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EVENT: Communities in Conversation: Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship

  • 1.  EVENT: Communities in Conversation: Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship

    Posted an hour ago

    The University of Michigan Inclusive History Project, School of Information, and Bentley Historical Library are excited to announce that they will host the Communities in Conversation: Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship symposium on May 21, 2026 on the campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  The symposium is part of the Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship project and brings together practitioners from around Michigan to discuss how they are re-envisioning and re-connecting collections to communities in engaging and ethical ways. We are working to develop a paradigm of "shared stewardship." 

    When the Smithsonian adopted a Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns policy in 2022, Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, described the policy as "a cultural shift in our concepts of possession, ownership, and stewardship of collections." The Smithsonian's new policy is designed to address the harm caused by the museum's past extractive practices and engage, consult, and work collaboratively with descendants and communities represented in their collections.  This symposium is part of the University of Michigan's effort to apply these principles to archival collections

    The day-long event is free and open the public.  Online and in-person attendance options are available.  If you are interested in attending, the registration form is now available.  Please note that if you plan to attend online, you must also register for the Zoom webinar.