CAA Pop Culture Book Club - Fall 2026 (12 Nov 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Join the CAA community for our first book club gathering! The CAA Pop Culture Book Club will read both popular fiction and non-fiction books that explore how archives, libraries, and collections are understood outside of the archives fields. Many books create an allure and mystery around archives and libraries, yet those of us managing them know how much of the work is dusting and sorting or advocating and budgeting.

Through reading and discussing these books, we will ask what can we, as professionals, learn about the public’s perception of archives and related fields. Can this inform how we engage with the public and advocate for our collections? And what do some of these writers really mean when they say “they dug into the archives”? This book club is inspired by stories from authors like Jorge Luis Borges (The Library of Babel) and E.L. Konigsburg (From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) as well as Samantha Cross’s POP ARCHIVES blog.

The Zoom link will be shared with registrants the day before or day of the event.

For Fall 2026, we are reading:

Awful Archives: Conspiracy Theory, Rhetoric, and Acts of Evidence - Jenny Rice

If you choose to purchase the book from The Ohio State University Press, you can use the code "RICE" to get a 30% discount on any format. Many thanks to the author and the press for providing this discount to CAA!

No Work, All Play? Hosting a Turn-Key Traveling Exhibition from SITES (19 Nov 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Join the Curation & Exhibition Interest Group and Ed Liskey, Senior Scheduling & Exhibitor Relations Coordinator for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), for an overview of the Smithsonian's traveling exhibition program and the opportunities it offers to museums, libraries, and cultural organizations.

This webinar will cover the SITES exhibition program, the application process for prospective hosts, key logistical considerations involved in hosting a traveling exhibition, and the support provided by SITES throughout an exhibition tour. Whether your institution is considering hosting a traveling exhibition for the first time or is looking to learn more about the resources available through SITES, this session will provide valuable insights into the process from planning through installation and beyond.

Please join us via Zoom on November 19 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Central Time.

Chicago Area Archivists upcoming events

CAA Pop Culture Book Club - Fall 2026 (12 Nov 2026)

No Work, All Play? Hosting a Turn-Key Traveling Exhibition from SITES (19 Nov 2026)