Greetings colleagues!

We would like to invite you to consider participating in a short survey that focuses on the role and perception of today’s archivist. Over the last few decades, cultural heritage organizations have become used to rapid changes due to progressing technology, new forms of information, and evolving user needs. Recent archival scholarship, conference programs, and anecdotal experience demonstrate that archives have experienced many types of changes, including changes to administrative structure, physical location, department name, and job titles and responsibilities. All of these changes have the potential to impact archivists’ day-to-day operations, role, perception, and professional identity.

The purpose of this study is to act as a climate survey to gauge archival practitioners' perceptions, experiences, and professional identities working within the information field in the United States. Anecdotal experiences on this topic have been shared at conferences, though to date limited empirical research has been conducted. The study will aim to address these central questions: Have recent shifts in unit/department names or position titles impacted the role and/or profile of archives and archivists? Have these shifts had a personal impact on archivists' professional identity?

Anyone over the age of 18 who identifies as an archivist is eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to answer approximately 25 questions, which should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey is available at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=knP5y_ZJ3Umophn3EO_MNRGd88vxGOtFlNl0IMLcbqFUOTNJR1lJRkQ2SERNSlgwSVlHWDNFUjlUTC4u

The survey will be live for 6 weeks until June 30,2020. If you have any questions, please contact the Principal Investigator, Ashley Todd-Diaz at atodddiaz@towson.edu 

Thank you in advance for considering,

Ashley Todd-Diaz, Towson University, Principal Investigator

Nancy McGovern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Kari Smith, Massachusetts Institute of Technology