We’re excited to post the schedule for this year’s conference, “Reflecting on American History in the Archive,” to be held March 26-27 at USM’s Cook Library in Hattiesburg, MS. You can click here to register.

DAY ONE

Thursday, March 26

8:15-8:45 Registration

8:45-9:00 Opening Remarks

9:00-9:50 Session 1: Outreach & Engagement

“Activating the Archive through Zines: Collaborative and Academic-Zine Making at the Avery Research Center” (Erica Veal, Research Archivist and Interpretation Coordinator, College of Charleston)

“Out of the Vault: Creative Strategies for Engagement Beyond Traditional Archive Spaces” (David Benjamin, Head of Special & University Archives, University of Central Florida; Chereeka Garner, Academic Engagement Librarian, University of Central Florida; Renee Cole Montgomery, Academic Engagement Librarian, University of Central Florida Libraries)

9:50-10:00 Break

10:00-10:50 Session 2: Digital Projects

“’By words, we learn thoughts…’: Utilizing Transcriptions to Strengthen Metadata” (Amanda Wade, Museum Archivist, Mississippi Armed Forces Museum)

“Freedom Means: Digitizing the Hidden Stories of Black Mississippians’ Fight for Civil Rights” (Jessica Perkins Smith, Associate Professor/University Archivist, Mississippi State University; Carrie Mastley, Assistant Professor/Director of Historical Manuscripts, Mississippi State University; and Lauren Geiger, Assistant Professor/Digital Archivist, Mississippi State University)

10:50-11:00 Break

11:00-12:00 Session 3: Keynote

“Teaching with Archives and Special Collections to Discover a “Lost” Mississippi Neighborhood” (Matthew Casey, Associate Professor of History, The University of Southern Mississippi, and Honors College Students, The University of Southern Mississippi)

12:00-1:15 Lunch (Included with registration)

1:15-2:15 Session 4: Individual Histories

“Roots of Faith: Tracing Pope Leo XIV’s Ancestry Through Sacramental Records” (Sarah Waits, Research Archivist, Archdiocese of New Orleans)

“The Barrentine Family: Uncovering Power, Crime, and Murder in the Local History Department at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System” (Mona Vance-Ali, Archivist, Columbus-Lowndes Public Library)

“Bette Barber and the Dutch Flyers” (Miranda Vaughn, Archivist of Graphic Records, Mississippi Department of Archives and History)

2:15-2:30 Break

2:30-3:15 Session 5: Archival Pedagogy and Instruction

“Impact of Practicums on Student Success” (Lorraine Stuart, Professor/Head of Special Collections/Curator of Historical Manuscripts and Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi; Jeff Hirschy, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science, The University of Southern Mississippi; Jimisha Molphus, The University of Southern Mississippi; Crystal Walker, Owner/Archivist, Archivist’s Hollow)

“Bicentennial Junk: Teaching Public History Through ‘Trash’” (Arielle Petrovich, University Archivist, University of Central Florida Libraries, and Jessie Oldham, Program Coordinator, University of Central Florida Department of History)

3:15-3:30 Break

3:30-4:15 Session 6: Archival Discovery & Interpretation

“Benton and Booneville: Reflecting on Early 20th Century America in Documents and Images” (Jeannie S. Latartara, Assistant Professor/University Archivist, University of Mississippi, and Joe W. Moody, Assistant Professor/Special Collections Librarian – Audio Visual, The University of Mississippi)

“Chasing Ghosts: Telling the Stories of the Everyday Person” (Kaelynn Edmondson, Archival Project Coordinator – The Frank & Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana, Mississippi State University)

4:15-4:30 Day 1 Wrap-Up/Announcements

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DAY 2

Friday, March 27

8:30-9:00 Breakfast/Coffee

9:00-10:10 Session 7: Building the Archive

“Community-Centered Archiving and Under-Documented Histories: Building a Core Collection with the Vancleave Like Oak Choctaw Tribe” (Crystal Walker, Owner/Archivist, Archivist’s Hollow)

“Green Faces & Interracial Apartment Hunting: Curating a Collection of Institutional History from Scratch” (Blake Denton, Assistant Professor/Collection Management Librarian, The University of Southern Mississippi)

“A Century of Stories: Establishing the Archives for Northwest Mississippi Community College” (Suzy Guntharp, Library Archival Assistant, Northwest Mississippi Community College; Victoria Jankowski, Part-Time Evening Lab and Library Assistant, Northwest Mississippi Community College; Melissa Wright, District Director of the Learning Resource Centers, Northwest Mississippi Community College; Maya Berry, Digital Librarian, Northwest Mississippi Community College)

10:10-10:25 Break

10:25-11:05 Session 8: Working with Cookbook Collections

· “An Alimentary Alliance: Designing a Website to Supplement a Cookbook Archival Collection” (Andrew P. Haley, Associate Professor of History, The University of Southern Mississippi)

· “What’s Cookin’? Bringing Out Themes and History Hidden Inside Cookbooks” (Diana Simpson, Catalog Librarian, The University of Southern Mississippi)

11:05-11:20 Break

11:20-12:15 Session 9: Childhood, Politics, and Change

“Letter to the Editor: A Child’s Perspective on Politics” (Marge Sauls, Collection Specialist, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, The University of Southern Mississippi)

“Shifting Ideas on American Childhood: The Childcraft Series Before, During, and After WWII” (Ashlynn Steiner, Assistant Curator, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, The University of Southern Mississippi)

“Serendipity in the Archives” (Karlie Herndon, Assistant Professor/Curator of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, The University of Southern Mississippi)

12:15-12:30 Closing Remarks

12:30 SMA Board Meeting (all members are invited)

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PARKING

We have 20 reserved spots on the south side of McCain Library & Archives. Once you register for the annual meeting, a copy of the parking flyer will be emailed to you. The flyer must be included in the car when you park. Please consider carpooling to campus, if possible.

If the reserved parking spots are occupied, go to the kiosk at the main entrance to campus off Hardy Street to receive a parking pass. That pass will allow you to park anywhere on campus.

HOTELS

*There are many hotels in Hattiesburg. Below is a list of possibilities, but feel free to explore other options.

Hilton Garden Inn 133 Plaza Drive, 601.261.3703

TownePlace Suites 235 Thornhill Drive, 601.582.2030

Hampton Inn 120 Plaza Drive, 601.268.0606

Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites 10 Gateway Drive, 601.296.0302

Hotel Indigo 103 South 30th Avenue, 601.264.7709

Questions about the conference? Email Jennifer Brannock at Jennifer.Brannock@usm.edu.