Community Archiving Workshop (CAW) Working Group

Chairs: Pamela Vadakan and Grace Lile

The primary role of the AMIA CAW Working Group is to develop and deliver the Community Archiving Workshop each year at the annual AMIA conference. This flagship 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 on the handling and care of audiovisual collections, AMIA members engage local community members in processing and describing their community’s audiovisual assets, and together process a small collection (approximately 200 assets) of recordings 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, held the Saturday following the conference.

Additionally, members of the Working Group take on projects that promote and support the ongoing development, sustainability and goals of CAW both within AMIA and in conjunction with the larger CAW Collective. Examples of activities include:

• Fundraising and pursuit of sponsorships to support the AMIA CAW
• Documentation such as guidelines for TOT planning and other WG activities
• Review of and updates to curricula and materials
• Outreach and communication within the AMIA community and more broadly
• Report-backs from other CAWs
• Information-sharing and learning opportunities

While the heaviest time commitment for the WG overall is in the 6-7 months leading up to the conference, the WG meets monthly and engages in projects and learning activities year-round.

No prior CAW experience is required to join the working group. For more information about the broader CAW Collective, CAW resources, and prior workshops, please visit https://communityarchiving.org/

Interested in joining the CAW Working Group? Please fill out an interest form.