Professional engagement opportunity: SNAC edit-a-thon – IU Indianapolis Department of Library and Information Science

MLIS students are welcome to participate in this endeavor to improve discovery of Indigenous archival material. Training and edit-a-thon can be done remotely.

We are seeking contributing editors and peer reviewers for an Indigenous SNAC (Social Networks and Archival Contexts) edit-a-thon being planned for the Fall of 2021. The edit-a-thon event will be held on October 11th and 12th as a celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This edit-a-thon aims to improve discovery of Indigenous archival material that has been dispersed to multiple repositories, and to begin exploring best practices around entities in SNAC for Indigenous, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or First Nations individuals and Nations, as well as for colonial actors and institutions whose records hold relevance for Indigenous researchers. No prior experience participating in an edit-a-thon or working with the SNAC platform is required.

We invite archivists, librarians, and scholars/practitioners in related fields at any career stage to participate. We especially encourage MLIS students (and other graduate students) and early career professionals to participate!

We especially welcome, and have funding for, participants who identify as Indigenous, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or First Nations (we have funding available to provide a $450 honorarium to up to 30 participants). Non-Indigenous participants with expertise in these areas are welcome to participate as editors or peer reviewers on a volunteer basis.

Time Commitment for the SNAC Edit-a-thon and Training Dates

We estimate that the time commitment will be around 17 hours over the Fall. This includes a 6-hour SNACSchool training over 2 days in August or September (see below), SNAC practice time, review of event protocols and resources, and participation on October 11th or 12th during the edit-a-thon event.

The edit-a-thon will be held Monday, October 11th and Tuesday, October 12th, 2021 (with the option to participate on either day). We ask that all participants who have not previously attended SNACSchool training participate in one of the two trainings prior to the edit-a-thon. There are two options, one in August and one in September are listed below. You are only required to attend one.

SNACSchool training dates are:

Option 1: Monday August 23rd and Tuesday August 24th (the training is over 2 days, each day at 1-4pm Eastern / 10am-1pm Pacific / 7am-10am Hawaiian)

Option 2: Wednesday September 22nd and Thursday September 23rd (the training is over 2 days, each day at 1-4pm Eastern / 10am-1pm Pacific / 7am-10am Hawaiian)

SNACSchool training is free, and just requires registration (which will be handled by the project team). Both the training and edit-a-thon can be done remotely.

What is SNAC?

SNAC is a free, online resource that helps users discover biographical and historical information about persons, families, and organizations. The platform is designed to connect distributed archival records held at cultural institutions around the world. See the SNAC website for free training materials and other information about the SNAC cooperative.

Goals of this Edit-a-thon

Facilitate discovery of archival material that has been dispersed to multiple repositories, and connect related Indigenous, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or First Nations people.
Create more and fuller records for Indigenous people and their histories, and utilize decolonizing methodologies to create more accurate records.
Facilitate knowledge sharing of related archival material through a community effort.
Develop recommendations, protocols, and best practices for SNAC to better represent and accurately describe Indigenous records.
Community capacity-building through training more Indigenous editors of SNAC.

Basic Requirements of Participants

Access to a computer
Access to internet and ability to stream live video
Basic English fluency
Participation in SNACSchool training, including:
- Access to major internet browsers (Firefox or Google Chrome)
- Google-compatible email address for login (You may be asked to create one, if you do not have one)
Adhere to edit-a-thon code of conduct and protocols created by the project team

Sign Up!

To register for the event, fill out this participant registration by September 10. If you have any additional questions please feel free to reach out to Lydia Curliss at lcurliss@umd.edu.

Please feel free to share this call with anyone who would be interested in participating.

Thank you for your consideration!

-The Project Team

Project Team

The project is being collaboratively organized by Lydia Curliss (University of Maryland iSchool), Irene Gates (New School), Dina Herbert (NARA), Diana Marsh (University of Maryland iSchool), Katherine Meyers Satriano (Peabody Museum at Harvard), and Jerry Simmons (NARA), in partnership with an Indigenous Advisory Board comprised of Marge Bruchac (University of Pennsylvania), Stephen Curley (National Native American Boarding School Coalition), Taylor Gibson (Gāhsronih); Eric Hemenway (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians), Keahiahi Long (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), and Melissa Stoner (University of California at Berkeley).