MARS 2022 Section Meeting July 12 Registration

The SAA Military Archives Section Steering Committee is excited to announce that the section's annual meeting will be held virtually on July 12, 2022, from 3-4 PM (CST). Our speakers for the section meeting will be Rizwan Ali of the National Security Research Center at Los Alamos National Laborator, and Matthew Peek, former Military Collection Archivist for the State Archives of North Carolina. The section will not be recorded, and can only be attended live this year.

Speaker Information

Rizwan Ali is the Director of the National Security Research Center (NSRC), Los Alamos National Laboratory's classified library. As the Director, he sets the strategic direction for one of the largest libraries in the United States. Riz has more than 30 years of experience in library/archive oversight, cyber security, and network engineering. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, whose career included commanding multiple large units in the United States and in combat zones. Riz also has extensive international work experience with NATO and U.S. partners in the Middle East and Africa. After retiring from the military, and prior to starting at Los Alamos National Laboratory, he was a fellow at the nonpartisan think-tank, New America.

Ali's Talk Description:

The National Security Research Center is Los Alamos National Laboratory’s classified library. The NSRC traces its lineage to the Technical Library formed by J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project. Today, the NSRC is one of the largest scientific / technical libraries in America with collections that number tens of millions from the Manhattan Project era through today. This presentation will provide background on the NSRC and its collections, as well as examples of the transformative work related to artificial intelligence / machine learning implementation; the establishment of high-speed digitization labs; and the development of innovative communications outreach products to attract scientists and engineers to utilize the Center’s services.

Speaker Information

Matthew Peek is currently the Associate Director of the University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections in Houston, TX. Previously, he served as the Military Collection Archivist in the Special Collections Section of the State Archives of North Carolina, from November 2014-February 2022. While the Military Collection Archivist, he worked to increase online access to the multiple war period categories' holdings, and to increase post-WWII holdings in the collection. Peek also managed the North Carolina Veterans Oral History Program for the state, which began operation in 1996 with over 1,150 interviews conducted to date. 

Peek's Talk Description:

From 2016 to 2020, Peek planned and helped lead with the State Archives of North Carolina's Digital Access Branch two major digitization projects to commemorate the centennial of World War I and the 75th anniversary of World War II. The project involved reprocessing older collections to prepare them for digitization, working with digitization staff on supply descriptive information, and working to promote the materials throughout the state of North Carolina. The impact of the projects will be discussed, and how these digitization efforts led to other major projects to make the state's military history more accessible.

American Archivist Reviewing Participation

Also, Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke (Reviews Co-Editors) from the American Archivist Reviews Section are going to give a brief presentation on how members of the Military Archives Section could get involved to serve as reviewers for the journal. There often are military-related publications that come across their desks, and they are looking for MARS members' expertise in this area to assist in reviewing them.

You can view updates on and register for the meeting on the SAA website here: https://bit.ly/3NZG1xV. Hope to see you there!