A Practical Guidebook to Trauma Informed Archival Practice: Best Practices and Case Studies

A Practical Guidebook to Trauma-Informed Archival Practice: Best Practices and Case Studies explores trauma in archival work from the archivists’ perspective. It examines how trauma can manifest not only when processing collections but also in donor relationships, researcher interactions, and professional practices. This guide offers strategies for creating policies and workflows to reduce harm and foster trust throughout the archival process.

The authors highlight practical approaches to minimizing trauma across archival work, including:
- Supporting grieving donors throughout the donation process
- Identifying trauma in archival workers, support staff, volunteers, and students before, during, and after exposure
- Understanding the effects of trauma on the body and brain and offering short- and long-term solutions

This book is a practical guide for archivists seeking to implement trauma-informed practices that benefit everyone who engages with archival materials.

Michelle Ganz is the Archives Director for the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She has previously worked in academic, museum, corporate, and private archives. Michelle is deaf, mixed race, queer, and weird which gives her a unique view of archival theory and practice. She has been a mentor for over 13 years, serving on the mentoring committee twice, as well as participating in the cohort mentoring program. Michelle has served in section leadership roles in the Accessibility & Disability Section, the Independent Archivists Section, and the Lone Arrangers Section; she has also served on several section steering committees and appointed task forces. She was part of the working group who first developed the Best Practices for Working with Archives Researchers with Physical Disabilities in 2008. She has served as the SAA representative for ALA Committee on Cataloging and has served on two ARMA International working groups. She has spoken about DEI for most of her career and works to support others who speak on the topic. Michelle regularly speaks to MLIS students in classes, in symposia, and through keynote presentations. Michelle was the recipient of the 2020 Spotlight Award and Subject of a 2020 Council Resolution honoring the Accessibility and Disability Section steering committee. Michelle has spoken on numerous SAA panels, taught workshops and webinars for the SAA, MAC and the SGA and has been published numerous times. She is currently serving on the SAA Council.

Veronica Denison is Assistant Professor and Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at the Adams Library at Rhode Island Colleg. She has been an archivist for nearly 10 years and has spent much of her professional career working with donors with varying needs and collection types.