n.a month dedicated to celebrating and promoting archives and archival collectionsFox 1999, 399Duranti introduced a letter from the Society of Southwest Archivists inquiring if SAA would be amendable to designating October National Archives Month. The sense of Council was that SAA is amenable.SAA 2006By all accounts, the first celebration of Archives Week occurred in New York City in 1989 under the leadership of the Archives Round Table of Metropolitan New York. The idea soon spread (to the New York State Archives and then beyond) and since that time many states, regional organizations, and repositories have celebrated an annual Archives Week or Archives Month. ¶ Since 2002, the Council of State Archivists (formerly the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators) has provided an online directory of Archives Week/Month activities and resources, including a wonderful poster gallery. . . . ¶ American Archives Month is intended to boost everyone’s current efforts and encourage even more participation. It is a tool that may be used to raise awareness among a variety of audiences, including policy makers, “influentials” within your community, resource allocators, prospective donors, researchers, future archivists, the media (including newsletter editors and community relations departments within your own institution!), and the general public.Adkins 2008, 45We are trying to address this through work to promote American Archives Month, but much more needs to be undertaken.Mariz et al. 2011, 121Previous “Archives Week” celebrations and the new national focus on American Archives Month provide useful means of reaching public attention.Gasero et al. 2011, 7One year, for American Archives Month, we held a community-wide celebration with different repositories hosting talks and tours through the month of October.SAA 2014aSince 2006, American Archives Month has given the profession an opportunity to tell (or remind) people that items that are important to them are being preserved, cataloged, cared for, and made accessible by archivists.CoSA 2021bCoSA is pleased to support the Society of American Archivists in its observance and promotion of American Archives Month. ¶ We believe that American Archives Month provides an excellent opportunity for educating the public and resource providers about the work that archivists do and why it is important.
Notes
American Archives Month refers to a specific month of activity in the United States. In 1999, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) declared October as the official American Archives Month.Beginning in 1979, Archives Week/Month saw steady growth at the grassroots level, supported by energetic and creative members of regional, state, and local archives associations; state historical records advisory boards; and repositories working individually and collectively. In 2002, the Council of State Archivists started its online directory of Archives Week/Month activities and resources, including a poster gallery. By 2005, Archives Week/Month was being celebrated in a variety of ways in no fewer than thirty-five states.SAA launched American Archives Month in October 2006 as an annual nationwide celebration that could be adapted by any group to suit its needs and resources, but that could also stand as a unified effort to promote archives and the work of archivists. In support of American Archives Month, SAA publishes practical tips and tools that members use to educate their communities about the power of archives. In 2014, in conjunction with American Archives Month, #AskAnArchivist Day was introduced to provide an opportunity via Twitter for archivists to talk directly to the public about what they do, why it’s important, and the interesting records with which they work.
