Alex H. Poole, Candidate for Council

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Alex H. Poole

Associate Professor

he/him

 

As one who believes wholeheartedly in the value of archives to society and to humans flourishing more broadly, I pledge to serve SAA faithfully, ethically, and diligently, bearing foremost in mind my commitment to DEI, social justice, antiracism, and trauma-informed practice.

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BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

An associate professor at Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics, I labor in three areas: research, teaching, and service. First, I conduct research on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), archives and records management, digital curation, and digital humanities. I am deeply passionate about and invested in DEI; my work surfaces hidden histories and marginalized voices and fosters a dialogue between past and present. It highlights the courage not only of DEI pioneers but of those who honor their legacy by leading current DEI efforts. My scholarship has received the Donald G. Davis Article Award (ALA), the Justin Winsor Prize (ALA), the Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research (ALA), the Bob Williams History Fund Research Paper Award (ASIS&T), the Arline Custer Memorial Award (MARAC), and the Theodore Calvin Pease Award (SAA). I have also conducted extensive research on archival pedagogy. Most notably, I served as principle investigator on the IMLS-funded project “Exploring New Frontiers in Twenty-first Century Archival Education.” Overall, I have authored thirty-one peer-reviewed journal articles and twenty-three peer-reviewed conference papers.

Second, my work as a full-time educator turns on a constructivist pedagogy that elevates knowledge co-creation. This approach accommodates diverse student backgrounds and career goals and trajectories; it socializes students inclusively and equitably into the archival profession. I have leveraged this pedagogy in Data Curation, Introduction to Archives, Archival Access Systems, and Community Archives and Collective Memory.

Third, I seek to be “consumed in the service of others.” At SAA, I have served as chair of the Archival History Section, chair of the Archival Educators Section, chair of the Graduate Archival Education Subcommittee, and member of the Committee on Education. As part of the Archival Education and Research Institute, I have served on the Program Committee, as Program Committee chair, and on the Interim Board. At Drexel, I serve on the Faculty Senate and as the faculty advisor for the Drexel University Library & Archives Student Association (DULASA).

I attended Williams College (BA, History, Highest Honors), Brown University (MA, History), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MSLS, Beta Phi Mu), and PhD.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Each candidate prepared a diversity statement according to SAA guidelines.

Diversity homes in on the myriad differences among us (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, class, disability, religion, national origin, and age) and the ways in which we acknowledge, understand, and honor them. Ensuring everyone has what they need to succeed, equity centers on fairness and justice in service of human flourishing. Inclusion constitutes the welcoming and dignifying of individual, group, and community differences such that everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Born white, male, and middle-class, I have long grappled with this privilege and striven to dismantle it. I owe much of my DEI passion to my mother, a librarian and the first in her family to attend college, and to my parents’ Quaker values. Opportunity confers responsibility, I was taught, and that lesson constitutes the heart of my personal and professional being. A two-time nominee for SAA’s Diversity Award, I serve on Drexel CCI’s DEI Council and on two University of North Carolina School of Information and Library Science DEI committees. Previously I served on DEI committees for Association of Library and Information Science Educators and Delaware Valley Archivists Group. My personal and professional experience and expertise have thus prepared me to advocate vigorously for inclusive and equitable practices.

Although my research, teaching, and service ensure I am aware of, monitor, and eliminate my implicit bias, there is never a day without vigilance, labor, and humility. Building on this reflexivity, I have undertaken implicit bias training. My full-throated DEI advocacy will continue; I am inspired by McGovern’s (2018) notion of “diverse diversity,” for “no exclusionary -ism is okay in our community” (p. 19).

Having experienced trauma, I have learned from my own experiences as well as literature and workshops. I embed DEI in all my work and I model trauma-informed practices. Just as I acknowledge my own trauma, so do I acknowledge and show sensitivity, empathy, compassion, and care to others affected by trauma even as I foreground resilience and dignity. Despite my labor in this space, I remain a lifelong DEI learner, a responsibility I welcome.

Building on my inveterate, rigorous commitment to DEI and antiracism, I pledge to raise awareness and promote systemic and systematic institutional and structural change. My foci will include education and training and recruitment and retention. First, the Work Plan on DEIA advocated training and continuing education for workers and for graduate students. Both SAA and graduate offerings must address DEIA, community building, antiracism, and trauma- informed practice. Given my recent research, I will embrace the opportunity to help develop synergistic DEIA-focused curriculum for SAA and graduate programs. Second, the Work Plan stressed the fundamental importance of recruiting and retaining diverse students and workers. I will help SAA promote paid internship opportunities and broadly cultivate a reciprocity pipeline between graduate programs and local institutions.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

As you look at the SAA Strategic Plan, Work Plan on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), and the A*CENSUS II report, how do you envision the future of SAA, keeping in mind some of the challenges and/or opportunities the Society should prepare for?

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE 

I envision an ever more innovative, dynamic, flexible, and responsive SAA that remains committed to continuous improvement. The Strategic Plan, the Work Plan on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), and A*CENSUS II constitute a blueprint for proactive and corrective action alike. It falls upon us collaboratively, transparently, and ethically to implement the priorities set forth in these blueprints via evidence-based initiatives. Key future areas for SAA flourishing include education and training, research, technology, and student loans.

Education and Training. Complementing my above commitment to DEI-infused education and training, I hope to explore three education and training issues with diverse SAA stakeholders. First, I hope to bring together the Students and New Archival Professionals, the Archival Educators Section, and the Committee on Education to discuss outstanding graduate education needs. Second, I would like to solicit more input and feedback from grassroots SAA membership on the revision of Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies and other educational standards (Strategic Plan Goal 3). Third, I would like to develop best practices for distance education, an ever more pressing challenge given the upheaval wrought by COVID-19.

Research. The Strategic Plan underlines the importance of advancing our field through research. First, I will continue my own DEI research, seeking SAA collaborators and disseminating findings to the broadest possible audience. Second, I will encourage others’ research; I hope to form a writing mentorship group for students and new professionals. Third, the 2019 establishment of the Committee on Research, Data, and Assessment marked a new departure for SAA’s commitment to research; it is an initiative that I am eager both to promote and to participate in.

Technology. Technology represents an urgent priority not only for current students, but also for professional education (Strategic Plan Goal 2). A DigCCurr II Fellow, I have long explored this area in my research and teaching. As a profession we must eschew reflexive technochauvinism, exploring ethics in technology through a Science and Technology Studies (STS)-infused approach. I would recommend that a task force or committee be established to address this exigent concern.

Student Loans. A*CENSUS II reported that more than two-thirds of respondents with an MLS graduated with student loans, and that 39 percent of these respondents owed more than $30,000. Just as it is for so many others, so too is this topic pressing for me (I have just shy of $150,000). I would suggest that a new task force or committee address this challenge.

Student loans, technology, research, and education and training—each of these issues represents both a challenge and an opportunity to ensure SAA flourishes in the future. As one who believes wholeheartedly in the value of archives to society and to human-flourishing more broadly, I pledge to serve SAA faithfully, ethically, and diligently, bearing foremost in mind my commitment to DEI, social justice, antiracism, and trauma-informed practice. I pledge to model the values I espouse and to foreground accountability, advocacy, and allyship in my work. In line with SAA’s commitment, I am dedicated to “promoting the value and diversity of archives and archivists.” I respectfully request your vote for Council.

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