Join the Prison Library Support Network (PLSN) and METRO for a conversation with Alison Clemens and Jessica Farrell on their recent publication Archivist Actions, Abolitionist Futures: Reimagining Archival Practice Against Incarceration.
This event will take place from 6:30pm-8:00pm on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at The People’s Forum, 320 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018 (37th St b/t 8th and 9th Ave). The program will begin with a presentation by the editors followed by audience discussion and Q&A.
About the Publication:
Archivist Actions, Abolitionist Futures is a collection of brief essays that challenge long-held principles of archival practice by addressing the carceral underpinnings of the cultural professions. Contributors explore how complicity with carceral systems and the Prison Industrial Complex undermines equitable access to information and perpetuates systemic harms. Drawing from their experiences working with collections documenting the lives and creativity of incarcerated individuals, contributors reflect on how traditional archival methods often fall short of providing appropriate care for these archival materials and the people who create them. The volume offers a call to action for reimagining archival work grounded in abolitionist values.
The volume features contributions from a.e. dinunzio, Elvia Arroyo-Ramírez, Joanne DeCaro, Keramet Reiter, Alexis Rowland, Lacey Wood, Gabriel Solís, Hannah Whelan, Caitin Rizzo, and the editors.
Archivist Actions, Abolitionist Futures is available as a free digital publication on CLIR’s website. To access this volume and others in the Pocket Burgundy series, visit www.clir.org/pubs/reports.
About the Editors:
Alison Clemens is an archivist and librarian living and working in Connecticut, with roots in southern California and Texas. She is a member of the Society of American Archivists and a founding co-coordinator of the Abolition in Special Collections collective.
Jessica Farrell is an organizer and archival consultant in greater Boston, with roots in South Carolina. She is a member of the New England Archivists and several archival collectives.