NCLA Con 2025

As archivists and curators of special collections, we encounter items and collections that give us pause. Whether it is an artifact that has preservation/conservation issues, a collection with politically or culturally charged language, digitized or born digital materials that present access and management problems, or even physical or online storage challenges, these issues cause us to pause and explore how to best handle each individual circumstance, incorporating imaginative methodologies, along with best practices, to ensure the safety, longevity, and fair use of our collections. Panelists will discuss their experiences stewarding complex and niche collections, including challenges and opportunities they have confronted, and their approaches to dealing with them. Preservation, intellectual control, legal, and ethical concerns will all be discussed. There will also be time for audience members to share their own stories of archival challenges and how they were met.