Message to Readers

The following excerpt was taken from a blog post I published on The DIGITAL Archive, my other blog. It discusses the future of Archives*Open in light of recent changes in my professional life.

When I launched Archives*Open back in early December, I was inspired and energized and greatly encouraged by the positive feedback and comments.

Today, I still feel inspired and energized. But now, with a new job starting imminently, I wonder if I can honestly maintain energy levels.

I hate to see a bright idea dim.

So in an effort to keep things moving I am making Archives*Open more, well, open, leveraging tools, technologies and services that are freely available on the Web to push content to the blog - with some editorial assistance on my part.

For example, I have started using a Twitter service called Twitterfeed, which takes RSS feeds (title and description fields only) and tweets them to a Twitter account. Regarding the Archives*Open twitter feed (@archivesopen), I am creating search parameters that encompass archives, access and Web 2.0 and saving them as RSS feeds and then running them through Twitterfeed to the @archivesopen Twitter account.

I have done something similar with Delicious, the social bookmarking service. Every time I find a website that fits 'the Web 2.0/innovative access to archival materials' classification, I tag it with "archivesopen" (no quotation marks, natch) and in time the bookmark (short blurb and URL) will be tweeted.

You can join in as well.

If you have a Delicious account, you can tag websites with "archivesopen." Fingers crossed, the bookmark will be tweeted via the Archives*Open Twitter feed.

As I reaffirm here, I am still invigorated by both the concept and mission behind the blog as well as by the positive feedback and contributions received from readers. Giving Access to the Masses is still the goal.

By using current and emerging Web technologies to raise public awareness, educate, and provide improved and enhanced public access to archives and archival materials, I firmly believe we can inspire people, giving them the means to fully appreciate archives and even partake in the profession as "citizen archivists," as Rory Litwin writes in his book review of Richard J. Cox's latest book. And, perhaps, in so doing, even uplift our own spirits. Archives are not about old dusty long-forgotten things; they are stories that recount the past, frame our present, and possess our futures.

This is not the end of Archives*Open, but rather a re-structuring of forthcoming plans, including the amount of time I will dedicate to the blog. Thank you all for reading, following, and contributing to Archives*Open. Stay tuned. There's more to come.

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Call for Student Papers: ACA Conference 2009

From Arcan-L, posted on January 12, 2009, by Duncan Grant. A call for student papers for the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) Conference 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. "Submissions relating to the conference theme, 'Rights, Responsibilities, Trust: Archives and Public Affairs,' are encouraged, though proposals on other archival topics will also be considered."

Although the ACA Conference 2009 has a theme, other proposals will still be considered. Perhaps a good time to talk about Archives, Access and Web 2.0!

Complete call for student papers below:

Attention Archival Students,

Call for Student Proposals – ACA Conference 2009

New Ideas, New Voices: The Student Session

Calgary, Alberta - May 17-19, 2009

 

Are you an archival studies student with an idea that you want to share with the archival community?  Are you researching a paper and would like to take it to the next stage?  Are you honing your public speaking skills, and looking for ways to enhance your CV?  The ACA 2009 Program Committee wants to hear from you!!

 

Proposals are now being accepted for the ACA Conference’s annual student session. Submissions relating to the conference theme, “Rights, Responsibilities, Trust: Archives and Public Affairs,” are encouraged, though proposals on other archival topics will also be considered. For more information about the conference theme, see the ACA conference website. All individuals who are presently enrolled in or will graduate from a Canadian archival studies program in the 2008-09 academic year are eligible to apply. 

 

The student session, “New Ideas, New Voices,” will be held on Friday, May 15th, 2009 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm.  Three student papers (15 to 20 minutes each) will be selected by the Program Committee, each by a student from a different institution.

 

Thanks to the Association of Canadian Archivists Foundation (ACAF), the selected participants will receive a bursary which covers the cost of the registration fees as well as some assistance for the travel and accommodation expenses, through their schools. Students who meet the eligibility criteria (e.g. ACA member, Canadian, travel originating in Canada), may also apply for a travel subsidy through the ACA’s SSHRC travel fund, while the completed SSHRC travel form must be submitted directly to the ACA office.

 

Please include the following in your submission:

- Your name, telephone number, postal address, and email address

- Name and address of the school/program that you attend

- Title and abstract of your paper (max. 250 words)

- A one-sentence statement indicating your commitment to attend the 2009 ACA Conference and to deliver your paper in person if selected by the Committee

 

The deadline for submissions is January 25, 2009.

 

Questions and submissions should be sent to Crista Bradley, ACA 2009 Conference Program Committee, at crista.bradley@uregina.ca.

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New Year's Greetings from Archives*Open

The year 2009 starts and so resumes Archives*Open.

Over the holidays (which I hope you all enjoyed), I must admit I had very few opportunities to write or even draft any new blog posts. But, thankfully, I received a handful of interesting ideas from readers, ranging from content suggestions to community-building initiatives.

One suggestion was to create an online community on LinkedIn, which is a professional social networking website similar to the hugely popular Facebook but more focused on professionals connecting with other professionals. Registration is free, fast and simple; but, best of all, there are real opportunities to connect with others in your field.

For example, I opened a LinkedIn account a few months ago and have been adding new content, such as profile information, previous work experience and recommendations, and connecting with former colleagues as well as people who I have met online.

So, after some thought and preparation, I decided to start a LinkedIn Group called the Archives*Open Network. It is open to anyone interested in what Archives*Open is doing: Using Web technologies, current and emerging, to further improve and enhance public access to archival materials.

But more than attaining that supreme goal, I believe that in joining the Archives*Open Network, there will be many opportunities for members to share ideas on the discussion board and for members to connect with other members. Sounds like a good deal. Readers connecting with other readers.

Ready to join? Want to learn more? Visit LinkedIn and also visit the Archives*Open Network.

Upwards and onwards!

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Holiday Break! Happy Holidays!

Before Archives*Open closes its access doors for the next few days (I'm giving the elves a break to help a certain someone just north of here), I want to take this opportunity to thank the archivists, records managers, content analysts, librarians, and other information professionals who visited Archives*Open, from those arriving from Arcan-L and the SAA listserv to those arriving from Twitter and Google searchers and blogosphere world of mouth.

I feel encouraged with the positive response, feedback and comments, and the amount of traffic the blog has received in only two weeks since launching (430+ visitors) is astonishing.

Let 2009 be a year of growth for professionals interested in Web 2.0, Archives 2.0 and access to archival materials.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

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Call for Content

There is an urgent need for content!

Archives*Open is looking for content, and you can help!

Here's what we are looking for:

1. Your archives projects that are using Web 2.0 technology. What technologically innovative project will you be working on in the New Year? What are you launching in the New Year? Let us know. Leave a comment or send an email to archives.open@gmail.com with the following information: Your name or the name of your institution, name of your project, and a URL. Archives*Open will share it with its readers.
   
   
2. Your opinions, positive or negative, about technology and archives, particularly the Web 2.0 technologies and social media technologies that are transforming other sectors and industries. What do think about starting a blog? Could a wiki be in your future? Do you have ideas how archivists could use podcasting and videocasting (audio and video) in their outreach activities. Or, do you think all this Web 2.0 is a bunch of techno-babble nonsense?Just leave a comment or send an email to archives.open@gmail.com

The technologies and tools associated with Web 2.0 are vast; but applied properly, we feel, they can transform and provide a new level of interaction and access to archival materials, which is what Archives*Open hopes to chronicle in collaboration with its readers.

Kate over at ArchivesNext has dedicated several thoughtful blog posts to Web 2.0 (or more specifically and more accurately to Archives 2.0).

In one post, for example, she lists several archival Web 2.0 projects. A very good read and an excellent primer.

Finally, Kate wrote a profound remark on Archives 2.0, which I hope, if you have not already read it, will hopefully stir your thoughts and inspire you further.

If the archival profession is to successfully make the transition out of the 20th century, it will need to recognize that what gives an archives value is how it is used. In the last century, an archives may have derived status from the materials it preserved; in this century, it will derive value from the materials it provides access to–and that access will have to be online.

Thank you for visiting Archives*Open and/or subscribing to Archives*Open's feed and for making Archives*Open part of your daily or weekly reading--and become part of the community by submitting your stories, your projects, and your opinions.

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Archives*Open is on Twitter

If you use Twitter, there is a new 'person' to follow: twitter.com/archivesopen

Follow Archives*Open and receive tweets (updates) whenever a new blog post is published. Also, once you follow Archives*Open, feel free to send tweets about your current archival projects, archives-related news and tips, or your feedback.

Happy Twittering!

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Welcome to Archives*Open

The paint is still drying and the chrome still needs a bit more polishing, but I am nonetheless ready to launch Archives*Open, a blog about archives, access, community, and the web, where we serve as a platform for archivists and other professionals in the field to announce their Web 2.0 archival projects.

This makes this blog not only a promotional platform, but also a source of inspiration for others thinking about embarking on technologically innovative, educational and fun projects that promote community access to archival material and effectively bring the community closer to archival material in a digital environment.

If your archives is launching:

• An interactive website
• An online gallery
• A blog
• A micro-blogging account such as those found on Twitter
• A wiki
• A podcast
• A mashup
• A virtual place in Second Life
• An online community on a social networking website such as Facebook
• ...or any other cool, innovative use of technology...

Leave a comment with your name (personal or corporate), project title, and a URL.

Or, contact me: archives.open@gmail.com

Spread the word: Archives*Open is open.

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Community

I want Archives*Open to serve as a platform for archivists and other professionals to announce their Web 2.0 archival projects. I believe this will not only help promote their projects, but also serve the greater purpose of inspiring others contemplating such projects.

If you are working on an archival project or recently completed an archival project that uses Web 2.0 technologies and embraces Web 2.0 values, let Archives*Open know.

If your archives is launching:

• An interactive website
• An online gallery
• A blog
• A micro-blogging account such as those found on Twitter
• A wiki
• A podcast
• A mashup
• A virtual place in Second Life
• An online community on a social networking website such as Facebook
• ...or any other cool, innovative use of technology...

Leave a comment with your name (personal or corporate), project title, and a URL.

Or, contact me: archives.open@gmail.com

A reader also suggested that Archives*Open create an online community using LinkedIn, a professional social networking website. After some thought, I took the reader's advice and created a LinkedIn Group called the Archives*Open Network. Click on the link and join the Group. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, this is a great time to create one! 

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