On August 12th, the HSW hosted ten representatives from repositories across the country, with the Collections Manager providing a behind-the-scenes tour of the Society’s space in the Carnegie Library building.
The visitors, in town for the Society of American Archivists annual conference, received a hands-on introduction to popular collections, such as architectural photographs from the Kiplinger Washington Collection and the Wm. Edmund Barrett Washington Photograph Collection, as well as insights into subjects such as D.C.’s unique relationship to compensated emancipation (through the Loretta Carter Hanes Collection, MS 0766) and the right to vote for President (via the Evening Star Twenty-Third Amendment Scrapbook.).
Interns Elise Fariello, Trish Greene, Emily Keithley, and Fellow Lotus Norton-Wisla each spoke during the tour, featuring the collections they have worked on this summer; their presentations also highlighted the HSW’s on-going collaborations with local universities and funding partners such as the Dance Heritage Coalition. (The DHC secures funds for fellows, like Lotus, and places them at local repositories).
The tour concluded with a docent-led walk through the Window to Washington exhibit. HSW member, professional tour guide and author Canden Schwantes provided lively commentary and highlighted the War of 1812 section of the exhibit, curated by Cindy Janke in honor of this summer’s anniversary.
Three of the participants represented local D.C. repositories; in addition to exchanging collections information, the tour garnered a new volunteer who will offer her services as an audio-visual collections specialist.
The HSW also provided space for an SAA workshop on using open-source OCR tools with archival materials, held in the Carnegie Library’s Map Room over the course of the day. Hosting the 22-person workshop raised the HSW profile among conference participants and the SAA, as well as ensured a complimentary registration for HSW staffer Laura Barry.