2022-2023 Candidate Statements

Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2022 Public Library Archives and Special Collections (PLASC) Section 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:

• One Vice Chair/Chair-Elect (or Co-chair), for a two-year term; and
• One Secretary, for a one-year term; and
• One Webmaster, for a one-year term

Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through Survey Monkey; keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens!

Vice Chair/Chair Candidates

Joanna Kolosov
Special Collections Librarian & Archivist
History & Genealogy Library, Sonoma County Library

Bio: I work for the History & Genealogy Library, one of three special collections of the Sonoma County public library system in Northern California. My day-to-day is a mix of local and family history reference based on print, digital and manuscript collections as well as county government archives; archival processing; digital projects and outreach. I have been building the library’s web archive collections with ArchiveIt and testing new digital preservation services. I also work in disaster preparedness with my colleagues and a network of local organizations to protect historical materials from the impact of natural disasters. I have worked in public libraries for five years and previously, as a project archivist at UCLA, Pepperdine and for community archives. While studying at the University of Michigan, I was a fellow under theArchival Education and Research Institute (AERI) and an active SAA member. I received my MLIS from UCLA, where I practiced archiving as documenting through oral history and filmmaking.

Candidate statement: Transitioning from academia into public libraries, I found it difficult to sustain my connection to the archives profession. I see now what I have been missing – being able to talk with others who work in the same setting – and that it can be found in PLASC. I am grateful that this steering committee has been building a space for dialogue and sharing resources. I would be honored to join the committee if selected as vice chair to learn from you all and contribute to accomplishing the collective goals of 2022-2024. I will bring my whole person to this position, including a renewed drive to foster mutual understanding, uplift each voice and celebrate our achievements.

Secretary Candidates

Catherine Oseas Champion
Assistant Archivist
Birmingham Public Library Department of Archives and Manuscripts

Bio: I am Catherine Champion. I have been the Assistant Archivist in the Department of Archives and Manuscripts at the Birmingham Public Library for 9 years. Before that, I attended the University of Alabama SLIS program where I founded the student chapter of Society of American Archivists. I have lectured throughout the Birmingham area and around the state. I have received the John Cotton Dana Award for my co-directing of the Letter from the Birmingham Jail worldwide reading on the 50th anniversary of its writing. In 2022 I was nominated and won the Newlen-Symons Award for Excellence from ALA’s Rainbow Round Table. I have been a member at large with PLASC since 2019.

Candidate Statement: I enjoy participating in the profession on a national scale and helping to advocate for Public Library Archives and Special Collections. I understand the unique qualities and obstacles that face Public Archives and Special Collections. I see enormous benefit in engaging in dialogue for the benefit of other institutions as well as my own edification. Public Archives are often misunderstood and I would like to help correct some of the common misconceptions in a way that is accessible to the public.

Webmaster Candidates

Susan Keane
MLIS Student

Bio: I am currently working in circulation at several area public libraries, and am volunteering to digitize collections at the Arlington, Mass. Historical Society. I am a student member of SAA, pursuing an online master's degree in library/information science at UAlbany, SUNY. Although I am a newcomer to the library and archival professions, I acquired many related skills through a long career as editorial director at a small nonprofit. Specifically, I was content manager for several websites, and managed content migration for a new website launch in 2020 (WordPress). I enjoy using digital platforms to organize and present information in creative ways that will interest and engage others.

Candidate Statement: I am interested in the role of webmaster because I would like to contribute to the great work PLASC is doing to connect and engage members. With a long career in a small nonprofit, I know how important and helpful it can be to share experiences with others and find new ways to think about challenges and issues. More broadly, I’d like to help advocate for library archives and special collections – there is so much rich information available as well as stories to be discovered and told. As a current master’s student, I would welcome the opportunity to connect with and learn from those working in the field.