Annual Conferences

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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.

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

Keynote

Program PDF (includes all sessions). The most up-to-date, full program details, including all sessions are available via Sched: https://macsoa2026columbus.sched.com/.

Registration

Note: All registration is for in-person attendance, there is no virtual option for this conference.

Registration is now available! To register, see the program, and for more information, visit www.midwestarchives.org/2026-annual-meeting. NOTE: You do not need to be a MAC member to create an account to register. SOA members receive the MAC member rate at registration.

Advance registration rates (register on or by April 14, 2026):
$200 for MAC/SOA members
$250 for non-members
$50 for students

Regular registration rates (after April 14, 2026):
$235 for MAC/SOA members
$285 for non-members
$50 for students

Rate for one-day registration:
$125 for MAC/SOA members
$150 for non-members

Reception guest registration:
$5 for a child (under 8 guest attendee)
$50 for an adult attendee

Program

Program PDF (includes all sessions). The most up-to-date, full program details, including all sessions are available via Sched: https://macsoa2026columbus.sched.com/.

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.

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

See the MAC Local Arrangements Committee blog, Transportation Options, for parking and travel details.

Sponsors

Thank you to the MAC/SOA 2026 Annual Meeting sponsors! See a full list of sponsors and exhibitors on the MAC Annual Meeting website.

Hotels

MAC/SOA has two room blocks available for attendees at the Hilton Garden Inn and the Blackwell Inn.

The Hilton Garden Inn has rooms available Thursday through Saturday nights. The room rate is $199.00 per night and includes free parking. The room rate is available until April 14, 2026. The hotel is located at 3232 Olentangy River Road.

To book a room, click here: MAC- Midwest Archive Conference: Hilton Garden Inn Columbus- University Area.

The Blackwell Inn still has rooms available Friday and Saturday nights.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:

  1. Click on https://theblackwell.com/
  2. Click the red BOOK NOW button in the upper right corner
  3. Select desired dates in the Reservations box (anytime between May 12–17, 2026)
  4. Click BOOK NOW
  5. Under the section with Guests, Check-In, Check-Out: Click SPECIAL CODES OR RATES
  6. Click Corporate/Promotion Code; select Group Code from the dropdown
  7. Enter MACMAY26; click APPLY
  8. 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.

Transportation from Hotels:

MAC/SOA will provide free transportation via shuttle bus on a loop between both hotels and the Ohio Union at set times during the day:

Thursday:

  • 12:00pm-1:00pm [two loops for an hour before the plenary]
  • 5:00pm-6:00pm [loops between the Ohio Union and the Blackwell Inn for the reception]
  • 7:30pm-8:30pm [loop between the Blackwell Inn to Hilton Garden Inn]

Friday:

  • 7:30am-8:30am [two loops for an hour before first sessions]
  • 5pm-6pm [two loops for an hour after the sessions]

Saturday:

  • 7:30am-8:30am [two loops for an hour before first sessions]

Local Amenities Map

See the MAC Local Arrangements Committee blog, What to do while in Columbus.

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 March 9, 2026 by Emily Gainer