October is American Archives Month: Fin.

November is here and the leaves seem to finally be changing, which heralds the end of October is American Archives Month.  Our 31-day Blogathon was a smashing success, garnering about 10,000 visits, and even though Archives month has come to a close, we will continue to post about our profession, our stories, and our wonderfully unique treasures. In addition to the 31-day Blogathon, we held an Archives Fair on October 22^nd that was equally successful.  Consisting of information tables from archival units across the institution, an all day lecture series, and an Ask the Smithsonian area where conservators and archivists made recommendations for the preservation and care of  your own memories, the Archives Fair allowed us to celebrate our profession in a public forum.  Attendance, both physical and online (for the streaming lecture series) reached about 1100 visitors. The archived webcast of the lecture series is now available in case you weren't able to see them in person.   A few of the presentation presentations are also available on Slide Share. Also check out Closing October is American Archives Month, a post by one of the main organizers of our Archives Month activities that reflects on the origins and purpose of our events this past month.  We hope to continue the tradition of holding an Archives Fair, but will certainly persist in our efforts to share our expertise with the public here on The Bigger Picture and in our Smithsonian Institution sister blogs.  Thanks to those who joined us throughout the month, and if you’re a new visitor, welcome, we have lots to share with you.