MLA Archivist Annual Report 2019
submitted by Melissa Wertheimer
List of Previous Goals and Progress Made
During FY2019 my activities as MLA Archivist centered around collection development, collection advocacy and visibility, reference, and liaising between the Curator of Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) at the University of Maryland and other institutions and MLA officers. Other activities included serving for the first time as an ex-officio member on both the MLA Preservation and Oral History committees.
Goal: Keep apprised of SCPA’s progress on implementation of the electronic records program
- Achieved and ongoing. Have informed the Board of the archived website versions available through the University of Maryland’s web archiving program.
Goal: Communicate with chapters on new developments
- Discussions continue with NEMLA about finding a local repository to unite the separated chapter records housed at both the Boston Public Library and the University of Maryland; discussions continue to officially transfer the PNMLA records to the University of Washington after chapter anniversary
Goal: Continue to issue a call for submissions to the MLA Archives and serve as official contact to SCPA Curator
- Achieved and ongoing. Gaps in records holdings continue to be retroactively filled, including publications, committee records, and officer records.
Goal: Continue work on record group finding aids and publicize availability on MLA-L, in the Newsletter, and on the MLA Archives webpage (Organizational Excellence)
- Ongoing. The collection-level finding aid, Notes record group finding aid, and Oral Histories record group finding aid are available on the MLA Archives website and the Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland website.
Goal: Work with Web Manager on the MLA Archives webpage with information about the collection (Organizational Excellence)
- Achieved. I designed a new MLA Archives page with subpages and updated information about the collection, its research value, and how to submit records.
Goal: Continue to be an ambassador for the collection and a reference for MLA members about MLA history (Organizational Excellence, Advocacy, and Value of the Profession)
- Achieved and ongoing. Assisted MLA Newsletter Editor with collection access for anniversary, gave an e-interview about the archives in the MLA Newsletter, created a crowd-sourcing project for MLA St. Louis attendees to identify members in a 1958 conference photo transferred from the University of Buffalo this fiscal year.
List of Future Goals
- Goal: Continue to be an ambassador for the collection and a reference for MLA members about MLA history (Organizational Excellence, Advocacy, and Value of the Profession)
- Achieved so far: Co-curate an exhibit of MLA national and chapter materials for the ATMLA meeting in College Park, MD in October 2019
- Future goal: make the MLA Archives central to planning for the 90th anniversary meeting in 2021
- Goal: Continue to issue calls for submissions to the MLA Archives and serve as official contact to SCPA Curator (Organizational Excellence, Advocacy)
- Goal: Continue to advise as requested from the chairs of the MLA Preservation and Oral History committees (Organizational Excellence)
- Goal: Continue to advise MLA Board and Officers on best archival practices, especially with electronic records created at conferences (Organizational Excellence, Advocacy, Value of the Profession)
- Goal: Continue ongoing work for other goals from previous fiscal year