Greetings from the ICA Section on Archives of Literature and Art! The purpose of the Section is to communicate the cultural value and the magic of literary and artistic archives, and to create a worldwide network of archivists, curators, and users. To achieve this, the section organizes events and resources, and participates in larger advocacy efforts. 

As a member of SLA, we invite you to become involved!  SLA currently has underway two projects for which we’re seeking volunteers.  For more information and to volunteer, please reach out to the SLA Chair, Heather Dean, via email: hdean@uvic.ca. 

International Symposium

SLA is hosting a virtual symposium on literary and artistic archives in November 2024 and we are now seeking a team of volunteers to serve on the organizing committee.  The symposium will bring together a global community of cultural heritage professionals (including archivists, librarians, curators, and other allied professions), creators, and researchers to discuss current trends impacting the creation, preservation of, and access to, literary and artistic archives. With particular interest in born-digital archives, human rights, and decolonizing archival practice, the symposium will consider critical trends impacting the archival profession, looking specifically at the unique context of literary and artistic archives.

The organizing committee will draft the call for proposals, select keynote speakers, review submissions, develop the symposium schedule, and participate in day-of activities.  We anticipate the organizing committee will involve roughly 80 hours of volunteer time between February and November 2024.  Please consider being part of the organizing committee! We ask interested volunteers to please respond by Monday, 12 February 2024.

World-Wide Directory of Repositories holding Archives of Literature & Art

SLA has collaborated internationally to create a directory of repositories with archives pertaining to literature and art. The coverage seeks to reflect the diversity of the contributing institutions and has a geographically wide coverage. Have a suggestion for a repository?  Please consider suggesting additions through the online form.