2024 Annual Meeting

Wednesday, May 15

12:30 pm: Check-in

1:15 pm: Welcome by Program Committee, Welcome by ACSC Vice President and introduction of officers and committee chairs

1:30 pm: Session 1, Keynote: Nancy Beck Young, Moores Professor of History, University of Houston

“So He Burned His Papers! Finding John Nance Garner’s Voice in the Archives”

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

This panel will appeal to researchers and archivists alike as our panelists present current projects that illustrate the range of research political collections can support and demonstrate the way such projects can be implemented. The collections range from environmental policy to campaign commercials and the projects include the use of a documentary film crew for preservation, AI to create metadata, and oral histories.

Moderator: Walter Ray, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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 the Hamilton Hotel Ballroom

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)

This panel reunites three former, high-level staff members, along with the Historian of the United States Senate, to discuss the work and legacy of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities. Better known as the “Church Committee,” so named for its chairman, Senator Frank Church, an Idaho Democrat. Panelists will discuss the context in which the committee operated, how committee staffers created, used, and preserved historical records, how its recommendations were implemented, and the Church Committee’s continuing relevance almost a half-century later.  

Moderator: Ashton Ellett, University of Georgia

Panelists: Kate Scott, Senate Historian; Loch Johnson, former staff; Peter Fenn, former staff; and Martha J. Talley, former staff

10:30 am: Break

11:00 am: Session 5, The 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, The Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress: 174 Years of Updates and Members

Take a behind the scenes dive into how the House Historian’s Office maintains the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (Bioguide). In 1928, Bioguide editor Ansel Wold wrote, “This information might not seem to be of very much importance to you, but to historical students and librarians it is considered very essential in a publication of this kind.” Hear from modern editors and how they still champion Wold’s mantra to keep the Bioguide as accurate as possible.

Panelists: Erin Hromada, Amelia Frappolli, Kevin Twohig, Office of the House Historian

4:00 pm: Navigating Truman: Challenges and Collaboration in Researching The Watchdog

This session will feature NPR journalist Steve Drummond, Author of The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption in conversation with Center for Legislative Archives Archivist Adam Berenbak.

5:00 pm: Adjourn. Dinner Dine-Arounds (sign-up available onsite)

7:00 pm: National Archives Foundation Program (optional)

The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, 70 Years Later

The McGowan Theater at the National Archives Museum

Free Registration for In-Person and Virtual Attendance

Friday, May 17

9:00 am: Coffee and Danish

9:30 am: Session 9, U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress: Election Integrity Panel

Former Members of Congress Martin Frost and Barbara Comstock and FMC CEO Peter M. Weichlein will discuss issues related to election integrity, Russian disinformation, and recent developments in Congress at a panel moderated by Carl Albert Center Director Michael Crespin.

Moderator: Michael Crespin, University of Oklahoma

Panelists: Martin Frost, President, Former Members of Congress; Barbara Comstock, President Elect, Former Members of Congress; Peter M. Weichlein, CEO, 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: 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)