Preserve Memories and Build Archives for Preservation Week 2026, April 26 - May 2

CHICAGO—Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures is happy to announce that Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is the 2026 Honorary Chair of Preservation Week from April 26- May 2, 2026. The theme for Preservation Week 2026 is Is This Thing On? Preserving Memory and Building Archives.

Tamar is an American librarian, curator, educator and cultural heritage administrator. She most recently was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Visual Arts for the City of Chicago in 2024 and is the former director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington, DC.

“Preservation is documents and artifacts, recordings, digital media and all the tangible information that requires our professional advocacy and stewardship–the love and sweat of our labor. However, beyond all of that, most importantly, preservation is MEMORY and memory is the people and the communities who make them…

The programming offered by ALA Core in honor of Preservation Week 2026 will amplify ways to build archives and expand our awareness beyond independence of libraries and archives in preservation work to interdependence with our communities to dissolve barriers.”

The Preservation Outreach Committee organizes and presents webinars annually for Preservation Week. Our goal is to serve the needs of libraries, cultural institutions, and members of the public in two ways:

• by expanding access to preservation information relevant to the work of librarians and others working in collections holding organizations
• by providing content to share with the public during and after Preservation Week

These webinars are free to attend, but a separate registration is required for each.

Helping Patrons Preserve Digital Memories

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 1pm CT

Kaitlyn Pettengill, Digital Archives Specialist at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, discusses building library staff confidence in assisting patrons with their digital lives. The webinar emphasizes ways to explain digital preservation concepts in plain language, identify common risks to digital memory, and suggest appropriate next steps during reference work, technology help sessions, or public programs.

A Conversation with Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty and Sherry Williams

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 1pm CT

Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty and Sherry Williams will discuss their work in community activism, archiving, and memory work.

Hand in Hand: Connecting, Supporting, and Sustaining California Memory Labs

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 1pm CT

Who gets to preserve their memories? Who gets to contribute to community history? Memory workers involved with the California Revealed initiative (Wilde Davis, Guadalupe M., and Olivia Radbill) will discuss the benefits, challenges, and importance of community-based preservation initiatives in a conversation for anyone interested in memory labs, from folks curious about starting a memory lab, to those already maintaining one.

Sport your support with the Preservation Week merchandise available through the ALA Graphics Gift Shop!

Registration Fees: Free for all attendees!

Preservation Week is supported by Core. Follow Preservation Week on Instagram.

For questions or comments related to Core continuing education events, please contact Core CE staff at corece@ala.org.