Election 2021

Open Positions

Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect – 3-year term, September 2021 – August 2024
Steering Committee Member (2 seats) – 3-year term, September 2021 – August 2024

Candidates

Vice Chair/Chair Elect

  • Lourdes Johnson

Steering Committee Member (2 seats)

  • Wendy Guerra
  • Catie Heitz
  • Heather Jager
  • Kendra Meyer
  • Kathryn Slover

Statements to Voters and Biographies

Vice Chair/Chair Elect

Lourdes Johnson

Greetings! My name is Lourdes Johnson. I am submitting my application to nominate myself as Vice-Chair for the Electronic Records Section. I am an early-career librarian and archivist. I graduated in 2019 with an MLIS from San Jose State University. Areas of interest are digital archives, linked open data initiatives, and digital preservation. In addition, I enjoy cultivating relationships, and I consider myself an outreach enthusiast! I am one of three members at large for the SAA SNAP section steering committee. In addition, I am one of the Programming Committee Leader and External Communications Team members for the BitCurator User Forum (#BUF21).

I work with talented and passionate digital archivists and digital preservation practitioners. I collaborate in the planning and organizing of the annual BitCurator User Forum event(#BUF21). So far, we have produced a preliminary schedule of lighting talks and workshops with a roster of at least 17 speakers! It will be an honor to serve the Electronic Records Section as Vice-Chair elect. I believe I can engage with our members by planning outreach and educational events.

 

Steering Committee Member (2 seats)

Wendy Guerra

Wendy Guerra is the Digital Initiatives Archivist at University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). She received her Master of Library and Information Science with a concentration in Archives from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In her role at UNO she is responsible for coordinating digitization projects, as well as the description and preservation of digitized objects and born-digital collections. She is tasked with managing a backlog of electronic records across local servers, cloud storage, a digital asset management platform, and a content management system. If selected for the opportunity to serve as a steering committee member for the ERS, Guerra hopes to share her experiences, learn from others, and advocate for those managing digital records with limited resources (time, staff, and/or funding).

Catie Heitz

I am a New York-based archivist and records manager with a background in digitization, metadata, and copyright. I believe that technology is a vital tool for reducing traditional barriers to access, such as cost, language, and physical boundaries. I am especially interested in how GLAM institutions can meet the challenges and opportunities posed by digital media and electronic records, while remaining mindful of the ethical and environmental implications of our actions. Balancing access, preservation, and sustainability in archives is a difficult but crucial conversation - one that I look forward to participating in.

I received a BFA and a BA from UMass Amherst, followed by an MLIS from Simmons University. I was first introduced to archives as a digitization and metadata assistant, and I have since worked in a few small, mostly arts-centric archives. Until recently, I worked at Harvard Art Museums as an Image Licensing and Copyright Specialist, where I handled many of the practical and ethical issues of making images freely available online. I am currently the sole Institutional Archivist at the American Academy in Rome, where I have been developing and implementing electronic records management policies and protocols for archiving born-digital materials. The ERS and other SAA resources have provided valuable guidance for this project, as well as throughout my career. As an ERS Steering Committee Member, I would bring the perspective of a small-scale archivist and records manager looking for pragmatic, cost-effective solutions that are also ethical and sustainable. I hope to actively contribute to programming and other resources that are accessible to individuals and institutions of all forms. I believe in the positive role that the ERS has to play in shaping the future of archives, and I am excited for the opportunity to contribute and to learn with you.

 

Heather Jager

Heather Jager is an Archives and Records Administration Officer at an International Organization in Washington, D.C. She received her MLIS from the University of Maryland and also completed their Digital Curation for Information Professionals (DCIP) certification program. Her current work focuses on the transition to a new document/records management system and implementing records management requirements in business systems. Her professional interests include digitization and digital preservation and exploring Distributed Ledger Technology as a tool for records management and archives.

My career has shifted from the processing and digitization of archival records (a reactive activity) to burgeoning the implementation of records management requirements and standards throughout all systems and processes (a proactive activity). The latter can be particularly challenging in that you need the support and buy-in from...everyone, including your own team, right from the get-go. I hope I can contribute to ERS as much as I hope to learn from all the bright minds here. I am particularly interested in learning about other’s experiences in advancing RM and archival technologies within their institutions in hopes to further the conversation on our field’s perpetual shift to a digital reality. We cannot completely protect the past if we ignore the future. 

 

Kendra Meyer

Hi, I received my MLS from St. John’s University followed by a Certificate in Archives from Queens College. I received my DAS certificate last summer. I am currently the Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Archivist at the American Museum of Natural History, where I help to implement the Research Library’s inaugural Digital Asset Management system. I am also piloting the collection of born-digital materials, by developing policy and workflows.

I am interested in becoming a Steering Committee member to share ideas, learn from others and more actively participate in this community. I am particularly interested in the intersection of analog and digital collections, accessibility, and budgeted digital preservation.

 

Kathryn Slover

I am interested in serving on the Electronic Records Section Steering Committee to get more involved in digital preservation and learn more from colleagues in this community. I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a M.A. in Public History and a focus on Archival Management. After graduation I held the position of Archives Assistant at the Rutherford County Archives from 2016-2018 and then worked as the Electronic Processing Archivist at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History from 2018-2020. I am currently the Digital Archivist at the University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections. I have been working with electronic records since 2018, but this is the first time I have really had the opportunity to be professionally involved with others working in the same field. I am excited about the learning and networking opportunities this position offers.