Archives Committee Meeting: August 18, 2026

Archives Committee Meeting: August 18, 2026

Zoom / Conference Call

Members attending: Brandi Fialek (Harper College), Rebecca Fitzsimmons, co-chair (Illinois State University), Matt Gorzalski, (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Melody Hauf-Belden (Principia College), Ashley Howdeshell (Northeastern Illinois University), Zachary Palitzsch (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), Meghan Ryan, co-chair (National Louis University), Erin Zimmerman (Heartland Community College)

Member absent: Elaine Fetyko Page (Elmhurst University)

CARLI Staff attending: Elizabeth Clarage, Martin Kong

Decisions

  • Zoom was chosen as the meeting platform for 2026-2027.
  • The monthly meetings will be virtual, scheduled tentatively  for the first Wednesday of the month from 10:00-11:00 AM after confirmation for that day/time from all members.
  • Meeting minutes will be rotated among committee members in alphabetical order by last name, as listed below. Melody Hauf-Belden, first to take minutes, will be excluded from the rotation.

Tasks Assigned

  • Minutes taken by Melody Hauf-Belden.
  • Elizabeth Clarage and Martin Kong will update the meetings template to include future meetings and minutes takers.
  • Committee members are encouraged to contribute ideas to the shared brainstorming document for the 2026-2027 committee year. It resides in our committee’s Box folder.
  • Prioritization for Fall and Spring to chart our path forward will take place in future meetings. 

Announcements

  • Member Announcements: 
    • None
  • CARLI Announcements:
    • CARLI’s annual meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center in Champaign. Lunch will be provided. Virtual attendance is an option. Registration is on the CARLI website.

Discussion

  • As this was the first meeting of the 2026-2027 committee, CARLI staff opened the meeting with introductions for new and old members, reviewing committee processes and procedures, minutes template, how to use Box, and requesting a volunteer to take meeting minutes. Melody Hauf-Belden volunteered. Co-chairs Rebecca Fitzsimmons and Meghan Ryan then facilitated the remainder of the meeting.
  • The Committee discussed meeting in person this year and perhaps proceeding with the idea from last year. The idea was presented to meet in person in the Spring, with an Archives Open House at a member institution. Also discussed was an option was to have two institutions open house events in one day. Rebecca volunteered to have the “Come one, come all for a peek into the Circus & Allied Arts Collection” open house at Illinois State University and to partner with IWU for a preservation/conservation day using her collections in the morning. IWU would be in the afternoon.
  • The Committee reviewed the previous year's annual report of programming and accomplishments, including: two webinars, Ask an Archivist sessions (with varying attendance), newsletter posts, and Archives Collection Highlights. 
  • Archives Collection Highlights
    • Members discussed whether to continue a monthly Archives Collection Highlights schedule or provide more flexibility and post outside of the CARLI newsletter schedule?
    • Members discussed the idea of inviting all CARLI members to contribute to Archives Collection Highlights using the CARLI Archives and Special Collections email list.
    • Past submissions are on the CARLI website. https://www.carli.illinois.edu/products-services/collections-management/members-archives-collection-highlights
  • The Committee began to brainstorm ideas for a possible Table Talk at the CARLI Annual Meeting. The theme is Advocacy. Discussion was based on how advocacy could be related to Archives. No decisions were made.
    • Structure: List of 5-6 prepared questions to start and steer conversation. It will be informal discussion, for about an 1 hour, and there would be fluctuating numbers of people at the table. We need to decide by Oct. 1 if we will participate.
  • Tabled idea to be addressed: Can CARLI support members with an archival discovery tool, such as Archives Space? 
  • The committee began brainstorming potential projects and educational opportunities, including virtual and in-person programs, webinars, small-group workshops, and open house events. Building on feedback from the previous year, the committee noted a need for both foundational support and guidance for archivists, as well as advanced learning opportunities. 
    • Rebecca Fitzsimmons created a shared Box document for committee members to contribute brainstorming ideas.
  • The Committee discussed conducting a CARLI membership survey to gather current needs and priorities, as existing data is from 2022-2023 Archives Report, last year’s Annual Meeting Table Talk, and pre-Committee efforts.
  • CARLI staff brought forward that CARLI members have asked CARLI for help about integrating archives with Alma – Primo. Is a member available to share their success and failures? 
    • As CARLI does not have the products/services, CARLI doesn't have the configuration settings to share procedure and process.
    • This could be "advanced" topic programming we offer.
  • Brainstorming notes from previous committees also exist in our collaboration space in Box.

Next Meeting Dates and Deadlines

The Archives Committee will meet next on September 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Committee Meetings:
August 18, 2026: Minutes taker – Melody Hauf-Belden
September 02, 2026: Minutes taker – Brandi Fialek
October 07, 2026: Minutes taker – Rebecca Fitzsimmons
November 04, 2026: Minutes taker – Matt Gorzalski
December 02, 2026: Minutes taker – Ashley Howdeshell
January 06, 2027: Minutes taker –  Elaine Page
February 03, 2027: Minutes taker –  Zachary Palitzsch
March 03, 2027: Minutes taker –  Meghan Ryan
April 07, 2027: Minutes taker –  Erin Zimmerman
May 05, 2027: Minutes taker – TBD
June 02, 2027: Minutes taker – TBD

Deadlines:
May 28, 2027 – Committee Annual Report due to the CARLI Governance Board.