When schools, companies, and organizations began to shut their doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, archivists were prepared! The steering committee of the Society of American Archivists’ Accessibility and Disability Section quickly jumped into their Archivists at Home document to brainstorm some more ideas for archivists to continue their work remotely. This document already existed from a previous grassroots push for a collection of practices for archivists with disabilities who have to do their work from home part or full time, but they added to the document given our current state of the affairs. Amongst their lengthy list of ideas, they have drafted a set of suggested steps for closing an archive for any given amount of time, a list of activities archivists cannot do remotely, a list of things they can do from home, professional development ideas, and work and advocacy ideas for student workers. The list is extensive and I advise you all to check it out for future or current work! Some of the ideas that I had yet to consider include:
- Reaching out to smaller archives to offer to share your knowledge, especially those still figuring out digital archiving (alternatively, reach out to different archives for advice or suggestions on how to improve your own practices!)
- Designing a virtual tour of your collections that can be completed upon return to the archives
- Starting a virtual book club or study group for archivists – this is an effective way to develop professionally and communicate with colleagues
UMGC will be remote through the end of 2020, which means I will be scanning, editing metadata, and writing blog posts until winter! But for those archives that are reopening, the SAA Accessibility and Disability team also compiled resources to quell the spread of the virus and guidance for reopening effectively.
From researching this document, the biggest thing I’ve learned is that archivists are resilient! And I am grateful that they are willing to share their wisdom, ideas, and expertise with the rest of the community. It reminds me that we are in this together, no matter where in the world you are.
UMGC Archives 