Courtney Chartier, Candidate for Vice President/President-Elect

Courtney Chartier

Head of Research Services,
Rose Library, Emory University

“How do we have, and maintain, a robust conversation within SAA about our values that recognizes we all need different things from our colleagues and our professional organization? The conversations we are having now are not critically engaging the breadth of archivists with how our world is changing the profession.”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Head of Research Services, Rose Library, Emory University, 2014–present.
• Instructor, “Administration and Use of Historical Archives,” Georgia State University, 2014–present.
• Consultant, Martin Luther King, Jr. Gallery, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, 2013–2017.
• Assistant Head, Archives Research Center (ARC), Atlanta University Center (AUC), 2010–2014.
• Project Archivist, ARC, AUC, 2009–2010.
• Processing Archivist, Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers, ARC, AUC, 2007–2009.

EDUCATION

• MS, Information Studies, and BA, American Studies, University of Texas at Austin.
• MS, Southern Studies, University of Mississippi.
• “Archives, Law and Ethics,” Archival Studies MA program, Clayton State University, 2018.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Society of American Archivists: Council (2016–2019); Nominating Committee, Member (2018); Host Committee, Chair (2015–2016); Annual Meeting Task Force, Member (2012–2013); Leadership Forum Task Force, Member (2012); Archives and Archivists of Color Section, Co-Chair (2010–2012); Issues & Advocacy Section, Steering Committee (2009–2011).
• Academy of Certified Archivists: Nominating Committee (2015–2018); Regent for Outreach (2012–2014); Outreach Committee (2011–2012). 
• Atlanta Black Archives Alliance: Member and co-founder (2017–present).
• Society of Georgia Archivists: Immediate Past President/Nominating Committee Chair (2015); President (2014); Vice-President/Membership Chair (2013); Outreach Manager (2010–2012); Scholarship Committee Chair (2009). 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS

• “Archivist and Faculty Collaborative Course Development,” co-authored with Gabrielle Dudley and Dr. Donna Troka, Provenance, 33 (2016).
• “Evolving Advocacy: The Society of Georgia Archivists and the Georgia Archives Budget Crisis,” co-authored with Sarah Quigley, Provenance, 31 (2013).

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

• Society of American Archivists: “Fostering Equity: Community Archives and Academic Archives Partnerships,” 2018; “What and How: Advocacy with Impact,” 2015; “Getting Started with Political Advocacy: The Five ‘W’s and Activist Archivists,” 2013; “Picture Me Rollin’,” 2010; “Working for Freedom: Documenting the Civil Rights Movement,” 2009.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

SAA is a consortium of diverse individuals and communities facing diverse concerns on the future of the profession in the 21st century. As President, what will be your key themes to ensure that SAA meets the needs of a changing community addressing a wide range of concerns and topics, including technology, diversity/equity/inclusion, labor equity, and climate change, while upholding SAA's Core Values?

CANDIDATE’S RESPONSE

The weakness of “Core Values” statements is that they’ll never be a one-to-one match for what is happening now, and most acutely, what is happening right now, at my job, to me.

The strength of “Core Values” statements is that they are a declaration of what binds us together. In some small way, they should demonstrate our unity as people who do similar things; no matter how often you and I disagree, we value accountability, access...and right on down the line to social responsibility.

I decided to run for this position because I think we are doing a lot of things wrong in SAA. My experience on Council was seeing a lot of talented and passionate people wanting to do more, but not quite having the pathways for it. Council members, the President and the Vice President, are constantly pushing out the message “We want to hear from you!,” but unless we have a flashpoint of conflict or care, the sharing of information just doesn’t seem to be there in the routine, day-to-day way that is needed for us, all of us, to truly and authentically understand each other.

How do we have, and maintain, a robust conversation within SAA about our values that recognizes we all need different things from our colleagues and our professional organization? The conversations we are having now are not critically engaging the breadth of archivists with how our world is changing the profession. There is no one thing that can be done to make us all happy, all of the time. But, we have the tools, and we have the talent. We can push the creativity and the energy of our elected leaders to really push a dialogue about the profession and our core values.

The other great thing about a “Core Values” statement? It can change, just like we do.

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