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The 2020 election is for Vice-Chair/Chair Elect and Member-At-Large. Election will run June 24th-July 15th. Section members will receive an email with a unique Survey Monkey link to vote.
We have 2 candidates for one position
Dyani Feige, Director of Preservation Services at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)
We have 3 candidates for one position.
Sawyer Magnus, Assistant Archivist in the Special Collections and University Archives department at Texas A&M University-Commerce
Heather Parks, Head of Preservation at Binghamton University
Tanya Yule, Project Archivist at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University
Scroll down for the candidates' bios and statements
Dyani Feige, director of Preservation Services at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), works with libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural organizations to conduct needs and risk assessments, assist in disaster planning, and help develop policy and planning documents for collections. She also develops and presents education programs on preservation and conservation concerns. Before joining the staff of CCAHA in 2010 as Preservation Specialist, Dyani worked in the Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives. She has also worked in the New York Public Library’s Preservation Division; for the Conference Board; and in the Special Collections & Archives at Kent State University. Dyani received her MS in Library and Information Science with a Certificate in Archives at Pratt Institute and her BM in Music Business from New York University. She is recognized as a Digital Archives Specialist through SAA.
STATEMENT: In my career at CCAHA, and previously in jobs working at repositories, I have been fortunate enough to work directly with a wide range of archival collections of all shapes and sizes. While understanding standards and best practices is important, I feel strongly that preservation is not a one-size-fits-all formula. I think I would provide a unique viewpoint to lead SAA’s Preservation Section in bringing my experience with the many different scalable solutions I have witnessed archives--large and small, urban and rural, related to artists and related to semi-trucks--implementing in order to be informed, responsible stewards of their collections. This concept of adaptability has been even more immediate in my observations within the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as archives have shifted to remote work and nearly all communication in the field is happening virtually. The need to keep preservation at the forefront of our collections decisions remains, in some ways more than ever before. I have been truly impressed to see the innovative ways that so many repositories have pivoted to maintain access while still strategizing ways to continue caring for collections during the “shutdown.” I would be honored and delighted to bring my experience and perspective to serve as the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect for SAA’s Preservation Section.
Sylvia Welsh, CA, is the Lead Archivist at the Harvard Property Information Resource Center. Prior to this position she worked as a Librarian / Archivist at Montserrat College of Art and Payette Architects. She has also independently consulted on architectural records processing and preservation projects. Sylvia has spent the bulk of her career working with visual materials in various medias (physical and digital) on various supports and managing their unique preservation challenges. Sylvia received her BA in Art History from the University of Oregon and her MS in Library Science with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons College. Post graduate training includes preservation and conservation training for works on transparent papers with Hildegard Homburger at the London City Archives, Preservation and Digital Preservation Assessment training from NEDCC, and courses in Bookbinding and Book and Paper Conservation at North Benett Street School. In addition to SAA, where she participates on the Preservation Section Communication Committee, Sylvia is also a member of the Society of Architectural Historians and the Guild of Book Workers.
STATEMENT: I would be thrilled at the opportunity to serve our profession as the Preservation Section Vice Chair/Chair Elect. Hands-on preservation related activities are what initially drew me to the profession when I was working as a student in the Image Library at the University of Oregon. My love for the subject only grew during my graduate studies as I learned about the various issues which impact our collections, especially visual resources, and how to mitigate them. As a professional I recognize that preservation cannot be disentangled from any aspect of archives management, from decisions on housing physical materials, to IPM, to disaster planning, and the challenges of digital preservation - all for the goal of ensuring future users’ access to our collections. I am particularly interested in inclusive education and outreach activities- collection preservation is a need for all repositories no matter the size, institutional affiliation, or budget.
Sawyer Magnus is an assistant archivist in the Special Collections and University Archives department at Texas A&M University-Commerce. In this role, Sawyer is responsible for establishing workflows for rehousing and preserving artifacts and artwork, contributing to discussions about institutional repositories and digital preservation concerns, acting as co-chair for the disaster preparedness and recovery committee for the university library, and processing and making available university and local history collections. He also has experience with book repair and binding, environmental management, integrated pest management, custom housing, reformatting, and basic conservation practices while working with the Preservation department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has a Master of Science in Library and Information Science with a Special Collections Certificate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018 and a Bachelor of Science in Historic Preservation from Southeast Missouri State University in 2016.
STATEMENT: Preservation has always been an area of interest of mine within the archives profession. My previous experiences have allowed me to develop a variety of skills and an understanding of the complexity and necessity of preservation as a whole. As a Member-At-Large for the Preservation Section, I would be able to bring my knowledge and experience with preservation to help guide and promote this section to our fellow members and other professionals. I am also interested in reviewing and publicizing preservation resources to assist others with preservation questions they may have. I appreciate your consideration and would be honored to serve as a Member-At-Large with the Preservation Section Steering Committee.
Heather Parks has been the Head of Preservation at Binghamton University for 3 years. She earned her MLIS from Florida State University and it was there she learned conservation field. That discovery led to a foundation’s degree in book conservation from Camberwell College of Arts. Throughout this push for conservation/preservation, she has been an academic librarian for over 11 years. At Binghamton, Heather had developed an IPM plan and disaster plan (that unfortunately has been tested) as well as both preservation and conservation studio policies. She has thoroughly enjoyed the teaching element of her job by holding classes for local K-12 librarians on book repair as well as classes in collaboration with the University Special Collections on book making techniques.
STATEMENT: Please accept my self-nomination to become a Member-At-Large for SAA’s Preservation Section. Throughout my education, I’ve had the pleasure of working in many preservation studios and also institutions without dedicated studios and staff as a part of employment, volunteer and internships. Every organization is unique and brings unique challenges and opportunities. A one-size-fits all approach is not feasible, and I’d love to be able to work with other committee members as we aid archives and studios around the country.
Tanya Yule is a Project Archivist at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University and former Public Broadcasting Preservation Fellow with the American Archives of Public Broadcasting. Tanya holds an MLIS and a Certificate in Digital Assets Management from San Jose State University, as well as a BFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute.
STATEMENT: I am excited to run as a Member-At-Large for the Preservation Section Steering Committee. As an early-career Archivist, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to facilitate a large off-site move (over 25,000 linear feet of materials), workflows for barcoding and stabilizing over 75,000 linear feet of collection materials, and now assisting with the implementation of a digital preservation system for mass digitization. By utilizing my background in photography and video preservation; I have been focusing on developing guidelines within my institution (based on community standards) to help enhance and broaden the understanding of format identification, for better handling and preservation. I am looking forward to working alongside so many incredible people in this community, and hope that my contributions will be meaningful.