Derek T. Mosley, Candidate for Vice President/President-Elect

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Throughout my career, I have been professionally active and have demonstrated a commitment to archival access, collection development, and cultivating quality archivists who understand the importance of arrangement and description to make historic materials accessible.

I attended Morehouse College and Simmons University. In 2011, I began my career as director and archivist at the Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where I created fundraising events, developed its website, secured grant funding, and created programming for students and community groups. From there I served as assistant head of Atlanta University Center's Archives Research Center, overseeing the processing of collections that document the African American experience.

In my current role as Archivist and Division Manager of the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History (part of the Fulton (Georgia) County Library System), I have provided overall vision and leadership for the division, including ambitious community programs and projects. I have been involved extensively within SAA including: Council, 2020-2023; Nominating Committee, 2015; and Chair, Archivists and Archives of Color Section. Additionally, I have served on the Diversity Committee, Committee on Education, and the steering committee of the Public Library and Special Collections Section. I am also honored to have been named Fellow in 2023.

In addition to my involvement in SAA, I have been professionally active in the American Library Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the Society of Georgia Archivists. I also expanded my leadership capabilities by participating in the 2019 Archives Leadership Institute. 

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

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." —Frederick Douglass. Diversity, equity, and inclusion work is never ending. It must always have a central place in the work of archives and archives workers. I understand the unique role and responsibility I have to listen, connect, and champion for all people. Diversity today means going beyond just race to ensure equity, access, and inclusion for all. In my career, I have always fought to see myself and other groups at the table. As an African American man, I have experienced many forms of discrimination, racism and bias. My goal in my career has been to open the archival profession to anyone who is interested. I have worked to welcome and mentor new archivists to the field and SAA, including four years as a member of the ARL/SAA Mosaic Scholarship Advisory Committee.

I am a founding and active member of the Atlanta Black Archives Alliance (ABAA) which is a collective of archivists representing various archival repositories in Atlanta that are concerned with preserving and promoting materials related to the African American experience.The work that I do in my current position is to document the lived experiences of African American in Atlanta, GA and the South. I have served on professional committees such as SAA Diversity Committee, ALA Spectrum Scholarship Jury, ACRL African American Studies Librarian Section, ACRL/RBMS Scholarships Committee and chair of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association Dr. E. J. Josey Scholarship Committee. In these roles I always strived to bring new perspectives and challenge the norm. I constantly look for ways to embrace diversity at all levels internally and externally. Archives are essential to ensuring the legacies of all people are remembered. I have worked with community organizations such as churches, fraternal organizations, and clubs to educate and provide opportunities to understand the importance of documentation and access for the future. 

The archives profession must be diverse and continually work toward making all who work and use archives to feel welcome. SAA has made excellent strides to ensure diversity in the organization and the field. I would like to explore the successes over the last 20 years and determine how to move forward and do even more work toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

As the Vice President/President-Elect, your responsibilities include addressing the strategic needs of the membership, ensuring representation of professional diversity, and actively recruiting skilled, dynamic, and decisive leaders within the archives community. What is your vision for the Society and the archival profession, and what specific strategies do you envision employing to guide them toward a future that aligns with its mission and strategic priorities?

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE 

The Society faces many struggles to change and as members' professional needs change, it is important to push forward and evolve. If elected Vice President/President-Elect, I would like to focus on mentorship and the structure of SAA. These are two areas that I believe need greater attention, and I will help the organization work to be more sustainable for the future. Mentorship has been a constant in my career. I have been mentored and serve as a mentor to others.  The Society must go beyond our current model and expand. We cannot just mentor graduate students and early career professionals. We must build a full career model with the option for formal peer-to-peer opportunities. As we shift mentoring, this will ensure that new leaders are constantly being developed and able to take on higher and more challenging roles.

The structure of SAA must also shift. Do all members need or want to be involved with sections, committees, and task forces? Are there other professional opportunities that SAA has not implemented that could engage more of our members? SAA must create opportunities and constantly assess where we can shift and create greater engagement for all. With a more engaged membership, I think the Society can move forward and not just be reactive to the changing nature of our field. I think there is work to be done for the membership to understand and engage more with the strategic plan and the implementation of the plan. SAA leadership must also contend with cost and staffing factors that go into executing the strategic plan. SAA can plan but if there is no revenue most of the work will go undone. I would like to evolve the dues structure to one that is more aligned with the current operating needs and more effective for members to understand.  As we pour into ourselves professionally, we must also pour into the Society, with not just words, but finances. 

2024 ELECTION HOME