Celebrate Archives Month with the University Libraries Special Collections Division

McGehee & Berry

An image of Old Main as seen from Dickinson Ranch. From the Berry, Dickinson, Peel Family Papers (MC 1372)

October is American Archives Month, and the University Libraries are celebrating with the virtual, public event "This Hill: An Archives Month Panel Discussion" at 2 p.m. today, Thursday, Oct. 21. The event is offered at no cost to attendees, and registration is required. 

This year's Archives Month theme is "The Power of Collaboration." The discussion will focus on how various members of the U of A campus community have utilized historical documents from the University Libraries Special Collections Division in their research. Serving on the panel will be Lisha Estes, student engagement specialist for Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support; Laurel Lamb, curator of education and engagement for the U of A Museum; Jennifer Ogle, collections manager for the U of A Herbarium; Terrell Page, Honors College student; and Lesley Speller, student engagement specialist for the U of A Global Campus. Joshua Youngblood, instruction and outreach unit head for Special Collections, and Catherine Wallack, architectural records archivist, will moderate. 

"As the university marks 150 years, it has been exciting to see how members of our campus community—from students to professional staff and faculty—have sought to understand their place in that still-unfolding story," Youngblood said. "With 'This Hill,' the libraries and Special Collections hope to learn more about how different researchers have engaged with Special Collections resources to understand and share their own perspectives of what the legacy of the University of Arkansas is."  

Special Collections supports the research, teaching and learning mission of the U of A by collecting, preserving and providing access to unique and rare materials.

"Archives Month is designed to raise awareness of the important historical documents and ephemera found in archival repositories," said Jason Battles, dean of libraries. "This provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase the wealth of resources, including photographs, correspondence, rare books and more the University Libraries' Special Collections contains."