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Dear colleagues,
On November 19, 2024, the Council of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) approved the Archival Accessioning Best Practices on the recommendation of the SAA Standards Committee, making it the first official set of recommended professional best practices on archival accessioning published in the United States.
Authored by the National Best Practices for Archival Accessioning Working Group, this resource provides recognition, support, and validation for individuals and organizations performing accessioning labor, and encourages more efficient and effective accessioning work throughout the archival profession on a national scale. Archivists Rosemary K.J. Davis and Meaghan O'Riordan founded the Working Group of 32 archival professionals in 2021 with the intention of addressing the real needs of workers engaged with accessioning labor, establishing a supportive community of practice, and strengthening and standardizing accessioning practice across the profession.
In addition to approving the Best Practices, SAA Council honored the Working Group with a Council Exemplary Service Award for "their innovative professional standards development and accompanying community-building for the archival profession." The National Best Practices for Archival Accessioning Working Group was funded generously by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grants for Libraries program, and is supported by the SAA Standards Committee; the SAA Accessioning, Acquisitions, & Appraisal Section; and the SAA Foundation.
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Kate Dundon
Supervisory Archivist
University of California, Santa Cruz
Felton CA
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