390th Memorial Museum Participates in Regional Archives Event
The 390th Memorial Museum participated in the Southern Arizona Archives Bazaar at the Arizona Historical Society on November 3, 2018 in order to further the museum’s mission make its collections more accessible to the public. The Bazaar gave the public an opportunity to talk with experts. Free workshops explored how to preserve family history and digital files, as well as how to conduct genealogical and property history research. Participating institutions provided members of the public with information pertaining to the variety of historical collections available throughout the southern Arizona region.
A genealogy workshop was taught and hosted by Amy Urman of the Pima Country Genealogical Society, Paula LaRich of the Titan Missile Museum, and Mariel Watt, the 390th Memorial Museum’s archivist and curator. The workshop included discussions of why to conduct family research; how to begin your research; examples of types of documents to look for (and how to understand their use); how to fill out genealogical forms; and, finally, where to seek out records.
The Southern Arizona Archives Bazaar was the first event of its kind in Tucson. The bazaar hosted over 15 archival repositories including 390th Memorial Museum, Arizona Council for Professional Genealogists, Arizona Historical Society, Arizona Queer Archives, Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, Center for Creative Photography, The Dunbar Pavilion, Old Pueblo Trolley, Pima County Genealogy Society, Titan Missile Museum, Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum, University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Museum of Art Archives of Visual Arts, University of Arizona Poetry Center, University of Arizona School of Information, Arizona Archives Alliance, Society of Southwestern Archivists, Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists, Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center and the University of Arizona Law Library.
Archival bazaars have been trendy throughout the United States in the past decade and a cooperative effort among multiple archives led to the creation of the first such bazaar in Tucson.
The Southern Arizona Archival Bazaar is going to become an annual event; watch out for information and announcements for next year’s bazaar!