Archives Task Force Meeting: June 2, 2025

Zoom / Conference Call

Members attending: Pam Hackbart-Dean, chair (University of Illinois Chicago), Ashley Howdeshell (Northeastern Illinois University), Marcella Lees (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), Meghan Ryan (National Louis University), Rebecca Fitzsimmons (Illinois State University), Matt Gorzalski (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)

Members absent: Alex Altan (Prairie State College), Jeannette Bruno (City Colleges of Chicago), Elaine Fetyko Page (Elmhurst University)

CARLI Staff attending: Elizabeth Clarage, Martin Kong

Decisions

• The May 2024 minutes were approved after minor edits.

Tasks Assigned

• Minutes taken by Matt Gorzalski.

Announcements

• Member Announcements:
  • Pam Hackbart-Dean (University of Illinois at Chicago): UIC’s IMLS grant was reinstituted.
• CARLI Announcements:
  • The CARLI Annual Meeting is October 21 and is free.
  • CARLI thanks all Archives Task Force members for their service and specifically notes those that are not continuing on the Archives Committee including Pam Hackbart-Dean (University of Illinois Chicago), Alex Altan (Prairie State College), Jeanette Bruno (City Colleges of Chicago), and Marcella Lees (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville).
  • There are still registration spots open for the Burn Simulation and Recovery Workshop on June 9 at the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign.

Discussion

• The task force discussed the May 14-15 workshop Building Digital Archives with Minimal Staffing. The webinar was well-attended and well-received. Attendees had several questions for the presenters and good discussion. It was evident that attendees benefited from the presentation content. There were 115 registrants, 75 individual attendees from 34 CARLI members. The workshop planning group was satisfied with the 2-day format as opposed to a day-long workshop. Some topics justify a longer workshop to cover all necessary aspects.
• The task force discussed the upcoming in-person workshop Behind the Scenes: An Introduction to Archival Processing. The event is June 6 at National Louis University in Chicago. There are 25 registrants. CARLI staff clarified that non-CARLI members can attend so long as it does not take a seat away from a CARLI member. Ashley and Elaine are assisting the workshop. The workshop planning group is finalizing details about handouts, laptops, and other logistical matters.
• Slides, handouts, and related material from Building Digital Archives with Minimal Staffing and Behind the Scenes: An Introduction to Archival Processing will be included in CARLI’s Archives and Special Collections Resources webpage.

Next Meeting Dates and Deadlines

The Archives Task Force concluded its charge in June 2025. The successor, the Archives Committee, will hold its first meeting in August 2025. Be mindful of forthcoming communication regarding the meeting date and time.