Values

Climate Justice

Climate change impacts everyone, but its effects mirror existing societal inequalities. Communities that have contributed the least to climate change are the most vulnerable to its effects, and their needs must be prioritized in climate change work.

Valuing Labor

Rank and file workers at institutions of all kinds have enormous expertise due to their proximity to the populations they serve. Their work deserves respect, recognition, and resources.

Local Knowledge

Local knowledge is essential to understanding and solving problems of all kinds. Cultural memory work is strongest when it incorporates local knowledge for trust, accuracy, and accountability.

Memory Rising adheres to the Society of American Archivists Core Values of Archivists and the Code of Ethics for Archivists.

Founder and Manager

Memory Rising was founded in December 2022 by Eira Tansey. Eira has worked in academic libraries and museums for nearly twenty years, and has been a professional archivist for 15 years. She is a leading expert on the impacts of climate change on archives, with extensive research, teaching, and community-building experience. Her research has been profiled in Nature, VICE, Pacific Standard, and Yale Climate Connections. She has written for a wide variety of archives, history, and environmental policy journals, and is currently working on a publication for CLIR titled A Green New Deal for Archives.

As a resident of the Ohio River watershed (based in Cincinnati), Eira has a longstanding concern for water access and safety. She has previously supported local community activism efforts related to water quality standards and addressing combined sewer overflows. Eira is also an ardent supporter of the labor movement. During her time at the University of Cincinnati, she was elected as an at-large member to the Executive Council of the American Association of University Professors University of Cincinnati chapter (AAUP-UC), the collective bargaining unit for faculty and librarians.