Annual Meeting

TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CENTERS FOR THE STUDY OF CONGRESS​

May 15-17, 2024
Hosted by the Center for Legislative Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
Washington, DC

Registration is open. Members must be logged in to acsc.wildapricot.org to register. 

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, May 15
 
12:30 pm: Check-in
 
1:15 pm: Welcome by Program Committee and ACSC President
 
1:30 pm: Session 1, Keynote: Nancy Beck Young, Moores Professor of History, University of Houston
Nancy Beck Young, author of Two Suns of the Southwest: Lyndon Johnson, Barry Goldwater, and the 1964 Battle between Liberalism and Conservatism, Lou Henry Hoover: Activist First Lady, and Why We Fight: Congress and the Politics of World War II
 
2:30 pm: Break
 
3:00 pm: Session 2, Former Member Panel: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in conversation with Senate Historian Kate Scott
 

4:00 pm: Break

4:30 pm: Session 3, ACSC Member Projects

Moderator: Sarah Stefani, Modern Political Papers Archivist, Indiana University

Panelists: Steve Hussman, University of Arizona; JA Pryse, University of Oklahoma; and Ashton Ellett, University of Georgia

5:30 pm: Adjourn
 
6:30 pm: Dinner at Via Sophia, Hamilton Hotel
 
Thursday, May 16
 
9:00 am: Coffee and Danish
 
9:30 am: Session 4, Reflecting on the work of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, 1975-1976 (Church Committee)

Moderator: Ashton Ellett, University of Georgia

Panelists: Kate Scott, Senate Historical Office; Loch Johnson, former staff; Peter Fenn, former staff; and Mary DeOreo, former staff

10:30 am: Break
 
11:00 am: Session 5, American Congress Digital Archives Portal

The American Congress Digital Archives Portal project digitizes and aggregates congressional archives from multiple institutions in an online portal that expands access to collections. The Portal provides scholars with significantly improved access to geographically dispersed collections and educators with access to civically important documents about Congress and public policy. Project partners will share progress made with support from an implementation grant provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Moderators: Danielle Emerling, West Virginia University; Sarah Gard, The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics

Panelists: Sarah Almond, West Virginia University; Marla Weaver, The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics; Dawn Sueoka, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

12:00 pm: Session 6, Business Meeting
 
12:30 pm: Lunch (on your own)
 
2:30 pm: Session 7, House of Representatives Panel
 
3:30 pm: Break
 
4:00 pm: Session 8, Congressional Research

Steve Drummond, Author of The Watchdog:  How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War II

Adam Berenbak, Archivist, Center for Legislative Archives

5:00 pm: Adjourn
 
5:00 pm: Dinner Dine-Arounds (sign-up available onsite)
 
7:00 pm: National Archives Foundation Program (optional)
Friday, May 17
 
9:00 am: Coffee and Danish
 
9:30am: Session 9, Association of Former Members of Congress
 
10:30 am: Break
 
11:00 am: Session 10, Practitioner’s Corner – “Last Year/First Year”

The last year of a Senator’s congressional term presents an opportunity to prepare his or her historic collection for transfer to an archival repository for preservation. The first year of processing a collection at the archival repository presents many challenges and possibilities for archivists. This session explores the journey of Senator’s archival records from their congressional offices to a repository.

Moderator: Dina Mazina, U.S. Senate Historical Office

Panelists: Alan Haberle, Former Archivist for Senator Orrin Hatch (UT); Sarah Klotz, Former Archivist for Senator Jim Inhofe (OK); Mandy Lignelli, Lead Archivist, History Associates; Robert Lay, Jr., University of Georgia; Chris Burns, University of Vermont

12:00 pm: Adjourn
Center for Legislative Archives Vault Tour (Optional)
Executive Committee Meeting (if needed)