28 Earn Digital Archives Specialist Certificates from SAA

Congratulations to the twenty-eight 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 August 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: Stephanie Baltzer Kom (North Dakota State Library), Sofia Becerra-Licha (Berklee College of Music), Olivia Carlisle (State Archives of North Carolina), Perry Collins (National Endowment for the Humanities), Chad Conrady, CA, Steve Duckworth, MSLIS (University of Florida), Sara S. Filion (University of Arizona), Rebecca Fitzsimmons, MFA, MLIS (University of Florida Smathers Libraries), Veronica Furlong (National Park Service), Lauren Gaines, MA, MLIS, CA (Thrivent Financial), Sarah Grimm (Wisconsin Historical Society), Andrew Hinton (Texas Tech University), Jody M. Hoks (Fort Worth Library), Katie Causier Howell (University of North Carolina Charlotte), Jessica E. Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University), Terri M. Jordan (Oklahoma Department of Libraries), Laura Litwer (University of South Carolina), Jenny Manasco (Union University Library), Cristina Prochilo Miedema (Congregational Library & Archives), Alexandra A. Orchard, CA (Wayne State University), Rebecca Parmer (Connecticut College), Angela C. Stanley (Georgia HomePLACE, Georgia Public Library Service), Jennifer Taylor, MLIS (Samford University), William Thomas (Pikes Peak Library District), Bonita L. Weddle (New York State Archives), Megan F. Wheaton-Book, MLIS, MA (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration), Tammy K. Williams (Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum), and Erin Wolfe (University of Kansas).

A total of 328 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.