Holly Smith, Candidate for Nominating Committee

Professional Experience: College Archivist, Spelman College, 2014–present. African American Materials Specialist, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010–2013. Founding Member, Project RIGHT (Research Identify and Gather Historical Treasures) Now—Carolinas!, 2011–2013

Education: MS, School of Library and Information Science (Concentration in Archival Management), Simmons College, 2008. MA, History, Yale University, 2003. BA, History and Black Studies, The College of William & Mary, 2002.

Professional Activities: Society of American Archivists: Member since 2006; Diversity Committee, Vice-chair, 2013–present; Women’s Collections Roundtable, Vice Co-chair, 2015–present; Archives & Archivists of Color Roundtable, Member, 2006–present; Presenter, “Young, Black, Brown, and Yellow: Diversity Recruitment Practices from the Field,” 2014 Annual Meeting. American Library Association: Member since 2006; Spectrum Advisory Committee, Chair, 2014–2015; Knowledge Alliance Initiative, Recruiter, 2010–present. Society of Georgia Archivists: Member since 2014; Program Committee, Member, 2015.

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Question posed by Nominating Committee:

 SAA’s strategic plan emphasizes the importance of diversifying the profession using a broad definition of diversity (race, culture, geography, institutional type, sexual orientation, age, constituent group, etc.). How is SAA currently cultivating a diverse group of future leaders for the organization, and how would you strive to represent this diversity within the slate of candidates?

Candidate's Response:

By highlighting the significance of diversity in the archives profession as well as archives and records, SAA has taken an important step in making diversity a priority within the strategic plan. Support from SAA leadership is a critical component, but it will take the membership body to facilitate and substantiate a truly diverse group of archival professionals. The ARL/SAA Mosaic Program, focused on recruiting and retaining students of color in the archival field is an example of one successful program. Since the IMLS funding for the program has been completed, it is up to the SAA leadership and members to make financial contributions to sustain the program.

As a member of SAA’s nominating committee, I will collaborate with SAA leadership as well as colleagues from different affinity groups, committees, and the general SAA membership to identify a variety of candidates to serve as leaders and advocates for SAA and the archival profession. It is critical to have individuals that are active (or are interested in being more active) in SAA, that keep up with emerging trends and technology in the field, and are interested in fostering collaborative relationships across and beyond the profession. Having a dynamic group of individuals invested in maintaining a diverse, collaborative professional organization is vital to the long term sustainability of SAA. 

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