Communities in Conversation: Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship in Michigan Archives Symposium

Dr. Sarah Scarlett and Lindsay Hiltunen were invited to speak at the Communities in Conversation: Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship in Michigan Archives Symposium. 

The symposium took place on the UM-Ann Arbor campus on May 21, 2026, as part of the Towards Community-Based, Shared Stewardship project. The symposium brought together a diverse group of speakers and attendees with the aim of having productive conversations about how to build and encourage further shared stewardship among Michigan Archives and collaborations with the descendants and communities represented in their collections.

As part of the symposium’s opening panel, Hiltunen and  Dr. Scarlett worked with Eric Gollannek of the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society and Sarah Lundy of Hope College to examine collaborations between archival repositories, libraries and local communities to preserve community histories in ways that are responsive to community needs.

Hiltunen presented on the archival origins of the Keweenaw Time Traveler (KeTT) and the importance of listening to collaborators outside of the Van Pelt and Opie Library during the project as well as outreach opportunities as the platform continues to grow. Scarlett reviewed 10 years of community engagement in building the KeTT and recent collaborations with heritage partners, including running the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-sponsored Community Deep Mapping Institute in 2025.