The 2021 Northwest Archivists Annual Meeting will be held online May 10-14, 2021
DEADLINE for submission is January 18, 2021
SUBMIT your proposal with this online submission form
The 2021 Program Committee seeks session, paper, and poster proposals on all aspects of archival practice, theory, and research. We especially encourage you to explore the conference theme "The Fierce Urgency of Now:" Archives Responding in Times of Upheaval, which speaks to the crises impacting our work as archivists and reshaping the way we build collections. The theme asks us to consider how we, as archivists, respond to societal issues of anti-racism and white supremacy, the impact of a deadly pandemic, economic strife, and increasing threats from climate change on communities represented in our collections.
While proposals on all aspects of archival practice and research will be considered, the Program Committee offers these areas as particularly relevant to the theme:
- Archival work around anti-racism and equity
- Documenting the now: COVID-19, protests for racial justice, climate change and natural disaster relief
- Labor practices and diversity within the archival profession
- Community and grassroots archives
- Online accessibility in the archives, particularly the accessibility of online holdings, and online engagement and outreach practices during COVID-19
- Remote work including collections care, physical processing, education, and outreach
- Work from home self-care for archivists!
We extend a special invitation to members who missed the opportunity to present at the cancelled2020 Western Archivist Meeting to resubmit their proposals for the NWA 2021 Annual Meeting.
The committee welcomes proposals from anyone involved with archives, including archival staff and volunteers, students, new professionals, community organizers, researchers, creators and donors, allied professionals, and academics. We especially encourage BIPOC and members from traditionally marginalized communities to share your perspectives with us. Presenters may be members or non-member of Northwest Archivists. The conference will be free to NWA members and $50 for non-members. All presenters must register for the conference.
The 2021 Annual Meeting will be online during the week of May 10-14, 2021. As this is NWA's first online conference, we are open to a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions but will ask presenters to help arrange their own pre-recorded content. Live Q&A will accompany each session.
Session options include:
- Traditional: An open session with 2-3 papers of about 15 minutes each and a comment and discussion period after the papers. Papers submitted by individuals will be grouped by theme where possible.
- Panel Discussion: An open session with a panel of 3-4 individuals informally discussing a variety of theories or perspectives on the given topic.
- Virtual Poster Session: Focused visual and textual presentation on applied archival research topic or professional project as case study. Participation guidelines forthcoming.
- Moderated Round table: An open discussion anchored by brief, 5-7-minute presentations. Active participation encouraged.
- Lightning Talks: A fast-paced open session with many concise presentations delivered under a tight time limit.
- Moderated Breakout Rooms: Small discussion rooms of 3-4 individuals based on a shared topic or reading.
Conference Recordings: Sessions will be recorded and made available to registered attendees during a four-week window following the conference.
Please contact Alex Bisio, Program Committee Chair, with any questions or concerns.
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Alexandra Bisio
Lead Processing Archivist
University of Oregon
Eugene OR
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