Women’s History Network 33rd Annual Conference
Hidden in Plain Sight: Women in Archives, Libraries, Museums and Personal Collections
Our 33rd annual conference, Hidden in Plain Sight; Women in Museums, Archives, Libraries and Personal Collections, took place as a virtual event on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 September, and judging by the feedback, was enjoyed by everyone. We received an unprecedented 170 submissions, and from these Alex and I had the difficult task of selecting 48 presenters, and the unenviable job of turning down so many excellent papers. As astonishing, were the hundreds of people who signed up with Eventbrite to join us for some or all of the conference, and each of the twelve panels was very well attended, chaired by volunteers from amongst the presenters and the WHN committee. Our two keynote speakers, Mary Thorley and Teresa Doherty, gave us so much food for thought and each of them attracted around 100 attendees. Mary’s recorded talk on Thursday was a fascinating and insightful exploration of the 30 year history of Women’s Archive Wales, which dovetailed with Teresa’s presentation on Friday, which challenged us to consider the future of historical archives, and the complexity of the digital age. We were so fortunate that they both agreed to take part in the conference, and are most grateful to them for their contributions.
Holding a conference on line is, of course, a different experience to an in-person event, when we can meet and chat, share ideas and network. However, it does have the advantage of enabling people from all over the world to join us as presenters and attendees in celebrating women’s history. So, we will continue to alternate on-line and in-person conferences each year, and look forward to welcoming you next year to our 34th annual conference, which will be held in London, the details of which are to be confirmed.
Our thanks to Kirsty, Maria and Abbie for their assistance, and to all the people who joined us for two extraordinary days of exploration and inspiration.
Alex and Susan
One of the many exciting aspects of researching women’s history is the discovery of previously unknown lives which have lain hidden or overlooked within public and private collections of papers and objects/artefacts across a broad range of repositories.
The aim of the WHN’s 33rd annual conference was to explore and celebrate the challenges of uncovering the presence of women within archives, libraries, museums and personal collections. It was also an opportunity for keepers and cataloguers to discuss issues related to the accessibility/inaccessibility of collections.
It provided a unique opportunity for these little-known or neglected histories of women to be revealed, for their stories to be recounted and evaluated, and for their impact in shaping society considered.
Have a look at the book of abstracts here