2014 Election Information

Candidate for Vice Chair/Chair Elect

Write in candidate 

Candidate for Steering Committee (Vote for two)

Cliff Hight

Biographical Statement:

Cliff Hight has been the university archivist and an assistant professor at the Kansas State University Libraries since 2011. His primary stewardship is the preservation and accessibility of historically-important university records in all formats. He holds an MSIS in archives and records administration and an MA in history from the University at Albany, State University of New York.  He was the archivist/curator at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center in Cañon City, Colorado, from 2006 to 2011, and was a project archivist and graduate associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, from 2005 to 2006.

Cliff is an active member of SAA and MAC, and currently serves on the SAA Web Archiving Roundtable Best Practices/Toolbox Committee. He has been a member of the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board since 2013, and has served on the State of Kansas Electronic Records Committee since 2012. From 2008 to 2010, Cliff served as secretary for the Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists (SRMA) and was a SRMA bylaws committee member from 2010 to 2011.

What are the biggest issues involving acquisitions and appraisal today and how might the section address these issues?

Archivists today face acquisition and appraisal issues that include balancing the acquisition of appropriate records regardless of format, understanding the effects of rapidly changing technology on the selection of appropriate records, and effectively managing resources for selection in tight budgetary climates. The Acquisition and Appraisal Section can help its members grapple with these issues by continuing to provide selection-related guidelines and best practices, keeping web resources updated, and selectively expanding content on its site that meets members’ needs. Regarding guidelines and best practices, the section has already shared a draft of “Guidelines for Reappraisal and Deaccessioning,” and additional topics to consider include collection development policies, appraisal reports for paper and electronic records, and deeds of gift for various formats. By keeping web resources updated, such as the “Abandoned Property Project,” members can find accurate information to assist them in making appraisal decisions. Finally, the section could use its 2011 member survey to understand acquisition and appraisal needs and make strategic decisions to expand content that addresses those gaps. For example, the survey found that over 80% of respondents wanted links of section-endorsed SAA presentations added to the website, and providing this access would meet that need.

Jaimie Quaglino

 Biographical Statement:

Jaimie Quaglino is an Archivist at Gates Archive, where she leads a variety of activities including donor relations and access for archival collections. Gates Archive takes an innovative approach to archive development and management, integrating processes for born-digital and analog information. The archive focuses on the preservation of the Gates family’s personal and philanthropic endeavors including records of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Jaimie previously was employed as an Archives Specialist and Archivist at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library from 2004 – 2011, in the Archives Processing Unit.  While at the Kennedy Library, she acted as the head of the Archives Processing Unit from 2007 – 2011, and supported operations by acting as the point of contact for archives donation offers, negotiating and managing deeds of gift for donated materials, and handling incoming acquisitions sent to the Archives.  From 2003-2004, Jaimie worked as a digital processing assistant for Harvard University’s Open Collections Program. She received a Master of Science in Archives Management and a Master of Arts in History from Simmons College in 2003.

What are the biggest issues involving acquisitions and appraisal today and how might the section address these issues? 

I think the most important issues involving appraisal and acquisitions today are education, collaboration, and scalability.

When I first ran for the Steering Committee in 2012, I stated the importance of integrating processes for the appraisal and acquisitions of digital materials with existing methods. I think developing the skills needed to appraise and acquire records - regardless of format - remains incredibly important. Staying current on new work and research in the field is just one way archivists can prepare themselves for any type of acquisition or appraisal situation that comes their way. As a profession we also need to look outward, and recognize the commonalities between our work and other disciplines.  Strengthening or developing relationships with other professionals (such as records managers, information technologists, museum registrars, project managers, conservators, librarians, etc…) opens new opportunities to discuss our shared interests, successes, and challenges.  These conversations can provide awareness of new approaches and tools we can bring back and use in our workplace.  This gained perspective is of great benefit as we scale acquisitions and appraisal activities in response to the rapidly growing volume of legacy and incoming at-risk records that urgently require our attention. The more we are aware of the options available, the more effectively and creatively we can focus our efforts to develop new and innovative workflows for acquisitions and appraisal activities.

The section can address the above issues by providing and/or promoting an increased variety of educational and collaboration opportunities.  For instance, in addition to sponsoring SAA annual meeting sessions, the section could co-sponsor workshops or events with related SAA groups (e.g. Electronic Records Section, Privacy & Confidentiality Roundtable) and participate in informal gatherings outside of the annual meeting, such as CURATEcamp.  There is also opportunity to get involved with external groups and activities, like  ALA’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Section. Another way the section can provide informal opportunities for collaboration and discussion – one of which is underway – is to increase its social media presence and create a space for ongoing conversations with the membership. Current work to develop a blog where members can discuss their experiences and ask for advice is one effort in particular that I’ve been involved in, and look forward to continuing if elected to a second term.

Mat Darby

Biographical Statement:

Education

M.L.I.S., University of Texas at Austin (2000)

B.A., English, University of Delaware (1997)

Professional Experience: 

Head of Arrangement & Description, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia (2013-present); Archivist for the ExxonMobil Historical Collection, Briscoe Center for American History, UT-Austin (2004-2013); Processing and Audiovisual Archivist, Russell Library, UGA (2001-2004); Archivist, Lower Colorado River Authority, Austin, Texas, 2001; Project Archivist, Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc., Austin, Texas, 2000-2001

Professional Activities: 

SAA: member since 1998; member, 2009 Annual Meeting Host Committee; member, 2008 Annual Meeting Program Committee; Chair and Vice/Chair of the Manuscript Repositories Section Steering Committee (2007-2009) and member (2005-2007); 
Academy of Certified Archivists: member since 2005; Chair and member of Nominating Committee (2011-213)

Association of Centers for the Study of Congress: member since 2013

Society of Georgia Archivists: member since 2013; 2014 Local Arrangements Committee (2013-present)

Society of Southwest Archivists: member since 1998; Treasurer (2012-2013); Executive Board (2008-2012)

What are the biggest issues involving acquisitions and appraisal today and how might the section address these issues?

One of the most pressing issues facing archivists today is the acquisition and appraisal of electronic records. If we are going to adequately document late 20th-century and 21st-century creators, these records are an essential component of their collections; they cannot be an afterthought. As the collections we acquire increasingly contain a greater percentage of electronic records, we need to work closely with donors to identify these records and become more skilled in our ability to evaluate and securely transfer them for acquisition. In our deeds of gift, we need to include language that directly addresses electronic records and how we might make them available. With the possibility of online access to such records, we need to be more mindful of donors' wishes and concerns while educating them about the opportunities, and challenges, that electronic records present. In order to be good stewards of these collections, we need to be honest and realistic about what our institutions can do to preserve these records, both in terms of digital storage and adequately trained staff. 

As it often has in the past, the Acquisitions and Appraisal Section should continue to find and develop ways for its members to share what they are doing at their own institutions to address issues related not only to electronic records and but to acquisitions and appraisal in general. The section's email list and Facebook page could be a more focused forum for these issues and create a more dynamic dialogue among section members. Highlighting relevant sessions being presented at SAA as well as recent articles and publications dealing with these issues would also be valuable.