Archival Workers Emergency Fund - Get Involved!

On March 13, 2020, a group of concerned archivists organized in response to the COVID-19 global crisis and recommended that the Society of American Archivists Foundation establish the Archival Workers Emergency Fund. The AWE Fund was officially launched on April 15, 2020. The fund is providing mutual aid support to financially vulnerable and at-risk archives workers, including part-time, hourly, contract, temporary, term-limited, and otherwise contingent archives workers who now face acute employment and financial challenges.

Please consider helping us share the word about the AWE Fund and encourage potential applicants and donors alike! Our official organizer’s Twitter account is @awefund2020 and our hashtag is #AWEfund.

If you’d like to collaborate with us in any way, thank you! You can learn more about the AWE Fund at our website. If interested members of your organization have specific skill sets they’d like to contribute in this effort, we encourage them to contact us.

The Archival Workers Emergency Fund organizers have created an anonymous survey to continue to keep a pulse on the scope and extent of the impact of COVID-19 on precariously employed archival workers.

Please take the survey by July 31!

Another upcoming activity is the #Auction4AWEfund. If you are a crafter and want to raise funds for the AWE Fund, please submit your item for auction by June 15! 

Alison Clemens (alison.clemens@gmail.com) can direct any questions you may have about the AWE Fund's current fundraising efforts

Preserving South Carolina's Constitutions

The Charleston Post and Courier recently ran an article on the preservation of South Carolina's 1776, 1778, 1790, 1861, 1868, and 1895 constitutions by the NEDCC. The article can be read at the following link:  https://bit.ly/2yXS1PD

Town Hall video now available!

The video of the SCAA Town Hall on reopening after the pandemic is now available on the newly created South Carolina YouTube channel. The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjHyyHhkkXw. Please subscribe to the channel!

We are planning to add the chat transcript and a summary of the Town Hall to the SCAA website in the near future.

Another Town Hall will be held in mid-July; keep an eye out for the announcement.

SCAA to host town hall on logistics of reopening after COVID-19

The South Carolina Archival Association (SCAA) will host a virtual Town Hall Meeting on reopening archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions to the public on June 1 from 2:30pm-3:30pm. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, cultural heritage institutions across South Carolina are discussing reopening plans and what the “new normal” will look like. This Town Hall will be a space to discuss our plans and concerns about reopening, share thoughts and ideas, and learn from colleagues across South Carolina. Discussions will be unstructured and moderated by Brenda Burk, Head of Special Collections at Clemson University.

The Town Hall is open to everyone but you must register.

When: June 1, 2020, 2:30pm-3:30pm Eastern
Where: Zoom
To register: https://forms.gle/Fbe66cThURGwvQgK7

New Covid-19 Resource

REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM) is a research partnership between OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle to create and distribute science-based information and recommended practices designed to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to staff and visitors who are engaging in the delivery or use of museum, library, and archival services.

Visit oc.lc/realm-project for more information on the project, research timeline, and committee members. Project updates and resources will be added to this information hub as they become available.