Memory Rising has been engaged by the Public Knowledge program of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to examine the impacts of climate change on archives. This eighteen-month research project (May 2023-October 2024) focused on three areas of concern for climate change adaptation and archives. Phase 1 focused on People. Phase 2 focused on Infrastructure. Phase 3 focused on Collections. The three phases of research informed a final report that was previously made available to the public.
Phase 1: People
The state of the archivist workforce will determine the capacity of archives to remain resilient in the face of climate change. This public report is adapted from the comprehensive Phase 1 (People) report prepared for the Public Knowledge program of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of a larger eighteen-month research project on archives and climate change. Sections of this report have been edited from the original for length and to preserve confidentiality of insights from individual subject matter experts.
Phase 2: Infrastructure
Climate change is intensifying infrastructure concerns related to the storage, preservation, and accessibility of archives. This public report is adapted from the comprehensive Phase 2 (Infrastructure) report prepared for the Public Knowledge program of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of a larger eighteen-month research project on archives and climate change. Sections of this report have been edited from the original for length and to preserve confidentiality of insights from individual subject matter experts.
Phase 3: Collections
Archivists have long argued that our collections should represent the communities, concerns, and realities of the world. This public report is adapted from the comprehensive Phase 3 (Collections) report prepared for the Public Knowledge program of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of a larger eighteen-month research project on archives and climate change. Sections of this report have been edited from the original for length and to preserve confidentiality of insights from individual subject matter experts.