We wanted to remind you, and give you more information about this week’s “Ask the Smithsonian” Facebook Q&A and Archives Fair, held in honor of American Archives Month.

The Smithsonian’s second annual Archives Fair, will be held on Friday, October 14th from 10 am to 5 pm in Washington, DC, at the S. Dillon Ripley Center’s concourse located at 1100 Jefferson Drive SW on the National Mall.

The fair will feature informational displays, the opportunity to speak with staff from more than a dozen Smithsonian archives, and a lecture series about projects and research based on Smithsonian collections, including talks by the Archives’ own Sarah Stauderman, Sonoe Nakasone, Lynda Schmitz Fuhrig, and Jennifer Wright on emergency preparedness in archives, using field books as primary sources, and preserving the Smithsonian’s web presence, respectively. The fair will also feature the popular “Ask the Smithsonian” program. Participants can sign up for consultations with Smithsonian experts and receive preservation tips and other advice on how to care for items they have tucked away in the attics, closets and basements of their homes. Smithsonian staff will evaluate one easily transported archival items (or two related items) no larger than a shopping bag. Preregistration is required for the “Ask the Smithsonian” program, and appointments can be made online (tickets are limited, so register soon if you’re interested).

For those who will not be able to attend the Archives Fair, Smithsonian conservation and archives specialists will be available virtually on the Smithsonian Institution’s Facebook page Wednesday, October 12th from 10 am to 5 pm to answer questions the public may have about their own paper and electronic archival items.

More information on all of these events is available on the Smithsonian Archives Month website. We hope that you’ll be able to take advantage of these American Archives Month events at the Smithsonian!