Issues & Advocacy Roundtable 2015 Ballot

Vice Chair/Chair-elect (vote for one)

Christine George

Greetings, IART members. My name is Christine Anne George and I would like you to vote for me for Vice Chair. I’ve been on the IART Steering Committee for the past two years and am extremely proud of the work we’ve done. As a member of the Steering Committee, I’ve helped gather research that has been compiled into informative blog posts about issues, such as the news round up for the situation at the University of Oregon and an update about litigation involving the Belfast Project. For the past year, I’ve been contributing to IART’s social media (Facebook and Twitter) to draw attention to situations affecting archives and archivists locally, nationally, and globally. As Vice Chair, I will work with the Steering Committee to continue to bring awareness to the issues that archivists are facing today and provide information and resources to advocate for their profession as a whole as well as their individual positions as archivists.

Christine Anne George is the Archivist & Faculty Services Librarian at the Charles B. Sears Law Library, SUNY Buffalo. She is currently finishing her second term on the Issues & Advocacy Steering Committee and is continuing her term on WAR’s Steering Committee. She received her M.S.I.S from the University of Texas at Austin School of Information, her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, and her B.A. from Bard College. Christine has presented and published on issues such as archival privilege and advocacy.

Steering Committee (vote for four)

Laurel Bowen

I am the University Archivist at Georgia State University, a public university where I provide records and reference support to meet the business needs of university administrators, academic and research needs of faculty and students, and personal needs of alumni and taxpayers who fund us.  I have an M.A. from Cornell University.  I believe one of the best ways to increase public awareness and appreciation of the value of archives and archivists is to demonstrate the many powerful and sometimes unusual ways that records can be used.  For many years I have used archival skills and public records to advocate for residents whose lives will be negatively impacted by unwanted developments (rezonings of property) in their communities.  Current interests include:  (1) How do we as a profession advocate effectively for citizens, records, and the public interest when public officials can be elected with mega-contributions from a few sources?  (2) What strategies can be employed to persuade officials to provide timely access to public records?

Jeremy Brett

Jeremy Brett is the Processing Archivist as well as the Curator of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Research Collection at Texas A&M University. He received his M.L.S. and his M.A. in History from the University of Maryland-College Park, and a B.A. in History from George Washington University. In addition to Texas A&M, he has also worked at various times for the Wisconsin Historical Society, the National Archives and Records Administration-San Bruno, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Iowa. He has also been a consultant for the Council of State Archivists. His research and professional interests include zines and zine culture, science fiction, archives as sources and tools of social justice and change, and archival advocacy.  He is the immediate past Senior Co-Chair of the Issues & Advocacy Roundtable, and has been either Chair or member of the Steering Committee since 2010. He is also a member of SAA’s Committee on Archives and Public Policy, and in addition has been involved for a number of years with the Midwest Archives Conference.

"It is vitally important to our profession that we as archivists have the resources and opportunities to become effective advocates for ourselves, for our collections, for our users, for our institutions, and for our profession as a whole. I am proud of the contributions I have helped make to the I&A Roundtable over the last five years to make these resources and opportunities available, and would welcome the chance to continue. The Roundtable is, and must continue to be, a safe space for passionate professional voices to make themselves heard on the subjects of advocacy and outreach in all their forms. Let's go forward together to keep making this a reality for all of us."

Tommy Brown

Tommy Brown is Assistant Archivist at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.  He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, his masters in history from Georgia Southern University, and his PhD in history from Auburn University.  His research focuses on southcentral and southeastern Alabama during the era of the American Civil War.  He is also researching the history of the Freedom of Information Act and will be presenting a paper on this subject at this year’s meeting of the Society of American Archivists in Cleveland. 

Roxanne Dunn

Roxanne Dunn, Special Collections and Archives Librarian at Kent Library, joined Southeast Missouri State University in July of 2013 after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a master’s degree in library and information science. She also earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois in 2005. Dunn is responsible for providing reference and instruction services to students, faculty, staff and community members at Southeast and also coordinates the department’s archival processing projects and access to the Rare Book Room. Working in a department that is not well understood by its parent institution has given Dunn much experience early in her career about how to advocate for archives. Dunn has learned to recognize new issues that arise for the department while still advocating for the more conventional concerns as well. Some of these concerns Dunn has addressed during her time at Southeast with include lobbying successfully for institutional records to come to the University Archives, increasing funding for the care of rare books (in progress), and assessing the instructional component of the Special Collections and Archives Department. Dunn has presented original research on hoarding and its effect on acquisitions and appraisal in archives at professional conferences. She also has previously volunteered for a books-to-prisoners program and considers library services to prisoners amongst her professional interests.

Maureen McCormick Harlow

Maureen McCormick Harlow is the Digital Librarian at PBS in Arlington, VA.  Among other responsibilities, she assists in managing the organization’s significant collection of legacy analog and digital materials.  She is also involved in a large-scale digitization project of PBS’s obsolete media.  Maureen graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012 with master’s degrees in Library Science and Public Administration.  She previously worked at the Duke University Archives and was a 2013-2014 National Digital Stewardship Resident at the National Library of Medicine.

Maureen has a passion for archival advocacy and believes in the need for libraries and archives to self-advocate both within and outside of their larger organizations.  This type of advocacy gives greater visibility into the workings of archives to decision-makers and allows for a better understanding of our missions and value.  She is excited about the possibility of serving on the Steering Committee and hopes to be able to engage in archival and SAA advocacy in a more formal way.

Tara Kelley

I've been a moving image cataloger, librarian, and archivist at New York Public Library since 2012. I began at NYPL's Library for the Performing Arts viewing, processing, and cataloging the Mikhail Baryshnikov Archive, and now work in the Moving Image and Recorded Sound division at the Schomburg Center. Also, I am a founding member of the Association of Moving Image Archivists' Film Advocacy Task Force. We promote the continued use of film (alongside digital) for archival preservation and creative choice. SAA member since 2008, AMIA member since 2010. I came to last year's SAA conference to promote AMIA, staff their booth, and look for ways we could work together. I'm a great admirer of SAA (and ALA) advocacy efforts and would love to be a part of the Issues & Advocacy roundtable. I'm an archivist constantly working on that elevator pitch. Every day, I meet somebody new; and "what do you do?" is an opportunity for advocacy. I enjoy promoting our profession and want to make it easier for others to do so. As a member of SAA and AMIA, I see value in partnerships with similar organizations. We share common concerns and could extend our reach by working together.

Ginny Kilander

Ginny Kilander serves as the Reference Services Manager at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, where she has worked in Reference since 1999.  She has an MA in American Studies from the University of Wyoming and a BA in Anthropology and Folklore from Indiana University. She has been an SAA member since 1999.

I would like to be a member of the I&ART Steering Committee to become more involved with advocacy efforts on behalf of our profession, our varied institutions, and our many collections.  My years in the area of reference have provided me with opportunities to explain and promote our profession, and I would very much like to expand on this advocacy, collaborate with other archivists, and promote and expand the advocacy toolkit.

Alison Strankrauff

I’m Alison Stankrauff, Archivist and Associate Librarian at Indiana University South Bend. I’m committed to being vigilant for the archival profession and the archival record that we collect, protect, make accessible. When either of those are in danger, I believe it’s my duty to do my part to personally advocate for what’s at stake – and motivate others to do the same – with a collective voice.

By-laws Update

The Steering Committee would like to make changes to Section F of the By-laws, Elections and Terms.  The changes will implement staggered terms so that the entire steering committee is not re-elected each year, and will also impose term limits to give more opportunities for roundtable members to participate in leadership.  Old language is struck through; changes are underlined.  Please vote to approve or deny.

F. Elections and Terms

As of this time there is no official Nominating Committee for the I&A Roundtable; if needed in the future this committee can be added through an amendment to the Bylaws.

Instead, the Chair and the Vice-Chair solicit candidates for the next year’s Steering Committee and/or Chair/Vice-Chair positions as needed, using the Roundtable’s listserv and/or website, and receive the names of volunteers or persons recommended. They then prepare an appropriate slate of candidates and their statements for general Roundtable membership to vote on.

Roundtable Chair, Vice-Chair, and Steering Committee members are elected via electronic vote by the general membership of the Roundtable four to two weeks prior to the week of the Annual General Meeting of SAA.

As officers, the Chair and the Vice-Chair serve terms that total two years each. Upon completion of his/her term as Vice-Chair, that officer succeeds to the office of Chair for the next term. Their terms are to be staggered such that no year will bring in two brand new Chairs (i.e. 2010-2012 and 2011-2013), so that an experienced Chair or Vice-Chair will share leadership at all times.

Each officer is expected to attend the Annual Meeting.

Steering Committee positions are one year two-year terms and will be staggered such that no year will bring in an entirely new Steering Committee (i.e. two members will serve 2016-2018 and two members will serve 2017-2019). and must be voted on each year.  Steering committee members may hold their position for two consecutive terms of two years (four years total), and then may not be re-elected for a minimum of two years.  Steering committee members who wish to run for Vice-Chair must do so at the end of their first term or must wait for two years following the end of their second term to run.  Each Steering Committee member is expected to attend the annual meeting or be involved virtually as needed.

The Steering Committee will ensure that there is at least one nominee for Chair, one nominee for Vice-Chair, and four nominees for Steering Committee. All candidates for election must be individual members of SAA and the Roundtable and must provide a statement for their election. it is recommended that Steering Committee members be present at the Annual Meeting but it is not required. The Committee will publicize the candidates on the Roundtable website and via the I&AR and Archivists listserv at least one month preceding the Annual Meeting. The committee will prepare a ballot and conduct an election four to two weeks prior to the week of the annual Roundtable meeting, electronically. Only members of the Roundtable may vote; members may vote only once. Candidates with the highest number of votes shall be elected. New leadership assumes office at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the Roundtable.

Section elections

1.  
   
   1. Sections will conduct annual elections via an online ballot system provided by the SAA staff. Members must vote via the online ballot.
   2. Formal calls for nominations will be issued by the section leadership and collected by June 1.
   3. Basic ballot information (e.g., introductory message to voters, listing of offices, number of vacancies for each, names of candidates, and links to candidate statements) will be submitted to the SAA staff by June 15.
   4. Supplementary ballot information (e.g., candidate photos, biographies, and statements), if desired, will be posted by the section leaders to the section website by July 1.
   5. Online ballots containing basic ballot information will be prepared by staff and made accessible during the first week of July and will remain open for at least two weeks.
   6. Section members who are in good standing on June 30 are eligible to vote. Members who join after this date will be eligible to vote during the following year.
   7. Ballot results will be reported by staff to the section leaders in order to be announced at the Annual Meeting.

The Steering Committee shall appoint any other vacancies to fulfill unexpired terms of elected positions, after which a normal election shall occur.