A unique member volunteer opportunity
As part of MiALA's strategic plan goal to Strengthen Our Core Infrastructure, the MiALA Board is working to "develop, implement, and maintain an accessible document depository, and establish a process for transfer of document ownership to relevant teams, regular review, and updates of primary documents." We are seeking one or two member volunteers with knowledge of archiving practices to assist us with a project to review our digital files and assist us with developing a system to improve how we store, access, and transfer knowledge within the association.
The "MiALA Archivist(s)" will:
- Consult with the MiALA Secretary, the MCLS Admin, IGCC Chair, and the MiALA President to understand MiALA's current file structures for preserving association records
- Review MiALAs scattered historic digital files from multiple boards, committees, and interest groups
- Organize, de-duplicate, and consolidate historic digital files into a standardized structure
- Develop and implement consistent file conventions and folder hierarchies based on best practices to make documents easily searchable and retrievable
- Create documentation of the filing system including guides for where different types of documents should be stored
- Review sharing permissions and access levels for different committees, boards, IGCC, IGs and other member groups to ensure that knowledge is retained and accessible
- Develop materials to be used for training future MiALA leadership on proper file management procedures and organizational system
- Advise on needed infrastructure for maintaining an organized system for managing documents going forward
The project will start as soon as volunteers are identified, with the anticipated goal of completing the work by the end of the 2026 calendar year if feasible. If you are interested in engaging in this project and would like to learn more, please contact Julie Garrison, MiALA President (julie.garrison@wmich.edu).
Best regards,
Julie Garrison, MiALA President, 2025-2026