News

In an ongoing series during CAA Steering Committee election time, we hear from Jennifer Ho, current Vice Chair.

One of the most rewarding things about being on the Steering Committee is that you have the support, resources and power to make a project your own. It’s not the only way to make a change, but it definitely gives you an advantage!  You will have a supportive network who will discuss with you the pros and cons, potential outcomes and possible alternatives to your ideas.

My best personal example of this is the new subcommittee restructuring. Thanks to my seat on Steering, I was able to take action in response to rumblings from within CAA that it would be run more efficiently with a different structure.

My time on the Steering committee gave me the background knowledge and context, as well as built-in communication with internal leadership, to lead meetings, gather ideas and create infrastructure so that CAA could be reorganized to meet its members' evolving needs.

If you have ideas for how CAA can be improved, you will experience these benefits as well. I encourage you to run for the Steering Committee and make your mark on the archives community!

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 21. Feel free to contact Jennifer or other Steering Committee members with questions.

In an ongoing series during CAA Steering Committee election time, we hear from George Kutsunis, current Steering Committee Chair.

There are lots of groups that advocate for our profession, providing everything from a recognized archiving credential to national advocacy to networking, but there is only one group that is looking out for archivists in Chicago, and that is the CAA.

The Steering Committee for Chicago Area Archivists is the best way to advocate for your profession at the local level. By joining Steering, you can highlight the work of local archivists, draw attention to local archives in distress and celebrate the collections that are only located here in Chicago.

Volunteering for the Steering or one of the subcommittees allows you to make an impact for your profession locally, and offers a huge return on your time investment. If you have gone to any of the panels, events or tours that the CAA hosts each year, I don't need to tell you what a perk having a local organization like the CAA is.

Please help us continue working to advocate our profession in a way that no national organization can. Run for Steering or join a committee. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 21. 

Feel free to contact George or other Steering Committee members with questions.

In an ongoing series during CAA Steering Committee election time, we hear from another Steering Committee member, Amy Belotti.

If you are a CAA subcommittee member, you should absolutely consider running for Steering. Being a part of Steering allows you to extend your understanding of and your impact on our local professional network. In addition, you will be able to expand upon your leadership skills in an extremely supportive environment.

I relocated to Chicago in 2016 and immediately joined the Outreach sub-committee, as well as took on the position of co-chair for 2016's Chicago Open Archives. I joined the CAA Steering Committee the following year (2017). This evolution went quick; even I was surprised by it. But within a year I felt like I had a place in the Chicago archival community and was ready to do more. Having gained experience with the subcommittee and a flagship CAA event definitely helped me feel confident in my skills to serve on Steering. However, I also felt like I still maintained a fresh perspective as a new Chicagoan and thought, perhaps that could be a unique positive to bring to Steering and CAA overall. We need Steering members with all levels of experience and leadership, so be sure to consider all aspects of what you'd bring to the table. Having subcommittee experience absolutely brings you some valuable short-hand knowledge of how to be a part of Steering leadership, though.

If you’ve served on a subcommittee, please consider joining the Steering Committee. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, March 21. 

Feel free to contact Amy or other Steering Committee members with questions.

During CAA’s Steering Committee election, we’d like to hear from Steering Committee members about their work with CAA. Greer Martin serves on the Steering Committee as the Communications Manager.

When I joined the Steering Committee in 2016, I was new to Chicago and didn't know many archivists in the area. Steering gave me an opportunity to expand my professional network and to learn more about the institutions that house Chicago's history. If you are a "lone arranger" or work at a small institution, Steering will be particularly rewarding - you will feel as though you have more colleagues by your side than before.

If you are new to CAA or have not served on a subcommittee, I encourage you to run. Steering benefits from new voices and perspectives, and we would be lucky to have yours. Maybe you've been a member of CAA for years, have served on a subcommittees, and have ideas for the organization as a whole. On Steering, you can put these ideas into action, establish programmatic goals and shape new initiatives.

The deadline for volunteering for the Steering Committee is Wednesday, March 21. Feel free to contact Greer or other Steering Committee members with questions.

The CAA Archives & Archivists of Color Interest Group announces a travel grant to the 2018 Midwest Archives Conference. 

For more information, please visit http://www.chicagoarchivists.org/Travel-Fund-Award/.

Thank you to everyone who attended the CAA Holiday Party on December 5, 2017. Seventy-two people joined their fellow archivists to eat, drink, and be merry! The party is always a fun way to close out the year. CAA hopes to see everyone again soon in 2018!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Endangered Archives Panel discussion on November 9, 2017. Twenty-five people, from the CAA and CARA communities, joined us to hear about the state of various endangered archives in the US.

Three panelists discussed their work with various archives of religious communities and the effort that is being put in to preserve the history of these groups; an urgent body of work considering the religious community is rapidly decreasing in size. We also heard from a consortium archivist who works closely with a number of institutions in the Chicagoland area to share resources and process collections while providing opportunities to emerging minority archivists. The presentations were followed by a Q&A session.  

Do you follow CAA on Twitter? How about Facebook? CAA is on both as @ChicagoArchvsts (Twitter) and @chicagoarchivists (Facebook), and we have a new team tweeting and posting our content!

Lisa Geiger works with the Exhibits Registration department at the Field Museum and has a background in cultural resource collection management and archival processing. She is currently enrolled in the UIUC iSchool MLIS LEEP program with an expected spring 2018 graduation date.

Derek Potts is an Archives Assistant at DePaul Special Collections and Archives. His work includes processing community collections and managing zine reproductions for incarcerated people. 

If you have news that you want CAA to post on our social media channels, you can contact Lisa (lisa.geiger@outlook.com) and Derek (rebeldepot@gmail.com) directly, or email info@chicagoarchivists.org with the subject line "Social Media." When submitting content, its helpful to include any or all of the following: 

• Suggested caption

• Links to any associated online content

• Any associated hashtags or images

• Recommended date of posting initial post as well as future reminders.

• Any additional information or “talking points” that might be useful for the social media team to know in responding to any comments or questions that may arise, if applicable.

Last but not least, welcome and thanks to Derek and Lisa!

Thanks to everyone that came out for CAA's first installment of CAA Reacts! Six people joined us at Red Lion Pub where we talked with Derek Potts about his work providing copies of zines from the DePaul University archives to people who are incarcerated. Derek passed around copies of the zines, which are part of the Anthony Rayson Zine Collection. It was a small group but everyone came with lots of enthusiasm and there was much to discuss over drinks and pub cheese. Everyone is excited about the next installment, so stay tuned!

CAA Reacts is a discussion group geared toward discussing with a local lens the social, political, and cultural factors that affect our profession. Read the full description of the event here. 

If you have an idea for a topic or speaker for another CAA Reacts event please email it to info@chicagoarchivists.org, with the subject line "CAA Reacts."