About
The 2026 Oklahoma Archivists Association Biennial Meeting will be held Friday, October 16, 2026 at the Gilcrease Museum’s Helmerich Center for American Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Location
Helmerich Center for American Research
Gilcrease Museum
1400 N Gilcrease Museum Rd
Tulsa, OK 74127
Call for Proposals
Please consider submitting a proposal for a session at the meeting!
Session Formats
We welcome proposals on any aspect of archives or archival research as it relates to Oklahoma in the following formats:
- Local case studies – Lightning talk session consisting of lively 5-10 minute talks focusing on local projects or topics related to Oklahoma archives. Submissions can be individual or in groups but each panel will need to be compiled in one presentation to ensure timely transitions between presenters.
- Student/researcher showcase – Session consisting of individuals or groups discussing research related to Oklahoma history or utilizing Oklahoma archives. These short 5-10 minute presentations can describe an existing or potential research project or highlight areas of interest for future research projects.
- Poster – Poster showcasing research or archival projects to be displayed around the room.
Registration
Registration now open! Register here: https://forms.gle/rKSSZAgCsnpUpuY68
Keynote
In 2025, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the University of Tulsa’s McFarlin Library partnered to create the Mellon-funded Mvskokvlke Hofone Enfulletv Rasvwetv (To Bring the Ways of the Mvskoke Back) archival project. Presenters will discuss ethical relationship-building and appropriate archival stewardship between settler-colonial serving repositories and colonized communities. Attendees will learn the operational intricacies of a model project supporting ongoing digital rematriation and sovereignty efforts, and the “bringing back” of critical historical documentation never held in the possession of Mvskoke people.
Midge Dellinger is a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen and oral historian. She holds an MA in American Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Studies. Preserving Mvskoke culture, tradition, and history is at the core of her work. Since 2020, Midge has been a co-investigator and tribal liaison for the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls Project (PSIG), a collaboration in historical truth-telling between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the University of Tulsa. In 2025, she co-authored, in collaboration with McFarlin Library, the archival project Mvskokvlke Hofone Enfulletv Rastvwetv (To Bring the Ways of the Mvskoke Back), a digital rematriation project focused on the Robertson-Worcester Family Papers.
Elissa Howe is a Digital Archivist for the Mvskokvlke Hofone Enfulletv Rasvwetv (To Bring the Ways of the Muscogee Back) Digital Rematriation Project, assisting with the collaborative process of rematriating materials to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from John Brown University and a master’s in Museum Science and Management from the University of Tulsa. Her most recent work is the processing of Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul’s life collection.
Miranda Bickford is a Digital Archivist for the Mvskokvlke Hofone Enfulletv Rasvwetv (To Bring the Ways of the Muscogee Back) Digital Rematriation Project, leading efforts to make Muscogee (Creek) archival materials accessible to Nation citizens. She holds degrees in History, American Indian Studies, and Museum Science and Management. Her career centers on repatriation and community empowerment, with experience collaborating across institutions with eight Indigenous nations, Greenwood Massacre survivors, Japanese-American former incarcerees, and descendant communities.
Program
10:15-10:30
Welcome Address with Dr. William Smith
Director
Helmerich Center for American Research
10:30-11:00
Session(s)
11:00-12:00
Keynote
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-1:30
OAA Business Meeting
1:30-3:00
Sessions
3:00-4:00
Tour of Helmerich Center and Tour of Library Archives
2 Groups, 30 minutes each
Sponsors
