36 Archivists Earn Digital Archives Specialist Certificates

Congratulations to the thirty-six new Digital Archives Specialists (DAS). These archivists, who represent a variety of repositories from around the country, earned a DAS Certificate from the Society of American Archivists (SAA) after completing required coursework within twenty-four months and passing comprehensive examinations in February 2016.

The innovative DAS Curriculum, developed by experts in the field of digital archives, is structured around seven core competencies: understanding the nature of records in electronic form; defining for a variety of audiences the requirements, roles, and responsibilities related to digital archives; formulating strategies and tactics for appraisal, description, management, organization, and preservation; integrating technology to provide access to digital collections; planning for the integration of new tools for successive generations of technology; curating, storing, and retrieving original masters and access copies of digital archives; and providing dependable organization and service to designated communities across networks. Participants complete nine required courses from four tiers addressing these competencies.

The new Digital Archives Specialists are: Alexis Adkins (Getty Research Institute), Brad Bauer (US Holocaust Memorial Museum), Matthew Butler (Missouri State Library), Ann Cooper (College of William and Mary), Liz Doubleday (Capital Group Companies), Sarah Durling (New York State Archives), Robert Christopher Ellwood (Monmouth University), Anne Foster (Yellowstone National Park), Stephanie Gellis (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc), Emmalani George (Hula Preservation Society), Amanda Hawk (University of Maryland, College Park), Tim Hutchinson (University of Saskatchewan), Kimberly Jackson (Long Beach Public Library), James Kichas (Utah State Archives), Margaret Kidd (Virginia Commonwealth University), Jennifer Kinniff (Johns Hopkins University), Kathy McLeister (Urban Ministries, Inc.), Michael McNeil (California State Archives), Charise Michelsen (University of Hawai'i at Manoa), Amy Moorman (Missouri State Archives), Linda Myers (Missouri State Archives) Krista Oldham (Haverford College), Lorianne Ouderkirk (Utah State Archives), Martha Parker (University of Arkansas Libraries), Kate Richards (Center of Military History), Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner, Heather Ryckman (The Co-operators Group), Mary Stansfield (Missouri State Archives), Julie Thomas (University of California, Sacramento), Brandy Tunmire (Missouri State Archives), Lauren White (University of Toledo), Renee Wilson (Utah State Archives), Katrina Windon (University of Nevada, Reno), Erika Woehlk (Missouri State Archives), Joanne Wojtyto (First Unitarian Church of Orlando) and Jacqueline Zak (Yosemite National Park Archives)

A total of 300 people have earned Digital Archives Specialist certificates since the program began in 2011. For more information, visit www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das or contact SAA Education Director Solveig De Sutter (sdesutter@archivists.org).