News & Events

Upcoming programs and workshops sponsored by the Wyoming SHRAB:

• WY SHRAB Workshop: Emergency Planning (2025) 

  In today’s world, there are so many unpredictable factors from fires to floods to security challenges which can impact your staff and collections. The Wyoming State Historical Records Advisory Board invites you to learn about how to prepare your staff and your collections for a variety of disasters and emergencies in this free two-day workshop. Learn how to develop your actionable plan, get tips and tricks from experts, and prepare you and your staff for the worst–even if it’s just a precaution. 

  Join us Thursday and Friday, September 18-19, from 8:30am to 5:00pm at Rock Springs Fire Department, located at 145 Industrial Drive, Rock Springs, WY 82901. Please use the following link to register for the event: https://forms.gle/ZoixuQhVkYB7FiwGA. 

  Session Information

  This two-day workshop, a collaboration between the Sweetwater County Historical Museum and the Wyoming State Archives, offers a comprehensive, hands-on approach to emergency preparedness for cultural institutions. Participants will engage in four unique sessions designed to build confidence and readiness in the face of disasters.

  Day One begins with an overview of emergency planning, which will help attendees understand the foundational steps to protect their staff, collections, and facilities. From there, participants will move into a disaster plan writing session, where they’ll receive practical guidance to begin crafting a customized, actionable plan for their own institutions. After a short break for lunch, the day concludes with a live fire safety training session, which includes hands-on experience using fire extinguishers and identifying fire hazards in real-world scenarios.

  Day Two shifts focus on recovery and crisis response. The morning begins with a session on salvaging wet items, where participants will learn how to rescue and stabilize water-damaged archival materials, books, and other cultural artifacts. And, the final session is an active shooter training, providing essential strategies for keeping staff and visitors safe during high-risk situations.

  This is a collaborative workshop sponsored by the Wyoming SHRAB with funding support from the NHPRC, the Sweetwater County Museum, the Sweetwater County Fire Department, and the Wyoming State Archives. Contact Sara Davis, State Archivist and SHRAB Coordinator, at 307-777-7826 for more information.

• RAP Quick Tips: Introduction to the Roving Archivist Program (2025) September 11, 2025, 11:30 am - 12:30 p.m., virtual. Join Roving Archivist Morgan Stence and Wyoming State Archives Reference Historian Marcie Blaylock to learn more about the roving archivist program (RAP) in Wyoming. From free, quick-tip sessions to workshops and advice on how to handle your collections, the RAP is here as a free resource to help preserve Wyoming's historical records. To join this virtual meeting, participants may enter online by using the following link, https://meet.google.com/tna-yzyr-wmh, or they may call in using the following information: dial ‪(US) +1 209-783-8512‬ PIN: ‪512 847 872‬#. This event is free and open to the public, allowing participants to ask questions. 

• RAP Quick Tips: Nitrate Film in the Archives - Managing a Hazardous Format (2025) October 15, 2025, 11:30 am - 12:30 p.m., virtual. William Hopkins, American Heritage Center collections manager and assistant director, and Cindy Brown, digital archivist for the Wyoming State Archives, share their hands-on experience dealing with this challenging format (nitrate), offering crucial insights into safe handling and the decision-making process. To join this virtual meeting, participants may enter online by using the following link, https://meet.google.com/tna-yzyr-wmh, or they may call in using the following information: dial ‪(US) +1 209-783-8512‬ PIN: ‪512 847 872‬#. This event is free and open to the public, allowing participants to ask questions. 

• RAP Quick Tips: Pest Management for Archives and Museums (2025) November 20, 2025, 11:30 am - 12:30 p.m., virtual. University of Wyoming Art Museum Collections Manager Molly Marcuss will provide practical pest management strategies for cultural heritage institutions. Topics include integrated pest management fundamentals, prevention strategies, monitoring and detection, safe response methods, and staff training and policies. To join this virtual meeting, participants may enter online by using the following link, https://meet.google.com/tna-yzyr-wmh, or they may call in using the following information: dial ‪(US) +1 209-783-8512‬ PIN: ‪512 847 872‬#. This event is free and open to the public, allowing participants to ask questions. 

Recent programs and workshops sponsored by the Wyoming SHRAB:

RAP Quick Tips: Creating Engaging Online Exhibits (2025)

Date: August 14, 2025, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

Description: Wyoming State Museum Supervisor of Programs and Exhibits Elisabeth DeGrenier provided a practical session designed for small museums, archives, and historical societies looking to create professional online exhibits with limited resources. She discussed free and low-cost platforms, design basics for making an impact, and actionable items to implement immediately. 

RAP Quick Tips: Storage Solutions on a Budget (2025)

Date: June 19, 2025, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

Description: Michele Pacifico brings over 40 years of professional consulting experience, having worked with institutions ranging from the National Archives and Records Administration to Jackson Hole History. Her presentation provided practical and economical guidance on creating optimal storage environments for paper documents, audiovisual materials, photographs, artifacts, and other cultural heritage materials.

Access the recording and slides:  

• Quick Tips: Storage Solutions on a Budget by Michele Pacifico (PowerPoint)
• Quick Tips: Storage Solutions on a Budget by Michele Pacifico (Video Presentation)

RAP Quick Tips: Digital Records Management (2025)

Date: April 17, 2025, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

Description: Wyoming State Library Information Services Manager Travis Pollock and Wyoming State Archives Records Management Supervisor Carment Clayton discussed practical strategies for organizing digital files. The discussion included topics such as effective file naming conventions, optimal file folder structures, and best practices. 

RAP Quick Tips: Social Media for Small Institutions (2025)

Date: February 20, 2025, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

Description: Wyoming State Archives Reference Archivist Suzi Taylor provided an overview of social media. The program included a discussion of the ins and outs of social media and how to utilize it for your institution's best.

Access the recording and slides: 

• Quick Tips: Social Media for Small Institutions by Suzi Taylor (PowerPoint)
• Quick Tips: Social Media for Small Institutions by Suzi Taylor (Presentation)

RAP Coffee Chat: Advocacy in Action: A Small Museum's Guide to Data-driven Storytelling (2024)

Date: October 24, 2024, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

Description: Wyoming State Museum Director Kevin Ramler provided practical insights into how museums can use data to tell compelling stories to grantors, policymakers, and provide funders.

RAP Coffee Chat: Digitization and Oral History Toolkits (2024)

Date: September 26, 2024, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

RAP Coffee Chat: Introduction to the RAP with Q&A (2024)

Date: August 20, 2024, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MT

Photographic Identification and Care Workshop (2024)

Date: June 12 & 13, 2024, 1- 5 p.m. MT

Wyoming ARMA Spring Seminar (2024)

Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. MT

Something Strange in the Archives? Call the Roving Archivist! (2023)

Date: Tuesday, October 31, 2023, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. MT

Photographic and Audiovisual Materials: The Basics, From Identification to Care and Preservation (2023)

Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. MT

A Tale of Two Archives: Digital Records Management in Oregon and Wyoming (2023)

Date:  Tuesday, May 23 & Thursday, May 25, 2023, 2 pm. - 5 p.m. MT

Wyoming Chapter of ARMA Spring Seminar: Each Information Management Professional Will Lead In The Future (2023)

Date:  Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 8 am. - 5 p.m. MT

Archives 101 and Digitization 101 (2022)

Date:  June 21-22, 2022

Grant Writing for Every Occasion (2022)

Date:  May 4-5, 2022

Workshop on Data Management and Preservation

Date:  June 1, 2018

ArchivesSpace Introduction

Date: May 4, 2018

A Tale of Two Archives: Digital Records Management in Oregon and Wyoming (2023)

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Wyoming State Archives digital archives program, Wyoming is collaborating with the Oregon State Archives to bring you a digital records management workshop with presenters from both institutions with a special presentation from Alejandra Robinson, WY SHRAB member and Public Relations Director and Archives Manager for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, on considerations for working with tribal nations records. This workshop is supported by WY SHRAB with funding from the NHPRC. 

The recorded sessions playlist is available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIo5xJ8J58Pvrt_El5Wk5CcNRw7kH_sLR.

• Session 1: Records Management Overview, Presented by Wyoming State Archives Supervisor of the Records Management Unit Carmen Clayton and Records Analyst Stephanie Gertken. This introductory session will discuss the principles, benefits, and importance of records management.

• Session 2: Records Management for Tribal Governments, Presented by Alejandra Robinson, WY SHRAB member and Public Relations Director and Archives Manager for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. This short session will discuss special considerations for working with and managing tribal government records.

• Session 3: Public Records Requests, Presented by Wyoming State Archives Records Analyst Stephanie Gertken. Public records requests can be overwhelming. This session will provide you with guidance on how to get started including first-hand experience explaining what is involved in responding to public records requests and discussion of how this is related to state statutes and laws.

• Session 4: Digital Preservation, Presented by Wyoming State Archives Digital Archivist Cindy Brown and State Archivist Sara Davis. With more and more records being created in a digital environment and new norms for providing access, this session will guide participants on the basics of caring for and ensuring long-term access of born-digital and digitized records. The session will include information about sustainable file formats, backup strategies, and more. 

• ​Session 5: Email Management, Presented by Oregon State Archives State Records Manager Kristofer Stenson. This hour-long session is devoted to email management, including strategies and solutions for long-term preservation and access.

• Session 6: Case Studies in Records Management, Presented by Oregon State Archives ORMS (Oregon Records Management Solution) Program Administrator Matt Brown. You've taken the time to learn the theory behind records management and digital preservation, but not sure how to implement it in your office. This session will explore different implementations of digital records management solutions and answer real-world digital records management questions.

• Session 7: Tools and Resources for Records Management, Presented by representatives from the Oregon State Archives and Wyoming State Archives. This session will provide participants with more tools and resources to get started on managing their paper and digital records. 

Archives 101 and Digitization 101 (2022)

This workshop focuses on the basics of caring for archival collections and increasing access through digitization. 

• ​​Archives 101: Introduction to Basic Archival Principles and Practices

  “Archives 101” focuses on archival best practices. The workshop is geared towards those working in smaller archival repositories and those who may not have had formal archival training. Learning Objectives:

  • ​​What is an archival collection

  • Basic archival principles

  • Levels of arrangement and description

  • Basics of archival access and preservation

• ​Share Your Story: A Toolkit for Creating Digital Collections

  Digitization is not simply making a digital copy of an object. It is a process of collecting, reformatting, cataloging, storing, and sharing digital objects. With this workshop, you will learn the fundamentals of each area of the digitization workflow: selection, digital capture, description, and sharing, and leave with a toolkit to get you started on your digitization journey. This workshop is for those who are new to digital collections.  Learning Objectives:

  • Framework for selecting items and copyright considerations

  • Basics of digital capture for preservation and access 

  • Metadata description for historic collections

  • How to share your collection with your community near and far

To access the presentation slides from this workshop, see below. 

This workshop is a partnership with the Wyoming State Historical Records Advisory Board (WY SHRAB), Colorado State Library, Wyoming State Library, and the Wyoming State Archives. This workshop is supported in part by an award from the WY SHRAB, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), and the National Archives and Records Administration. The WY SHRAB program is administered by the Wyoming State Archives, which is part of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Grant Writing for Every Ocassion (2022)

This workshop will help you master the logic and preparation needed for success. Learn tips, tricks, and pitfalls of grant writing, plus where to find help. We’ll discuss the elements of a proposal and how to develop, prepare, and present a compelling case that will make funders sit up and take notice. 

The recorded sessions playlist is available at: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxx4XVqV5ojOyuNOZ9nNi6XJutHJdroQu.

• Session 1: Getting started 
  First steps, finding funders, proposal components
• Session 2: What’s the problem? And who are you? 
  Beneficiary need and organizational credibility
• Session 3: What will you do about it?
  Objectives, methods, evaluation
• Session 4: Money, money, money
• Budget, justification, sustainability
• Session 5: Wrapping it all up
  Summary, presentation, documentation, next steps
• Session 6: Conversation with Dan Stokes
  Identifying the appropriate federal grant program for your project and creating an application tailored to particular programs

This workshop is a partnership with the Wyoming State Historical Records Advisory Board (WY SHRAB), Wyoming State Library, and the Wyoming State Archives. This workshop is supported in part by an award from the WY SHRAB, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the National Archives and Records Administration. The WY SHRAB program is administered by the Wyoming State Archives, which is part of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Preservation of Born-Digital Records, Basic Principles and Practices (2017) 

Records are "born digital" if they were created first online.  How should you go about saving those records?  Learn about this important topic from Tyler Cline, Digital Archivist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and former Digital Archivist at the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center. 

The archived version of this webinar is available at:  https://youtu.be/1IbJ9vz6JPo