Community Archiving Workshop (CAW) Working Group

Chairs: Pamela Vadakan and Grace Lile

The CAW Working Group develops and delivers the Community Archiving Workshop each year at the annual AMIA conference.

The Community Archiving Workshop is a one-day event in which AMIA members and local community members come together to practice the essentials of audiovisual archiving and complete a collection inventory and assessment for a local organization. Workshop participants get hands-on training in the handling and care of audiovisual collections, AMIA members engage local community members in processing and describing their community’s audiovisual assets, and together they inspect and inventory a small collection in preparation for preservation.

Beginning in 2022, the annual conference CAW has been organized as a Trainer of Trainers (TOT) workshop. The purpose of the TOT is to expand the skills and knowledge of participants so that they may themselves plan and execute CAWs with confidence, and thus increase the reach and sustainability of the CAW model. AMIA conference attendees will be invited to volunteer as trainees, who will then, under the mentorship of experienced AMIA trainers, work as a group to plan and conduct the annual conference workshop.

Workshop planning is documented in the CAW Handbook.

Expectations include:

• Attend Working Group meetings
• Assist in the planning of the annual AMIA Community Archiving Workshop
• Keep track of deadlines, e.g. AMIA Call for Proposals, newsletters, etc.
• Solicit agenda items for Working Group meetings

Working group roles may overlap with workshop roles. No prior CAW experience is required to join the working group.

If you’re interested in joining the CAW Working Group, please fill out the CAW Membership Interest Form.