- About Archives
- About SAA
- Careers
- Education
- Publications
- Advocacy
- Membership
Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2024 Metadata and Digital Object Section (MDOS) election. Please take some time to review their candidate statements and get to know them so you can make an informed choice.
You will be voting for:
Three year terms:
Two year term (completing term for previous member):
Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through Survey Monkey; keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens!
Thank you to all of our members who voted on the fast-tracked special election to update the MDOS Standing Rules. The referendum passed, therefore this year’s election for the previously named Social Media Coordinator will now be for the Communications Liaison.
The following candidates are running for the Co-chair position:
Digital Project Specialist, Library of Congress
Laura Drake Davis is a Digital Project Specialist at the Library of Congress, where she is in the Moving Image Section at the National Audio Visual Conservation Center, a position she has held since 2017. She is currently in an acting supervisory role as the Acting Unit Head for the Metadata Management and Digital Content Unit within the Moving Image Section. In her role as a Digital Project Specialist, Laura’s work is currently focused on born-digital moving image content and video game holdings. In her previous position at James Madison University, Laura was responsible for the launch of the institutional repository, including developing procedures – including those for describing digital content including special collections items (manuscripts, photographs, and oral histories), university publications, and faculty, staff and student publications.
I am excited for the opportunity to work with colleagues across the Section on metadata and highlighting the practice of providing greater access to digital content and documenting the technical and preservation characteristics of this content. I will focus on collaboration and transparency in metadata practice as there is so much we can learn from each other - what vocabularies are used; how institutions scale metadata creation; and how metadata practice continues to evolve. I look forward to exploring these topics and more with the Section.
Archivist, The Mariners' Museum and Park
Leland Riddlesperger is an Archivist at The Mariners' Museum and Park. Since accepting this position in January of 2023, he has implemented the institution’s first Digital Preservation Policy and Digital Preservation Strategy Group. He also manages the processing and preservation of born-digital content as well as other archival collections. He holds his MSLS from Pennsylvania Western University, and studied History at The College of William & Mary. Leland is an active member of DLF’s Born-Digital Access Working Group, and recently served a term as Co-Coordinator.
Having recently completed my Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certification through the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and currently working towards a certification in Metadata and Technical Services through Library Juice Academy, I now feel even more empowered to get involved in influential groups such as the Metadata and Digital Object Section (MODS) Steering Committee. I also bring experience having successfully navigated terms in similar leadership roles. Notably, I served as Co-Chair of the UC Born Digital Content Common Knowledge Group and Co-Coordinator of the Digital Library Federation's Born Digital Access Working Group, where I became well-acquainted with the responsibilities and expectations of such positions. I am eager for the next opportunity to continue contributing to my field and am committed to serving the SAA community to the best of my ability.
The following candidate is running for the section steering committee:
Digital Projects and Metadata Librarian, Union College
I am the Digital Projects and Metadata Librarian at Union College, Schaffer Library and have been in the position for five years. I earned my MSIS in 2009. I'm interested in digitization, especially image standards, as well as photogrammetry, inclusive metadata and mitigating harm in digital collections. I've served as the co-coordinator of the Metadata Assessment Interest working group with DLF and participated in the Project Managers working group.
I'm excited to have the opportunity to actively contribute to the Metadata and Digital Objects section as well as SAA as a whole. My background is in cataloging and metadata and I am looking forward to having more interaction with those in the field of Archives and learning from my peers. I will bring enthusiasm to listen and contribute to discussions.
Archivist for Digital Collections, Furman University
As Archivist for Digital Collections at Furman University, Nashieli Marcano coordinates existing digital archival efforts related to the Institution’s racial history and expands the Libraries’ digital collections in areas related to DEIA. Nashieli's current scholarly interests range from issues in academic librarianship, digital preservation and digital humanities. Her latest co-edited book, Academic Librarian Burnout: Causes and Responses, is an invitation to sustain dialogues about burnout in our work environment, to study its nature and causes, and to advance preventative and mitigative interventions.
Given the increased production and use of born-digital scholarship within our academic communities, the evolving nature of the scholarly record, and the ways in which digital humanities and open access movements are transforming our learning and research practices, we must continuously adapt to these ever-changing conditions and challenges presented to us. It is critical for the SAA's Metadata and Digital Object Section community to continue creating and sustaining venues for dialogues for the advancement of our profession, especially as it relates to the enrichment of digitization efforts, the enhancement of digital objects, and the implementation of more inclusive and accessible metadata standards. As Steering Committee Member, I want to play a significant part in supporting the mission and objectives of MDOS. I am particularly interested in engaging peers in discussions and the programming of events that would build our capacity, leverage resources, and build community. Thank you for your consideration.
The following candidate is running for the Communications Liaison position:
Library Resident, Clemson University
I am an early career librarian seeking opportunities of service and interest to expand and grow in cataloging, metadata, and archival management.
I am the South Carolina Library Association Social Media Coordinator on the marketing team. I update our social media pages with news and events promoting our various committees. I can assist in setting up Zoom meetings and tasks.
