David George-Shongo, Candidate for Council

Professional Experience: Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI) – Tribal Archives Department (TAD), Tribal Archivist, 2003–present.

Education: BA, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York.

Professional Activities:  Society of American Archivists: Member since 2005. First Chairperson, Native American Archives Roundtable. Member, Membership Committee. Member, Diversity Reader Advisory Group Meeting. Mentor Program, 2007. Task Force on the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials. Co-author, "Protocols for Native American Archival Materials." Other: Envisioning Committee for the Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference, 2007. Member, Strategic Planning Committee to create the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museum. Member, National Review Panel. Member, Getting Ready in Indian Country: Emergency Preparedness for Native American Cultural Resources.  Implementation Committee, National Institutes for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, 2008.

Honors: Recipient, Excellence in Archives Award, National Conference for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, 2009. Recipient, SAA Annual Meeting Scholarship for Native American and Tribal Archivists, 2006.

Question posed by the Nominating Committee: SAA has developed three strategic initiatives: technology, diversity, and public awareness/advocacy. If elected to Council, how will you work with SAA groups and members to move these forward?

I enjoyed reviewing the three strategic initiatives the SAA Council has developed. I think it is a good plan and could discuss it for hours, however the core issue I see is more interaction with the SAA Sections and Roundtables. I would discuss only two ideas for now to advance these three strategic initiatives that SAA has developed.

I would suggest first using the same approach the SAA Council authorized to seek comment on the “Protocols for Native American Archival Materials.” I believe creating a small task force to design questions and seek answers for the SAA Council allows consensus building and creates a vehicle to move issues forward. The task force may wish to use In the Loop to circulate these questions from the SAA Council. 

One of the questions could suggest to this task force is: “What are the different languages members of SAA speak?” This question alone could help develop a way for SAA to develop the website with the capability to be seen or heard in several languages. The website is the face that SAA shows the whole world who we are as a profession.

I would also like to see SAA allow the Sections and Roundtables to develop online courses or web seminars on the SAA website. The Education Committee could be the lead team for this project and could work with the leaders of the Sections and Roundtable to which Sections/Roundtable wish to work independently or jointly on designing an online course or web seminar on one of these initiatives.  

I believe that my practical experience as an archivist, my interest in collaboration and open communication, my dedication to SAA, and my commitment to the profession as a whole make me a worthy candidate for Council. Thank you for your consideration.