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SAA-DSGS STEERING COMMITTEE 2026#01 MEETING
Zoom, January, 30, 2026
AGENDA
MINUTE
The 2026#01 SAA-DSGS Steering Committee meeting began at 4pm CST and was held via Zoom with the presence of Jordi Padilla-Delgado (Senior Co-chair), A.R. Flynn (Junior Co-chair), Kate Burns (Programming Coordinator), Lou Hines (Member at large), Brittany Newberry (SAA Council Liaison), and Ron Martin-Dent (attendant).
POINT 1
After an introductions time the meeting started with point 1: the topics related to the requirements by the Society’s Council as a Section. The Section will celebrate elections in the Spring to fill four positions:
-Junior Co-chair (1 position)
-Social Media and Web Liaison (1 position)
-Steering Committee Members at large (2 positions)
In September Lou and Max end their positions as Members at large and Flynn will become Senior Co-chair. So, the Section has to elect next Spring these three open positions plus the position as Social Media and Web Liaison, as the call for applications was unsuccessful last year.
The Section must have a report on the activities developed by Early Career Members, Lark and Madison, in September. We have to decide if we want to apply in Spring for having more Early Career Members the next year. It could be interesting to renew, but maybe we should have a talk about how to organize the work and participation of ECM in the Section.
We have the Annual Meeting to be held probably in July or late June. And finally, there is also the Annual Report we have to deliver in September.
POINT 2
This point addresses the ways in which ECM can take a more active role in the Section. Archives In Rainbow blog is one area where we could incorporate early career members as part of an editorial board which would be temporarily managed by Kate as Programming Coordinator until we fill the position of Social Media and Web Liaison. Early career members could select topics and write blog posts every other month so that we are maintaining at least one post per month.
Other ways that early career members could participate would be in helping to organize a webinar or series of webinars on topics related to LGBTQ+ archives and archivists, for example on young professionals who are dealing with this topic. Our annual meeting last year with David Advent and Carmela Furio touched on this. We could also explore other topics such as awareness of censorship and destruction of LGBTQ+ archives and memories due to the political climate, or to interview LGBTQ+ archivists who are facing challenges in their workplace. We could also focus on the Section’s history as we approach the 40th anniversary to be held in three years.
POINT 3
We update the microsite last year, but we have these following points inherited from an old meeting:
1-The introduction of new sections and activities
2-The renewal or revamping of the Lavender Legacies Guide. The Lavender Legacies Guide is a list of LGBTQ+ archives in the USA and Canada created by the Section and closed in 2012. There hasn’t been any update since then.
3-Tips on how to start queer memory work / archival work
4-Potentially collaboration with Invisible Histories
5-Terminology updates: Thesauri, Library of Congress, Subject Headings, etc.
6-How to start a Reparative Archival Description project within queer archiving
All of them are interesting projects, but we need some helping hands to work and some time to dedicate.
POINT 4
Going back to the management of the Archives in Rainbow (AIR) blog, in the past the section has identified these three areas as needing to be addressed:
- Streamlining the design.
- Improving accessibility of the site.
- Coordinating content.
As already mentioned, one way that we could address some of these concerns could be to create an editorial board to coordinate contributions. This is something that Lark and Madison, and future Early Career Members, could be a part of and could be the main contributors of content. It might be a good idea for every member of the steering committee to contribute to one blog post per year so that it doesn’t all fall on the ECM.
POINT 5
Then the meeting went to talk on this year’s activities topic:
-The creation of content for Archives In Rainbow.
-The presence at ARCHIVES AND RECORDS 2026. As far as we know, there is no presentation about LGBTQ+ archives and archivists this year. Maybe there is the possibility of managing some Conversation Lounge as Lou did last year if anyone wish to do. And we are collaborating in the organization's subcommittee for the Diversity Forum inside the Diversity Committee.
-We will have our Annual Meeting. We must think about the presentations for the meeting, as we said at point 2.
POINT 6
We want to hear your ideas on how we can better collaborate and network. These are some of the ways in which we are currently collaborating:
- As mentioned, we are working with the Diversity Committee in this year’s Diversity Forum organization.
- We continue the joint work with the Sex-Affective and Gender Diversity Archives and Archivists Working Group of the International Council on Archives. After the ICA Declaration on LGBTQ Archives and Archivists we are drafting a text for an LGBTQ Archives Policies and Best Practices Guide.
-And thanks to Lou’s Conversation Lounge at ARCHIVES AND RECORDS 2025 we are in contact with Invisible Histories and happy to collaborate with them in any way we can help.
POINT 7
Then arrived the most important point of the meeting: the participation from all the attendants. Here we had some thoughts to open the discussion:
-The lack of engagement by Section’s members: what’s the meaning in being a member of the Section (we are more than 300), and then you don’t participate in the Section’s activities, even as an attendee?
-The goals for the Section
- How to better network and support each other on the steering committee. Are people interested in having more frequent meetings so that we can address concerns and strategize the year better?
-How to serve better the archival community and the members
Lou intervenes to say that we can profit the contact we did last year with Invisible Histories at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2025’s Conversation Lounge. We are happy to keep contact with them.
Madison agreed with being part of the AIR Editorial Board, jointly with Kate.
Lou explained the problems with the SAA listserv. Brittany apologized saying that this is a common problem inside the Society.
Brittany also updated us with the latest news form the Council and announcing that the deadline to apply for the Component Groups Fund is March. She also responded to Lou’s worries reminding that the Society has a Bill of Rights and we have to work strongly for safer workplaces.
Flynn suggested to meet every two months. Everyone agreed. We also agreed to publish at least one post per month at Archives In Rainbow.
Ron introduced himself as an ECM and explained his problems to affiliate as an SAA and DSGS member. He didn’t know about the existence of AIR nor SAA Connect as the platform to communicate between members and from SAA to members. SAA is not good boarding new members, and he didn’t believe he could attend ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2026. He also explained his experience working with LGBTQ+ collections in Rochester.
Brittany recognizes the issues with SAA Connect, that is more conceived as an archive for Sections documents and activities more than a way to contact. So, she encouraged the Section to contact outside SAA Connect, opening a Discord channel for example. Madison agreed and offered to open the channel, and suggested also to have informal Coffee Chats as do other Sections to maintain the contact and create a more intense sense of team. She also talked about her work collaborating with Invisible Histories and that she has a connection there.
Ron agreed on the creation of a Discord channel and that he can help share the link when made. He also commented a study on LGBTQ+ archivists in Virginia and the censorship cases they confront. He didn’t’ know about the recent ICA’s Barcelona Declaration and Jordi said to send him the link to AIR and the post about it.
Brittany asked for help for SAA members who can't afford their membership quote. She also updated us on the latest Council news: in-person meetings at A*R are resuming in 2027, and they are recruiting experts or people with experience in AI for archives. Brittany also mentioned that there will be a workshop in March for the SAA and Sections elections.
Flynn asked about the possibility of having a secretary. The Section’s Standing Rules don't include one. Brittany says the rules would have to be changed. Given the difficulty and complexity involved in opening a new process to update the rules, which were recently updated in February 2025, one possible solution could be, until it becomes necessary to open that process in the future, a volunteer secretary appointed each September from among the members of the Steering Committee (a member at large, for example) to hold that position throughout the year until the following September.
Kate asked on a list of topics to publish in AIR. We can deliver it as soon as possible.
And with no further interventions from any of the people present, the meeting concluded without incident at 5pm CST.
ADOPTED DECISION
This is the list of adopted decisions:
1-Members agreed to meet every two months for check ins and team building. Lou could send out another availability poll for the last week of March/early April.
2-Flynn will share link to google drive folder and members can start adding documents.
3-Madison to take a stab at setting up the Discord channel.
4-Leadership meeting March 19th that at least Flynn will attend but others are welcome to join.
5-Kate willing to spearhead editorial board for blog and help coordinate posts.
6-Early career members to support the blog and all committee members to contribute at least 1x per year.