2026 Annual Meeting Schedule

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Columbia, South Carolina | September 23-25, 2026

Join colleagues from across the country in Columbia, South Carolina, for the 2026 CoSA Annual Meeting. Conference sessions will be held at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (8301 Parklane Rd, Columbia, SC 29225), where attendees will gather to learn, collaborate, and discuss the issues shaping state and territorial archives.

To make getting around easy, complimentary transportation will be provided between the official conference hotels and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History throughout the meeting. Whether you're attending educational sessions, networking with peers, or exploring Columbia, we look forward to welcoming you to South Carolina this fall.

Schedule Overview

Schedule subject to change. All events will take place at the South Carolina State Archives unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, September 23 (all attendees)

Morning - Pre-meeting user groups and tours
Afternoon - Opening session and affinity group discussions
Evening - Opening reception and poster session (hosted by South Carolina State Archives)

Thursday, September 24 (all attendees)

Morning - Breakfast and educational sessions
Afternoon - Networking lunch and educational sessions
Evening - Closing reception, site tours, trivia

Friday, September 25 (members only)

Morning - breakfast, closing session, and educational sessions
Programming expected to conclude by early afternoon
Local walking tours

Saturday, September 26 ($80 per person)

Educational Excursion to Charleston, SC - join us for a day trip to historic Charleston. Cost includes round trip transportation, guided tours, and food.

Donwload a PDF the 2026 Schedule

Full Schedule

CoSA is committed to hosting an affordable annual meeting that maximizes the value of in-person engagement with peers.

Schedule subject to change. All events will take place at the South Carolina State Archives unless otherwise noted.

Full session descriptions will be shared with all registrants.

Last updated: July 29, 2026

Tue., Sep. 22	Time	Location
CoSA Board Meeting	11:00am-4:00pm	TBA
Vendor Set Up (early)	1:00pm-4:00pm	Archives Lobby
Early Registration	2:00pm-5:00pm	Aloft Hotel Lobby

Wed., Sep. 23 All Attendees	Time	Location	Presenters
Registration	8:00am-5:30pm	Archives Lobby
Silent Auction Set Up	8:00am-12:00pm	Archives Lobby
Vendor Set Up	8:30am-12:00pm	Wachovia III
Preservica User Group	9:00am-11:00am	Wachovia I, II
APPX User Group	9:00am-11:00am	Santee
Local Tours	9:00am-12:00pm	Depart from Holiday Inn
Silent Auction	1:00pm-5:00pm	Wachovia III
Community Table	1:00pm-5:00pm	Wachovia III
Vendor Tables	1:00pm-5:00pm	Proprietor's Hall
Opening Session & Awards Ceremony (Awards Program sponsored by FamilySearch)	1:00pm-2:30pm	Auditorium
Vendor Lightning Talks	2:40pm-3:15pm	Auditorium
Session Block 1a: Affinity Groups	3:30pm-4:15pm	All Meeting Rooms
Session Block 1b: Affinity Groups	4:30pm-5:15pm	All Meeting Rooms
Opening Reception + Poster Session Sponsored by SC State Archives	5:30pm-7:00pm	SC State Archives Courtyard	Shuttles to Hotel

Thu., Sep. 24 All Attendees	Time	Location	Presenters
Registration	8:00am-4:30pm	Lobby
All-Attendee Continental Breakfast	7:45am-8:45am	Proprietor's Hall/Archives Lobby	Shuttles to Archives
Silent Auction	8:00am-4:00pm	Wachovia III
Community Table	8:00am-4:30pm	Wachovia III
Vendor Tables	8:00am-3:30pm	Archives Lobby
Session Block 2a Emergency Planning and Environmental Standards	9:00am-10:00am	Auditorium	Gen Miller (UT), Valerie Jacobson (UT), and Mia Blixt-Shehan (Conserv)
Session Block 2b Email retention and preservation	9:00am-10:00am	Wachovia I, II	Sara Davis & Carmen Clayton (WY); Ashley Yandle, Mark Holland, and Alice Shahan (NC)
Session Block 2c Advocacy for Archives	9:00am-10:00am	Santee	Alexandra Klein (National Humanities Alliance); Jason R. Baron (University of Maryland, College Park)
Session Block 3a [TITLE REDACTED]: Restricted Public Records, Large-Scale Redaction Projects, and Opening New Levels of Access	10:15am-11:00am	Auditorium	Josh Hager (NC); Jonathan Pringle (NM)
Session Block 3b Resilience in Staffing	10:15am-11:00am	Wachovia I, II	Anna Peitzman; Makala Skinner (Ithaka S+R)
Session Block 3c The Frictionless Archive	10:15am-11:00am	Santee	Tammi Knorr (PA) and James Fleshman (Libnova)
CoSA Member Lightning Round	11:30am-12:00pm	Auditorium	Various
Networking Lunch	12:00pm-1:30pm	All Meeting Rooms
Session Block 4a Access through Exhibits and Indexing	1:30pm-2:15pm	Auditorium	Annabeth Dooley (TN); Ben W. Brumfield (FromThePage) and Nick Zmiejewski (Industrial Archives & Library)
Session Block 4b National Guard personnel records - custody and care	1:30pm-2:15pm	Wachovia I, II	Jennifer O'Neill (NY)
Session Block 4c Cash or Credit? How we are dealing with budget shortfalls and infrastructure challenges.	1:30pm-2:15pm	Santee	Monica Gray (NY)
Session Block 5a Take our Ideas: Educational Outreach for Your Institution	2:30pm-3:15pm	Auditorium	Danielle Shirilla (NC) and Casey Swank (TN)
Session Block 5b Records Management and Retention	2:30pm-3:15pm	Wachovia I, II	Vincent Commisso and Arthur Siegel (NY); Frank Fazzio (Zasio)
Session Block 5c To Grant or not to Grant: the Pros and Cons of a Local Records Grant Program	2:30pm-3:15pm	Santee	Drew Preston and Rusty Heckaman (KY)
Time with Vendors	3:15-4:00pm	Proprietor's Hall/Lobby
Silent Auction (final bids)	3:15pm-4:00pm	Wachovia III
Session Block 6 Birds of a Feather and Working Groups	4:00pm-4:30pm	All rooms	Topics and sign up will be available on site
Silent Auction Item Pick-Up	4:00pm-4:45pm	Wachovia III
Vendor Tear Down	4:00pm-4:30pm	Lobby
Shuttle to Hotels	4:45pm	Lobby
Closing Reception + Trivia	5:30pm-8:00pm	Museum of Reconstruction

Fri., Sep. 25 Members Only	Time	Location	Presenters
Members Continental Breakfast	7:30am-9:30am	TBD	Shuttles to Archives
Registration	8:00am-1:00pm	Lobby
Silent Auction Item Pick-Up	8:00am-1:00pm	Lobby
Closing Session Commemorations: A Redux	10:00am-11:00am	Auditorium	TBD
Members Box Lunch + Networking	11:00am-11:30am	All Meeting Rooms
Session Block 7a Building and Renovating Archives	11:30am-1:00pm	Auditorium	Jelain Chubb (TX); David Shoff (PA); Lindsey Mick (MT); Chelle Somsen (SD)
Session Block 7b Birds of a Feather - Last Call	11:30am-1:00pm	Wachovia I, II
Session Block 7c Digital Preservation Beyond the Primary Tier: Risks and Realitiess	11:30am-1:00pm	Santee	Michelle Arpey (NY); Grant Robertson (SC)
Local Walking Tours	2:00pm		More details and sign up coming soon.

Sat., Sep. 26	Time	Location	Details
Educational Excursion Add On: $80/person	8:00am-6:00pm (est.)	Charleston, SC	Join your CoSA Colleagues for a day trip to historic Charleston. Additional cost includes round trip transportation, guided tours, and food. More details coming soon!

All registrations are subject to the Refund and Cancellation policy below.

Refund Policy

Annual Meeting Fees

Cancellation of an Annual Meeting registration is subject to the following policy:

For a Full CoSA Annual Meeting Conference registration, cancellations thirty (30) days or more prior to the conference, refunds will be offset by a $50 cancellation fee.
For a Single-day CoSA Annual Meeting Conference registration, cancellations thirty (30) days or more prior to the conference, refunds will be offset by a $25 cancellation fee.
For a CoSA Annual Meeting Conference registration (Full and Single-day) cancellations between twenty-nine (29) and seven (7) days of the conference, refunds will be offset by a cancellation fee of 50% of the registration fee.
No refunds will be given for no shows or cancellations after 12:00 PM (Eastern) seven (7) days before the annual conference.
Requests for refunds of payment for Guest Registrations and Excursions will be considered and approved by the Executive Director on a case-by-case basis.
A substitute attendee may be designated provided that the payment has been made and the CoSA team has been notified in advance.
A written request for a refund must be emailed to CoSA at events@statearchivists.org prior to the event.

Annual Meeting Corporate Sponsorship

Cancellation of an Annual Meeting sponsorship is subject to the following policy:

For cancellation of a CoSA Annual Meeting sponsorship thirty (30) days or more prior to the conference, refunds will be offset by a 50% cancellation fee.
For cancellation of an Annual Meeting sponsorship within thirty (30) days of the Annual Conference, a refund will not be given.
A written request for a refund must be emailed to CoSA at events@statearchivists.org prior to the event.

Meeting attendees and exhibitors are responsible for their own travel and lodging arrangements and should expect to abide by the policies of those external entities.

This policy was adopted by the CoSA Board of Directors in 2024. Revised March 6, 2025.