Three iSchool digital archives case study proposals (Maria Esteva's "natural archives" dissertation project, Patricia Galloway's "Eyes of Texas" repository institutionalization project, and Tom Kiehne and Catherine Stollar's work on the Michael Joyce collection for HRC) have been selected among 11 total cases to be presented in a colloquium called New Skills for a Digital Era at the National Archives in Washington, May 31-June 2, sponsored by the Arizona State Archives, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Society of American Archivists. Other participants are from the National Archives, New York State Archives, Maricopa County Arizona Archives, George Washington University Archives, Duke University Archives, Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research, Yale/Tufts, and the University of Michigan.

The colloquium will discuss what skills librarians, archivists, and records managers (LARMs) need to flourish in the digital era. The colloquium will bring together LARMs with practical experience working with digital materials, educators, and others who are interested in the topic. It is based on the assumption that what archivists do remains the same, but how they do it will change. Much of the core, theoretical knowledge remains the same, but the practical skills may be radically different. Case studies will focus on identifying the skills necessary to work with digital materials, with the expectation that LARMs must be as comfortable working with digital materials as they are working with paper. Proceedings will include the keynote address, case studies, and a report that articulates the participants discussions and recommendations.