AIC's 46th Annual Meeting

The Archives Conservation Discussion Group (ACDG) and the Electronic Media Group (EMG) will host a panel presentation and discussion session addressing the preservation of physical and digital objects used in political demonstrations and social movements.

Materials produced and used during protest marches, vigils, and political actions tend to be ephemeral - made and used on-the-fly with available, inexpensive materials - and are often exposed to a range of environmental hazards prior to entering collections. Digital media - from live video streaming to social media posts to smartphone photos - have become integral to contemporary protest movements and require innovative approaches to preservation and access.

Presentations and Panelists:

• Preserving Artifacts of Free Speech: Simple Solutions for Buttons, T-shirts, and Bumper Stickers
  Whitney Baker, Head, Conservation Services, University of Kansas Libraries
• The History, Evolution, and Growth of Digital Printing Technologies and Materials Correlated with Major Political and Social Movements and Events over the Last Three Decades
  Daniel Burge, Senior Research Scientist, Image Permanence Institute
• Moldy Oldies: Saving Historic Audiotapes with Digitization & Organic Particle Masks
  Kim R. Du Boise, President & Senior Photograph Conservator of PhotoArts Imaging Professionals, LLC., and Roy Canizaro, VP and Electronic and Time-based Media Conservator forPhotoArts Imaging Professionals, LLC
• Making Social Movements Accessible at Media Burn Archive
  Dan Erdman, Video Archivist, Media Burn Archive
• Caught Up in the Current: Documenting, Preserving,and Digitizing Political Protest Ephemera
  Cher Schneider, Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Senior Conservator, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Discussion topics will include:

• Documenting and collecting in "real time" as events unfold
• Preserving and making accessible materials which are being used as part of direct political action
• Correlations between social movements and the use of contemporary materials
• Storage and treatment of ephemeral materials
• Creative housing solutions for oversized and 3-dimensional objects
• Navigating issues of provenance, copyright and metadata
• Collaborating with activists and community organizations
• Addressing condition issues resulting from environmental exposure