Choosing Sessions to Attend: Good Trouble

If you're anything like me preparing for (or at least thinking a great deal about) Sustainable Archives: AUSTIN 2009, the list of things you would like to do and "have to" to do is growing exponentially. Here are a couple session suggestions related to reference, access, and outreach with more to come in the new issue of the RAO Newsletter next week. Are you part of or know of a session you think RAO members won't want to miss? Feel free to share your two cents in the comments.

A couple sessions looking interesting to my eyes today:

Session 101: Building, Managing, and Participating in Online Communities: Avoiding Culture Shock Online

Session 104: The Real Archives 2.0: Studies of Use,Views and Potential for Web 2.0

Session 306: Omeka: Using Web 2.0 Technologies to Enhance Digital Content

And in a recent message to the RAO listserv Doris Malkmus shared how Session 404: Collaborative Teaching and Learning in the Archives: Assessment and Insight she is part of may be of particular interest to RAO members:

"As part of the panel, I will report on current research about faculty practices using archival and online primary sources to teach undergraduates; Barbara Rockenbach will discuss the library at Yale's new, active learning approach to user education for undergraduates, and Magia Krause will present an assessment tool she developed to test student learning before and after user education. Chair Peter Wosh will comment on the significance of these findings and fresh approaches. This session should prove valuable to all archivists working in an academic setting and to anyone working with novice researchers or interested in new practices in teaching history and user education."

What has caught your eye?

Section Election: Live It Up

Sustainable Archives: AUSTIN 2009 is just around the corner and preparations for the Reference, Access, and Outreach Section annual meeting are reaching a fever pitch. RAO is again meeting in the post-lunch slot on Friday, August 14th from 1-3pm. One order of business always on the section's agenda is the election of new officers. We are very pleased to share this year's slate.

Vice chair/chair-elect:

• James Gerencser, Dickinson College

Steering Committee (2 positions):

• Beth Bensman, NARA
• Bridget Burke, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
• Jennifer Davis McDaid, Library of Virginia
• Jessica Lacher-Feldman, University of Alabama
  
• Blynne Olivieri, MLS Student, University of Washington – Seattle
• Jill Severn, University of Georgia

Thank you to everyone for volunteering to stand for election! Complete candidate biographies will be available on RAO's website and via the next issue of the newsletter coming out next week. Further information, including how you can vote, will also be distributed via the RAO listserv and here.

Update: Candidate bios and Section by-laws revision information are now available. Please log in to cast your ballot online by July 31st or if you prefer, you may vote at the RAO Section meeting (have we mentioned lately that it is Friday, August 14th at 1pm?).