The Spring 2017 MARAC conference was held from April 20-22 at Newark’s Robert Treat Hotel. MARAC, which stands for “Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference,” is a volunteer, regional consortium of archivists who live and work in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Overcoming skepticism that people would be eager to come to Newark, the results speak for themselves: 413 people registered–the second biggest conference in MARAC’s 45-year history!
Befitting an archival conference in New Jersey taking place just blocks from Rutgers University–Newark, many Rutgers archivists and librarians participated in the conference as members of the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) or as conference presenters. LAC members included:
- Elizabeth Surles (LAC Tri-Chair), Institute of Jazz Studies
- Natalie Borisovets, Dana Library
- Tim Corlis, Special Collections University Archives (SCUA)
- Bob Golon, SCUA (retired)
- Angela Lawrence, Institute of Jazz Studies
- Tara Maharjan, SCUA
- Bob Vietrogoski, RBHS – Special Collections
It took almost two years of LAC meetings to organize many of the conference events. These events included eight tours, including a tour of the Institute of Jazz Studies, and a tour of the Thomas Edison National Historic Park via a shuttle bus generously donated by Rutgers University Libraries. Other events included a “Community Service Project” providing pro bono help to local archives, a Thursday member meet and greet reception, a Thursday “Dine Around,” a Friday night reception, and even a Movie Night. LAC members also assembled over 400 conference packets, staffed the registration desk, and performed the proverbial “other duties as assigned.”
Elizabeth Surles organized the Friday night reception that filled the Great Hall of 15 Washington Street, a recently renovated iconic Newark skyscraper now serving as a luxury Rutgers-Newark dormitory. Well over 300 conference attendees enjoyed sumptuous dining which included Portuguese hors d’oeuvres and an extensive selection of New Jersey microbrews. The reception was generously sponsored by Rutgers–Newark and the Institute of Jazz Studies
Angela Lawrence and Bob Vietrogoski produced a “Newark Finding Dining Aid” guide to over 50 nearby restaurants. The guide was so well received that with only minor modifications, its listings became an official handout from the Greater Newark Convention & Visitors Bureau!
Tara Maharjan created and updated the official conference blog and promoted the conference on social media:
- marac2017newark.wordpress.com
- www.instagram.com/explore/tags/maracspring17
- twitter.com/marac_newark
- storify.com/MARACNewark/marac-newark-2017
Rutgers librarians were also well represented throughout the conference’s program sessions. Presenters included:
- Sheridan Sayles, Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA), and former SCUA archivist Zachary Johnson: “From Ballot Box to Document Box: Exploring Contemporary Challenges with Congressional Papers.”
- Krista White, Dana Library: “Digital Preservation of Faculty and Student Research.”
- Ron Becker, emeritus head of SCUA: “Discovering Primary Source Materials and Road Trip Tales: The Newark Archives Project.”
- Christie Lutz, SCUA: “New Brunswick Music Scene Archive,” a session chaired by Jonathan Sauceda, Douglas Library.
At the New Jersey Caucus meeting, Ron Becker received a plaque in honor of his long involvement in MARAC, which included his attendance at the previous MARAC conference held in Newark – in 1974!
Right now, the City of Newark is experiencing visible growth and renewal, especially in the neighborhood around Military Park, which features the newly opened Hahne’s Building and its Whole Foods. The Spring 2017 MARAC conference is another sign of Newark’s revitalization. By all accounts, MARAC in Newark was an unqualified success, and a major cause of this success was the hard work and scholarly efforts of many Rutgers archivists and librarians.
For more on the conference in general: marac.memberclicks.net/assets/conferences/marac_newark_2017programp3-1.pdf
