Session 27 - Know Thyself: Safeguarding Institutional Knowledge

Many archival institutions face the threat that internal institutional knowledge may be lost, whether due to staff turnover or changing technologies. In 2015, the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) Records Management Section embarked on a multi-year effort to combat the loss of institutional knowledge. What began as a scanning project of our section’s old administrative files led to a modernization of our internal documentation procedures, implementation of a web-based client relationship management system, and other changes in policy, process, and procedure. Taken together, these efforts have provided a new generation of archivists the tools to build meaningful partnerships with the state and local government agencies we serve. In this presentation, we will explain the steps we took on this path, highlighting both successes and shortcomings encountered along the way.

There is “So Much to Discover” in this wide world of archives and information management, but Charles Busby and Sophie Law invite you to begin the journey by “knowing thyself.”

Session attendees will gain firsthand knowledge about the Alabama Department of Archives and History’s ongoing efforts to safeguard its institutional memory. These efforts provide present and future staff with an invaluable and accessible core of knowledge necessary to forge lasting relationships with our state and local partners. The lessons we learned in Alabama can be applied to similar challenges faced at other NAGARA members’ home institutions.

Target Audiences: Federal, State/Tribal, Local, Public Institutions of Higher Learning

 Focus Areas: Records Management, Technology/Tools

 Presenters: Charles Busby, Records Management Archivist, Alabama Department of Archives and History, and Sophie G.H. Law, Records Management Archivist, Alabama Department of Archives and History