The Hidden History, Hidden Labor: Examining the Power of Community Archives
Lecture given by: Melanie Meents, Senior Time-based Media Conservator, Harvard University Library’s Preservation Services
Learn how history is preserved!
Renowned archivist Melanie Meents, will be traveling from her home-base in Cambridge, Mass., to guide the Zadock Pratt Museum archivist team in preserving the town’s one-of-kind documents for future generations to enjoy and learn from. This fascinating process will be brought alive for participants to learn how historical materials are saved from “Father Time.”
It takes a significant amount of work to make historical materials available and accessible to the public at both large institutions and local historic museums. Meents will discuss the importance of community archives, their impact on communities, and for broader research purposes here and beyond. Attendees will learn practical tips for successful stewardship of historical collections with modest resources and walk away with a better understanding of digitization, accessibility and sustainable long-term preservation of local history.
Melanie Meents is an archivist and librarian who currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. She works as the Senior Time-based Media Conservator in the Preservation Services department of Harvard Libraries providing preservation and conservation services for rare and unique audiovisual materials across the many repositories and collecting units within the Harvard Library system. She received a BA in history from Loyola University Chicago and an MLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Melanie has worked with community archives in different capacities throughout her career including the Community Archives Workshop (CAW) and a number of other local workshops in Tennessee and North Carolina. She is passionate about making archival materials accessible for future generations of users.
In her spare time, Melanie enjoys spending time outdoors via camping and hiking, participating in any type of craft but especially crochet, and reading romance and fantasy novels.
*The museum’s grant from NBT Bank is used to make a portion of this presentation possible.