InfoGuides: Archives Month: October is Archives Month

What is Archives Month?

Every year, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) initiates a month-long celebration in October, highlighting a variety of archives and archivists throughout the United States and encouraging people to explore historical records at their local institutions.

Even though Archives Month officially began in October 2006 as a nationwide event, the earliest traces of an organized effort to recognize and celebrate archives date back to 1979.

In 1979, Archives Week/Month started with the support of archives associations, state advisory boards, and some repositories. In 1989, the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York led the first celebration of Archives Week in New York City. In 1999, the Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) wrote a letter to the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and asked if they would be open to designating October National Archives Month. In 2002, the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) started an online directory of Archives Week/Month activities and resources. In 2005, Archives Week/Month gained more attention and was adopted by two-thirds of the United States. SAA established American Archives Month in October 2006 as an annual nationwide celebration. In 2012, CoSA declared October 10 as Electronic Records Day. SAA introduced #AskAnArchivist Day on October 30, 2014. It is celebrated on a different day in Archives Month every year.

Since then, Archives Month has inspired archives and archivists to find new ways to connect with their patrons and promote their resources. To join the nationwide celebration, we’re taking the opportunity this year to highlight the Central Piedmont Archives, what we as archivists do, and the resources we make available to the Central Piedmont community.

If you'd like to celebrate with us on social media, use these official hashtags:

#ArchivesMonth
#AskAnArchivist
#ERecsDay

Did you know? Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared October 2006 as "Archives Month" in the state of California.

References

Society of American Archivists. (n.d.). American Archives Month. In Dictionary of Archives Terminology.
Society of American Archivists. (n.d.). Electronic Records Day. In Dictionary of Archives Terminology.
Society of American Archivists. (1999). Council Meeting Minutes: February 12 & 13, 1999—Vancouver, British Columbia. American Archivist, 62(2), 392-402.
Society of American Archivists. (2006). Public Relations Kit: American Archives Month, October 2006.
Society of American Archivists. (2006). American Archives Month 2006.

LibGuide created by Johnamarie Macias