Museum Association
of Arizona

Museum Archives Cafes are designed to be informal chats about shared challenges and concerns of museum archives.   Each Cafe will include a short presentation by a professional archivist, followed by group discussion.

Processing Backlogs

October 23, 2025, 2:00 p.m. (AZ)

In this Cafe we will share strategies for dealing with backlogs in museum archives with limited staff, including

 - how to prioritize materials

 - the idea of "minimal processing”

 - how to involve students and interns

Led by Aspen Reynolds, Archivist at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Recording

PowerPoint Slides

Community Archives Within Museums

November 20, 2025, 2:00 p.m. (AZ)

In this Cafe we will share ideas for inviting community members to co-curate or interpret archival materials.

Led by Jessica Salow, Assistant Archivist of Black Collections, Arizona State University

Recording

Processing Photographic Collections

December 11, 2025, 2:00 p.m. (AZ)

In this Café we will share challenges and concerns in processing photographs and negatives for preservation and access.

Led by Marcy Flynn, Independent Archivist (Silver Image Management)

Register at https://www.azmuseums.org/event-6384778

Integrating Archives into Exhibitions

January 15, 2026, 2:00 p.m. (AZ)

In this Café we will share examples of how archival materials enhance exhibits and storytelling

Led by Aspen Reynolds, Archivist at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Register at: https://www.azmuseums.org/event-6384763

Rare Books in Archival Collections
March 12, 2026, 2:00 p.m. (AZ)
In this Café we will talk about Rare Books - what they are and how they fit into archival collections.
Led by Lesley Tsuchiya, Research and Special Collections Librarian, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (Taliesin West) 
Register at https://www.azmuseums.org/event-6443285