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| Introductory Archive Workshop for Religious Communities, Class of 2016 Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, Leavenworth, KS |
Thirty-four early career religious archivists gathered recently at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse in Leavenworth, KS to learn the basic processes and procedures of managing a small archive. CARA member Malachy McCarthy led the Workshop, sharing teaching responsibility with Colleen McFarland Rademaker, head archivist of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.
Sponsored by the Claretian Archives, the Workshop provides focused instruction for those with little or no previous experience. The training is intense because of the amount of material that has to be covered in a short time frame.
Patricia Carroll, a member of CARA, coordinated the Workshop. “We marketed the Workshop across the country at meetings and through regional organizations. It was not difficult at all to reach our maximum enrollment. There is an ongoing demand for training.” An important goal of the Workshop is to give participants the opportunity to form personal connections with others who face similar challenges and issues. “The Workshop provides a wealth of reference material to take home,” said Patricia. “The secret sauce is bringing people together to form bonds of support and reliance in their professional journeys. As archivists and Lone Arrangers, we all need others to help us figure things out.”
