[SOA] Society of Indiana Archivists - Call for Proposals for Annual Meeting 2026

[Emily Gainer]

Forwarding by request:

2026 Society of Indiana Archivists Annual Meeting
Prioritizing Well-Being: Helping Yourself Help Others
April 17, 2026 | Bloomington, IN
Request for Proposals
The Society of Indiana Archivists (SIA)–in partnership with Indiana University Archives, Bloomington–invites proposals for its 2026 Annual Meeting, Prioritizing Well-Being: Helping Yourself Help Others in Bloomington, Indiana on April 17, 2026.
As heritage professionals, most of us are passionate about our work: preserving and providing access to intrinsically valuable collections and serving researchers and the public. We want to say yes to the exciting collections, research requests, and projects that come our way – but what do we do when it’s no longer feasible to keep doing more with less. How do we create sustainable workloads for ourselves and our staff while maintaining our core mission and function as heritage institutions?
With this year’s conference theme, we invite those within or adjacent to the archival profession to share examples of how you or your institutions have navigated workloads and prioritized staff wellbeing. This can include setting realistic expectations for researchers and donors, declining or delaying new projects due to capacity, re-evaluating departmental goals, and finding space in our busy day-to-day for the work that brings us joy. We envision these sessions will provide attendees with practical examples of how to balance workloads while still achieving our core mission as heritage professionals and prioritizing ourselves and our colleagues’ wellbeing.
Topics of potential interest include but are not limited to:

  *   Best practices for declining donations or re-evaluating collecting policies
  *   Refocusing mission statements and department goals
  *   Setting realistic expectations for researchers
  *   Decreased availability (shortening hours, reducing or eliminating instruction)
  *   Best practice versus realistic solutions

  *   Being proactive versus reactive
  *   Updating policies and procedures to reflect current climate
  *   Finding time in your day to do the tasks or activities that “fill your cup”
  *   Promoting employee wellbeing in the workplace

Proposals can be for individual speakers, co-presenters, and panels. Poster presentations will also be accepted. Speakers and presenters do not need to be SIA members. Students and new professionals are encouraged to submit proposals.
Proposals can be submitted via the Google Forms link.<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegv7taNUqlH7r9Wn98Ivz_IzDjncWqFhDmSO8wyNnXlmchOg/viewform?usp=dialog>
 Questions about the Annual Meeting can be sent to Katey Watson, SIA Vice President at watso217[at]purdue[dot]edu.
Submission deadline: Friday, January 2, 2026
Support for recently terminated employees
In the summer, the SIA Board voted to provide free memberships to individuals affected by such terminations and to provide reduced-or-free event registrations at our 2025-2026 events, such as the Pre-Annual Meeting Workshop and Annual Meeting.

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