Conference Agenda

In the aftermath of disasters, accidents and mass violence events, many organisations and individuals feel compelled to collect materials of these events. But what is appropriate for collection, and when is it appropriate to collect? Additionally, records and collections may remain problematic or difficult to deal with long after the event has passed. Trauma-informed practice provides a framework through which to critically assess an organisation’s operations and help ensure archives are safe for all. This talk will outline the principles of trauma-informed practice, highlight the benefits of implementing a trauma-informed approach in archives, and point to resources to assist.

Following unexpected and unprecedented events, archivists may choose or be expected to collect and document community responses. The National Archives (UK) has developed practical guidance with experienced practitioners to offer a range of approaches and practical advice for archivists to apply in their own context(s) when deciding whether and how to collect in response to unforeseen events. The guidance includes steps for managing different phases of a collecting response, managing internal records within organisations with a statutory role in civil contingencies, and considering Public Records legislation. This talk will reflect on the guidance development and learnings from the range of experiences in the accompanying case studies.

Often archivists, cultural heritage workers, and communities are faced with responding quickly to stewardship needs while contending with adverse conditions that affect their lives and work. Navigating this terrain can be personally and professionally difficult. Therefore, in 2020 the Society of American Archivists (SAA) created the Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group (CDTRWG) to provide support and connections for empathetic, ethical, and sustainable collecting practices in the aftermath of disasters and mass violence events. The CDRWG has developed tools and practices to support individuals when faced with these challenges including a robust resource toolkit and the establishment of a Crisis Collecting Assistance Team (CCAT) which offers remote assistance to individuals or organisations needing guidance. This talk will discuss, reflect, and share insights related to the Resource Kit and the running of CCAT.

Spontaneous memorials are grassroots mourning practices that appear after tragic events, such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters. They are not a new phenomenon and have appeared after events such as the Hillsborough Disaster (1989) and 9/11 (2001), more recent terror attacks in Paris (2015), Manchester (2017), and Christchurch (2019). They consist often of thousands of flowers, candles, notes, flags, t-shirts, religious items and other objects. Such memorials have now become an expected expression of public and ritualised grief and memorialisation. They are temporary and in many cases are collected by Archives and related cultural organisations. This paper will present a framework of policy and practice (developed with funding from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council) to support record-keeping and museum professionals when considering and/or undertaking collection, documentation, digitisation and curation of spontaneous memorials after traumatic events.

Increasingly, record-keeping professionals are called upon to undertake collecting and documentation of incidents of mass violence, natural disasters and accidents. However, handling such emotionally charged content often exposes staff to significant psychological strain, including burnout, empathy fatigue and potentially vicarious trauma over time. Feedback from the record-keeping community has underscored the urgent need for structured support to help professionals manage these impacts effectively while continuing to fulfil their roles. Responding to this issue, the Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland (ARA) commissioned in 2024 a report to: examine the mental wellbeing impacts of rapid-response collecting on record-keeping staff and volunteers; assess current gaps in relevant support, resources and training; and provide recommendations for mitigating these effects. On behalf of the ARA, in this paper I will summarise the report’s scope, aims and recommendations and outline ARA’s next steps in supporting record-keeping professionals and organisations that consider collecting in the aftermath of disasters and mass violence events.

L’Església és femenina, i ho és malgrat que les dones són gairebé inexistent en les seves estructures de poder i la seva contribució ha estat sistemàticament menystinguda dins i fora de l’Església. No obstant això, algunes comunitats han decidit prendre consciència de la seva memòria col·lectiva tot reivindicant el seu model de vida i les aportacions a la societat que les ha envoltat al llarg dels segles. I ho han fet a través de l’arxiu i del seu patrimoni històric i cultural (n’és un exemple el projecte de l’ACUB). Pot suplir un projecte de memòria besat en el patrimoni documental i cultural d’una comunitat les funcions desenvolupades fins ara per les comunitats? Davant un món de vida que s’acaba, podem crear un nou món que en reculli el testimoni i en sigui relleu? Pot ser aquesta una possible via per evitar la fuga del patrimoni documental d’un territori?

Totes les comunitats femenines d’Església, de qualsevol model de vida monàstica o religiosa, pertanyen a algun tipus de congregació o entitat similar que les aglutina i vetlla per el seu bon funcionament. També les comunitats masculines tenen aquest paraigües jurídic, que en ocasions vetlla sobre la seva branca femenina. Quin paper poden exercir aquestes entitats? És el mateix per tot els casos? Són una possible solució o aporten més complexitat encara a la situació? En plantejarem aquestes i altres preguntes que s’obren quan ens interroguem sobre quin ha de ser la resposta de les congregacions femenines i masculines davant la problemàtica.

L’heterogeneïtat jurídica dels múltiples models de vida consagrada femenina al llarg dels segles ha produït un mapa d’aquestes entitats heterodox i complex, en constant evolució, i que dificulta la formulació de propostes o solucions úniques a un problema que és compartit. Pot tenir l’arxiu diocesà com a institució d’Església estructurada i uniforma, molt estable, la solució al problema? Què podria oferir? Les comunitats femenines de no dret canònic se sentirien còmodes amb aquesta opció?