Lightning Talks
Step into the world of preservation and meet the people working to safeguard our shared history. From preserving rare audio recordings of the WWII D-Day to protecting centuries-old materials and documenting the stories of organizations, their work ensures that our collective heritage is never forgotten.
A new part of Preservation Week’s programming, the Lightning Talks series invites preservation practitioners from across the field an opportunity to focus each year’s theme through their unique lenses.
Watch the videos here or on our YouTube playlists, get inspired, and see how the past is being preserved to shape a more informed future. After watching, ask yourself: What do I want to preserve?
April Gage – NASA Ames Research Center
Meet April Gage, Senior Archivist at NASA Ames Research Center!
In this video, April shares one of the coolest items she’s helped preserve at NASA Ames. It’s bold and visionary. As April says, NASA is “in the business of doing things that have never been done.”
As a preservationist-or someone who wants to become one-you’ll encounter the extraordinary in your work, too.
What would you choose to preserve?
Linda Tadic – Founder and CEO of Digital Bedrock
Meet Linda Tadic, founder and CEO of Digital Bedrock! Linda’s passion for preservation comes from her drive to help individuals, communities, and organizations preserve their memories and achievements. To Linda, preservation is never boring and always cool. Now she’s inviting you to explore the world of preservation.
Will you join her?
Christopher A. Biss Brown – Curator, Children’s Literature Research Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia
Meet Christopher A. Biss Brown, a passionate preservation professional at the Free Library of Philadelphia! In this video, Chris shares what he appreciates most about preservation. He reminds us of the power of libraries in preserving history.
Question for you: What would you like to preserve for future generations?
Julia Hawkins – IRENE Audio Preservation Engineer at the Northeast Document Conservation Center
Meet Julia Hawkins, an IRENE Audio Preservation Engineer at the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)! Julia shares how she works to preserve audio recordings, ensuring that crucial historical voices and sounds are never lost. Watch to discover Julia’s most memorable career moment-saving a rare recording that unveils a World War II story.
Question for you: If you could preserve a moment in time, what would it be?
Kelley Woolley – Associate Director of Library Services at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Meet Kelley Woolley, Associate Director of Library Services at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance! Kelley shares her deep appreciation for preserving biodiversity and wildlife through research and collections. Watch to hear how preservation connects us to the past and prepares us for the future.
Question for you: What do you think is important to preserve about nature?
Natalie Guingrich – Collection Conservation Assistant at Indiana University Bloomington
Meet Natalie Guingrich, Collection Conservation Assistant at Indiana University Bloomington! Natalie shares her passion for conserving rare books and manuscripts, helping to protect cultural heritage. Watch to learn how preserving history isn’t just about objects.
Question for you: What personal item or story would you want to preserve?
Preservation Week inspires action to preserve your collections. We believe that memories and treasures should last a lifetime and beyond, and that these physical and digital materials support both community and cultural identities. Focusing on preservation for a designated week every year raises awareness of the role libraries and other cultural institutions play in preservation, by sharing information to help make informed decisions that help your collections last for the future.
The 2026 Preservation Week theme is Is This Thing On? Preserving Memory and Building Archives. Explore https://preservationweek.org to see more videos about preservation, sign up for free webinars, and browse educational resources!
Preservation Week is an initiative of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, the national association that advances the profession of librarians and information providers in central roles of leadership and management, collections and technical services, and technology. Core’s mission is to cultivate and amplify the collective expertise of library workers in core functions through community building, advocacy, and learning. Core is a division of the American Library Association.
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