Each year, the Society of American Archivists promotes member participation in #AskAnArchivist Day, a day on which archivists around the U.S. take to Twitter to respond to questions tweeted with the hashtag #AskAnArchivist. The day is scheduled in early October—which is American Archives Month! Members are encouraged to take the opportunity to engage via their personal and/or institutional Twitter accounts and to respond to questions posed directly to them or to archivists in general. Questions vary widely, from the silly (What do archivists talk about around the water cooler?) to the practical (What should I do to be sure that my emails won’t get lost?), but each question gives participants an opportunity to share more about their work and profession.
#AskAnArchivist Day 2018, which will be held on October 3, provides the opportunity to:
Break down the barriers that make archivists seem inaccessible.
Talk directly to the public—via Twitter—about what archivists do, why it’s important and, of course, the interesting records with which archivists work.
Join with archivists around the country and the world to make an impact on the public’s understanding of archives while celebrating American Archives Month!
Interact with users, supporters, and prospective supporters about the value of archives.
Hear directly from the public about what they’re most interested in learning about from archives and archivists.
Participants are encouraged to promote #AskAnArchivist Day among their users and constituents via their institutions’ websites, Twitter accounts, blogs, newsletters, and other mediums. Memes have been used to drum up excitement and are easily created through an online member generator. Check out examples of previous promotional memes here and here.
See what various groups have done in the past at the following links:
US National Archives
Getty Research Institute
USC Shoah Foundation
Pennsylvania State Archives