News

Go down to the basement and dig out your Super 8 memories of that interminable trip to Idaho or that embarrassing 16mm footage of your mother's rockin' bat mitzvah and bring them to the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, 19 October for Home Movie Day. Jointly presented for the third year in a row by Chicago Film Archives and the Northwest Chicago Film Society, Home Movie Day offers Chicagoans the opportunity to gather together and share their celluloid histories.

All Chicagoans are encouraged to attend and participate in Home Movie Day. This year's edition will highlight Bronzeville and Ravenswood Manor. Unique home movies will resurrect the rich history of Bronzeville's storied performance hall, The Forum, and offer glimpses of surprisingly dangerous boyhood diversions along the Chicago River, circa 1970. And keep an eye out for home movies of Olympic medalist Ralph Metcalfe.

You bring the films, and event organizers will inspect them, project them, and offer tips on storage, preservation, and video transfer--all free of charge. And best of all, you get to watch them with an enthusiastic audience, equally hungry for local history. If you don’t have a film to bring, you're welcome to stop by and just watch other people's home movies. And if you're a walking encyclopedia of forgotten Chicago landmarks, eateries, and parades, your commentary will be much appreciated!

Event Info

Where: Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago IL

When: Saturday, 19 October, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Admission: Free

More information is available at http://www.chicagofilmarchives.org/current-events/chicago-home-movie-day-2013.

FAQ

Q: What film formats can I bring to Home Movie Day?

A: 16mm, 8mm, and Super 8 can be inspected and projected. Other formats (28mm, 9.5mm, etc.) can’t be projected but people will be available to help you find a safe, cost-effective way to view these prints.

Q: How many home movies can I bring?
A: Bring as many films as you'd like, but only one reel from each participant will be screened until everyone has had a chance to see their home movies. After that, second helpings are totally fine--especially in Kodachrome.

Q: Will I get my home movies back?
A: Yes. Event organizers just inspect and project your home movies and return them to you in comparable condition. Broken perforations or cracked frames may even be fixed! Keep in mind that decades-old films are fragile and there's an inherent (though slight) risk of damage during any projection. If organizers feel that a film cannot be safely projected, they will not screen it.

Q: Can I donate my home movies to the Chicago Film Archives?
A: The Chicago Film Archives would be happy to discuss options for donating your old, unwanted home movies to its ever-growing collection.

The CAA Events Subcommittee thanks all who attended the Archives Salon on 12 September 2013. We had a very interesting discussion about archival privilege and donor rights from a legal standpoint, and what that means for the archives profession. There was a great group and lively discussion, and the Events Subcommittee is looking forward to planning salons more frequently in the future.

Again, thank you to those who attended, and we missed those of you that could not!

If you missed this event, don’t worry – there will be more events throughout the year at a variety of dates, times, and locations. Keep an eye on the CAA website for more information on upcoming events!

The Chicago & North Western Historical Society recently received a large collection of slides that visually document ore transportation in Upper Michigan and freight cars. The historical society collects materials related to the Chicago & North Western and many related rail lines. Its collections provide images and information about rail companies, railroad equipment, and help tell the story of the many Midwestern and Great Plains towns that were home to stations on the routes of the Chicago & North Western and its predecessors.

Learn more about the Historical Society, its activities, and its collections at http://www.cnwhs.org/archives.htm.

TOP: A Peninsula Division crew poses at the Stager, Michigan, depot in February 1914. Photo by Strecher.

BOTTOM: A train approaches the station at Arpin, Wisconsin, in 1915.

Images courtesy of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society. Images shown here are not part of the recent donation.

Does your institution have news to share? You can send announcements about exhibits, brag about newly acquired materials, promote recently processed collections, and more. Submit your institution's news to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line News.

As we begin to plan CAA programs for the coming months, we want to take a moment to thank the many organizations that donated space for our events in 2012 and in the first half of 2013. Because of the generosity of these organizations and their staff, we have been able to offer a variety of programs throughout the  Chicago  area and support an active and engaged archives community.

We encourage our members and potential members to browse the archival collections at these institutions, especially when access is made possible though exhibits and online collections. Of course, access varies from institution to institution so be sure to check the policies and procedures online before heading out to visit in person.

• American  College of Surgeons
• Chicago  History  Museum  
• Chicago  State  University
• Columbia  College  Chicago , Center for Black Music Research
• DePaul  University
• Highland Park  Historical Society
• Medical Library Association
• Motorola Corporation
• National Archives at Chicago
• Northwestern University
• Read/Write Library
• Roosevelt University
• Union League Club of Chicago
• University of Chicago
• Wheaton  College  

Jakob VanLammeren was recently hired as the Archivist/Collections Librarian at the Leather Archives & Museum. Read more in the press release at http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=78c185659e1f1d22a694ad651&id=7999a24e8f

Don't be shy...If you’ve earned a degree, presented at a conference, published an article, started a new job, or completed another professional achievement, let us know and we’ll include it in next month’s Member News. Submit your information to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line Member News.

The CAA Events Subcommittee thanks all who attended the Grant Park Music Festival Event on 9 August 2013. There were a small but enthusiastic number of attendees. Those that attended were able to enjoy the wonderful music of Messiaen, MacMillan, and Schubert. It was a truly beautiful evening of great weather and inspiring music.

Again, thank you to those that were able to attend and we missed those of you that could not!

If you missed this event, don’t worry, there will be more events throughout the year at a variety of dates, times, and locations. Coming soon:

• CAA at SAA Happy Hour. Thursday, 15 August 2013, 5:30 PM. New Orleans, Hilton Lobby. See details.
• Archives Salon. The topic for this session is Archival Privilege: Privacy and Donor Rights. Thursday, 12 September 2013, 6:30–8:00 PM. See details.

Have an idea for a CAA event? Contact CAA at info@chicagoarchivists.org with your suggestions.

Photo © Susan Hanf. All Rights Reserved.

Several CAA members volunteered to help judge History Fair projects this spring, including:  Lisa Calahan; Skyla S. Hearn, Archivist & Special Collections Librarian and 2012–2013 The HistoryMakers IMLS Fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library/Vivian G. Harsh Research Center; Anita Mechler, Director of the Library & Archives at the Union League Club of Chicago; and Janet Olson, Assistant University Archivist at Northwestern University Archives. Learn more about History Fair at www.chicagohistoryfair.org.

Patricia Carroll served as the Acting Director of the McGreal Center for Dominican Historical Studies at Dominican University from January to June 2013.

Don't be shy...If you’ve earned a degree, presented at a conference, published an article, started a new job, or completed another professional achievement, let us know and we’ll include it in next month’s Member News. Submit your information to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line Member News.

Does your institution have news to share? You can send announcements about exhibits, brag about newly acquired materials, advertise a collection is now available for research, and more. Submit your institution's news to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line News.