Delaware Valley Archivists Group

This year Metasebia Damte was awarded SAA Annual Meeting Travel Grant funds to attend the SAA Annual Meeting in-person.

Hello! My name is Metasebia Damte and I recently had the pleasure of attending the SAA
Conference in Chicago thanks to the Delaware Valley Archivists Group Travel Grant. As a
recent MLIS graduate and early-career archivist, this was my first time attending an SAA event
and deeply appreciated this opportunity to connect and learn from my fellow archivists through
the sessions offered through this conference. This would also be my first time in Chicago, so
there were many new experiences to be had!

The conference offered a great range of in-person and virtual sessions to choose from. Much of
the information regarding the available sessions was hosted through the conference app called
Whova, which users can use to create their daily agenda and connect with fellow attendees. I
honestly had trouble deciding between sessions as so many of the speakers and presentations
held such innovative and engaging content!

Through the sessions I was able to attend, I had the opportunity to gain an understanding of the
many avenues archivists seek out in order to understand equitable access, foster community
and acknowledge the labor and effort of their fellow archivists.For instance, through the
“Archiving Black Life: Alternative Models and Interventions for Culturally-affirming Community Engagement and Collaboration” session, I learned so much about the panel of archivists’ efforts to best preserve and process oral history whilst being culturally affirming and centering the community narrative. It was inspiring to hear about the progress they are making not only in black communities within the U.S. but also in other countries as well.

For anyone interested in attending future SAA conferences, I honestly can’t recommend it
enough! It is a great opportunity to make new friends and connect with others in your field. I was surprised to meet so many recent graduates as well. Everyone was so friendly and
accommodating, which made the experience much more light-hearted for me. Overall, attending the various sessions and being in that space helped me to feel more passionate and motivated to do well in my field. I’m grateful for the grant I received that made this all possible. Thank you!