#IAW2025 Workshop – Rethinking Archival Practices with the New Professionals Cohort

The International Council on Archives (ICA) is pleased to invite all members and the wider archival community to a special online workshop taking place on Wednesday, 11 June 2025 at 12:00–13:30 CET (Paris time) during International Archives Week 2025 (IAW2025), titled: 

Rethinking Archival Practices with the New Professionals Cohort 

This online workshop, designed and facilitated by the 2025 ICA New Professionals (NPs) is part of International Archives Week 2025—now in its seventh edition—which explores the global theme #ArchivesAreAccessible – Archives for Everyone. Selected by over 300 participants in a global poll, this theme invites archivists and institutions to go beyond digitisation and address the physical, technological, and systemic barriers that continue to limit access to archives for many communities. 

Come ready to engage in an open conversation about the evolution of archival work. The NPs will introduce their year-long focus on rethinking archival practices, which includes a survey, a series of interviews, and a forthcoming resource guide that aims to document innovative archival strategies that respond to and go beyond traditional models. 

More information on participation, structure, and how to register can be found below. 

The workshop is free and open to all, but registration is required. Attendance will be capped at 50 participants to allow for meaningful engagement in breakout groups. 

Workshop Description 

This 90-minute interactive session invites participants to join the 2025 ICA New Professionals cohort in a shared exploration of what it means to rethink archival practices. Attendees will hear directly from the New Professionals about the research projects they’re undertaking this year, including a survey, a series of interviews with practitioners, and a resource guide compiling innovative archival practices that challenge or expand traditional approaches. 

After brief presentations from the two NPs project groups, participants will be divided into small breakout groups to reflect on the following: 

• What does rethinking archival practices mean to you? 

• Why is it important? 

• How can it contribute to making archives more accessible? 

The session will conclude with a group discussion, where key insights from the breakout rooms will be shared, and an open Q&A. 

The session will be recorded, excluding the breakout group discussions.