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Memory Rising: January 2025
In this month’s edition:
- Research Project on Climate Change and Archives for Mellon Foundation, Public Knowledge Program
- One good thing that happened in politics in 2024
- CLIR Climate Resiliency Action Series
- Upcoming Grant Deadlines
- This Month’s Recommendations
Here in the Ohio Valley, we experienced (almost) [record breaking](https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2025-01-06/cincinnati-first-snowfall-2025-breaks-1977-record) snowfall as the fires were raging around Los Angeles. Part of the experience of climate change is wishing that there was some way you could ship part of your weather to another part of the world that could desperately use it.
Watching the media coverage of the Los Angeles fires and LA’s many cultural institutions, I am struck by how much mainstream news coverage is given to the existing protections of major well-resourced cultural institutions. Yet we know that just as climate change disproportionately impacts communities with the least resources for emergency preparedness and disaster recovery, [less-resourced cultural institutions are also similarly vulnerable](https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/a-green-new-deal-for-archives/). There have already been reports about libraries, galleries, and collections that have been damaged and destroyed from the fires, but you may not hear about this unless you follow specific dedicated news sources that cover arts and culture. Lopsided coverage that focuses on the emergency capacities of well-resourced private institutions may give the public the false impression that we don’t need major public policy interventions to assist institutions with far fewer resources.
The incoming presidential administration’s hostility to climate adaptation efforts, as well as the flight of major banks from [investing in the clean energy transition](https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/commodities/2025/01/07/jpmorgan-quits-net-zero-banking-alliance-following-citi-bofa/), makes for a bleak outlook for climate action in the next few years. It’s a stark reminder of what generations of activists have told us, which is that meaningful change rarely originates from the top of the power structure. But we are not helpless, and working together is more important than ever. As [labor organizer Mother Jones](https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/hallofhonor/1992_jones) once said, we need to “pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.” -Eira
(Photograph of Gas Station, Kern County, California, 1938, by Dorothea Lange, for the Farm Security Administration. Image via [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2017770791/). Newsletter content assistance provided by [Jess Farrell](https://facilitator-jess.github.io/RedstartWorks/about/).)
# Research Project on Climate Change and Archives for Mellon Foundation, Public Knowledge Program
Memory Rising has been engaged by the Public Knowledge program of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to examine the impacts of climate change on archives. The eighteen-month research project (May 2023-October 2024) focused on three areas of concern for climate change adaptation and archives: People, Infrastructure, and Collections.
The state of the archivist workforce will determine the capacity of archives to remain resilient in the face of climate change. Climate change is intensifying infrastructure concerns related to the storage, preservation, and accessibility of archives. Archivists have long argued that our collections should represent the communities, concerns, and realities of the world. [Three reports](https://memoryrising.net/research-project-on-climate-change-and-archives-reports-on-people-infrastructure-and-collections/) explore these challenges, and three case studies accompany the reports. The case studies concern [term positions](https://memoryrising.net/research-project-on-climate-change-and-archives-case-study-on-term-positions/), the urgency of [emergency preparedness](https://memoryrising.net/research-project-on-climate-change-and-archives-case-study-on-urgency-of-emergency-preparedness/), and [environmental justice movement documentation](https://memoryrising.net/research-project-on-climate-change-and-archives-case-study-on-environmental-justice-environmental-movement-documentation/).
A [final report](https://memoryrising.net/research-project-on-climate-change-and-archives-final-report-for-mellon-foundation-public-knowledge-program/) contains Memory Rising’s short-term and long-term recommendations informed by the research, along with summaries of the major findings from each research phase.
# One good thing that happened in politics in 2024
I'm excited to share that in December, the [Public Archives Resiliency Act was introduced](https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sens-markey-hirono-and-rep-adams-introduce-legislation-to-promote-conservation-and-preservation-of-government-and-historic-records)! This federal legislation supports increased appropriations to the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) to fund climate resiliency efforts of archives and archivists, including additional staffing and no cost share requirements.
It started during the Society of American Archivists’ quadrennial Archives on the Hill advocacy day (with strong support by the National Humanities Alliance) in 2023 when an advocate (spoiler alert: newsletter assistant Jess Farrell) brought [A Green New Deal for Archives](https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/a-green-new-deal-for-archives/) to the attention of Senator Ed Markey’s staff and put us in touch. Staff took an interest in the policy proposal, did their own homework, drafted legislation, workshopped it with Jess and me, as well as key stakeholders from across the field (many of whom are represented in the press release), and secured co-sponsors to introduce the legislation this term.
It has been an unbelievable privilege and honor to work with Senator Ed Markey's staff to help shape this new legislation on archives and climate change. Stay tuned for more on this exciting development and how you can help advocate for it!
# CLIR Climate Resiliency Action Series
On March 13, 2025, I’m speaking at the “Place-Based Planning” session of the CLIR Climate Resiliency Action series, a new community of practice around issues of climate change in libraries and cultural heritage institutions. The free series includes six sessions with opportunities to discuss in community with other attendees after each session. [Visit the website](https://climate-resiliency.clir.org/) to learn more or sign up.
# Upcoming Grant Deadlines
Thinking about applying for an archives grant? I am here to support your planning, assessment, strategy, and research needs, especially pertaining to climate change adaptation. Check out these upcoming opportunities and reach out if you’d like to work with me!
## NHPRC
The optional draft deadline for all of these funding opportunities is February 18 with a final deadline of May 7.
- The [Archival Projects](https://www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/archival.html) program funds inventorying and assessing archival records and collection processing plans.
- The [Archives Collaboratives](https://www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/collaboratives) program funds developing collaboratives to enhance the capacity of small and diverse organizations.
- The [Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions](https://www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/editions.html) funds research and publishing in labor movement and organizational history.
## SAA
- [The Society of American Archivists (SAA) Foundation Catalyst Grant program](https://www2.archivists.org/groups/saa-foundation-board-of-directors/saa-foundation-catalyst-grant-program-application-process-and-guidelines) provides funding to support complex archives projects. Due January 31.
- [The SAA Foundation Opportunity Grant program](https://www2.archivists.org/groups/saa-foundation-board-of-directors/saa-foundation-opportunity-grant-application-guidelines) provides timely funding to archival repositories to seize unexpected, time-sensitive opportunities. Applications received on a rolling basis. Applications received by 5:00 PM Central Time on the 24th of the month will be reviewed in the first week of the following month.
- The SAA Foundation's[ National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives (NDRFA)](https://www2.archivists.org/groups/saa-foundation-board-of-directors/national-disaster-recovery-fund-for-archives) provides critical assistance to communities experiencing climate disasters. Applications received on a rolling basis. Grants are typically awarded within 7-10 business days of applying.
# This Month’s Recommendations
❗ [Climate Change Is Raising Wildfire Risk Across The US](https://apps.npr.org/us-wildfires-impact-environment-climate-change/) - This is an exceptionally well-done infographic from NPR documenting fire risks across the United States. Those of us living in the eastern half of the US should pay particular attention to wildfires, since this is not just something our west coast friends deal with. This caused me to look up wildfire numbers in Ohio from 2024 and it was a far higher number than I would have imagined.
💔 [I’m a climate scientist and my house in LA burned down. My work has never been more real](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/15/la-california-fires-climate-science) - This article in the Guardian from Benjamin Hamlington talks about the ways in which professional work hits literally close to home
🏛️ [Society for History in the Federal Government](https://shfg.wildapricot.org/executive-branch) - Did you know there is a professional association dedicated to studying the history of federal government? Many federal agencies have historians on staff, and this page has conveniently compiled links to all of the known agency histories in one place.
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