Indiana Archives Month 2017

INTRODUCTION
Archives Month is an annual, month-long observance of the agencies and people responsible for maintaining and making available the archival and historical records of our nation, state, communities, and people. The events are a celebration of the work that we and our organizations do, but it is also a time to raise public awareness. By holding exhibit openings, workshops, lectures, open houses, and other related events during Archives Month, Indiana's archives community can make a concerted effort to bring the importance of our profession to the attention of our state’s citizenry and public leaders.

Any agency that deals with archives and historical records in Indiana is invited to participate in Archives Month. The Indiana Archives and Records Administration (IARA) sponsors the celebration and will serve as an information clearinghouse for events occurring during the month.

WHY PARTICIPATE?
Your participation in Archives Month is important because increased public awareness of historical records translates into increased support of archives. Archives Month and other outreach efforts help the public and resource allocators such as administrators, trustees, commissioners, and legislators, understand and appreciate that historical records have value for both an understanding of the past and a contribution to the present. By participating in Archives Month, you get to show off your collections and the work done by your staff to your colleagues, patrons, and administrators and demonstrate the value of the records and the work you do with them.

Indiana Archives Month Poster

Click the above image to view the 2017 Indiana Archives Month poster. This year's poster "Discover Indiana's Hidden Treasures,” reminds us of our responsibility to visit local archives and experience history through the eyes, ears and thoughts of those who lived it.

#AskAnArchivist Day

On October 4, 2017, Archivists from the Indiana State Archives and around the country will take to Twitter to answer your questions about any and all things archives. This day-long event, sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, will give you the opportunity to connect directly with archivists in your community—and around the country—to ask questions, get information, or just satisfy your curiosity.

As professional experts who do the exciting work of protecting and sharing important historical materials, archivists have many stories to share about the work they do every day in preserving fascinating documents, photographs, audio and visual materials, and artifacts. Increasingly, archival work extends beyond the physical and includes digital materials. #AskAnArchivist Day will give you a chance to connect with archivists who are tackling the challenges of preserving our digital heritage for the future.

What questions can be asked?
Archivists participating in #AskAnArchivist Day are eager to respond to any and all questions you have about archives and archival work.

No question is too silly ...

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve come across in your collections?
• If your archives had a soundtrack, what songs would be on it?
• What do archivists talk about around the water cooler?

... and no question is too practical!

• What should I do to be sure that my emails won’t get lost?
• I’ve got loads of digital images on my phone. How should I store them so I can access them later on?
• How do you decide which items to keep and which to weed out from a collection?
• As a teacher, how can I get my students more interested in using archives for projects?

How does it work?
#AskAnArchivist Day is open to everyone—all you need is a Twitter account. To participate, just tweet a question and include the hashtag #AskAnArchivist in your tweet. Your question will be seen instantly by archivists around the country who are standing by to respond directly to you.

Have a question for a specific archives or archivist? Include their Twitter handle with your question. The Indiana State Archives' Twitter handle is: @IndianaArchives.They may not know every answer right away, but they will get back to you after they’ve had the chance to do some digging.

Don’t have a question right away? Search Twitter for #AskAnArchivist and follow along as questions and answers are shared.

So get ready!
Archivists from universities, museums, historical societies, churches, businesses, local and state governments, and other organizations are taking to Twitter to answer your questions all day long on October 4 at #AskAnArchivist.

For more information about #AskAnArchivist Day, visit the Society of American Archivists' website: https://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/askanarchivist-day

Electronic Records Day

Electronic Records Day is celebrated every year on October 10. It is an opportunity to share information about what you are doing to manage your state's digital resources and to enlist help in preserving electronic records.

Electronic Records Day is designed to raise awareness among state government agencies, the general public, related professional organizations, and other stakeholders about the crucial role electronic records play in their world.

To assist you in this endeavor the CoSA State Electronic Records Initiative's Advocacy and Outreach Subcommittee has developed several informational resources which can be found below. You are also encouraged to share your own resources and information with the public or other archival stakeholders in your community.

• Spread the word through social media channels.
• Do a special post on your blog.
• Engage the public in a presentation on risks to digital content.
• Start a dialog with other entities in your area that work with e-records on a daily basis.
• Host a workshop on good digital preservation practices.

The purpose is to raise community awareness of our digital records, and of the need to manage and preserve them. After the day we would love to hear about what you did to promote e-records awareness. With your help we can make this year the most successful E-Records Day yet!

Talk about E-Records Day on Twitter using #ERecsDay

For more information about Electronic Records Day, visit the Council of State Archivists' website: https://www.statearchivists.org/programs/state-electronic-records-initiative/electronic-records-day/

Indiana Archives Month Blog

Click the above image to go to our 2017 Indiana Archives Month Blog.

Each week in October we will focus on different topics such as: patron services, electronic records, conservation and records processing.

We will be updating and adding content to this page throughout the month of October.