What is the value of archival labor, and what are its implications for diversity, inclusion, equity, and sustainability? How does invisible labor work against these central tenets of the field? How do we take meaningful action?

The Archivists Round Table (ART) and the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) invite you to participate in a community round table on the landscape of archival labor in NewYork City. The intent of this informal discussion is to identify issues that are currently impacting our membership and to collectively brainstorm about how ART can support its members in effecting positive change. The responses shared during this round table, in concert with current work in the field, will shape ART’s forthcoming programming to promote visibility and dialogue around these shared concerns.

Details & registration: Labor in the Archives: A Community Roundtable

The Archivists Round Table (ART) is pleased to announce a holiday celebration and benefit on Tuesday, December 11th in a beautiful gallery in Lower Manhattan. This year, we are delighted to invite our colleagues from the New York chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NY) to join us and to announce that the proceeds from the event will be donated to Puerto Rican cultural heritage collections impacted by Hurricane Maria.

For the past several months, ART has been collaborating with ARLIS/NY in organizing a project to support existing recovery efforts on the ground in Puerto Rico, and to aid local organizations in preparing for future disasters. This effort, undertaken in partnership with La Red de Archivos de Puerto Rico (ArchiRED), will include the creation of Spanish-language programming and instructional materials on preservation, disaster response and recovery, and grant writing that will be freely accessible to all organizations across the island. To further this endeavor ART is hosting an online fundraising campaign and donating the proceeds from the campaign and the holiday party to ArchiRED. 

Come enjoy festive refreshments in a beautiful space with colleagues from ART and ARLIS/NY in support of cultural heritage in Puerto Rico, with speakers Caroline Gil and Coral Salomón, and photography on view by Cristobal Guerra. We hope to see you there!

Details and registration: https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/after-the-storm-a-fundraiser-for-puerto-rican-cultural-heritage-collections

Photo: Cristobal Guerra, from the series Rio Blanco/Playa Sucia, 2017. Courtesy the artist. © Cristobal Guerra. Design by Barbara Calderón

Join the Archivists Round Table Tuesday, November 13th for a lecture and reception on René d'Harnoncourt and the Art of Installation published by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The book explores the pioneering exhibition designs of René d'Harnoncourt through drawings, layout plans, and photographs from the René d'Harnoncourt Papers in the MoMA Archives.

More details and registration: René d'Harnoncourt and the Art of Installation

Pictured, above: René d'Harnoncourt, Hand-drawn circulation plan of the exhibition "Timeless Aspects of Modern Art," 1948-1949. Graphite and red pencil drawing on paper.
Courtesy Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York

Irish County Societies Collection AIA.003

Ireland's thirty-two counties have a long history of New York City-based fraternal, social, and benevolent associations. This project makes over 15,000 pages from the minute books of eight Irish county societies, spanning 1903-1996, available to scholars via links in the finding aid to the Irish Counties Societies Collection (AIA.003) in the Archives of Irish America. The digitization was made possible by a generous grant from Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs. The Archives of Irish America is a repository of research materials that assists students, faculty and visiting scholars in understanding the Irish migration experience and the distillation of American Irish ethnicity over time. It was established in 1997 as part of New York University’s Division of Libraries, with the support of Glucksman Ireland House, NYU's Center for Irish and Irish American Studies.

This fall, the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (A.R.T.) will be celebrating its 30th Annual New York Archives Week from October 17th-24th, 2018.

Archives Week events are designed to raise the public’s awareness of the importance of preserving and making accessible our documentary heritage. Activities include a wide range of programming, including lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and tours of repositories, all free and open to the public.  Last year, over thirty institutions in New York City held events relating to archival records. We would like to see similar participation this year and thus urge you and your repositories to plan an Archives Week event!

Suggested Archives Week activities:

*         Hold an open house, highlighting unique materials held by your repository.

*         Mount an exhibition using materials from your repository.

*         Demonstrate or report on activities/projects supported by grants.

*         Ask a researcher to speak on the value of your collections to their research.

*         Present a film festival using films or videos held by your repository.

*         Sponsor lunchtime talks by archivists, historians, and other researchers.

*         Organize a walking tour of your repository's neighborhood.

Please submit your Archives Week event through the linked form below for inclusion in the Archives Week event calendar:

https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-new-york-archives-week-2018/

 

The deadline for submission of the form is Friday, October 5, 2018.  Questions regarding submissions should be sent to president@nycarchivists.org.

In addition, as part of an effort to draw public attention to Archives Week and highlight the importance of our repositories and collections, A.R.T. will sponsor three exciting events:


-- On Friday, October 19th, we will hold a full-day symposium focusing on, “The Uncomfortable Archive;”

-- On Saturday, October 20th, the annual K-12 Archives Education Institute will take place. The focus will be on sports in New York City; and

-- On Wednesday, October 24th, we will honor our colleagues at our Annual Awards Ceremony.

The Archivists Round Table is pleased to announce an archives and exhibitions tour and reception at design gallery R & Company. Celebrating 20 years in business, R & Company is defined by their combined goals of promoting a closer study, appreciation, and preservation of 20th and 21st century design.

Join ART on October 2nd to learn about the
R & Company Archives and Library and tour exhibitions on view, including a historical presentation of Brazilian mid century design firm Forma, an immersive installation of biomorphic sculptural works by Rogan Gregory, and an exhibition of German toy designer Renate Müller.

Details and registration:
Design History in Contemporary Context:
The R & Company Archives

We are very pleased to announce the newest members of the A.R.T. Board:

Vice President/President-Elect/Past President: Deidre Dinnigan 

Secretary: Jennifer Neal

Communications Director: Philip Papas

Outreach Director: Sarah Bellet

Membership Director: Molly (Jacqueline) Seegers

Publications Director: Ostap Kin

Please join us in congratulating all of the nominees and the winners.

Posted by Leah Constantine

Since 1979, the Archivists Round Table has supported the efforts of professionals and institutions to promote and preserve archives and records management in the New York Metropolitan area. Its archives are a document to that history and consist of a growing repository of correspondence, professional development, events, workshops, advocacy, and overall history of New York archives and individuals.

Located in the archives at the New York Philharmonic, my exploration of ART’s archives began by creating an inventory of its materials starting with box 1, folder 1. As my time with the materials grew, so did my knowledge of its dynamic history and the many people that have contributed to its mission. ART’s archives are a testament to New York and its history, as well as the institutions that have preserved its communities and cultures.

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