3:05 p.m., May 5, 2010----When more than 260 archivists, scholars and educators gathered for a regional conference in Wilmington April 29-May 1, they were continuing a tradition begun with the assistance of the University of Delaware in 1972.

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The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference's spring meeting, held at the Doubletree Hotel in Wilmington, focused on the theme “Outside the Archival Box: Cultural Heritage Collaborations,” and from planning through presentation, it featured the efforts of many University of Delaware faculty, staff and alumni.

Inspired by its setting in the greater Delaware Valley and by the interdisciplinary focus of many cultural heritage programs at UD, the conference theme highlighted the networking of experts in conservation, material culture studies, museum studies, historic preservation, and archival management.

L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin, librarian and coordinator of the manuscripts unit in Special Collections at the UD Library, served as co-chair of the Program Committee, whose members also included UD alumna Maureen Cech, who received her master's degree in English at UD in 2007 and is now at the University of Maryland, and Judy Silva, a former UD Library employee now at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

Co-chairing the Local Arrangements Committee were Lisa Gensel, assistant archivist, and Ian Janssen, director, both in University Archives and Records Management; and committee members included Jaime L. Margalotti, senior assistant librarian in Special Collections; and Anita Wellner, library assistant in Special Collections, both at the UD Library.

“MARAC is a seven-state (along with the District of Columbia) regional archives consortium,” Johnson Melvin said. “MARAC's individual members work in a region with extraordinary cultural heritage at the heart of our national identity and experience. The work we do to collect, preserve, provide access to, interpret and promote use of cultural heritage materials is shared with allied professionals in stellar museums, libraries, private societies, historic sites, educational institutions, religious orders, corporate entities and government bodies at the local, state and federal levels.

“It is sometimes hard to balance the array of tasks associated with our work, but the challenge is always stimulating to work with the museum curators, librarians, catalogers, educators, scholars, private collectors, appraisers, preservationists, conservators, designers, filmmakers, documentarians, exhibitors, publishers and others who appreciate what we save and understand what we do.”

Keynote speaker at the conference was popular author Marilyn Johnson, whose books include This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. Her presentation, “A Dance Across Time: Writers, Archivists and Our Future,” reported a survey of contemporary authors and their awareness (or lack) of the value of archiving their personal papers.

Jill Cypher and Ray Nichols, proprietors of letterpress studio Lead Graffiti in Newark, were the luncheon speakers on April 30 and discussed “250 Years and 3,700+ Citizens Equal One Big Book,” describing the project to create a commemorative book in celebration of Newark's 250th anniversary. Cypher was a graphic designer for UD Publications from 1978-1984, and Nichols retired as a professor of art and coordinator of Visual Communications in 2006.

Several commentators and speakers at conference sessions have UD ties:

For a session on “Discovery Tools for Archival Collections: Getting the Most Out of Your Metadata,” commentator was Margalotti and one of the speakers was Jennifer MacDonald, senior assistant librarian in the UD Library.

For a session on “Literary Scholarship and Documentary Evidence,” commentator was Timothy D. Murray, head of Special Collections in the UD Library; and speakers were Charles E. Robinson, professor of English; and Gerald W. Cloud of Columbia University, who earned his Ph.D. in English at UD in 2006 and was a graduate assistant at UD Library.

Alumna Kira Dietz, who earned her bachelor's degree in English at UD in 2003, was a student assistant at UD Library and is now at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, chaired a session on “Beyond Core Standards and Conversions: Generating and Delivering EAD.”

A session on “Building Community Relationships to Preserve the Historic Record” was chaired by alumna Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, who earned her honors bachelor's degree in art history in 2005 and is now of Chatham University, and one of the speakers was alumna Katelyn Uehling, who earned her honors bachelor's degree in American material culture studies and is now at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts.

Speaking at a session on “Living with The Dead,” about the music and archival record of the legendary rock group the Grateful Dead, was Thomas C. Melvin, librarian in the Reference Department at the UD Library.

Susan Brynteson, vice provost and May Morris Director of Libraries at UD, was one of the speakers at a session on “Yaddo: Shimmering Light Across American Library Exhibitions.”

For a session on “Oral History and Archives: Synergy and Strategy for Preserving Cultural Heritage,” one of the speakers was Evan Echols, assistant librarian in Special Collections at the UD Library.

University offices supporting the spring conference included Archives and Records Management, the University of Delaware Library, the Museum Studies Program and the Office of the Vice President and University Secretary.

UD museum studies graduate students volunteered to assist the Local Arrangements Committee. “Regional conferences like MARAC are great 'starter meetings' for young professionals. They are not too big, and there are plenty of opportunities to network,” Katherine C. Grier, director of the Museum Studies Program, said.

In 1972, MARAC's first conference was held in Wilmington, and former UD archivist John Clayton was a founding member.

Photos courtesy of Susan Hamburger, Pennsylvania State University