2020-2021 PLASC Steering Committee Candidates

Patricia Delara

Librarian and Branch Manager

Daly City Public Library, public library of Daly City, California

Candidate for Vice-Chair / Chair Elect

Bio: I am currently the Librarian and Branch Manager for the Daly City Public Library, and have previously worked as the Assistant Archivist at the GLBT Historical Society and a Processing Archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. My experience has been in both libraries and archives, as I am passionate about working in both areas. Within the public library setting, I believe that not only is it key to have the public be aware of their local history, it is also important to offer ways the community can continue to contribute to their local history. This belief is what ultimately drew me to join the Public Library Archives and Special Collections Section, where I have been a steering committee and At-Large member since 2017. Since then, I have been proactive in helping to spread awareness of what our section can offer to other library and archives organizations. In 2018, I conducted a brief survey of archivists - which included members of PLASC - working within a public library setting and presented my findings at SJSU iSchool's poster session. In 2019, I attended the California Library Association's conference to present on PLASC's efforts and ways our section can assist library workers that currently handle archives. I am currently PLASC's newsletter editor as we had relaunched our newsletter just this past year.

Candidate Statement: I am running for Vice-Chair of PLASC because I would like to continue to build on the efforts our section has worked on, these past three years especially. As Vice-Chair, I will continue to engage with new members and encourage them to share their experiences with us so we are aware of how to better advocate for them. I will continue to reach out to fellow library workers in local and regional organizations and share with them our resources. I will help to encourage existing members to take on leadership roles within our section so we can continue to reflect the different communities we represent. I am proud of the work our section has done and the steady progress we have made, and I feel strongly to help continue the work that we set out to do.

Dylan Gaffney

Information Services Associate for Local History and Special Collections

Forbes Library, public library of Northampton, Massachusetts

Candidate for Secretary

Bio: Dylan has been working in public libraries for over two decades, was awarded the Massachusetts Library Association’s Paralibrarian of the Year award in 2018, and has served on numerous committees and organizations in his community, including the Northampton Historical Commission, the Northampton Charter Review Committee, the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library Standing Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committees for Forbes Library and Historic Northampton. He has received numerous grants for his work at the library including the IMLS/Internet Archive Community Webs Grant, the IMLS Moving Memories Lab grant, and the Massachusetts 150th Anniversary Civil War Grant. He is a co-founder of the Northampton Film Festival, Cinema Northampton and the Bay State Hotel Music History Project. Whether documenting the indie music scene, building programming around the history of local abolitionists and formerly enslaved peoples, or helping patrons research the early LGBT movement in the area, he has been hard at work with his colleagues trying to fill in gaps or silences in the library's collection, and to make the archives better reflect the community which it serves.  He has presented at SAA, ALA, OHA, and Internet Archive meetings on these topics and looks forward to continuing the tremendous outreach, growth and advocacy of PLASC.  

Candidate Statement: I believe that public library archives and special collections are uniquely positioned to offer accessible historical resources to the public and involve community members directly in the documentation, interpretation, and preservation of their own history. I feel strongly that the archival field at large is being deprived of valuable input, perspective, and ideas by our relative lack of representation in archival professional organizations. I would love to continue spotlighting the work of public library archives, and amplifying the voices of our colleagues in the profession.