Description:
Anthropologists produce a wide range of materials that extend far beyond published articles and books, including fieldnotes, photographs, audio and video recordings, correspondence, datasets, and community-based research materials. As digital formats proliferate and preservation challenges grow, researchers increasingly face questions about how, where, and under what conditions these materials should be archived, and how to best preserve knowledge for future anthropologists and the broader public.
This webinar brings together three anthropologists who lead scholarly repositories to explore practical and ethical approaches to archiving anthropological work in both digital and print formats. Speakers will discuss the range of archives and repositories available to anthropologists, including university archives, disciplinary repositories, community archives, and digital preservation platforms; the requirements and workflows involved in preparing materials for deposit; and the legal, ethical, technical, and financial challenges archives face in preserving sensitive and complex collections over time.
The issues addressed in this webinar are particularly relevant as we approach the AAA's 125th anniversary in 2027. How we understand the discipline—it's past and future—is shaped by what we choose to keep, catalog, and make accessible.
This webinar is also a great primer for the AAA's Wikithon, to be held in February 2027. Whether you're a seasoned Wikipedia editor or showing up for the first time, understanding how anthropological knowledge gets preserved—and who controls access to it—will make your contributions sharper and more informed. Register for the webinar, then bring what you learn to the editing table next year!
Panelists:
Celia Emmelhainz
- Senior Archivist at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University and former manager of the National Anthropological Archives and Human Studies Film Archives in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
Christopher Nicholson
- Executive Director of the Center for Digital Antiquity and tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record) in the School for Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University
Joshua Rubin
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Colby College and creator of Anthropology’s Lost Library
The webinar will consist of:
- 45-minute moderated discussion with panelists
- 15-minute moderated Q&A and discussion with members
Attendance is free for members / $25 for non-members