2026 SCA AGM Session Proposal Form

The Society of California Archivists (SCA) invites submissions of session proposals for our 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held virtually from April 14-17, 2026.

The deadline for proposals is Friday, October 3, 2025 (11:59 pm PT).  If you have a particular topic in mind and are looking for co-presenters, please use the SCA AGM ideas spreadsheet to make connections.

The Program Committee invites your submissions, especially those based on next year's theme, Shifting Ground: Preserving Memory Amid Upheaval. In an era of significant change, archival institutions are confronting unprecedented threats from forced austerity and the militarization of local law enforcement to environmental catastrophe and rapid technological shifts. How do we ensure our work remains relevant and responsive? The theme can be broadly interpreted to include a wide range of sessions and topics.

Possible session topics could include:

- Collaborative community archiving

- Rapid response archiving

- Cultivating resilience

- Archives as places of safety 

- Environmental impacts 

- AI and technology shifts

- Resource sustainability

- Dismantling/policing of DEI

- Archiving outside the establishment (DIY archiving)

- Decolonizing the archive

- Developing partnerships for sustainability 

- Finding silver linings

- Restorative archival practice

Other aspects of archival practice and research are also welcome.

First-time presenters, current graduate students, early-career professionals, solo archivists, community members, and other individuals who work with archival materials in less traditional or unconventional roles are encouraged to submit a proposal.

Possible session types include:

-- Panel Discussion: Session with a panel of three to four individuals informally discussing a variety of theories or perspectives on the given topic(s).

-- Traditional: Session with two to three fully prepared papers of fifteen minutes each and a comment and discussion period after the papers.

-- Lightning Talk: Fast-paced session with many concise papers presented under a tight time limit, with details of the limit determined by the proposer.

-- Poster Presentation: A summary of your research, scholarly, or creative project in a visually engaging manner. Presenters will be expected to be stationed by their poster at a specified time during the AGM to discuss the poster with viewers.

-- Alternative Format: Don’t feel confined by the prescribed formats - suggest an alternative or create your own! Sessions may take a variety of forms. We welcome your creative ideas about how your topic might best be addressed.

The Program Committee will review all proposals and contact the session chair by late mid-November 2025. All presenters are required to register for the AGM and may only present at one session.

SCA is committed to making the AGM welcoming and accessible to all presenters and attendees. If you need specific accommodations to support your participation in this event, please contact the program committee co-chairs.

Questions? Please contact the Program Committee Co-Chairs Azalea Camacho, at vicepresident@calarchivists.org, or Stella Castillo, at memberatlarge@calarchivists.org  


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Contact Information: Session Chair
Name *
Institution
Contact Email *
Role *
Required
SCA Member *
Required
Session Title *
Session Topic *
Session Type *
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Session Description (175 words maximum) *
Role of each Participant (150 words maximum) *
Audience for the Session (1-2 sentences) *
Purpose of the Session (2-3 sentences) *
Participant Contact Information
Please list each participant in the proposed session below.
Contact Information: Participant 1
Name of Participant 1
Institution of Participant 1
E-mail of Participant 1
Is Participant 1 an SCA Member?
Has Participant 1 agreed to participate?
Contact Information: Participant 2
Name of Participant 2
Institution of Participant 2
E-mail of Participant 2
Is Participant 2 an SCA Member?
Has Participant 2 agreed to participate?
Contact Information: Participant 3
Name of Participant 3
Institution of Participant 3
E-mail of Participant 3
Is Participant 3 an SCA Member?
Has Participant 3 agreed to participate?
Contact Information: Participant 4
Name of Participant 4
Institution of Participant 4
E-mail of Participant 4
Is Participant 4 an SCA Member?
Has Participant 4 agreed to participate?
Contact Information: Participant 5
Name of Participant 5
Institution of Participant 5
E-mail of Participant 5
Is Participant 5 an SCA Member?
Has Participant 5 agreed to participate?
Any further information about this session you'd like to share?
Any questions for the Program Committee?
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