Alexis Antracoli, Candidate for Treasurer

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

I am currently the Director of the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library, where I began my archives career as a project processing archivist and graduate student processor. Previously I worked at Drexel University Libraries and the Princeton University Library. I have taught introductory archives and records management classes at Drexel University, New York University, and Rutgers University, and am committed to educating and supporting the success of new professionals. I often serve as an annual meeting navigator as another way to support early-career professionals.

My current professional interests are focused on applying user experience research and user-centered design to archival discovery systems and spaces, developing and applying inclusive description practices, and, increasingly, in the practice of leadership that supports transparent, participatory, and inclusive organizations. I have published on web archiving, inclusive and reparative description, and the archiving of born-digital audiovisual content.

I have been professionally active since beginning my archival career. Highlights of my SAA service include serving as chair of the Web Archiving Section in 2018-2019 and chair of the Accessioning, Appraisal, and Acquisitions Section in 2020-2021. From 2016 to 2019 I served on SAA's finance committee, where I became familiar with SAA's finances and budget process. I have also served on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archivists Conference finance committee and on the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries finance committee. In my current role, I have successfully solved several funding challenges to support our ongoing work, and am developing a more transparent and participatory budgeting process that includes budget education for all staff.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT (Each candidate prepared a diversity statement according to SAA guidelines.)

As a white, middle-class, heterosexual, cisgender, able-bodied woman who has worked primarily in privileged and well-resourced predominantly white academic institutions, I have seek to cultivate cultural humility, to learn from my colleagues with less privilege, and to advocate for better DEI practices within institutions and within my teaching practice. Examples of my commitment to DEI include service on two library-wide DEI committees, my involvement with Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia, including chairing the committee that created the Anti-Racist Description Resources, and my commitment to amplifying diverse perspectives on archival practice in my teaching. This includes readings that introduce students to the perspectives of BIPOC archivists, LGBTQIA+ archivists, and disabled archivists, and these were woven throughout the course to demonstrate that all aspects of archival practice require thoughtful consideration of perspectives that we often overlook.

I try to make a regular practice of understanding the implicit biases that I hold. This includes opening myself to an understanding of experiences beyond my own and listening to my colleagues with less privilege so that I can appropriately support and advocate for them within our profession and institutions. As an example, I recently observed that my perspective on the archives profession has been shaped by the fact that my entire career has been in academic institutions, and I then committed to spending more time learning about and considering the perspective of archivists who work outside of academic settings.

The position of treasurer within SAA provides a unique opportunity to support the organization's DEI work and to surface areas where we as a profession can best align our financial resources with our commitment to DEI. Since starting my current position, I have successfully begun administering my organization's budget in this way by securing funds to make our website more accessible, purchase classroom technology to support inclusive and accessible teaching and learning, and to support the Bentley's African American Student Project. I would approach this position similarly, by advocating for and finding ways to align SAA’s financial resources with its DEI commitments. I would also advocate that the finance committee seek input from a diversity of perspectives and experiences, including archivists who work a wide range of settings beyond academia, to assess whether our resource allocation is actually supporting these goals or whether changes are necessary.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The Nominating Committee plays a crucial role in shaping the pool of candidates from which the elected leadership of SAA will emerge. What motivates your desire to become a part of the Nominating Committee? What traits and backgrounds do you consider important when selecting potential candidates? Share your strategies for inspiring members to participate, and discuss how you plan to create a candidate slate that enhances diversity and inclusion.

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE

I am a strong advocate of transparency and financial responsibility and, as treasurer, would commit to responsible stewardship of our organization's financial resources as well as transparent communication around SAA's financial situation and its impact on decision-making. A lack of transparency can lead to distrust, and I would seek to communicate with the entire membership in a way that supports trust-building and increased understanding of SAA’s finances.

The mission and goals of SAA should be the center of the organization’s financial decision-making so that limited resources can be deployed effectively to achieve our goals. We can’t do everything, but we can and should strive to prioritize our strategic goals in making resource allocation decisions. I would advocate for the SAA strategic plan to be at the core of our organization’s financial decisions, especially as a guideline for making the sometimes difficult, but necessary decisions that ensure good financial standing.

SAA also has a tradition of transparency regarding its finances, with regular communications at the annual business meeting and publishing reports online. This is a good start, but I would commit to a more transparent and participatory process like the ones I am implementing in my current workplace. For example, I am leading a participatory strategic planning process and have implemented a committee structure that ensures transparent communication and representation from staff at all levels of the organization in library governance. This could include articles in Archival Outlook or Off the Record that explain both the overall financial picture as well as the reasoning behind SAA’s financial decisions, virtual sessions to provide education that would give members a foundation for understanding the organization’s finances, and advocating to publish finance committee meeting minutes.

I would seek to understand better what members want to know about the finances and their impact on decision-making so that the information communicated was actually responsive to the membership of the organization. In my current position, I am implementing a participatory strategic planning process and support informal staff efforts to better understand each other’s work. In the context of SAA and its finances a participatory approach could take the form of informal virtual conversations with members, online surveys, or opportunities to learn more about and provide input into SAA finances at annual meetings outside of the official business meeting. This way of working is often slower, but, in my experience, leads to better outcomes.

I would also prioritize DEI in my approach to the treasurer role, and I believe creating two-way communication opportunities about SAA finances is important in being able to accomplish this. I would seek to listen to members from diverse backgrounds and who work in a variety of settings to ensure that SAA deploys its financial resources equitably, provides funding for its DEI initiatives, and ensures that its dues structure takes into account DEI considerations.

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