Workshop

Hosted by: Smithsonian Institution

Partnered with: General Anthropology Division

Of interest to: Anthropologists in any sub-field and stage of career

Primary Theme: Academic Career Development, Practicing / Applied Career Development, Humanistic Anthropology, Technical Skill Development

(2-0260) Archival Research 101

Level of Audience: Beginning

Click here to register for this workshop and add it to your existing Annual Meeting registration.

Archives are increasingly being used in research by anthropologists in all four fields, however, few anthropologists receive specific training in how to conduct archival research. This workshop will demystify archival repositories and provide an orientation to conducting research in archives. The workshop will have three parts: 1. an overview of the nature of archival repositories (the principles of archival organization, what "access" and "preservation" mean in an archival context); 2. how to translate a research question into an archival research plan; and 3. how to use collection databases, catalogs, and finding aids to locate materials of interest. The workshop will be taught by archivists from repositories with significant anthropological holdings. Ample time will be given to assisting participants in searching for archival materials relevant to their own research interests.

Learning Objectives:

• understand the general principles that govern archival organization and descriptive practices, as well as decrypt archival jargon
• Understand the types of records that are found in archival repositories and how they may be used
• Determine strategies for locating materials of interest in archival repositories and gain skills in searching online catalogs and finding aids

Organizer(s)

• Diana Marsh

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  National Anthropological Archives, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution

Workshop Presenter(s)

• Gina Rappaport

  Head Archivist and Photo Archivist
  National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution