Guest post --- An overview of Baker's work on DIY institutions of popular music heritage

In this post, guest blogger Zelmarie Cantillon provides an overview of key ideas emerging from my published work on DIY institutions; research that comes out of the Australian Research Council funded projects 'Popular Music and Cultural Memory' and 'Do-it-Yourself Popular Music Archives'.

Guest post --- overview of new publication on DIY institutions

In this post, guest blogger Lauren Istvandity provides an overview of a journal article written by Sarah Baker which was recently published in Archives and Records. The article, titled ‘Do-it-yourself institutions of popular music heritage: the preservation of music’s material past in community archives, museums and halls of fame’, emerges from research undertaken for the ARC funded project ‘Do-it-yourself archives of popular music’.

Guest blog post --- A review of Eichorn's book 'The Archival Turn in Feminism'

In this post, guest blogger Zelmarie Cantillon provides an overview of a book by Kate Eichorn called 'The Archival Turn in Feminism: Outrage in Order'. The principal focus of this book is the archiving of artefacts, particularly zines, related to the hardcore/punk music culture of Riot Grrrl.

Guest blog post --- Review of 'Feminism, Digital Culture and the Politics of Transmission', a book about the Women's Liberation Music Archive

In this post, guest blogger Zelmarie Cantillon provides an overview of a recently published book by Deborah Withers called 'Feminism, Digital Culture and the Politics of Transmission: Theory, Practice and Cultural Heritage'. The principal focus of this book is the Women's Liberation Music Archive.

Visit to the Australian Jazz Museum with Professor Anne Gilliland

Today I had the pleasure of taking Professor Anne Gilliland, Director of the Archival Studies specialization in the Department of Information Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), to the Australian Jazz Museum in Melbourne. 

Crumbling investments and the death of the archive: reflections on sustainability

At the "Death and Life" workshop that was held at University of Technology, Sydney today, a paper presented by Maryanne Dever included a very memorable line relevant to thinking about sustainability of archives generally, but which resonated with my presentation on the challenge of sustaining community music archives in the long-term. Dever said, the nature of investments in the archive are "destined to crumble but at least for the present endure".

Forthcoming presentation at "Death and Life", a pop-up workshop in Sydney organised by Archive Futures

Later this month I will be presenting a paper on DIY archiving at a pop-up workshop in Sydney which has been organised by Archive Futures in association with the Australian Centre for Public History. The workshop, called "Death and Life", will be held on Friday 20th November from 2.30-5pm in UTS Building 10 (Jones Street), Level 9, Room 113. Places at the workshop are limited. If you would like to attend please email: samantha.encarnacion@uts.edu.au

Crowdfunding campaign of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem

In an earlier post I asked if crowdfunding might be a pathway to financial sustainability for DIY popular music archives, museums and halls of fame. A current crowdfunding campaign by The National Jazz Museum in Harlem on the site Indiegogo suggests that some community archives are turning to crowdfunding as a source of much needed cash to keep their operations going.

Precarity of collections held in DIY Institutions: case of the American Museum of Telephony

News that the American Museum of Telephony (aka JKL Museum of Telephony) has been destroyed by a fire is a reminder of the precarity of collections held in many community heritage institutions. 

Visit to the Australian Jazz Museum (incorporating the Victorian Jazz Archive) with Dr Andrew Flinn

Today I had the pleasure of taking Dr Andrew Flinn from University College London to visit the Australian Jazz Museum (incorporating the Victorian Jazz Archive), located in Wantirna, an outer suburb of Melbourne.