This panel presents case studies of collections used in unexpected ways through public programming. Presenters will share strategies and lessons about collaborating with stakeholders and advocating to supervisors on behalf of a bold idea. With focuses on outreach, instruction, and donor relations, you will be inspired to transform that daring idea you’ve long held into reality.
Sara DeCaro will discuss collaborating with city and county governments in Baldwin City, Kansas to create a historic preservation conference on Baker University's campus. In addition to organizing the event with community stakeholders, she used the Baker archives for outreach and promotional materials, walking tours, and research on local preservation projects. Matthew Strandmark will explore his collaboration with University of Kentucky faculty to enhance the Campus Archaeology Project. This initiative turns students' work with archival documents into an engaging exploration of campus history and strategic archaeological digs. Strandmark will demonstrate how this partnership redefines archives and invigorates academic programs. Gavin Strassel will present on his unique collaboration with the UAW to produce and star in a popular series of videos for social media about the labor union's archives. He will discuss how emphasizing donor relations and outreach can help bring archives to the public in exciting ways. Matt Gorzalski will discuss Brazilian guitarist Franco Galvão's study of Vadico Gogliano, who composed Choro music for dance pioneer Katherine Dunham. Collaborating with faculty and students, he performed scores from the Dunham papers at Southern Illinois University's International Guitar Festival.
