Twin Cities Archives Round Table

There are some great events coming up in June and July that TCART members should know about:

• The 2026 BitCurator Virtual Forum is coming up on on Wednesday, June 17th. No need to be a BitCurator user to attend — sessions will cover a wide range of topics related to digital archival collections. You can register via Eventbrite,  check out a preview of the schedule, or see more registration details on the BCC Forum website.
• The Midwest Art Conservation Center is offering an in-person workshop on environmental controls.  The one-day workshop will cover international guidelines for Museum environments, as well as the impact of these environmental factors over time and for different material types. In a practical exercise, participants will gain hands-on experience using instruments for measuring temperature, relative humidity, visible light, UV radiation, and air quality. In the afternoon, more in-depth environmental analysis will be discussed using data collected by the Chazen Museum of Art on the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus as a case study.  Cost for the workshop is $300. For more information or to register, visit the MACC workshop page.
• Join Minnesota Media Arts on June 17 for a free hands-on workshop on audiovisual preservation at SPNN (8:30 AM–3:30 PM). Learn how to care for tapes, slides & films, get practical digitization tips, and connect with fellow media stewards. Pre-registration required — sign up via Google Registration form or learn more at their website (https://mnmediaarts.org/archiving-workshops.html).

Lastly, if you’re interested in helping to plan the Minnesota Archives Symposium, email us at tcartmn@gmail.com! Just a few hours of your time will help make the symposium a huge success.

There were no TCART updates for March or April, as we were busy planning our Spring Meeting for Friday, May 1! The Spring Meeting was a great success; attendees enjoyed a special presentation by staff of the Mayo Clinic archives teams in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona about the different ways they’ve been working with each other and on each of their campuses to connect staff and patients with collections.

During the business meeting, we held our annual elections for President and Treasurer; we elected Micah Janette to the role of President and Sonja Isaacson as Treasurer. Thank you to our outgoing officers Kate Hujda and Heidi Heller for their years of service, and a warm welcome to both Micah and Sonja!

Registration is now open for the 2026 Spring Meeting!  The event is free, but you must register by Friday April 24 to attend.  You can check out the agenda and register online.  Zoom information will be emailed to registered attendees on Monday April 27.

This year, the positions of President and Treasurer are up for election — both our president, Kate, and our treasurer, Heidi, have reached their term limits and will not be able to run again.  More information about the roles are available on the TCART website and in the bylaws (PDF).  To nominate yourself, please submit a short statement to be shared with the membership indicating which office you are interested in, and why you would like to serve as a TCART officer. Statements of interest should be sent to tcartmn@gmail.com by April 13, 2026.

• TCART held a virtual open community check-in meeting for members on Friday February 13 to talk about how current events in Minnesota are impacting us personally and professionally, and to share how we’re approaching our work in the current moment.
• The Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) invites eligible graduate students to submit applications for the 2026 Louisa Bowen Memorial Scholarship for Graduate Students in Archival Administration. The successful applicant will receive a scholarship of $1,500 (payable to the educational institution) and a one-year membership to MAC. Applications are due April 17, 2026. For more information about applying, please visit the Awards section of MAC’s website.
• Alexis Braun Marks, Rachael Dreyer, Jennifer Johnson and Michelle Sweetser are seeking caregivers of dependents, partners, parents, family, siblings, and friends, to interview in a new round of research, following up on their  American Archivist article on the impossible balance of caregiving during the pandemic. Interviews can last anywhere from 45-60 minutes and while they will be recorded, we will redact PII information prior to coding the interviews. If you would like more information please email alexisbraunmarks@gmail.com or use the following link if you are ready to schedule an interview. 
• The BitCurator Consortium (BCC) invites proposals for the 2026 BitCurator Forum to be held virtually on June 17th, 2026. BCC welcomes proposals for lightning talks (5 minutes for 1 speaker, 10 minutes for 2 speakers) from both members and non-members that explore reflection, reinvention, and practical approaches to moving forward with intention.   The Forum Committee welcomes participation from organizations and individuals working outside of academic and special collections libraries and archives, members from BIPOC communities, students, and new professionals. Submissions are due March 8, 2026.  For more information, see their Call for Proposals.
• The Midwest Art Conservation Center has two virtual workshops in March, one on grant-writing and one on creating long-range preservation plans. Both are free for MN residents. Learn more and register on the MACC website.
• The Twin Cities chapters of ARMA and IAPP are hosting a combined spring conference on March 24. More information is available on their website.
• Saint Paul College is launching IN/PLACE, a new two‑semester residency program that brings community expertise into the life of campus. They are recruiting up to three residents for the 2026–2027 cohort, including an Archivist‑in‑Residence. Learn more or apply here: www.saintpaul.edu/about-us/residency-program/