APAC/STR Symposium 2019
Clear Sailing: Navigating the Archive
Monday 1 July 2019
Hochhauser Lecture Theatre, V&A, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
Timings TBC 

**Call for papers and facilitators**

The Association of Performing Arts Collections (APAC) and the Society for Theatre Research (STR) are joining forces to bring you this symposium. On the back of the success and relevance of the APAC 2017 symposium focusing on bridging the gap between archivists and researchers, this symposium will look at the practicalities of this issue and question how communication between the two can be improved to the benefit of research.

We’d love for members of both organisations to get involved by sharing experiences of work from either the archivist or researcher side and joint proposals are very welcome. Your paper could cover any of the following, or other aspects of collaborative working:

For archivists:

• Adapting archive collections/catalogues/finding aids/accessibility for an identified audience
• Identifying research potential in collections and advertising this
• Managing user expectations, both online and in person

For researchers:

• How best to approach archival research
• Examples of good (or bad) experiences of working in archive services in the UK or internationally and why
• What archivists can do support your research and improve access to archival materials

For both:

• Collaborative projects between archivists and researchers
• Examples of the potential challenges of working in a collaborative model
• Blue-sky thinking: What does the perfect Reading Room look like?

The organisers are very much looking forward to receiving proposals for papers of 15-25 minutes. Please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words along with a short biography and an indication of the length of talk you would like to give to excom@performingartscollections.org.uk by 5pm Monday 20^th May.

If anyone would like to help facilitate a panel, roundtable or workshop on the day then please contact me for more information.

If you have any questions then please do email us (elee@nationaltheatre.org.uk / s.sladen@vam.ac.uk).