36 Earn Digital Archives Specialist Certificates from Society of American Archivists

CHICAGO—Thirty-six archivists earned the Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certificate from the Society of American Archivists (SAA) after completing required coursework and passing a comprehensive examination in November. SAA’s DAS certificate program was developed by experts in the field of digital archives and provides archivists with the information and tools needed to manage the demands of born-digital records.

DAS certificate holders must complete nine courses from four tiers: Foundational, Tactical and Strategic, Tools and Services, and Transformational, and pass the comprehensive examination. DAS certificate holders have the skills to understand the nature of electronic records; define requirements, roles, and responsibilities related to digital archives; formulate strategies for appraising, describing, managing, organizing, and preserving digital archives; plan for new tools and technologies and integrate them into existing functions to appraise, capture, preserve, and provide access to digital collections; curate, store, and retrieve original masters and access copies of digital archives; and provide reliable service related to electronic records and digital archives.

The new Digital Archives Specialists are: Marci Behm (Des Moines Public Library), Michael L. Case (USO), Jenny Cashman (Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences), Ryan A. Donaldson (The Durst Organization), Martin Firestein (William Rainey Harper College), Sharon L. Guthrie (Rice University), Mary Haberle (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), Sarah A. Haug (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), Jennifer Ho (Chicago Community Trust), Amy B. James (Maryland State Archives), Kellie M. Johnson (Utah Valley University), Lisa Johnston (University of Minnesota), Jennifer E. King (The George Washington University), Elizabeth S. Knight (Consulting Archivist), Carol Kussmann (University of Minnesota), Matthew B. Leavitt (Brigham Young University), Janice Lurie (Minneapolis Institute of Arts), Alexis S. Macklin (University of Colorado, Boulder), Jamie L. Martin (IBM Corporation Archives), Shannon Mawhiney (Missouri State University), Megan H. McGovern (Progressive Insurance), Jessica McIntyre (Minneapolis Institute of Arts), Lisa A. Mix (New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center), Martha R. Noble (California Judicial Center Library), Amanda G. Pellerin (Jimmy Carter Presidential Library), Clint Pumphrey (Utah State University), Andrea W. Richardson (The Portman Archives), Rebecca Russell (Rice University), Lisa M. Schmidt (Michigan State University), Lauren Seney (The College of William and Mary), Elizabeth Shepard (Weill Cornell Medical Center Archives), Gina M. Strack (Utah State Archives), Lisa Sutton (Washington National Records Center), Rodney R. Swaner (Utah State Archives), Ashley L. Taylor (University of Pittsburgh), and Todd Welch (Northern Arizona University).

A total of 186 people have earned Digital Archives Specialist certificates since the program began in October 2011. Currently, there are more than six hundred participants in SAA’s DAS program who are working toward earning a certificate. For more information, visit www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das or contact SAA Education Director Solveig De Sutter (sdesutter@archivists.org).

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Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists is North America’s oldest and largest national archival professional association. SAA enables more than 6,100 individual and institutional members to achieve professional excellence and foster innovation to ensure the identification, preservation, and use of records of enduring value. For more information, visit www.archivists.org.