A few weeks ago at the end of May, I found myself in Starkville, Mississippi at Mississippi State University for the annual meeting of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress. This is a small but mighty group that focuses on the niche topic of congressional archives, making it an invaluable resource for my work on the Richard Burr Congressional Collection. Here are a few of my highlights from the conference.

One of my favorite sessions of the week was given by the Stennis-Montgomery Association, a student group at Mississippi State that organizes nonpartisan political events throughout the year, culminating in a trip to Washington, D.C. in the spring. In order to qualify for the big trip, students are required to conduct archival research around the papers of John Stennis and Sonny Montgomery, two prominent former Members of Congress and alumns of MSU. This exposes students to the nuts and bolts of doing archival research as well as broadening their understanding of what topics can be found in congressional collections.

Another relevant session was titled “From Prep to Preservation: The Nuts and Bolts of Senate Staff Oral History Projects.” Panelists from Ohio State University, University of Georgia, and Middle Tennessee State University described oral history projects they had undertaken with congressional staffers. Some topics included building trust with interviewees, hosting and transcription platforms, donor relations, and how to craft the perfect questions. Oral histories are such valuable resources in congressional collections because they can shed light on how an office operates from the perspectives of the staffers doing the important work of Congress. I hope to emulate these projects with the Richard Burr Collection (at a much smaller scale!)

Some other highlights included a research panel with a political scientist currently conducting archival research; a panel of former Members of Congress from Mississippi; and a presentation describing what records management looks like on Capitol Hill (one presenter here was a staff archivist in Mitch McConnell’s office).

A final highlight for me was a tour of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, located in the library at Mississippi State. I was surprised to learn that this collection is located in Mississippi–it was originally located at Southern Illinois University before moving to Mississippi State in 2009. The Library featured an exhibit following the life of Ulysses S. Grant featuring several life-sized statues of him throughout his lifetime. There was also a room dedicated to the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana which includes all sorts of Lincoln-related memorabilia, including a copy of the Lincoln-Douglas debates signed by Lincoln himself.

In closing, this conference was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet with and learn from other congressional archivists who do similar work to me. Both years I’ve attended I have left invigorated with new ideas and a sense of community and camaraderie. I am excited to take these lessons into my work as I am wrapping up my work on the Richard Burr Collection.