Officer and Steering Committee Candidates for 2015-2016

SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISITS

Archival History Round Table

Election of Officers

2015-2016

The election of new officers for the Archival History Roundtable will be held for the following positions: Vice Chair/Chair-Elect and Steering Committee (3 available positions). We also will vote on a propsed change to the Round Table's bylaws.

Each candidate was invited to submit a brief background statement of experience and interest in the Archival History Roundtable.

Candidate for Vice Chair/Chair-Elect:

Eric Stoykovich (Library of Congress)

I seek the post of Vice-Chair of the Archival History Roundtable. For the past two years I have served as a member of the Steering Committee of the Archival History Roundtable. In the past year I collaborated with AHRT leaders to create an up-to-date bibliography of secondary sources that reflect the richness and diversity of archival history. By April of this year the Steering Committee released this 35-page bibliography on AHRT's microsite. 

Currently I work as a Digital Conversion Technician at the Library of Congress, where I assist five different divisions of the library to digitize special collections. I have also worked on contract at the National Archives, for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the University of Virginia, the Jefferson Library at Monticello, and the University of New Hampshire Library. I completed a PhD in history in 2009 and a Masters of Library Science in 2013. I am a Certified Archivist in good standing through August 2019.

If elected to the position of Vice Chair, I will pursue new initiatives, such as improving the new bibliography to possibly include annotations, coordinating reviews of recently published works that tell stories involving the use or preservation of archives, as well as creating a second bibliography that collocates pre-1898 "primary" sources (published or manuscript) which mention "archive" or archiving. I will also engage in the new tools of social media, such as the new Archival History twitter account, to raise awareness of histories about archives. I will work to foster new collaborations with academic and government historians, such as those represented by the Society for History in the Federal Government. I will continue to listen to the needs and opportunities of the 800 members of the Archival History Roundtable. Thank you for your support.

Candidates for Steering Committee:

Kelly Kolar (Middle Tennessee State University)

I am interested in serving on the Steering Committee of the Archival History Roundtable. I am an Assistant Professor in the Public History program at Middle Tennessee State University, where I teach archival management and history courses and am the faculty advisor to the MTSU SAA student chapter. I received an MLIS with an archives specialization and PhD in Russian History from UCLA.  I have also worked at the Wende Museum and Archive of the Cold War, the UCLA Performing Arts Special Collections, and USC Special Collections. My specific research interest is Soviet archives. I am currently working on a manuscript on the development of the Soviet archival system and its role in the Bolsheviks’ attempts to create a usable past for the early Soviet regime.  More broadly, I am interested in all archival history and the intersection of the disciplines of history and archives.  I believe that my research interests, and administrative and leadership experience can be of service to the AHR Steering Committee.  

Linda Meyer (Colorado State University)

I have a keen interest in the history of archival institutions, and would enjoy the opportunity to work with other members of this SAA roundtable.  I have been a member of SAA for over a decade, and a few years ago wrote an article about the history of my own institutional archives that was published in the Journal of Archival Organization (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15332748.2011.640889#abstract ).  My current research interests include the histories of academic archives at land-grant universities and the holdings of local, academic, and government archives related to agriculture in the American West.  

Lorraine Madway (Wichita State University)

I am interested in serving a second term on the Archival History Roundtable Steering Committee in order to contribute to discussions and activities which promote knowledge of archival history to members of our profession.  During the past year I contributed sources to Eric Stoykovich’s immensely helpful bibliographies of archival history and several noteworthy dates in archival history to the calendar Alison Clemens created for our Twitter account.  Participating in the AHRT Steering Committee’s work has enabled me to share my knowledge of archival history and collective memory with colleagues and to help stimulate further interest in these subjects among SAA members and the broader community.  After more than a decade of experience, first as a professor of archives and presently as the Curator of Special Collections and University Archivist at Wichita State University Libraries, I remain committed to expanding opportunities for archivists to act as vital cultural resources.  To be effective advocates to members of the public that documenting history is as stimulating as it is important, it is essential for us to engage in a similar process of learning about our profession’s own past.  This focus will help us increase understanding of the archival mission among archivists and build collaborative relationships that enrich our professional lives.

Robert Riter (University of Alabama)

I am an assistant professor and archival studies coordinator in The University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies. I teach courses in archival studies, book and archival history, and information policy and ethics. I hold leadership positions in the Society of American Archivists, the College Book Art Association, and the Society of Alabama Archivists. My primary concern in seeking leadership in the Archival History Roundtable is with working to develop and implement the infrastructure necessary for supporting archival history and archival history scholars. Library and book history are supported by active scholarly and professional organizations, which has served to strengthen these disciplines, and to create an institutional home for scholars in these areas. The Archival History Roundtable is well positioned to serve a similar role, one that is necessary if archival history is to continue to mature as a research practice. I look forward to facilitating this discussion, and with my colleagues, working to strengthen the Roundtable, and the archival history community.

Proposal for Bylaws Change:

In order to expand the recruitment and nomination period for roundtable officers, it is proposed that section IV.D of the bylaws be changed as follows:

The Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the positions of Vice-chair and Steering Committee member every June May to all roundtable members via the roundtable’s official email discussion list and website. A slate of candidates shall be established by the officers and announced to roundtable members no later than June 15.