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Society of Ohio Archivists & Midwest Archives Conference Joint Annual Meeting 2026
The Midwest Archives Conference and the Society of Ohio Archivists will hold a joint 2026 Annual Meeting on May 14-16, 2026, at the Ohio Union, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, THE Ohio State sits a few miles north of downtown Columbus. A city unto itself with an enrollment of over 65,000, Ohio State is known for its top-ranked academic programs in engineering, agriculture, and business, its world-class research endeavors, and, of course, football. For more information about the host and the conference, see the meeting website: https://www.midwestarchives.org/2026-annual-meeting
From 2015 until 2023, Ohio’s tourism slogan was “Find it Here.” As a slogan, it raised the obvious question, “Find what here?”; but as an archives motto…well, to “Find it Here” is an archivist’s greatest hope for anyone exploring their collections. Join us as we explore the myriad ways in which archivists and memory workers make their collections accessible, discoverable, and usable.
SOA Meet-up on May 14
During the meeting, SOA will host a meet-up on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 11:30a to 12:30p in the Third Floor Lounge. Meet and greet your fellow SOA members before the conference starts. See who’s in town or meet new friends before heading off to lunch, on your own or with a group.
Follow the conversation online at #soaam26 on Instagram and Facebook.
COMMITTEE | HOTELS | KEYNOTES | LOCAL AMENITIES | PARKING | PROGRAM | REGISTRATION | SILENT AUCTION | VENUE
Keynotes
Details coming soon.
Registration
Details coming soon.
Program
Thursday, May 14, 2026
During the meeting, SOA will host a meet-up on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 11:30a to 12:30p in the Third Floor Lounge. Meet and greet your fellow SOA members before the conference starts. See who’s in town or meet new friends before heading off to lunch, on your own or with a group.
Friday, May 15, 2026
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Venue
Conference workshops, sessions, and meetings will be held in the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University. Hotel accommodations and the reception will be held at the University’s hotel, the Blackwell Inn.
Parking
Details coming soon.
Sponsors
Details coming soon.
Hotels
MAC/SOA has a room block available at the Blackwell Inn. The room rate is $175.00 per night for either a king or double queen room. (Please note that the rate with taxes and fees is $207.00 per night.) The hotel does not charge a deposit at the time of booking. They do, however, require holding a credit card on file when booking.
To reserve a room:
- Click on https://theblackwell.com/
- Click the red BOOK NOW button in the upper right corner
- Select desired dates in the Reservations box (anytime between May 12–17, 2026)
- Click BOOK NOW
- Under the section with Guests, Check-In, Check-Out: Click SPECIAL CODES OR RATES
- Click Corporate/Promotion Code; select Group Code from the dropdown
- Enter MACMAY26; click APPLY
- There will be a mixture of queen double beds or single king beds; select your desired room type and continue with the reservation.
You can also use the link: MAC Conference May 12–17, 2026. (Please note that this link automatically applies the conference code and rate. It also auto-fills the dates; however, you can adjust these to your desired dates so long as they fall within the May 12–17, 2026 window.
Local Amenities Map
Details coming soon.
Silent Auction
Each year SOA offers four scholarships, two to current students and two to recent graduates, using funds from our raffle / silent auction. The scholarships consist of conference registration (including lunch), a one-year membership to SOA, and a $100 travel stipend. The funds raised from the silent auction are critical to SOA’s support of students and new professionals. This year we are putting together a fun group of items. You will be able to bid on the silent auction items in person on Friday.
Committee
Midwest Archives Conference Local Arrangement Committee Members:
- Stacy Chaney-Blankenship, Ohio Wesleyan University (representing SOA)
- Michelle Ganz, Dominican Sisters of Peace
- Kayla Harris, University of Dayton
- Steve Hausfeld, Nationwide Insurance
- Stefanie Hunker, Bowling Green State University
- Mandy Jennings, Nationwide Insurance
- John Joseph, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- Kristen Newby, Columbus Metropolitan Library (representing SOA)
- Dan Noonan, Ohio State University (representing SOA)
The SOA Educational Programming Committee members have been working hard to bring you an amazing conference. Thank you to our committee members:
Nora Blackman, Case Western Reserve University
Stacy Chaney-Blankenship, Ohio Wesleyan University
Meghan Crawford, Capital University
Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University (SOA Past President)
Betsy Hedler, Ohio History Connection (SOA/OHC Liaison)
Riza Miklowski, Akron-Summit County Public Library (2022-2024)
Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University (SOA President)
Sara Mouch, University of Toledo (2021-2023; cochair 2025-2027)
Kristen Newby, Columbus Metropolitan Library (SOA Vice President)
Dan Noonan, The Ohio State University
Adam Wanter, MidPointe Library System (cochair 2025-2027)
Questions? Contact the Committee Cochairs Sara Mouch and Adam Wanter.
Last Updated on December 19, 2025 by Emily Gainer