2019 Little Berks | June 7-9, 2019
The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians held its annual business meeting, better known as the Little Berks, from Friday-Sunday, June 7-9, 2019 at Radcliffe Institute in Cambridge, MA. We welcomed all members of the Berks to attend this weekend of networking, professional development, and feminist institution building.
Explore the 2019 Little Berks Events Schedule
Materials from the 2019 Little Berks
Digital Archiving and Oral History Workshop, June 8, 2019
- from Ellen M. Shea, Head of Research Services, Schlesinger Library Radcliffe Institute
- Little Berks Presentation (.pdf)
- from Kelly Anderson, Director, Archives Concentration, Smith College
- Little Berks Oral History Outline (.pdf)
- Oral History Bibliography and Resources (.pdf)
- Oral History Association Best Practices (.pdf)
- Oral History Trainings Online (.pdf)
- Smith College Special Collections Release Form (.docx)
Pre-Conference Information
Please see the details for critical logistical information on how to proceed and please note there is *no application or registration fee* to attend the Little Berks.
- Hotel accommodations: Irving House at Harvard. Prices range by type of room from $120/night to $309/night shared/single rooms. Please register for rooms using the link below (members pay via PayPal).
- Food: Breakfast is included at Irving House. Friday/Saturday dinner will be no more than $140, the exact price is TBA (members pay via PayPal).
- Transportation: Amtrak (South Boston/Back Bay); Logan Airport, Boston; Providence, RI airport.
- Subvention Request: Please indicate on registration form AND send an email to vicepresident@berksconference.org
- Registration and Hotel Form: https://goo.gl/forms/qHvXjpPtBLWal9CT2
- Register/Reserve room by APRIL 15, 2019. Cancel by MAY 1, 2019 for refund.
We cannot guarantee a refund after MAY 1, 2019.
The Little Berks is a comparatively small gathering of 30-40 people rather than the 1500-2000 who attend our triennial Conference on the History of Women, Genders, and Sexualities (the Big Berks). At this weekend retreat, we do some historical thinking together, listen to a few evening talks about subjects relevant to our lives and profession, engage in some business of the organization, and spend time relaxing, reflecting, and informally mentoring one another. We will also be holding the 2020 Berks Program Committee Meeting on Thursday and Friday, which means that Friday night will have more than 70 historians celebrating together!! It is a great opportunity to meet peers and people outside your field while we also have some fun exploring Cambridge in the springtime.
We are working to confirm all the talks and activities, but we are planning a series of great conversations and events. These will include a talk by Kendra Field (Tufts University) entitled, “‘Things to be Forgotten’: Time, Place, and Silence in African American Family Histories” and a workshop on archival practices and oral history on Saturday morning with Ellen Shea, Amanda Strauss (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe), and Kelly Anderson (Voices of Feminism Collection, Smith College). Our business meeting will take place on Saturday afternoon, and Lisa Brooks will talk about how her new, Bancroft Prize winning book, Our Beloved Kin, makes use of an “archive of the land” on Saturday evening. There will also be plenty of down time to explore and relax.
Hotel Note to All (Regulars and Newcomers)
The hotel registration for this Little Berks will work differently than usual. The Berks has contracted with Irving House to reserve the majority of rooms in the bed and breakfast for the weekend. Irving House has asked that the Berks pay for the whole reservation and collect money from members to cover their room and board. This is going to be logistically challenging, so we need everyone to follow the steps below so we can move this forward as seamlessly as possible. We will provide receipts in forms that will allow people to receive reimbursements. Please register for your room on the google registration form when you register to attend the meeting.
Note to all Program Committee Members
Your accommodations will be at the Harvard Square Hotel. We may be able to host you at Irving House on Saturday night, but at the moment we don’t know how many beds we will have. Please follow directions about how to make your reservations for your rooms at Harvard Square that come from Michelle May-Curry. Please fill out the registration form only if you plan to spend Friday night in Cambridge and attend the Little Berks on Saturday with a departure on Sunday.
Cost/Subventions
We are working to keep costs of room and board as low as possible and hope to provide subventions for those who need them. The major costs associated with the meeting are the accommodations and the food. The rooms range in price from $120/night per guest for a triple to $300/night for a queen size bed. All rates include breakfast for Saturday and Sunday. We are working with our hosts at Radcliffe to arrange for dinner each night.
If you can, please consider supporting our subvention fund to make the Little Berks an option for as many people as possible.
All attendees MUST complete the registration form by April 15, 2019!
If you are not requesting a subvention, you need to use PayPal to cover the cost of your room (this covers taxes and other fees).
If you need a subvention for your room, please indicate on the registration form AND email Jennifer Brier at vicepresident@berksconference.org. We will do our best to accommodate all requests, but may not be able to cover all room costs.
Irving House Room Rates
- Shared bath, Single bed (1 Guest) = $193/per night
- Private bath, Full bed (1 or 2 guests) = $298 per night
- Private bath, Queen bed (1 or 2 guests) = $309 per night
- Private bath, Queen & 2 Single beds = $120 each guest of 3/per night
*ROOM COSTS include breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
We will confirm your registration as soon as we can and ask that you arrange for payment as soon as possible after that. The registration and payment deadline is April 15th, 2019. According to your registration preferences, we will assign you to a room and potentially a roommate. If you plan to room with someone, please let us know when you register. All subvented rooms will be shared.
*Please note: If you cancel your room/registration by May 1 you will receive a refund. If you cancel AFTER May 1, we are not able to guarantee you a refund.
Dinners
Dinner on Friday and Saturday will be at Radcliffe. The Berks will pay for wine with each evening meal. We will have vegetarian options at all meals, but please let us know if you have any other dietary restrictions. Lunch on Saturday is on your own.
For more information or questions contact:
Jennifer Brier vicepresident@berksconference.org
or Marisa Fuentes secretary@berksconference.org
We hope to see you in Cambridge!
Jennie Brier
Vice President, Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
Marisa Fuentes
Secretary, Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
Learn about Future Annual Meetings and Past Annual Meetings
