SMA’s Virtual Table Talks are one-hour informal discussions to promote the sharing of knowledge between archivists working in Mississippi galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. Each talk will feature a speaker who will share their experience and knowledge on a given topic. For the 2020-21 season, SMA is looking for presenters who can speak to what activities or projects their institutions are completing in relation to Social Justice in the Archives. Presentations unrelated to Social Justice will also be considered, but preference will be given to topics directly related to the theme. Presentation ideas include, but are not limited to:

• Promoting Inclusion in the Archival Profession
• Seeking, Collecting, and Promoting Collections from Marginalized Groups
• Developing Collection Policies that Promote Inclusion
• Including Marginalized Histories in Instruction
• Creating Anti-Racist Descriptive Practices
• Celebrating Cultural Histories of Marginalized Communities
• Researching Marginalized Communities or Social Justice Topics

If you are interested in serving as a speaker for a Virtual Table Talk, please contact Carrie P. Mastley (cmastley@library.msstate.edu) no later than June 5, 2020. Please include your name, institution, presentation title, and a description of your presentation (description not to exceed 200 words). In your description, you may wish to include how your activity/project originated, how you instated or completed the activity/project, why it is important to our profession and patrons, what problems or issues it might resolve, and any insights or lessons learned. Final presentations should be no longer than 45 minutes in length.

Tentative Series Schedule:

Summer 2020 Session
Friday, July 31st, 12:00 pm CST

Fall 2020 Sessions
Friday, September 25th, 12:00 pm CST
Friday, November 20th, 12:00 pm CST

Spring 2021 Sessions
TBD