What Is #AskAnArchivist Day?

It’s an opportunity to:

• Break down the barriers that make archivists seem inaccessible.
• Talk directly to the public—via social media—about what you do, why it’s important and, of course, the interesting records with which you work.
• Join with archivists around the country and the world to make an impact on the public’s understanding of archives while celebrating American Archives Month!
• Interact with users, supporters, and prospective supporters about the value of archives.
• Hear directly from the public about what they’re most interested in learning about from archives and archivists. 

How Does It Work?

On October 11, archivists around the country will take to social media to respond to questions shared with the hashtag #AskAnArchivist. Take this opportunity to engage via your personal and/or institutional accounts and to respond to questions posed directly to you or more generally to all participants.

Questions will vary widely, from the silly (What do archivists talk about around the water cooler?) to the practical (What should I do to be sure that my emails won’t get lost?), but each question will be an opportunity to share more about our work and our profession with the public. 

Between now and October 11:

PROMOTE #AskAnArchivist Day among your users and constituents via your institution’s website, social media accounts, blog, newsletter, and any other mediums available to you. View the public announcement (and feel free to pick up language from it for your own promotions).

For additional inspiration on what your promotion of #AskAnArchivist Day might look like, check out what your peers have done:

• US National Archives
• Getty Research Institute
• USC Shoah Foundation
• Pennsylvania State Archives

And these great examples of museums' promotions of #AskAMuseum Day:

• Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies, ASU
• Hammer Museum, UCLA

Examples of possible social media promotion:

• Happy #AskAnArchivist Day! Our archivists are waiting for YOUR questions. Tag us at @ACCOUNTHANDLE and use #AskAnArchivist.
• Archivists at @ACCOUNTHANDLE are gearing up for #AskAnArchivist Day on October 11! Literally—documents and photo boxes stacked and waiting!

ENCOURAGE the public to use #AskAnArchivist and your institution’s social media handle (e.g., @smithsonian) when asking questions so you won’t miss any that are intended for you and so we will be able to track questions and answers to measure overall participation.

TALK to your staff and colleagues to develop a plan for responding to questions throughout the day. Will one person respond to all questions? Will you share the task? Will individuals sign up for time slots and let the public know who will be available when?

Here’s one example:

• During #AskACurator Day, one person at the Indianapolis Museum of Art was selected to monitor both the general hashtag and tweets sent directly to @imamuseum. When direct questions came in or interesting general questions were posed via the hashtag, the designated monitor sent the questions to participating curators via email. The curators (and their archivist!) replied with their answers, and the monitor posted all answers from the @imamuseum Twitter/X account. 

CREATE an institutional social account if you don’t already have one. #AskAnArchivist Day and American Archives Month are both great opportunities to start one! Get started here.

And if an institutional social media account is not an option for you, answer questions from your personal account(s)! If your institutional affiliation and job title are not already listed on your profile, be sure to add that for the duration of #AskAnArchivist Day.

SHARE and GREET! Take advantage of this opportunity to join with archivists from around the country to talk to and hear directly from the public on October 11.

If you plan to participate on Twitter/X in particular, please email SAA Marketing and Communications Specialist Julia Pillard with your Twitter/X handle so we can add you to the 2023 list of participants.

Artist, educator and 2023 Library of Congress Innovator in Residence Jeffrey Yoo Warren is inviting the public to visit an immersive 3D reconstruction of historic Providence, Rhode Island’s Chinatown in 1914, recreated using archival photographs and records from the Library’s collection. The model is the first part of Yoo Warren’s project, Seeing Lost Enclaves: Relational Reconstructions of Erased Historic Neighborhoods of Color, which aims to unearth lost histories from across the United States.

Complete with navigable buildings, glowing lamplights and the sounds of evening rain, the virtual Providence Chinatown reimagines a once-vibrant neighborhood, of which little trace remains today.

Along with the 3D reconstruction, Yoo Warren is also releasing a relational reconstruction toolkit for the public’s use, featuring tutorials and resources for reconstructing other community spaces with materials from the Library.

“The process of virtual reconstruction, especially when building on personal connection to a place, can be both enlightening and healing,” said Yoo Warren. “I look forward to connecting with folks seeking to better understand and relate to their histories through these techniques.”

The public is invited to join a virtual visit to Providence’s historic Chinatown and learn more about the relational reconstruction toolkit on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. ET. Event information can be found at labs.loc.gov/events.

In the second year of his residency with the Library, Yoo Warren will work with artist and educator Dri Chiu Tattersfield to reconstruct the historic Chinese vegetable gardens of Portland, Oregon. Yoo Warren will also host public workshops on a national tour of former Chinatown sites including Portland, Riverside, California and Terrace, Utah. Yoo Warren hopes his work will honor and encourage a deeper understanding of these lost neighborhoods and what their stories mean for Asian Americans today.

For more information about Yoo Warren’s upcoming project releases and future tour dates, sign up for the Seeing Lost Enclaves mailing list at LC-Labs@loc.gov.

Like previous Innovator in Residence experiments – Library of Colors, Citizen DJ, Newspaper Navigator and Speculative Annotation–  Seeing Lost Enclaves is the result of collaboration between outside innovators and Library subject matter experts to develop unique ways for the public to interact with the Library’s expansive digital collections.

To explore the wide range of digital experiments from LC Labs, visit labs.loc.gov.

The Library’s Digital Innovation Division, LC Labs, supports the Library’s mission to engage, inspire and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity. LC Labs is home to the Library of Congress Innovator in Residence Program; leads experiments with AI and other new technologies; and supports communities in exploring the Library’s data and digital collections. Learn more about the Library’s approach to digital strategy and visit labs.loc.gov to see this work in action.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

The following is a press release written by the folks at Ancestry.com:

LEHI, Utah, Sept. 13, 2023 -- Ancestry®, the global leader in consumer DNA testing and family history, today unveiled Know Your Pet DNA and its first product offering—a dog DNA test. In the US alone, nearly 70% of American households have a pet, and over 50% consider their pet part of the family. Know Your Pet DNA leverages the DNA science and technology expertise from Ancestry to offer dog owners a greater understanding of their pets so that they can provide optimal care. Features include:

Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry®

The Know Your Pet DNA test is the most scientifically advanced dog DNA test on the market. It offers customers detailed insights into their dog's behavioral qualities and traits—like their likelihood to have separation anxiety when they are left alone, their stress in veterinary situations, willingness to share with other dogs, noise sensitivities, and more. Know Your Pet DNA analyzes more than twice as much of a dog's genetic data compared to other dog DNA tests on the market, providing a more comprehensive understanding of each dog's genetics and behaviors and empowering pet owners to better know and care for their four-legged family members with deeper empathy and affection.

"One thing we hear from our customers who are dog owners is that many of them consider their pet to be a part of the family. At Ancestry, we are constantly looking for new ways to innovate and use our expertise to give our customers a better understanding of themselves and their family," said Brian Donnelly, Ancestry Chief Commercial Officer. "As a proud dog enthusiast, I was inspired by the love my family has for our dog to create a product that helps us better understand him and meet his needs based on his genetics."

Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry® was developed by an expert team of DNA scientists and animal geneticists and have engaged in global research collaborations with esteemed institutions dedicated to canine well-being like Massey University and the University of Minnesota. Additionally, Ancestry is a proud supporter of the ASPCA and is working with other non-profit organizations to support their efforts to improve the lives of pets worldwide.

After purchasing a DNA kit, taking the Know Your Pet DNA test is easy with three simple steps:

Once your dog's DNA is received, scientists meticulously prepare the sample, extract the DNA and, using Thermo Fisher Scientific's DNA microarray technology, identify each dog's unique genetic blueprint. Ancestry's scientists then analyze genetic patterns compared to an expansive database, and unveil each dog's lineage, traits, and kinship connections in a clear, detailed, and easy-to-read format in just 2-4 weeks.

"Identifying the breed and genetic makeup of a dog requires advanced DNA analysis technology, especially for those with complex ancestry from many breeds," said Kim Caple, President, Genetic Sciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We are thrilled that Thermo Fisher's highly comprehensive canine genotyping technology, the Applied Biosystems™ Axiom™ Canine HD genotyping array, will provide Ancestry and its dog-loving customers with a more complete understanding of their pet's genetic background for improved care and creating even closer connections."

The dog DNA kit retails for $99 and is available at a special introductory price of $75 through September 30, exclusively on petDNA.ancestry.com.

About Ancestry®

Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With our unparalleled collection of more than 40 billion records, over 3 million subscribers and over 24 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. For over 40 years, we've built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.

The Heredis team is delighted to announce Heredis' new version of the genealogy software: the 2024 version! 

Guided by your feedback, we've included a number of new features and improvements to help you make the most of your family trees.

- The Family Chronology

- The Mixed Wheel, which can display up to 12 generations of your ancestors and descendants 

- New options available for all the wheels, 

- The option to rename your media, 

- The option to choose from various date formats in your documents,

- Data protection,

- Easier transmission of your genealogy files from one device to another,

Plus, of course, over 50 improvements and fixes!

Click here to read the full announcement.

The following is a press release issued by the National Archives and Records Administration: 

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2023 — The National Archives and Records Administration plays a critical role in safeguarding democracy by providing access to records that help citizens hold their government accountable, Dr. Colleen Shogan said during a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony held yesterday in the National Archives Rotunda. "The prevalent condition in human history is not democracy or rights-based government. Rather, the default is autocracy and tyranny, where might makes right, with little regard to individual freedom or the pursuit of happiness," Shogan said. "What prevents us from falling back into the classic pattern of authoritarianism is our right—our responsibility—to hold our government accountable. That’s what makes the National Archives so important. Without the National Archives and the continued fulfillment of its mission, a healthy democracy cannot be sustained." Dr. Colleen Shogan makes remarks as Archivist of the United States on Sept. 11, 2023, at the National Archives in Washington, DC. NARA Photo by Susana Raab. Shogan said the National Archives' mission "is straightforward, but it grows in complexity every day. The National Archives preserves, protects, and shares the billions of records in its custody with the citizens of this great nation. We do this to cultivate public participation and strengthen our democracy." She noted that in order to meet an evolving mission in the digital age, the National Archives must transform itself. "We will need to embrace technology to meet our mission in ways that might make us uncomfortable at times. New ways of doing things will challenge our second-nature habits and processes," Shogan said. "But if we are going to succeed, we must move forward boldly. Timidity will not be our friend as records continue to proliferate at exponential rates." Read the Archivist’s speech and watch the full ceremony on the National Archives YouTube channel. Shogan, who officially took office in May, was sworn in during the ceremonial event on September 11 by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the 11th Archivist of the United States. It’s not lost on me today that I am the first woman appointed to serve in this role,” she said. “I wore white today to recognize those who made it possible for me to stand here today and take this oath. The suffragists didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, so they aren’t on these murals. But their contribution to the vitality of our democracy is no less meaningful. Along with many other inspiring leaders in American history, they believed in the principles enshrined in these documents, and claimed them as their God-given, natural rights. The fulfillment of those rights, which continues today, is why these documents aren’t simply pieces of parchment. They are living promises to hold our government accountable,” Shogan added. President Joseph R. Biden nominated Shogan to be Archivist of the United States in August 2022. The U.S. Senate confirmed Shogan on May 10, 2023, and she was officially sworn in on May 17, 2023, by an executive staff member of the National Archives and Records Administration and began work immediately as head of the agency. The swearing-in ceremony at the Rotunda is a more formal event to celebrate the start of a new Archivist’s tenure. It was generously supported by the National Archives Foundation. Jim Blanchard, President and Chair of the National Archives Foundation Board of Directors and former Michigan Governor, presided over the ceremony. First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden provided opening remarks.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden introduces Dr. Colleen Shogan as Archivist of the United States on Sept. 11, 2023 at the National Archives in Washington, DC. NARA Photo by Susana Raab

"The history we preserve, the stories we elevate, the voices we amplify, are shaped by the person at the helm of this institution. These stories are all of our stories,” Biden said. “Men and women of all backgrounds, ages, and creeds. What we choose to preserve and whose voices we deem worthy of placing in our national memory. That's why this milestone—the first woman head of the National Archives and Records Administration—is so momentous.” Prior to joining the agency, Shogan served as Senior Vice President and Director of the David M. Rubenstein Center at the White House Historical Association. She previously worked in the United States Senate and as a senior executive at the Library of Congress. Read her biography on Archives.gov and watch an interview in which Dr. Shogan discusses her plans for leading the National Archives.

UMass Lowell’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies has received a major boost to chronicle the experience of the Portuguese in Massachusetts with a second $300,000 grant from the William M. Wood Foundation of Boston.

Dr. Frank Sousa, the center’s director, said the funds will support the expansion of the collections of the Portuguese American Digital Archive (PADA) at UMass Lowell’s Center for Lowell History.

“The impact on the Portuguese American Digital Archive will be extensive,” he told O Jornal.

What will the grant be used for?

Dr. Sousa said the grant will make it possible to document the Portuguese-American experience in more Massachusetts communities.

“First and foremost, the funds will be used to expand our collections from Lowell, Lawrence, Hudson and Gloucester - archival efforts that were underwritten by the first $300,000 Wood grant from 2020 - and to begin collecting in other Portuguese communities North of Boston, especially Cambridge/Somerville and Peabody,” he said.

Established three years ago, the digital archive currently contains 34 collections and over 3,000 photographs and documents, as well as film and audio recordings. The archival holdings are readily available not only to students and educators but also to the general public.

Dr. Sousa said the new grant will allow PADA to keep a full-time archivist and historian Dr. Gregory Gray Fitzsimons.

You can read more in an article by Lurdes C. da Silva published in The Herald News web site.

From an article by Adi Robertson published in theverge.com web site:

The Internet Archive announced today that it has appealed its loss in a major ebook copyright case. A notice indicates that it’s filed with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Hachette v. Internet Archive, a publishing industry lawsuit over the nonprofit group’s Open Library program. The appeal follows a settlement that saw the Archive limit access to some of its scanned books as well as a second suit filed by music publishers over the Archive’s digitization of vintage records.

Hachette and three other publishers — HarperCollins, Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House — sued the Internet Archive in 2020 after it opened a program dubbed the National Emergency Library. The National Emergency Library expanded the Archive’s long-running Open Library program, which lets people digitally “check out” scanned copies of physical books. Publishers dubbed both systems “willful digital piracy on an industrial scale,” and in a March ruling, a New York judge substantially agreed.

The March ruling found that the Internet Archive’s scanning and lending of books didn’t fall under the protections of fair use law, and an August settlement required it to remove public access to commercially available books that remained under copyright. In addition to affecting the Archive, the ruling cast doubt on a legal theory called “controlled digital lending” that would allow other libraries to offer access to digitized versions of books they physically own — rather than relying on frequently expensive and limited lending systems like OverDrive.

Internet Archive director of library services Chris Freeland acknowledged that the appeal could be a difficult legal battle. “As we stated when the decision was handed down in March, we believe the lower court made errors in facts and law, so we are fighting on in the face of great challenges,” said Freeland in the Archive’s announcement. “We know this won’t be easy, but it’s a necessary fight if we want library collections to survive in the digital age.” Freeland says the Archive will share more details about the case as it progresses.

Court documents indicate the Internet Archive is still preparing its response to the lawsuit by UMG and other record labels; a pretrial conference in that case is currently scheduled for October.

Google Photos isn’t just a place for storing and sorting your photos and videos — both the web interface and the mobile apps come with a slew of image editing tools so you can spruce up and enhance your pictures before sharing them with the wider world.

Google regularly updates these editing tools, and a significant upgrade just arrived on the web. There are new features here (some of which were previously available only on the Android app), including preset color profiles and more granular control over existing features such as brightness and contrast adjustment.

You can read more in an article by David Nield published in TheVerge web site at: https://www.theverge.com/23864917/google-photos-tools-edit-tutorial .

The following announcement was written by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®:

FREE BCG-SPONSORED WEBINAR

“Follow the Trail of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810–1860)” 

by Karen Stanbary, CG

Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 8:00 p.m. (EDT)

A deep dive into the records narrates a family’s journey. Advanced methodology and DNA reconstruct the forgotten family.

Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG®, BCG Trustee, is an author and national lecturer focusing on topics related to using genetic evidence correlated with documentary evidence to solve genealogical brick walls. A Chicago local, she holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago and has completed advanced graduate study in Social Anthropology at the Colegio de Michoacán, Mexico. Her genealogical practice specializes in Midwestern U.S., Chicago, and Mexican research as well as complex problem-solving, unknown parentage, and DNA analysis. She is a coordinator and faculty member at IGHR, and SLIG. She received the NGSQ Award for Excellence for her complex evidence case study incorporating traditional documentary research and autosomal DNA analysis in the June 2016 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She published “Drowning in DNA? The Genealogical Proof Standard Tosses a Lifeline” in Debbie Parker Wayne’s book Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. Most recently, she published another complex DNA evidence case study in the NGSQ June 2023 issue: “A Charming Scoundrel and a Tragic Victim―Charles Mapes and Maggie McBurney of Rock Island County, Illinois: Biological Parents of Myrtle Eva (Porter) Dewein.” She holds the credential Certified Genealogist from the Board for Certification of Genealogists where she serves as a Trustee and is chair of the DNA Committee.

BCG’s next free monthly webinar in conjunction with Legacy Family Tree Webinars is “Follow the Trail of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810–1860)” by Karen Stanbary, CG. This webinar airs Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. EDT.  

When you register before September 19 with our partner Legacy Family Tree Webinars(http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=8110) you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Anyone with schedule conflicts may access the webinar at no charge for one week after the broadcast on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to present these high-quality educational webinars,” said President Faye Jenkins Stallings, CG. “At BCG, our purpose is to promote public confidence in genealogy by supporting uniform standards of competence. These webinars help to achieve that by providing educational opportunities to family historians of all levels of experience.”

Following the free period for this webinar, BCG receives a small commission if you view this or any BCG webinar by clicking our affiliate link: http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=2619.

To see the full list of BCG-sponsored webinars for 2023, visit the BCG blog SpringBoard at https://bcgcertification.org/bcg-2023-free-webinars/.  For additional resources for genealogical education, please visit the BCG Learning Center (https://bcgcertification.org/learning).

This summer, the Digital Library of Georgia released several new grant-funded newspaper titles to the Georgia Historic Newspapers website. Included below is a list of the newly available titles.

Titles funded by the Chattooga County Historical Society with a grant from the Tillotson-Menlo Charitable Foundation, Inc

Titles funded by the Forsyth County Public Library

Titles made available as part of the Georgia Newspaper Project Born Digital Project

Titles funded by the Georgia Public Library Service

Titles digitized in partnership with Georgia State University Library

Titles digitized in partnership with Kennesaw State University Museums, Archives and Rare Books

Titles funded by Mercer University Libraries

Titles funded by the Middle Georgia State University Library

Titles funded by the National Digital Newspaper Program with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Titles digitized in partnership with the Taylor County Historical-Genealogical Society

Titles funded through a grant from an anonymous donor