Candidate Statements for 2015 Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable Co-Chair Election

Lisa Calahan

I am the Head of Archival Processing at the University of Minnesota (2014-Present) and previously worked for the Black Metropolis Research Consortium at the University of Chicago (2009-2014). I hold an MLIS from Dominican University and a Master’s degree in Public History from Loyola University Chicago. I’ve been a member of SAA since 2009 and a Roundtable member of LAGAR, AACR, and WAR. In addition to my SAA and Roundtable membership, I served one term on the Cultural Heritage Working Group (2010), and as a volunteer for the AACR Awards and Nominations (2012-2013) and Internship Committees (2014). Locally, I am a member of the Twin Cities Archives Round Table (TCART), and was a member of Chicago Area Archivists since 2009, serving as an Events Committee volunteer, from 2011-2014.

Working in archives has taught me that there is no room for dichotomous thinking in collecting. I strive to create and support environments that reflect open and fluid dialogs with diverse communities, and focus on reexamine contested spaces to ensure that the power of history remains within the communities we serve. I am committed to LAGAR’s mission of broadening the audience of LGBTQIA archival material, supporting and strengthening our voice within SAA, and continuing and expanding the Roundtable’s reach in providing assistance to community-based archives.

Thank you for considering me as a nominee, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Roundtable members as LAGAR co-chair.

Miranda Mims

I have been a member of SAA since 2012. I am currently an Archivist in the Schomburg Center's Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division of the New York Public Library. Over the last five years that I have been with the Schomburg, in addition to my various archival and outreach duties, I have helped to develop and process the In the Life Archive (ITLA), which was created in 2004 to aid in the documentation and preservation of cultural materials produced by and about LGBT people, Same Gender Loving, queer, questioning and “in the life” people of African descent. Additionally, I also co-created and co-curate a film and literature program series called “Ordinary People,” which is currently in its third year. The program is an annual event series highlighting the black LGBT archival materials housed at the Schomburg Center.

I am interested in becoming more active in the Roundtable. I know LAGAR has been committed to the state of awareness of LGBTQ archival holdings in the United States and beyond. I feel that my programing and outreach skills, as well as my collection development skills, could be beneficial in helping to promote and guide the Roundtable. I am excited about this opportunity.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.