State Archives Network

From storing digitized access copies of your analog collection to housing and managing electronic records, many of the tools and resources have become more and more technically complex so that they require the assistance of an associated IT department. Between not having the same terminology (for example, different definitions of the word "archive") and having different workflow processes, learning how to work cooperatively with your IT department can be an important asset in an archivist's tool-belt.

Join us as we showcase the process of cooperation between archivists and IT professionals at the Illinois and Pennsylvania State Archives while working toward implementing archive-based projects. Our speakers will discuss how their teams interact on a day-to-day basis, go into detail on specific projects, and share ways they would recommend archives and IT departments work together on future projects.

From the Illinois State Archives, Cathy Popovitch (Operations and Reference Supervisor) and Alex Dixon (IT Liaison) will focus on Archives and IT interactions before and during a grant-funded project to digitize a large photo collection, as well as functioning as two departments in a larger organization, the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State.

From the Pennsylvania State Archives, Suzanne Stasiulatis (Digital Archivist) will discuss IT collaboration projects and put Bill Ward (Business Relationship Manager) in the hot seat to answer questions and reveal secrets about the mysterious IT Department.