Meet the Officer and Steering Committee Candidates for 2018-2019

SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS 

Archival History Section 

Steering Committee Candidates 

2018-2019

The 2018 election will take place online in early July. Three Steering Committee members will be elected to a one-year term. The vice chair/chair-elect serves for two years (one year as vice chair, and one year as chair).  Current Vice Chair Alex Poole will become AHS Chair at the close of the AHS annual meeting in August. 

VICE CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT (vote for one) 

Cory Nimer (Brigham Young University) 

Cory Nimer is the university archivist at Brigham Young University. He has researched and written on the history of archives and libraries in the inter-mountain West, and believes deeply in the importance of understanding our history as a profession to address the challenges we face today. He holds a MA in History from Sonoma State University, and an MLIS from San Jose State University. He has previously served in leadership positions in SAA and the Conference of Inter-Mountain archivists, including a term with the Archival History Roundtable. 


STEERING COMMITTEE (listed in alphabetical order; vote for three)

Patricia Delara (GLBT Historical Society)

I am currently the Assistant Archivist for the GLBT Historical Society and the Processing Archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. History has always been one of my passions, and was the direct driving force for me to pursue a career that values and preserves histories for future generations. In my work, whether it is processing collections or assisting researchers, I have always tried to fully grasp the context of the times, as I feel that gaining a deeper historical understanding helps me to better prepare archival collections I handle. To be a part of a section that helps to communicate our profession’s history would be a great opportunity. I am currently part of the steering committee for SAA’s Public Library Archives and Special Collections section and am active in my state archives group, the Society of California Archivists, serving in the Communications and Outreach Committee handling our social media accounts, as well as the Publications Committee as layout editor. With my experience, I am determined to help the Archival History section flourish and further help to extend our reach to make our histories known.

Jared D. Johnson (Catholic University of America)

I am a part-time LIS student, concentrating in archives, at The Catholic University of America. I have a keen interest in archival history, especially when it comes to the military realm. My bachelor's degree is in history (concentrating on American military history from the Civil War through World War II) from The George Washington University. My interest in archival history was sparked while conducting primary-source research for my history major at GW, especially the history of NARA and the U.S. Army and Navy's history and archive programs. I have been conducting research on archival history both outside and inside of CUA, with two examples showcasing this. First, I detailed the history and development of NARA for a major research paper for my class this past semester. Second, I have found numerous articles, fact sheets, and essays relating to American archival history, particularly in the military sphere for my reading enjoyment and future career development. Finally, I am also working on developing an independent study course for my degree in 2020 focusing on the Army and Navy's major history and archive programs, and how that has influenced the study of military history today. I am passionate about the topic, and want to advance its study so more archivists and the public can understand the why and how behind America's memory institutions. 

Sebastian Modrow (Syracuse University)

 Assistant Archivist, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University. In order to make informed decisions about its future path every profession should know where it came from. The archival profession is no exception to this common place rule. SAA’s Archival History Section provides a unique platform for reflections about our profession’s past in North America and beyond and as an archivist and historian, I would welcome the opportunity to support the section’s mission. It is the Archival History Section’s charge to “stimulate interest among archivists in the profession's own past” but I believe it should also address the growing interest in the nature and history of archives in the field of cultural studies and among the general public. With a background in history and Classics (Ph.D. in ancient history from the University of Rostock, Germany) my particular focus is on the history of pre-modern archives as well as on the conceptualization of “the archive” in collective memory theory. I am pursuing archival history in both teaching and scholarship, as evidenced by my recent publication in the Archival History News and by an upcoming full-semester course I will be teaching on “The History of Archives and Libraries in the Western World” (Spring 2019) at Syracuse’s iSchool, and I would welcome the chance to help organize this important conversation about the development and perception of our profession within the framework of the Archival History Section.

Ashley Stevens (Historic Ford Estates)

My self-nomination is with the intent to continue with the work I’ve begun with AHS, specifically social media. I would like to continue along these lines with an eye to expand engagement with the archivists, graduate students, and organizations on Twitter. Outside of this work, I have seven years of professional experience in archives, chiefly government and now private non-profit. I believe this gives me a unique perspective on archival matters and interest in archival history.

Susan Tucker (Tulane University)

My interest in being part of the Steering Committee of the Archival History Section rests on a long and varied enthusiasm for promoting an understanding of records. This interest is evidenced in my editorship of a book on the history of scrapbooks (2006); authorship of ethnographic studies, articles, and a book on the gendered and nuanced intersections of genealogy and archives (2002- 2017); and writing on, and teaching about, records within activities as diverse as women’s colleges, art education, sewing, Mardi Gras, music, and environmental activism (articles and exhibition catalogs written, and courses taught, 1992-2015). It would be a privilege for me to use this background in support of AHS’s programs and newsletter. I feel strongly that in the age of technology, the Steering Committee could do more to reach people who cannot come to the Section’s annual meetings (as I myself many years could not), and welcome and mentor new members. With others on the Committee, I would also like to explore how we could be an advocate for the profession’s retention of the name archives as our own, and could expand the history of archives beyond the borders of academia and profession. I hold a Ph.D. in Archivistics from the University of Amsterdam. I worked for almost thirty years building the Newcomb Archives of Tulane University, and I have served a number of local, state, and regional professional associations. In 2017, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities honored me with its award for Lifetime Contributions. For the past three years, in retirement, I have been involved in curating and coordinating exhibitions for the New Orleans Tricentennial.