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Thank you to all our excellent nominees for the 2020 Records Management Section steering committee election. Please take some time to review their candidate statements and get to know them.
You will be voting for:
Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through Survey Monkey; keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens.
The following candidate is running for the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect position:
Krista Oldham
University Archivist, Clemson University
Biography: Krista Oldham is the University Archivist at Clemson University, where her responsibilities include overseeing the acquisition, description, and preservation of University records, as well as supporting and promoting their use. Additionally, Krista is responsible for assisting in developing and managing a comprehensive, institution-wide records management program. She earned a M.I.S. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and earned both a M.A. in History and a B.A. in History from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Prior to starting her position at Clemson, Krista worked at Haverford College as the College Archivist/Records Manager for Quaker and Special Collections and at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Special Collections as the Senior Archivist and the Senior Archives Manager. In addition to her archival work, Krista served as Co-Director of the Arkansas Delta Oral History Project, an initiative led by the endowed Brown Chair in English Literacy. She is a co-author of The Arkansas Delta Oral History Project: Culture, Place, and Authenticity, which was published in 2016 by Syracuse University Press.
Statement of Interest: It is truly an honor to be considered for the position of Vice Chair/Chair Elect. I have witnessed first-hand and greatly appreciated the important work that the Records Management Section does, thoughtfully advocating for and listening to our member’s interests and needs and developing innovative programming and resources to support the important work of our members. Though I have only served on Records Management Section’s Steering Committee for the last year, I have embraced every opportunity to deepen my engagement through multiple activities because I believe that I have a responsibility to contribute and help foster the exchange of ideas, provide opportunities, and encourage professional growth among our intellectually-vibrant Section.
As the Section’s Vice Chair/Chair Elect I will continue to advocate for our community of practitioners, cultivate communication, and seek input and dynamic involvement to find constructive and creative solutions for the new challenges that we encounter in our profession. In closing, I am honored by this nomination and if elected, I pledge to do my best to further strengthen the Records Management Section. Thanks for your consideration!
The following candidate is running for an open position on the section steering committee:
Ryan Leimkuehler
University Records Manager – Kansas State University
Biography: My name is Ryan Leimkuehler and I am the University Records Manager for Kansas State University and I have served in this role for three years. I earned my MLIS from Emporia State University and an MA in History from Missouri State University.
Statement of Interest: I am interested in serving on the Records Management Section because I have participated in many discussion board posts and recognize how helpful this section has been in the development of my records management skills as an early career professional. I have seen how active this section is and I am eager to further learn and develop leadership in this committee. I look forward to building and growing a group of peers within this community.
The following candidates are running for the newly established Early Career Member positions:
Madison Chartier
Metadata Librarian, Oklahoma State University
Biography: I am the Metadata Librarian for Edmon Low Library’s Digital Resources and Discovery Services at Oklahoma State University (OSU). I achieved my Master’s in Library Science degree from Indiana University Bloomington in 2018, with a concentration in archives and records management. As Metadata Librarian, I develop metadata application profiles and review all metadata for OSU’s born-digital and digitized collections. I manage a student metadata team and train student employees, faculty, and staff on fundamental metadata practices and project-specific metadata needs. In addition to metadata training, I assess, propose, and implement intra- and interdepartmental workflows to facilitate more effective, accurate metadata creation. My insights into metadata needs and archival processing procedures were influential in recent departmental restructuring to improve metadata creation, review, and feedback. I am going into my second year as a faculty member of OSU Library’s team.
In addition to my responsibilities as OSU Library faculty, I am an active member of the Digital Library Federation Assessment Interest Group Metadata Working Group (DLF AIG MWG). I am serving as a co-facilitator for this year’s DLF AIG MWG, which recently saw the publication of a white paper analyzing survey response data concerning institutions’ awareness and establishment of metadata quality benchmarks. The group is currently exploring a new project to initiate widespread community dialogues about metadata departments’ practices and adaptations with the COVID-19 pandemic. I also volunteer as a Carpentries instructor, leading workshops on data cleaning with OpenRefine and facilitating sessions on Python. I was a member of the American Library Association and the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. I am currently a member of the Mountain Plains Library Association and the Oklahoma Library Association.
Statement of Interest: Records management is the essential function of all information institutions. Consisting of multifaceted stages and processes, successful records management necessitates several departments and professionals, dedicated to specialized tasks. However, with the continued development of electronic resources and technological standards, information institutions find themselves striving to adapt to new circumstances and opportunities. They have to repair ruptures and disconnects between the traditional management practices with analog materials and the needs of emerging electronic media. They also face challenges of preservation, security, provenance, and maintenance that a mix of digital and analog materials poses. Formerly isolated departments and exclusive spheres of professional experience find themselves increasingly collaborating. They must share their knowledge and experiences to incorporate the advantages of digitization and metadata while accommodating traditional analog processing. Spaces where professionals can share their expertise and skills are more integral than ever now, as information institutions continue evolving with technology, revised practices, and new standards.
I am an early-career metadata professional. I develop and advise on metadata practices, but my initial training was in archives and records management. I find myself often considering archival processing procedures and the records management lifecycle when developing metadata workflows for digitization projects. In the past year, I have worked to establish closer collaborative partnerships between OSU Library’s Archives, Scanning Services, Oral History, and Metadata departments. Each department oversees processing of certain designated collections, and each department must create their own metadata for those assigned collections. Metadata is so integral to successful long-term records management, and so pervasive in modern library practice, that knowledge and working experience with it can no longer be reserved to an exclusive group of metadata professionals. All library departments, as integral agents overseeing records management lifecycle stages, need exposure to metadata fundamentals. Interdepartmental collaborations, therefore, are quickly becoming the new working order at OSU Library. I suspect OSU is not alone in exploring such interdepartmental collaborations, which is why I am actively seeking to connect and work with other professionals and institutions finding themselves on a similar track. As a community within the Society of American Archivists, I feel the Records Management Section could be the perfect forum to initiate discussions on how to facilitate greater interdepartmental collaborations and innovate new workflows. RMS has potential to serve as an intersection between a wide array of professionals with diverse skill and experience, capable of promoting effective records management while incorporating new technologies and standards. As an early-career member of the RMS Steering Committee, I hope to participate in productive dialogues and to bring valuable insights and questions to the table. I look forward to collaborating with professionals from a variety of institutions in adapting, developing, and implementing new records management practices to facilitate long-term recordkeeping in an increasingly evolving information environment.
Jes Martell
Records Center Specialist, Pennsylvania State University
Biography: Prior to my current position at PSU, I was working as a client service representative at a corporate emergency, referral, and general practice veterinary hospital in my area. After a year of working strictly in client services, I recognized the need for better records management within the hospital. I spent the remainder of my 6 year career in that position working with administration to develop a records management department where I served as the sole records analyst and records manager. After finding my passion for records management during my time in veterinary medicine, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself further and explore opportunities to become involved in record management on a larger scale. I joined the PSU Office of Records Management team on March 30, 2020 and have been working at our Records Center managing the storage, retention, and secure disposition of University Records.
Statement of Interest: I am very interested in being considered as a candidate for the early member position. While I do have some prior records management experience, taking on my new role as Records Center Specialist over the past 2 months has shown me that I had barely scratched the surface of what it means to be a records manager and so I would consider myself a new professional in this field with much to learn! I see the early member position as not only a great opportunity for me to receive mentorship but also a way to connect my institution with the SAA Records Management program.