Tomorrow Is #AskAnArchivist Day at University Libraries Special Collections

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Joshua Youngblood and Amy Allen are two of the university's archivists.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Special Collections will take part in #AskAnArchivist day on Thursday, Oct. 30. Part of American Archives Month, the event brings together archival institutions and professional archivists from around the country to answer questions about who they are and what they do.

Throughout the day, archivists from the University of Arkansas Libraries, along with their colleagues in institutions across the country, will be answering questions of all kinds: from what archival work entails to how to find documents or other resources you might be interested in locating for your research. The opportunity also allows Special Collections to interact with patrons near and far to promote the unique and valuable collections our institution preserves and makes available.

#AskAnArchivist is open to everyone—all you need is a twitter account! To participate, just tweet a question and include the hashtag #AskAnArchivist in your tweet. Your question will be seen instantly by archivists around the country who are standing by to respond directly to you, or tag @UARKLibraries to have your questions answered by one of the University’s own archival professionals.

The University Libraries Special Collections Department includes five faculty librarians charged with managing archival and rare print collections, five staff members that are specialists in archives, and several part-time employees. The department currently includes three members of the Academy of Certified Archivists and five active members of the Society of American Archivists.

Amy Allen and Joshua Youngblood will be two of the archivists answering questions on @UARKLibraries tomorrow. Amy Allen has worked in archives for the past seven years and is currently the University Archivist for the University of Arkansas. Allen is a certified archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists and earned a Digital Archives Specialist Certificate through the Society of American Archivists. Joshua Youngblood is also a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists. He has been the Research and Outreach Services Librarian for Special Collections since 2011 and has worked as an archivist for seven years.

The University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections Department was created in 1967 to encourage research and writing in the history and culture of Arkansas and the surrounding region. The department acquires, preserves, and provides access to historical manuscripts, archives, maps, photographs, and published materials to support scholarly investigation of the state of Arkansas, its customs and people, and its cultural, physical, and political climate. Special Collections includes more than 2,000 archival collections available to researchers around the world, including the Senator J. William Fulbright Papers, the archives of renowned architect Fay Jones, and the Mary Celestia Parler Research Materials on Ozark folklife.

For more information about #AskAnArchivist Day, visit the Society of American Archivists website, or send a tweet to @UARKLibraries.