About AMIA at Simmons

The Association of Moving Image Archivists’ student chapter at Simmons College, based in the Library and Information Sciences (LIS) Program at the Graduate School, joins an emerging dialogue with scholars, students, and other enthusiasts called together to help address some of the most urgent issues of conservation, preservation, and access in the field.

LIS students at Simmons College share in the vision of an interconnected world with a diverse and engaged citizenry empowered by information, cultural heritage, and technology; in which the information disciplines and creativity improve lives; and where literature, knowledge, and collective wisdom are preserved and celebrated.

As societal awareness surrounding preservation of our documentary heritage increases, the expertise of archivists becomes of central importance. The Simmons College archives concentration prepares students in arenas such as collecting, appraising and preserving documents and materials found in manuscripts, moving images and photographs, oral history recordings, multimedia, government records, and literary correspondence. However, in lieu of a dedicated audiovisual archiving and preservation component in the SLIS program, the AMIA student chapter at Simmons College intends to create opportunities for LIS students to engage in the study and preservation of moving images, by actively planning and participating in workshops, seminars, symposiums, screenings, and other educational events and forms of programming. The city of Boston is renowned internationally as a center of arts, culture, and history, of which moving image materials have played a vital role. The AMIA student chapter intends to partner with various organizations in the region to arrange field trips, lectures, and other projects aimed at enhancing students’ exposure and understanding of moving image archival theories and practice.