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The two positions for which we are holding elections this year are Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and two members of the Steering Committee. Position descriptions are as follows:
The individual elected to this post will serve as a member of the Steering Committee and co-chair of the Electronic Records Committee for 2015-2016. The next year, this person would become chair of CPR followed by another year as immediate past chair (member of Steering Committee and chair of Nominating Committee). Consequently, this post is actually a three-year commitment in time and energy.
Two individuals will be elected to serve two-year terms on the CPR Steering Committee. During their first year, the members will serve on the Nominating Committee followed by a year on the Program Committee.
Title: Associate Director
Institution: W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University
Education: BA in History, Beloit College and MLIS, University of South Carolina
Debbie is the Associate Director of the W.R. Poage Legislative Library at Baylor University. Debbie joined the faculty of Baylor University in November 2012. In the spring of 2015, she assumed a more senior role in the day-to-day activities at the Poage Library and was recently promoted to Associate Director. Prior to Baylor, Debbie worked as the political papers archivist at the University of Florida. She currently serves as a member of CPR’s Steering Committee and is a member of the SAA’s Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy (CAPP). In 2015, Debbie and her five CAPP colleagues were awarded SAA Council’s Exemplary Service Award. Debbie attended the University of South Carolina where she received her MLIS and worked as a graduate assistant at South Carolina Political Collections.
From 2008 to 2010, I became familiar with the workings of a modern congressional papers repository as a graduate assistant at South Carolina Political Collections (SCPC) at the University of South Carolina. From 2010-2012, I completed a two-year term to process the Senator D. Robert “Bob” Graham Papers at the University of Florida. The Graham Papers project allowed me the opportunity to bolster my skills and continue to grow as a professional archivist. Since 2012, I have served as the Bullock Archivist in the Poage Library; I oversee all processing activities at the Poage Library. This includes establishing overall organization for collections, creating finding aids, determining preservation needs, and assisting with acquisitions of collections. In the spring of 2015, I assumed a more senior role in the day-to-day activities at the Poage Library.
I have an active record of service in my day to day professional responsibilities but also to the broader archival community, including being a CPR Intern (2010), CPR Steering Committee (2014-present), CAPP (2014-present). My work at three different congressional repositories has strengthened my relationships with colleagues and deepened my field experiences. I am enthusiastic, sincere and focused.
I envision a CPR that continues to lead and innovate. In particular, the work coming from Electronic Records Committee is superb, and continuing to pool our shared experiences to define a clear path to addressing our digital distress is a top priority. I also see CPR as an incubator for leadership within our field but also to the broader SAA framework. To that end, I would like to see CPR develop an extension of our dynamic pre-conference programming throughout the year. For instance, the case study method used by the ERC might provide a template for engaging our membership on other issues and provide opportunities for writing and debating “hot topics” within the field. Similar to the ERC case study effect, such pieces can be used as springboards for deepening the impact of education and outreach efforts in congressional papers and beyond.
Institution: University of Montana Mansfield Library
Education: B.A., American Studies & History, Northwestern University, 2008
M.S.I, University of Michigan School of Information, 2012
Baltimore-born and raised, I have been bouncing around the country (and the globe!) for the better part of a decade. Significant milestones in this journey include the National Museum of Ireland – Prehistory and Archaeology; Smithsonian Folkways’ Ralph Rinzler Archives; the University of Michigan’s School of Information; rural and national archives in Fort Portal and Entebbe, Uganda; the Bancroft Library at UCBerkeley; and finally the University of Montana’s Mansfield Library, where I am currently working with former Montana Senator Max Baucus’ papers. Research interests include the American folk revival, the Northern Irish Troubles, and social memory. Life interests include running on trails, craft beers, the Grateful Dead, and spoiling my two cats.
I have been working for the past year and a half on the Max Baucus Papers. [Max Baucus is Montana’s longest-running Senator, serving 35 years in the U.S. Senate. He is currently the U.S. Ambassador to China.] The Baucus Papers, a mixed-media collection, constitutes just over 1,000 linear feet and includes photographs, audiovisual materials, and 1.4 TB of electronic records. Prior to this project, I worked with a similarly-sized gubernatorial collection at UCBerkeley, the papers of former California Governor Pat Brown. Since beginning work on the Baucus Papers, I have been active within both CPR and ACSC (Association of Centers for the Study of Congress). I currently serve on CPR’s Diversity Task Force.
Along with heaps of energy and enthusiasm for the field, I believe I bring a unique perspective to the Steering Committee. Working in a variety of cultural heritage institutions and geographical locations has certainly molded my identity as an archivist, and allowed me to broadly consider archival principles in a global context. These experiences have really impressed upon me the significance and impact of archival material in modern society—particularly the crucial understandings and dialogues which manifest when individuals, societies, and governments explore both their modern and historical identities through the lens of historic material and artifacts. I believe that the diversity of my professional experiences, in addition to a passion for beltway politics in general (you can usually find me listening to C-Span radio, NPR, political podcasts or—currently—Robert Caro’s LBJ biography on tape), allows me a greater awareness with which to approach my work and professional activities.
There have been some great thought-provoking discussions in the field lately regarding social justice, white privilege, and the meaning of diversity in archives: I feel that we, as political papers archivists, have a unique opportunity to examine these issues in the context of Congressional/political collections. In this vein, I’d like to see CPR build on the work currently being done by our Diversity Task Force and broaden the scope of discussions regarding diversity, a sentiment espoused by SAA President Dennis Meissner in the March/April 2016 issue of Archival Outlook. This can manifest in a variety of ways—panel discussions at the pre-conference session, collaboration on scholarly papers, outreach initiatives, re-examination of our diversity statement—but it would be great to really dig down into how political papers and congressional collections, often dominated by white heteronormative narratives, fit into this dialogue. I would also like to see CPR continue the fantastic work that is currently being done with electronic records, as well as persist in efforts to educate legislators about the importance of active records management and archival preservation.
Title: Political Papers Archivist and Assistant Professor of Librarianship
Institution: Drake University
Education: MA in American History, Indiana University Bloomington
MLS, Indiana University Bloomington
BA in History and 19th Century Studies, Monmouth College (IL)
Hope Grebner is Political Papers Archivist and Assistant Professor of Librarianship at Drake University Archives and Special Collections where she manages the political papers collections. She serves as co-chair of the Communications Committee for the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress and as a task force member of the ACSC’s The Great Society Congress digital exhibition. She is also a member of the Midwest Archives Conference and the Consortium of Iowa Archivists.
My experience with congressional papers began during an undergraduate research project on a politician from my own hometown -- Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen of Illinois. That project took me to the Dirksen Congressional Center, where I fell in love with archives (and politics). From there, I processed parts of the Birch Bayh senatorial papers at Indiana University as a graduate student. During that time, I also interned in the Senate Historical Office where I gained experience working with electronic records and committee records. After graduation, I was a project archivist at the Indiana University Modern Political Papers Collection where I processed the papers of Senator Richard Lugar, Congressman Dan Burton, and Congressman Mike Pence. In 2014, I became political papers archivist at Drake University. My primary duties include processing the papers of Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Neal Smith, as well as curating the Iowa Caucus Collection. In my role at Drake, I also work closely with the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement where I am able to assist in integrating the archival collections into their public policy work and outreach to local, national, and international communities.
Commitment. Passion. Purpose.
I am committed to the task of collaborating with donors and potential donors to grow the volume of congressional collections and to increase the study of congress. I am passionate about making the legacy of these former public servants come to life through exhibits, presentations, lectures, and other initiatives. I see a clear purpose in my vocation and for CPR to find new and creative ways to make these collections more accessible and user friendly.
In addition to continuing CPR’s exceptional work with electronic records, I would like to see the roundtable expand its outreach to scholars and researchers. I have spoken so many scholars from different disciplines who find that congressional collections might be of interest to their projects, but they either did not know that the collections existed or where to find them. This could include increasing our visibility at academic conferences and providing reference sessions to these groups. It could also be that CPR could expand its outreach through collaboration among member repositories to create original content like digital exhibits, teaching modules, and subject guides.
Title: Digital Initiatives Archivist
Institution: South Carolina Political Collections, University of South Carolina
Education: BA in History and MLIS, University of South Carolina
Laura Litwer is the Digital Initiatives Archivist at South Carolina Political Collections (SCPC). She previously worked at Texas A&M University-Commerce, processing the papers of Congressman Ralph M. Hall, and as a temporary processing archivist and graduate assistant at South Carolina Political Collections. She holds a BA in History and MLIS from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of CPR’s Electronic Records Committee and the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress.
I have been employed as the Digital Initiatives Archivist at SCPC since April 2015. My projects include processing the digital component of Congressman John M. Spratt’s papers, working with the staff of congressional donors still in office, and organizing the digitization efforts of audiovisual materials in several congressional collections. My previous congressional papers experience includes spending almost 2 years processing the papers of Congressman Ralph M. Hall at Texas A&M University-Commerce and working with congressional collections during my time as a graduate assistant and temporary processing archivist at SCPC.
My experience in spearheading the development of electronic records programs at both a dedicated congressional papers repository and at a special collections department with only one post-World War II congressional collection, along with my service on CPR’s Electronic Records Committee, have enabled me to help the roundtable continue to address the electronic records issues faced by its members. My work experience has also allowed me to represent well the needs of both dedicated congressional papers repositories and small and medium-sized institutions holding modern political collections.
I would like to see increased programming in the areas of born-digital and digitized materials, outreach, and instruction, as well as further development of other roundtable resources related to working with born-digital materials.