Brittany Newberry, Candidate for Nominating Committee

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Brittany Newberry

Popular Music and Culture Archivist

she/hers

 

Being a member of the Nominating Committee would allow me to play a role in bringing diversity to SAA’s leadership by sharing my voice and experiences. I want to help to identify leaders who understand the changing archival profession and will work to make the needed structural changes.

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BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

I am currently the archivist for Popular Music and Culture at Georgia State University. I recently held the position of processing archivist at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. I received a master of science in library and information science with a concentration in archives management from Simmons University and a bachelor of arts in English from Wake Forest University.

Throughout my career, I have been an active member of professional organizations. I am the current vice chair/chair-elect of SAA’s Membership Committee. I am a former chair/co-chair of the Career Development Subcommittee. My work on the subcommittee included helping to design and implement the Career Services Commons. The Commons offers virtual career counseling services to SAA members, such as career advising, mock interviews, and resume review. I am pleased the subcommittee could create this space for members. I am also a member of the Archivists and Archives of Color Section steering committee. As a part of my role on that committee, I manage the section’s social media accounts. I am also a member of the Society of Georgia Archivists. I have served as a Nominating Committee member, communications director, and outreach manager. I am a former chair and member of the ArchivesSpace User Advisory Council.

During my career, I have been on panels and presented at various conferences on several topics. Some of my presentations include a panel presentation titled “The Virtual Archive” at the 2021 Society of Georgia Archivists Annual Meeting, a presentation titled “Considering the Past, Designing for the Future: African American Archival Collections and Atlanta Smart City Design” at the 2021 Atlanta Studies Symposium, and a panel presentation titled “Where It’s At: Using GIS Tools for Engagement and Outreach at an HBCU Library” at the 2020 Digital Library Federation (DLF) Forum.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Each candidate prepared a diversity statement according to SAA guidelines.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion means acknowledging the barriers in an organization and seeking ways to remove them. DEI is an active approach to understanding the needs and concerns of all those represented in an organization like SAA. This work is significant to moving the profession forward and supporting all archives workers.

As an archives worker, I have my own perspectives and practices with DEI work. I am a multiracial, disabled woman. My lived experiences have contributed to my perspectives, and I consider my background and experiences when engaging with coworkers, colleagues, and patrons. Through my interactions with others, I must be aware of my own biases and how to address those. I realize that through my work I am able to advocate for others and help to progress the profession. I have received opportunities that help me to advocate for DEI in the profession. Through my positions and my volunteering with organizations like SAA, I seek to find ways to address inequity and reach a diverse profession. We must have thoughtful considerations of our own biases. We need to challenge ourselves to understand the background and perspectives of others. I understand that I am only one perspective and true DEI must seek to get various perspectives and not rely on norms.

The Nominating Committee is responsible for recruiting the slate of candidates for SAA elections. This charge is important for progressing the DEI work of SAA. With open forums and surveys, SAA has received feedback and suggestions on their current DEIA work plan. The Nominating Committee is a significant part of this plan. The members of the committee will need to reflect on this plan and the work of other similar organizations to determine how to create a diverse slate of candidates. As leaders in SAA, it is imperative that we work to make structural changes and recruit diverse leadership.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The primary role of the Nominating Committee is to identify rising and experienced leaders from within SAA and the archival profession who can bring fresh and diverse perspectives to SAA leadership. Describe how you interpret this core responsibility and how you will work to identify candidates who demonstrate commitment to the SAA Strategic Plan and SAA’s robust commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA).

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE 

The Nominating Committee has the significant task of recruiting candidates for SAA’s elected offices. This charge is imperative to helping add diverse perspectives to SAA leadership. In order to do this work, the committee needs to understand the needs of the profession and how SAA leadership supports those needs. As SAA leadership works to enact the goals of the Strategic Plan and Work Plan on DEIA, the Nominating Committee needs to recruit individuals who have interest in and diverse perspective to help with this work.

In order to identify prospective individuals for SAA leadership, the committee will need to actively market and recruit both through SAA networks and other archival networks. Possible strategies for finding candidates include open forums, networking events, and marketing campaigns. To recruit a diverse slate of candidates, I believe we should share testimonials from past leaders, as well as ask potential leaders to share their thoughts on leadership and what they want to see from SAA leaders. Marketing should include information on what the various offices do and what is expected of them. Additionally, the committee should reach out to section leadership to ask for nominees. Section steering committees have experience working within their sections and have perspectives on who would bring fresh and diverse perspectives to leadership. Offering to do section events, such as open forums or future leader panels, would be a way to recruit candidates. Moreover, students and new professionals are significant for the future of SAA. The Nominating Committee should meet with and share potential leadership opportunities with student chapters, graduate schools, and the SNAP Section. By having student and early career perspectives in leadership, we are able to continue moving the profession forward.

Outside of SAA are a number of archives professionals actively participating in changing and diversifying the profession through their work at their institutions and regional archival organizations. The Nominating Committee needs to reach out to regional organizations to find potential candidates who may not be members of SAA, but who are actively leading in the profession through the work they do. Doing so can bring these perspectives and experiences to SAA leadership.

The work of the Nominating Committee helps SAA leadership move the profession forward. Through the committee, I have the opportunity to contribute to this process. SAA has a strong foundation built on values like diversity, sustainability, service, and advocacy. In order to continue its success, the organization needs leaders who will demonstrate these values. SAA is truly a community that benefits from its leadership. Being a member of the Nominating Committee would allow me to play a role in bringing diversity to SAA’s leadership by sharing my voice and experiences. I want to help to identify leaders who understand the changing archival profession and will work to make the needed structural changes.

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