10E2628: Ninth Annual Allen Smith Symposium: Translating Social Responsibility into Archival Education

Calling area library professionals, especially archivists...

"The Allen Smith Visiting Scholars Program was established in 2008, following the death of Dr. Allen Smith, a beloved faculty member at SLIS [Simmons Library School] for 31 years. Smith taught primarily in the areas of reference, humanities, and oral history."   

The Encyclopedia of Shipwrecks... you know that one?  Allen Smith was my first tutor at Simmons and made a massive impression on me.  Bow tie and jeans sort of guy; farrier, sailor, motobike rider, Appalachian dulcimer cataloger, and library hero generally. "You have to be proactive. It might come as a shock to some of you, but a large part of the success of that library is your personality and the way you treat people." 100%.


The 2019 Allen Smith Symposium, "From Community to Curriculum: Translating Social Responsibility into Archival Education," will gather SLIS faculty and area professionals to engage in discussion. Over the past decade, archival concerns have increasingly focused on social issues as records professionals recognize and confront the responsibilities and challenges of documenting a complex global and digital society.  Topics of discussion include the below - registration link here.

Early start - bring donuts...


 Friday, April 12

What is a professional archivist today?   Is there still a clear professional identity?  Are traditional archives dead?   If so, what is the new archives?   Is it only one stream or many?

Does traditional Western archival theory and practice continue to meet the record-keeping and documenting needs of an increasingly multi-cultural and digital society that honors cultural difference?  How can that traditional theory and practice evolve to meet those needs, and how must archival education change?  Are there options for service learning, community partnerships, and other creative learning strategies?
Much of archival education focuses on traditional Western theory and processes and many of our students will be working in these environments, but increasingly cultural sensitivity and an understanding of non-traditional and indigenous archival practices are essential in documenting the record-keeping practices and cultural expressions in our socially conscious environment.  How do we combine the old with the new so that on the one hand, students are ready for the workplace, and on the other, they are open to a wide variety of archival options?