachian resources throughout ASA, and generally establishing a stronger presence for repositories, collections, archivists and librarians, and their work in Appalachian Studies and ASA. Additionally, the network could offer trainings, workshops, and other skill-sharing events to help community and activist groups document and preserve their own records.
Roundtable conveners will give a brief overview of the Appalachian Consortium’s past efforts in this area and propose a few ideas for an Appalachian Special Collections Committee at ASA. The focus of the session will be to solicit feedback and ideas.
