Twin Cities Archives Round Table

I’m pleased to join your TCART officers in announcing a new way to participate in the Minnesota Archives Symposium!  In addition to the long-form and lightning presentations, we’ve added Prix Fixe Panels.  What a prix fixe panel?  We’ve put together a list of great panel ideas — we just need the panelists!  If you’re interested in having a conversation with your peers about one of these topics, consider signing up.

Our Prix Fixe Panel topics are:

• working with interns and volunteers; the role of unpaid labor in archives
• early career archivists  (share experiences, what’s worked or hasn’t, what you’d like to see)
• handling sensitive collections (vicarious trauma, providing responsible access, approaches to description)
• censorship (both explicit and implicit, experienced by your archive or seen in your collections)
• outreach (including instruction, publications, social media, etc.)
• collaborations
• donor confidential (stakeholder relations)

Ready to sign up?  Visit our Call for Participation Form.

We are pleased to release our call for participation in the 2026 Minnesota Archives Symposium, which will be held on Monday November 9, 9am-4pm in the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub at the University of Minnesota on the Minneapolis campus.

We are seeking proposals for participation in several formats this year, including both long-form presentations (15+ minutes) and “Brag Box” or lightning talks (5-7 minutes).

Participating in TCART programming is an excellent way to support the profession, share your expertise, and connect with other archivists!  To learn more about each participation opportunity or to sign up, visit our Call for Participation Form.  Proposals are due October 12.  If you have questions, concerns, or have problems using the form you are very welcome to email us at tcartmn@gmail.com

If you or your organization would like to sponsor the TCART Symposium, reach out to us at tcartmn@gmail.com.

Our big announcement for June/July is our Save The Date Announcement for the 2026 Minnesota Archives Symposium. Mark your calendars!

There are two other community announcements to share:

• SAA is developing an online exhibit that showcases the nation’s rich, diverse, and challenging histories through the materials we care for in our repositories. Repositories across the states and territories are invited to contribute one digital or digitized item to this exhibition. You can find more information about the initiative and the submission process on SAA’s website.

• There are some upcoming events to protest the closure of the NARA Chicago/Great Lakes regional facility, which hosts records from Minnesota (among other Great Lakes states). You can read more about the closures and see press and statements on the Chicago Area Archivists’ Take Action page, or join two upcoming public events:
  • Tuesday, 8/4, 6-7pm Central: Phone Bank Training with CAA
  • Wednesday, 8/12, 10am-12pm Central: GET LOUD! Call Your Reps to Protest NARA Chicago Closure

Mark your calendars for the 2026 Minnesota Archives Symposium to be held on November 9, 2026 at the University of Minnesota’s Liberal Arts Engagement Hub in Minneapolis! We are currently planning a full day of programming with speakers in the morning, an un-conference in the afternoon, and group outings to nearby restaurants for those who want to socialize over lunch.

Registration for the 2026 Minnesota Archives Symposium will be free, with coffee and light refreshments provided; attendees will be expected to provide or pay for their own lunch. Keep an eye out for a call for participation in September, with registration to follow in October.