Bertram Lyons, Candidate for Council

Professional Experience: Senior Consultant, AVPreserve, 2014–present. Associate Lecturer, Honorary Fellow, University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Library and Information Studies, 2014–present. Digital Asset Manager, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, 2009–2015. Archivist, Alan Lomax Archive, 2002–2009.

Education: Master of Arts, Museum Studies and American Studies, Archives specialization, University of Kansas, 2006–2009. Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Earlham College, 1996–1999.

Professional Activities: Society of American Archivists: Membership Committee, Member, 2010–2016, Vice-chair, 2015, Chair, 2016; Career Development Subcommittee, Co-chair, 2012–2013, Chair, 2013–2015; Oral History Section, Member, 2009–present, Steering Committee, 2011–2013, Vice-chair, 2014, Chair, 2015; Recorded Sound Roundtable, Member, 2009–present, Steering Committee, 2011–2012, Chair, 2011; Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Heritage Archives Roundtable, Member, 2009–2013, Newsletter Editor, 2010–2012, ICA Liaison, 2011. International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives: Executive Board Member, 2013–present; Publications Editor, 2013–present. Academy of Certified Archivists: Member, 2010–present; Diversity Taskforce Member, 2012–2013. Archives Leadership Institute: Attended, 2013. Archivists Without Borders, U.S. Chapter: Service Project Committee Member, 2013.

Related Professional Activities: Archives of Traditional Music, Indiana University, Advisory Board Member, 2014–present; Journal of Archival Practice, Reviewer, 2013–present; StoryCorps Archive, National Advisory Council Member, 2012–present.

Selected Publications and Presentations: “Evaluating Your Digital Archive: Using ISO 16363 As A Planning Tool,” International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives Annual Conference, National Library of France, 2015. “Hard Skills for Managing Digital Collections in Archives,” two-day workshop, Midwest Archives Conference Fall Symposium, 2015. “Holistic Preservation for Living Archives: The StoryCorps collection at the American Folklife Center,” invited speaker, Roy Rosenzweig Forum on Technology and the Humanities: Preserving and Interpreting Born-Digital Collections, Washington, DC, 2013. “Repatriation and Digital Cultural Heritage,” in Indian Folklife, Serial No. 37, April 2011, 16-18. “Finding Balance in the Management of Sensitive Cultural Heritage in Extant Recorded Sound Collections,” in Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals, Volume 4, Number 4, Alta Mira Press, Fall 2008, 319–332.

*     *     *

Question posed by Nominating Committee:

SAA is a member-governed organization that is composed of dozens of constituent groups with a variety of viewpoints. In recent years, SAA’s governance structure has strived to be more transparent and responsive in addressing member concerns. If elected, how would you help insure that the Council continues on this path and represents the broad interests of our diverse profession in a transparent manner? 

Candidate's Response:

Every member’s voice matters in SAA. As archivists—although we do not represent only one type of archivist; we are many and diverse—we come together to guarantee that the records of yesterday and today are selected, acquired, preserved, and made available for the duration of their useful life. As SAA members we build a shared foundation for professional advocacy, continued education, investment in new generations of archivists, community outreach, and a central hub for sharing ideas and technologies.

Furthering SAA as a successful, vibrant membership organization requires cooperation and transparency from leadership groups across the organization. Members of Council have a responsibility to ensure that the interests of all members are included in the governance of the organization. As a Council member, I will stress the complexity and diversity of the SAA membership and I will support continued development of the network of liaisons between member groups and Council. This direct line of communication is a cornerstone of SAA members’ ability to express concerns and to provide feedback on Council activities. I will also encourage continued efforts to open information surrounding Council decisions and budgetary actions that are necessary for SAA members to verify that Council is operating fairly and responsibly with concern for the needs of all members.

Of particular interest to me is continued support for archivists transitioning into new responsibilities for electronic records and digital collections—not to the detriment of longstanding archival methodologies, but as a method to broaden the roles archivists play in society as organizations, individuals, and governments embrace digital technologies. As Associate Lecturer with the University of Wisconsin–Madison SLIS, I combine hands-on technical training with an understanding of the diversity of the archives profession so that students understand the history and variety of the archives landscape while simultaneously acquiring technical skills that will be desired by future employers.

I value archives, archivists, and the work we do for our communities. I have served in leadership roles within SAA and other professional archives organizations. I have worked in private, non-profit, academic, museum, and government archives. And, I have had the privilege to teach in graduate programs and to lead workshops for professional development. I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to run for a position on SAA Council, and to bring my experiences to the continued service of my SAA colleagues.

2016 Election Home