2023-2024 Candidate Statements

Thank you to our excellent candidate for standing in the 2023 Public Library Archives and Special Collections (PLASC) Section election. Please take some time to review the candidate statement below 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.

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

Charmaine Bonner

Supervising Archivist & Librarian

Anne T. Kent California Room, Marin County Free Library System

Bio: I'm the Supervising Archivist & Librarian with the Anne T. Kent California Room. The California Room is the local history archive for the Marin County Free Library System in the North Bay California area. I've been in this position for two months researching, creating an inventory of collections and drafting plans to develop an archival processing guide, strategic plan for creating finding aids, a collection development policy and other archival management workflows. I've also been familiarizing myself with the community and collections in both research and reference interactions with patrons. I've previously worked as an archivist at Emory University and Arizona State University. As well as a public school librarian position in Arizona. As a graduate student at North Carolina Central University, I worked as an intern with the SNCC Project at Duke University where I became familiar with oral histories and archival processing. I've previously served as vice chair of the Women Archivists Section from 2020-2021.

 Candidate Statement: I'm passionate about making archives and history accessible for all. In my short time working in a public library, I've learned some of the challenges that can present themselves in making materials accessible. I'd love to be able to update and add to the resources on the PLASC microsite to assist others through these challenges. If selected as vice chair, I would make it my mission to host workshops and or virtual collaboration sessions for the section membership to brainstorm with one another. I feel it is deeply important for those working in public library archives/special collections to feel supported and these ideas are some of the ways to support one another. I believe there is strength in numbers. Increasing section engagement and scholarship will assist us all in having the information and language to communicate with internal and external stakeholders about the archives/special collections. I look forward to learning from one another.