Webinars & Workshops

The following formats, Occasional Lecture Series and Workshops, are regularly organized and offered by the MARAC Education Committee. Workshops and other educational programming are offered online via Zoom, in person, and the day before in-person conferences.  Other educational proposals are welcome and will be considered – they do not need to fit into the proposed structure. Proposals for new educational offerings are always welcome!

The Education Committee follows the MARAC Privacy and Confidentiality Policy for all communications with instructors and participants.

Upcoming Events 

TITLE: Accessible Presentations, Exhibitions, and Audio/Visual Resources
When: June 17, 10:00 am-12:00 pm EST (one 10 minute break)
Where: Virtual (MARAC Zoom)
Cost: $35.00
Registration is closed.

Instructors:
Jennifer Arnott, Research Librarian, Perkins School for the Blind
Susanna Coit, Archivist and Research Library Assistant, Perkins School for the Blind
Jen Hale, Lead Archivist, Perkins School for the Blind

Workshop Description:
Join the Research Library and Archives team from Perkins School for the Blind for a virtual workshop covering accessible strategies for making presentations, exhibitions, and audio and visual resources accessible. Participants will learn approaches and best practices that will help ensure that these types of materials are inclusive. There will be an opportunity to ask focused questions on each topic, and helpful resources and examples will be provided. Please note that this workshop will not be recorded, so please plan to attend live.

About the Instructors:
Jennifer Arnott (she/her) is the Research Librarian at Perkins School for the Blind and also supports the National Center on Deaf-blindness. She has a MLIS from Dominican University/College of St. Catherine and a BA from Wellesley College in Medieval/Renaissance Studies and Music. Before coming to Perkins in 2015, Jennifer was an independent high school librarian in Minnesota and a technology librarian at the University of Maine, Farmington.

Susanna Coit (she/hers) is the Archivist and Research Library Assistant at Perkins School for the Blind. She has an MLIS from Simmons College and a B.A. in African American Studies from Smith College. Before coming to Perkins, Susanna worked in research administration in developmental medicine. She currently chairs the New England Archivists Inclusion and Diversity Committee.

Jen Hale is the Lead Archivist at Perkins School for the Blind where she began her career in 2014. She has presented on topics that include the importance of accessible photographs in digital archival collections as well as ethical considerations for digitization. Jen received her MS in Library Science with an archives concentration from Simmons University. She also holds a BA in English from Fort Lewis College and a certificate in Web Design and Development from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Questions? Contact Elizabeth Wilkinson at [email protected]

TITLE: Preserving Digital Collections
When: July17, 10:30 am-12:00 pm EST
Where: Virtual (MARAC Zoom)
Instructor: Katherine Fisher, Emory University
Cost: $20.00
Registration Limit: 50
Workshop Description:
In this webinar, digital archivist Katherine Fisher will review the basics of digital preservation, introduce key principles to guide archivists' decisions and actions, and outline practical advice for stewarding digital content regardless of source or format. Topics include the building blocks of digital information, threats to digital content, common misconceptions about digital preservation, standards and models that inform digital preservation practice, and preservation-related considerations at each stage of archival collection development and management.  Archivists who are just beginning to work with digital content will improve their foundational knowledge and gain a clearer sense of next steps.  Those with more digital archives experience or more mature digital preservation programs will be able to clarify their preservation goals, evaluate their current practices, and identify places to improve.  Please note that this workshop will not be recorded, so please plan to attend live.

Recommended Pre-reading:
Trevor Owens, The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation, LIS Scholarship Archive, chapters 3 (“Understanding Digital Objects,” pp. 26–38) and 4 (“Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Preservation,” pp. 39–49).  Attendees who have access to the final, published version of the book (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018) should note that the recommended chapters are numbered 2 and 3.

About the Instructor: 
Katherine Fisher is head of digital archives at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library, where she oversees acquisition, processing, preservation, and access for born-digital collections and provides leadership and expertise in digital preservation across Emory Libraries. Prior to joining Emory in 2020, she worked as digital preservation archivist at Georgia State University Library and digital publishing specialist at the University of Hawai‘i Press. Katherine is a former chair of the Society of American Archivists' Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Subcommittee and a frequent instructor for the Georgia Archives Institute and the Northeast Document Conservation Center’s Digital Directions training conference. She holds an MLIS from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a PhD in English from the University of Michigan.

Register online at: Preserving Digital Collections_July2025

Questions? Contact Elizabeth Wilkinson at [email protected]

 Webinars

45-90 minutes, lecture-based instruction with 10-30 minutes of Q&A

  • Share your expertise/experience in an Archival Community of Practice Discussion.
  • 45 to 90 min informal discussion and/or presentation with discussion/Q+A (some combination thereof)
  • Typically online via zoom in webinar or informal formats
  • These are free events and are typically recorded unless otherwise requested. (Q+A is never recorded)
  • Any CE points must be sought by the participants individually
  • Can also be in the format of a community of practice conversation

Conference Workshops
60 minutes – 6 hours, instruction includes participation such as hands-on activities, discussion, break-out sessions (more than a lecture or webinar)

  • In person workshops. Half-day: 3 hours (9-12 or 1-4) with one (1) fifteen minute break with light refreshments; Full-day: 6 hours (9-4) with two (2) fifteen minute breaks with light refreshments and one hour lunch break on your own. Workshops typically take place the day before the conference starts.
  • Workshops (with participation) are not recorded; question and answer sections of webinars will not be recorded. 

Off-Conference Workshops
60 minutes – 6 hours, instruction includes participation such as hands-on activities, discussion, break-out sessions (more than a lecture or webinar)

  • In person and/or virtual. Off-conference events have more flexibility and will be determined by the venue, instructor, and content. Virtual workshops over 3 hours will typically be split into 2 days.
  • Workshops (with participation) are not recorded; question and answer sections of webinars will not be recorded. 

Workshops Pricing & Compensation

The standard cost of attending a workshop is between $50 and $100, depending on the length of the workshop. Instructors for workshops are compensated based on current rates. (Please contact us for details.)

Instructor Expectations

Workshop Instructors are expected to meet the Society of American Archivists' Archival Continuing Education (ACE) Guidelines regarding instructor qualifications, delivery methods for adult learning, and areas of archival knowledge.

Wherever possible, resources will be made available to participants (slides, handouts) and to members via the digital repository (DRUM).  If you cannot make resources available, please explain why. 

Accessibility guidelines - presentation and materials must comply with accepted practice. If you cannot make resources accessible, please explain why.

Workshop Proposals 

Please visit our Previous & Upcoming Workshops page for information on accessing or attending workshops. If you are interested in giving a workshop, please submit a proposal on this Google Form. Other educational proposals are welcome and will be considered – they do not need to fit into the described structure.

 Last revised May 2025