Welcome

November 22, 2022

By Jordan Meyerl

Welcome to the first blog post for the Wyoming Roving Archivist Program (RAP)! I am Jordan Meyerl, the Project Archivist hired to work on the first phase of this grant-funded project. I work remotely in Massachusetts where I live with my boyfriend and my dog, Jon Jon. I have a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Arcadia University and a Master’s in History on the Archives Track from the University of Massachusetts Boston. It has been an honor to work with Wyoming State Archivist Sara Davis, Simpson Archivist with the American Heritage Center Leslie Waggener, and other cultural heritage workers in the state of Wyoming as we embark on the first phase of this project.

As the Project Archivist, my job responsibilities are diverse. As part of the first phase of this project, they include:

• Writing a survey to be sent to cultural heritage institutions in Wyoming;

• Analyzing the survey data;

• Writing a summary needs report of Wyoming’s cultural heritage institutions, with a particular focus on institutions with archival holdings;

• Planning and hosting two workshops;

• Establishing a communication network for Wyoming’s cultural heritage institutions; and

• Creating a database of Wyoming’s institution with archival holdings.

All of these tasks will set the groundwork for the next phases of the project and assist in establishing the RAP. Currently, I am finalizing the survey and planning to send it out in the first week of December, so be sure to keep an eye on your email! Your responses to the survey will be integral to our understanding of the needs of Wyoming’s cultural heritage institutions and the resulting RAP.

Moving forward, please reach out with any questions or comments you may have about the project, the RAP, or general questions. I plan to post a monthly update on the blog each month detailing the progress I have made. I also plan to write a few posts talking about archival terminology, preservation basics, and more. Our hope with this project is that we are creating a community of institutions dedicated to preserving Wyoming’s unique cultural heritage landscape. With that in mind, we want to hear from you, so please do not hesitate to Ask the Archivist or subscribe to our email list to receive updates. Thank you all for your continued support on this project!