History Allies: Helping Protect Your Past: Resources on Managing Archives & Records for Community-Based Organizations

Since 2015, the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center (UK SCRC) has offered “archives basics” workshops for community-based organizations in central Kentucky. These workshops, titled “History Allies: Helping Protect Your Past,” are free and open to the public and often hosted in partnership with area public libraries. Attendees have been from African American churches, LGBTQIA organizations, genealogical groups, museums, and more. Topics include the historical value of organizational records, selecting records for permanent retention, inventorying and storing physical and digital records, providing access to researchers, managing volunteers and volunteer projects, digitization methods and standards, and outreach and exhibits. The workshops also include opportunities for networking and small group discussion. Presenters for the workshops have included archivists and librarians from UK SCRC, Scott County (Kentucky) Public Library, and the Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library, including Sandra Baird, Ruth Bryan, Nancy DeMarcus, Sarah Dorpinghaus, Sarah Hubbard, Reinette Jones, Matthew Strandmark, Kathy Vaughan-Lloyd, and Stacie Williams