About LSB
Hello! I'm Laura, and I'd love to be your archivist.
My business began with a passion to make archives accessible. Let's work together to bring your archival vision to life!
My background is in gallery management, archival programming, and luxury goods. I've worked in art galleries, museums, and universities in the Chicago area for the past 5 years. I hold a masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois concentrating in Archives and Special Collections, and a B.A. in Art History from DePaul University.
Contact me at laura@lsbarchival.com with any questions.
What is an Archivist?
The information below is taken directly from the Society of American Archivists Website (https://www2.archivists.org/about-archives).
What’s an Archivist?
In the course of everyday life, individuals, organizations, and governments create and keep information about their activities. These records may be personal and unplanned—a photograph, a letter to a friend, notes toward a manuscript—or they may be official and widely shared—financial and legal documents, recordings of public speeches, medical files, and electronic records. These records, and the places in which they are kept, are called archives, and archivists are the professionals who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to these records.
The Work of Archivists
Archivists hold professional positions requiring adherence to national and international standards of practice and conduct in accordance with a professional code of ethics. The majority of professional archivists hold a baccalaureate degree, and many have one or more advanced degrees related to the profession.
Assess: Not every record has enduring value, and archivists don’t keep every record that comes their way. Instead, archivists select records, a process that requires an understanding of the historical context in which the records were created, the uses for which they were intended, and their relationships to other sources.
Collect and Organize: Archivists arrange and describe the collection of records, in accordance with national and international standards of practice.
Preserve: Because materials in archival collections are unique, specialized, or rare, archivists strive to protect records from physical damage and theft so that they can be used today and in the future. Increasingly archivists play a key role in ensuring that digital records, which may quickly grow obsolete, will be available when needed in the future.
Provide Access: Archivists identify the essential evidence of our society and ensure its availability for use by students, teachers, researchers, organization leaders, historians, and a wide range of individuals with information needs. Many archivists also plan and direct exhibitions, publications, and other outreach programs to broaden the use of collections, helping people find and understand the information they need.
Ethics
LSB Archival, LLC adheres to the SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics: https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics