Session 6. Engagement with Local and Institutional History Initiatives: Recent Opportunities for the Archives at the University of Virginia

Abstract

In recent years, interest in local and institutional history in the Charlottesville-Albemarle region has created new opportunities and challenges for archivists at the University of Virginia. This session will share work undertaken at the University of Virginia Claude Moore Health Sciences Library and Arthur J. Morris Law Library in response to these developments. The presentation will discuss the archivist’s role as an active researcher, scholarly collaborator, and exhibition curator, as well as ways in which local and institutional history initiatives have reshaped technical archival work in our repositories. The speakers hope that sharing these experiences with MARAC colleagues will prompt discussion about how archivists balance different roles to serve their institutions and local communities.