2021 Conference

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11213/16718

Presentations and materials from "Power. Resistance. Leadership." the 61st Annual RBMS Conference, virtual, June 8-10, 2021.

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RBMS 2021 Virtual Conference Schedule
(2021-06)
This conference will critically examine the existing power structures that have shaped and continue to impact special collections and archives. The program will explore the power dynamics within our profession and the ways in which we experience, exert, and/or defy power. We are interested in stories of resistance, large and small, successful or not. The content will provide participants tools and strategies that will inspire and lead to transformative change. Please see conference core values.
Open Access
A Participatory Session in Ugly History: Exposing It, Confronting It, and Navigating the Experience
(2021-06-09) Schmidt, Greg; Varry, Sandra; Ramirez, Lizeth
What should we do when we discover potentially difficult or embarrassing information about our institutions, or about powerful individuals in the course of our work? How should the archives and other cultural heritage institutions navigate the politically charged effort to diversify the narrative of remembrance? Are there emerging best practices for contributing insight to institutional discussions on culturally sensitive topics? What is the responsibility of the archivist to the historical record vis a vis the responsibility to protect their institution? Newly discovered evidence of the unsavory has the potential to come to light through our activities; through description of collections, through digitization of historic media, and through harvesting of electronic communications. These histories may be unearthed by researchers as well. This proposed participant driven session will engage attendees in discussing several cases where archives have found themselves with the power to have an impact in the shaping of cultural memory. Two archivists will lead attendees in an open and free exploration of their experiences and then invite participants to add their own stories. Ultimately, we hope to find common practices that stay true to our professional obligations. From Auburn University, Greg Schmidt, Special Collections Librarian will share the story of discovering and eventually releasing evidence that would embarrass the institution and the current Governor of Alabama. In Auburn’s case, archival staff discovered an audio recording where the current Governor was identified as admitting to wearing blackface in college (1967); something she had previously denied. From Florida State University, Sandra Varry, Heritage & University Archivist will discuss the effort at Florida State to address expressions of white supremacy on the campus through her work in supporting the Presidential Advisory Panel on Namings and Recognitions. The events and activities surrounding the panel brought to light both new evidence of beginnings of the institution and new questions and challenges in creating and supporting an accurate and inclusive university history.
Open Access
The Power of Partnerships to Uncover Hidden Stories
(2021-06-10) Schuba, Andrea; Barrett, Colleen; Bergstrom, Tracy; Castaneda, Amalia; Cooper, Deborah; Cusimano, Fabio; McCormack, Allie
This panel will present four perspectives on the power of collaboration in special collections to uncover hidden stories. Innovative partnerships have the potential to expand accessibility and discoverability by overcoming barriers such as language, geography, politics and institutional hierarchy. Each presenter will discuss how partnerships can challenge these issues within special collections to the benefit of a broader range of patrons, especially by empowering both staff and users. #1: Behind the Cyrillic Curtain. A casual conversation with a graduate student led to a powerful long-term collaboration. Driven by the student's own interests in translating Russian language rare works, she is now an intern. Through her translations and historical expertise we are uncovering previously unknown stories reflecting the Russian cultural and political landscape from the late 19th century to the Soviet era. This previously shelf-sitting and inaccessible collection, holds great potential for research, outreach, and campus collaborations. #2: Leveraging a partnership to enhance discovery and preservation of manuscript collections. Based on a longstanding agreement, the University of Notre Dame functions as the secondary repository for manuscript images owned by the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. This partnership was recently reconceived to address challenges of the discovery, accessibility, and preservation of digital images. As both institutions hold medieval manuscript collections, this partnership forces each institution to consider the other and combat traditional notions of limiting access for specialized materials. #3: Metadata for a Book Arts Program. Students in the University of Utah’s Book Arts Program often found that technical aspects of the library’s artists’ books they wished to consult didn’t have authorized access points in the catalog records. To improve online searching, a cataloger, the Book Arts Program director, and a book arts student collaboratively recataloged ~3,500 artists’ books to expose these physical characteristics in the bibliographic records. This presentation will discuss training, workflows, and preliminary outcomes of this innovative project. #4: The “Save La Plaza” Movement. Adjacent to the famous Olvera Street, the United Methodist Museum of Social Justice highlights the history of Los Angeles and social change. A series of protests and negotiations saved the historic church from demolition in 2011, and as part of the deal the church created a museum to showcase the history of its social justice advocacy. This presentation focuses on how a partnership with CSUN’s Bradley Center established the museum's archives.
Open Access
Under Construction: A Renovation Support Group
(2021-06-09) Logue, Sara; Planton, Isabel; Thomas, Lynne M.
Many special collections libraries are currently undergoing, preparing for, or have just completed major renovations. Large-scale library renovation projects tend to lay bare the power structure of organizations. While some administrators may be open to input from librarians, staff, and patrons, others may employ a more “top down” approach to project planning. How do library workers and managers navigate the bureaucratic structures of our institutions to contribute our professional input on renovation projects as our collections are moved and our buildings undergo major changes? As daily priorities shift, how do staff manage their work and their own self-care while trying to maintain a high level of service to their communities during times of upheaval? Discussion will center around: 1) the power dynamics between administrators and librarians with regard to renovation planning and implementation. How have these dynamics helped or hindered your experience with a renovation project? Are there proven methods for communicating the unique needs of a library to administrators or other project partners? 2) strategies for making visible the invisible labor of keeping a library open while collections are moving out the back door. Who did most of the physical and mental work of your renovation? How and to what extent was that work acknowledged? What are effective ways managers can utilize the skills of their staff without burning them out? What resources can managers request to best assist staff (temporary workers, outside experts, flexible hours, shifts in priorities)? 3) managing the expectations of the various communities we serve. How do we accommodate the needs of our patrons equitably? When the expectation from administrators is that a certain level of service will be maintained, what are creative ways library staff have made this work during a renovation? This participatory session stems from the Public Services Discussion Group topic at ALA Annual 2019. We had such a spirited conversation that we wanted to give those attending RBMS a chance to also be involved. This participatory session is a continuation of that conversation with the goal of bringing together librarians at different levels and at different stages in renovation to share experiences, discuss methods of advocacy, offer support and guidance, and hopefully develop productive methods for dealing with the various issues that surface when a library undergoes a renovation.
Open Access
Power, Resistance, and Donor Relations
(2021-06-08) Schmidt, Greg; Green, Patrice; Hubbard, Melissa; Jackson, Petrina; Jacobson, Christine
The purpose of this panel session is to generate ideas about how changing the relationships between special collections practitioners, donors, and users can generate new possibilities for both collections and services. Reliance on donors for both materials and funds creates challenging power dynamics between the staff who manage and develop special collections, the users who access collections, and the private individuals who support those collections through donation. Donors have profoundly shaped the collections and facilities at rare book and special collections libraries in the United States. The first dedicated rare book libraries in the U.S. were built primarily through donations by wealthy white men who collected books that represent the Western canon. Mostly by emulating this model, special collections libraries proliferated and grew rapidly in the early 20th century, and one of the impacts of this early institutional collection building was to cement the relationship between rare book collections and elite culture. Today, many special collections practitioners want to build collections that represent diverse histories and material cultures, and to build relationships with communities that have been marginalized by powerful institutions in the past. Interest in historical collections produced by people of color, women, people from the Global South, poor people, and other historically minoritized groups is not new, but many institutions still have not achieved their goal of robust diverse representation in their special collections. One of the reasons for this problem is that commitments to past and current donors can take precedence over other priorities. This is problematic because it may limit the ability of special collections practitioners to change the nature of their collections. Because collections drive use, choices that donors have made and continue to make on behalf of the institutions they support empower some users while limiting others. Melissa Hubbard will present a paper describing the origins of academic rare book collections in the United States and interrogating the historical link between special collections libraries, wealthy individuals, and cultural elitism. Christine Jacobson will describe cases from Harvard University’s history in which creative interpretation of donor bequests has enabled the development of new kinds of collections, and when the institution’s power has been used to support politically marginalized people represented in donated materials. Petrina Jackson will discuss how building relationships with diverse donors can help special collections practitioners support new goals and priorities for collections and use. Because this session is intended to be generative, moderator Patrice Green will encourage attendees to share their own thoughts about donor relations and power, with a focus on developing ideas for changing practice.
Open Access
Organizing for Power
(2021-06-08) Silverman, Michele; Richardson, Leah; Drabinski, Emily; Williams, Stacie
Making change in an organization requires building the power necessary to get a seat at the table. The first step is understanding the power we have and the power we don’t, the power we need and how to build it. Labor organizing principles and practices are one way forward. But what do those practices look like when everything changes overnight due to a global pandemic? Whether we need to advocate for the PPE necessary for a safe return to onsite services or need to keep our space closed entirely, we can’t do it alone. Achieving shared demands relies on the thick connections we build through organizing with each other, working through inevitable setbacks, and scoring wins. In this seminar we’ll discuss the structural antagonism that pits workers against managers, develop a shared analysis of power, and gain practice in using that power to get things done. This won’t be a “burn-it-down” discourse; we will focus on the possibilities for power and not just the problems we face, and we will strive to impart achievable strategies to bring back to your organization.
Open Access
Beyond Manuscripts: Teaching with Special formats in Special Collections
(2021-06-09) Jackson, Petrina; Benjamin, David; Lutz, Christie; Quagliaroli, Jessica; Roveland-Brenton, Blythe; Casey, Pamela; Fraser, Alison; Panciera, Benjamin; Reynolds, Alison
This panel features archivists, librarians, and curators leading classes that incorporate largely non-textual collection materials, ranging from architectural drawings to vinyl records, posters and zines to artists’ books and textiles. How are classes with these objects different from presenting students with folders of printed or manuscript material to digest in a classroom setting? Creating courses around unusual or sometimes unwieldy archival objects can raise specific challenges, from basic issues around classroom size and handling, to students’ abilities to grasp the archival context of specific objects. Panelists will discuss the challenges that these types of materials present to them, and creative solutions they have developed to engage students with these objects in a meaningful way.
Open Access
Opening Plenary: Power, Resistance, and Leadership in our Profession
(2021-06-08) Erickson, Jesse; Jackson, Athena; Baxter, Terry; Berry, Dorothy; Call, Liz; Katz, Robin
Join leading practitioners in the rare books and archives field for part one of this two part plenary series. Drawing from their own careers, research, and life experiences, the speakers will share key insights on power, resistance, and leadership in our profession; engage in thought-provoking and a stimulating conversation; and leave the audience with framing thoughts and questions for the conference ahead.
Open Access
On the Preservation of Ephemeral Staff: Impacts of the Gig Economy in Special Collections
(2021-06-09) Chandler, Katharine; Dean, Courtney; Evangelestia-Dougherty, Tamar; O'Dell, Allison Jai; Birrell, Lori; Farwell, Beth
[Recording note: Tamar Dougherty’s presentation has been omitted from the recording at her own request.] In today’s “Gig Economy,” college-educated Americans are forced to piece together part-time, freelance, and ad-hoc ‘gigs’ to make a living. The Gig Economy flourished in tandem with the financial crisis of the late-2000s, and has since become the norm for skilled and post-graduate labor. In the special collections and archival sector, as institutions increasingly rely upon grants, one-time funds, and contracts to deliver human resources, professional opportunities are available as temporary, project-based, or term-limited “gigs.” This environment encourages turnover and stunts relationships with collections, researchers, and donors. It necessitates moonlighting and causes stress around personal matters, such as scheduling and healthcare. But it also forces us to be nimble and gain a variety of experience. What does the Gig Economy mean for our collections and community members? This seminar will critically evaluate how the Gig Economy affects materials, research, institutions, individual staff, and the profession as a whole. Hiring and project managers will learn about the spectrum of ramifications when modeling a position as a “gig.” Meanwhile, applicants and learners will learn when to utilize, and when to avoid, the Gig Economy for professional growth. Overall, attendees will gain perspective on the ways the Gig Economy both hinders and stimulates special collections, and leave prepared to advocate for labor issues in the RBMS community.
Open Access
Implementing Programmatic Anti-Racist (Re)Description at Predominantly White Institutions
(2021-06-08) Bolding, Kelly; Tai, Jessica; Daniels-Young, Shelby; Charlton, Faith
In this session, archivists representing three large, predominantly-white academic institutions and a regional, grassroots volunteer organization will discuss efforts they are spearheading to address issues relating to harmful, racist, or oppressive language in finding aids and other descriptive records, including bibliographic records. Such description largely stems from the long-held tradition of valuing and upholding neutrality within libraries and archives that has (in)advertently centered hegemonic power structures, white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Many archivists and librarians have shifted towards dismantling these harmful structures in order to facilitate more inclusive preservation, discovery, and access to cultural heritage materials. The session includes a diverse panel of presenters; white panelists in particular will reflect on their positionality in relation to conducting anti-racist description work. Building on recent discussions within the archival field about anti-oppressive description, this session will focus on programmatic and project-oriented approaches to addressing harmful collection description. Panelists will talk about inclusive and reparative description work individuals are conducting at predominately white institutions (PWIs), including projects that seek to apply anti-oppressive and anti-racist language to legacy descriptions of collections related to Japanese American incarceration during World War II and stereotypes of African Americans in nineteenth and twentieth century postcards; efforts to establish departmental or library-wide committees and working groups to address harmful description; and resources or tools archivists are developing to help the community engage in this work in a concerted manner, such as the Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia’s (A4BLiP) Anti-Racist Description Resources. Presenters Kelly Bolding, Shelby Daniels-Young, and Jessica Tai will be presenting about work in which they are engaging at their current institutions. Faith Charlton will serve as the session’s moderator and will be representing Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia, presenting on the resources authored by its Anti-Racist Description Working Group. After the recorded presentation, panelists will be available for a live Q&A session. As a growing number of individuals and institutions begin to engage in inclusive description work, having the ability to connect with colleagues undertaking similar projects as well as centralized resources to refer to becomes increasingly useful. To that end, panelists have created a Google doc to which attendees are encouraged to contribute content such as literature and resources, tools, workflows, case studies, challenges, and lessons learned relating to this work that will be made available to the public.
Open Access
Extending the Library into DWNTWN: University Libraries and Book Arts Collaborative
(2021-06-08) Bradley, James; Humphrey, Walter E.; Teague, Emma; Guffey, Wes; Edwards, Kennedy; Peterson, Rai; Planton, Isabel
This presentation addresses community engagement through the history of the book and printing. It represents a collaboration between University faculty, librarians, community business people, and students from all academic programs on a medium-sized campus in a small mid-western city. We engage the public through retail products, community workshops, and free community programming. We encourage everyone to look at books and their production as an enduring local practice. We encourage other libraries to explore this unique and effective way of engaging the public in thinking, talking about, and making books. Book Arts Collaborative is a community letterpress and hand-sewn book bindery located in the Madjax Maker Force in downtown Muncie. Our mission is to teach these apprentice-taught skills and share them with the community. We accomplish that by offering Ball State University classes in book arts, community workshops, school field trips, and printing services for area not-for-profit organizations. Additionally, we are a student-managed business, consigning handmade books and print ephemera through multiple retailers in Central Indiana. We publish a hand-printed and bound artist’s book by a Hoosier author each year and host an annual, regional gathering of book artists and printers called Interrobang Wayzgoose. Book Arts Collaborative is staffed through shared responsibility of Ball State’s Department of English and University Libraries. Because our work draws upon history of the book, history of printing, book conservation and construction, and letterpress printing on a wide variety of historic presses, its subject matter draws upon the academic and vocational expertise of our three faculty members: Rai Peterson, Associate Professor of English; James Bradley, Head of Metadata and Digital Initiatives; and James Shimkus, Information Services Librarian. Our professional expertise is augmented by the owner/operator of our Community Partner Business: Tribune Showprint Posters, Inc. Tribune is the oldest continually operated letterpress printing business in America and home to one of the ten largest collections of historic wood type and printer’s cuts and ornaments in the country. Ball State University does not offer degree programs in Library Science, but through engagement at Book Arts Collaborative, our library colleagues have the opportunity to teach college students and the public about the history of the book, the history of print, the elements of the book, and to assist with hands-on experimentation regarding the creation and repair of books. Additionally, they assist students in researching various methods of book construction and printing techniques, and they employ and teach the systems they use as librarians to help streamline inventory, shipping, and logistics processes in our student-managed business. All three presenters bring a wide perspective to the development of Book Arts Collaborative and the many different community and university partners involved. Mr. Bradley’s undergraduate background is in studio art painting; Mr. Shimkus’ is in history; and Dr. Peterson’s academic degrees are in literature. Our different backgrounds impact the way we approach the subjects inherent in book arts, and we will explore the ways in which we came together to teach the material culture surrounding books. We will discuss how the program started, evolved, and how it continues to benefit both the surrounding community and students at Ball State while bringing visibility to the Department of English and University Libraries. We’ll offer suggestions for how our program may be replicated through collaboration between public or university libraries and academic units on campuses or in high schools.
Open Access
Invisible Interdependencies: Unveiling Hidden Labor in Collection Management
(2021-06-10) Ramirez, Lizeth; O'Riordan, Meaghan; Davis, Rosemary K.J.; Wisner, Melanie; White, Angela; Jones, Jasmine; Ott, Elizabeth
Using the functions of accessioning, acquisitions, and appraisal as critical lenses, this panel examines the complex ways that organizations build relationships, develop effective workflows for access to collection material in all formats, and meet the needs of multiple entities, including those in leadership roles.
Open Access
Exhibition Learning Lab
(2021-06-09) Bell, Kim; Hendrickson, Lois; Sparks, Jillian; Edwards, Brendan
At the RBMS 2019 Conference in Baltimore, it became evident during the well-attended session “Exhibits and Loans: what is the future and is it sustainable” that participants needed and wanted help with exhibits. Exhibits allow an institution to share their collections and engage communities. Curating exhibits offer staff a deeper engagement with the collections at their institutions. Moving forward from Baltimore, this session will provide attendees with concrete ideas on how to mount a successful exhibition with a limited budget and staff, barriers that many institutions face today. During this session, the panelists will discuss best practices and ideas for: · Exhibit themes · Create a dossier of rotating exhibits · Pop-up Exhibits. With competing demands on staff time and resources, it can be challenging to maintain a robust exhibit program. This session will provide participants with ideas on how to mount an exhibit in times of fiscal restraint. There will be time during the session for discussion and additional ideas from the participants.
Open Access
“We Can Do It!”: Active Learning of Social Issues with Postcards in Special Collections
(2021-06-09) Black, Lois Fischer; Wen-Paloutzian, Rachel
This poster features a postcard instruction case study for a first-year course at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). Through collaboration between a Special Collections instruction librarian and a Rhetorical Arts faculty, we have built a scaffolding pedagogy with modern advertising postcards to enhance student learning of rhetorical skills and social justice issues.
Open Access
Critical Race Pedagogy in the Primary Source Classroom
(2021-06-10) Rosenthal, G. Samantha; Appiah, Krystal; Ramirez, Mario; Adeneye, Grace; Horowitz, Sarah
How can critical race theory and practice inform teaching with primary sources? How can this framework help special collections instructors create inclusive learning environments? How can it form the foundation for the planning process and selection of materials when preparing to teach a class? How can it help instructors sensitively teach with materials that reflect histories of violence, hate, and oppression? Attendees at this seminar will learn the basic tenets of critical race theory and how to apply these tenants to library and archival instruction with primary sources. Critical race theory is an interpretive turn which examines race and racism across cultural modes of expression. Scholars using critical race theory recognize racism as a component of daily life throughout American history and revealed in a wide variety of sources; they attempt to understand how victims of systemic racism are affected by cultural perceptions of race. As noted by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic in Critical Race Theory: The Cutting Edge, “Our social world, with its rules, practices, and assignments of prestige and power, is not fixed; rather, we construct with it words, stories and silence.” Many of these stories are held in special collections; thus, it is imperative that members of the special collections community consider how critical race theory can change our work. Presenters will reflect on their own methods and strategies for incorporating critical race pedagogy in their teaching practice. Topics will include critical race theory, radical empathy, inclusive teaching practices, culturally sustaining pedagogy, teaching with and through archival silences, and how these can all be incorporated into primary source literacy. In keeping with seminars’ commitments to educational outcomes, all attendees will leave the session with a theoretical background as well as ideas about critical race pedagogy and teaching with difficult materials which they can incorporate into their own practice. In accordance with the core values of RBMS 2020, this seminar also strives to provide attendees with tools they can use to decenter power and privilege in their classrooms. We encourage participants to bring their concerns, perspectives, and mistakes to the seminar discussion. This seminar is co-sponsored by the RBMS Instruction and Outreach Committee and the RBMS Diversity Committee.
Open Access
"Keeping You Connected To Your Community": A Partnership Between the African American Newspaper, The Weekly Challenger, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Library
(2021-06-09) Dobbs, Zoe; Shedden, David
The Weekly Challenger, an African American newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida, proudly states the following front-page motto: “Keeping you connected to your community.” The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg is honored to partner with The Weekly Challenger to preserve and create digital access to this important community newspaper’s archives.
Open Access
Teaching Hard History: Questions, Lessons, and Strategies for Engaging Students with Challenging Materials
(2021-06-09) Jackson, Petrina; Spitz, Blake
This poster will present experiences of, and strategies for, teaching with challenging and distressing topics and materials in archives.
Open Access
Reparative Metadata Work at the University of Houston Libraries
(2021-06-10) Seppi, Gregory; Grob, Julie
Language used in archival description and digital collections metadata reflect and reinforce dominant values and power structures. Individuals and groups that are marginalized are subject to misrepresentation and erasure in the historical record. Inspired by recent reparative cataloging projects for physical resources, a team at University of Houston Libraries began a pilot project to look critically at the descriptions for a set of digital library resources whose original counterparts are often used in classes that are studying slavery.
Open Access
Closing Plenary: Power, Resistance, and Leadership in our Profession
(2021-06-10) Erickson, Jesse; Jackson, Athena; Baxter, Terry; Berry, Dorothy; Call, Liz; Katz, Robin M.
Join leading practitioners in the rare books and archives field for part two of this two part plenary series. The speakers return to provide concluding analysis, to dialog with each other about ideas raised at the conference, and to leave the audience with practical approaches and concrete suggestions to take back to their work.
Open Access
Power to the People: Facilitating Appraisal Decisions
(2021-06-09) Wegner, Alia Levar; Shallcross, Michael
Staff in the Indiana University Libraries’ Born Digital Preservation Lab (BDPL) have been exploring strategies to improve the appraisal process for digital archives by collecting and presenting key pieces of information to archivists and librarians as part of the content ingest process.

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