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Chair-Elect: Three-year term - first year Chair-elect, second year as Chair, and third year as immediate past Chair
The main responsibilities of the vacant position are providing leadership & direction for the Security Section. This includes, but is not limited to, planning the annual meeting, holding additional meetings as needed to evaluate activities/direction of section, sending relevant announcements to the section via the listserv, and updating the section's blog and microsite with news and resources.
James “Jim” Havron C.A., has worked in government, private, and academic archives, as well as public library special collections. His graduate degrees, an M.A. in public history (archival management), and an M.S. in computer information systems (security and assurance concentration), both come from Middle Tennessee State University. He has experience with records, manuscripts, and other media, and is a member of The Academy of Certified Archivists, a holder of the Digital Archivist Certification of the Society of American Archivists, and holds the CompTIA Security+ cybersecurity certification.
He held a position as Archivist/Coordinator and Oral History Projects Coordinator for the Albert Gore Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University for a number of years, working particularly with electronic records, developing access and security for databases, and doing some work managing aspects of the center’s network security. Prior to that position, he was archivist for the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church and an archivist with the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library. He has also worked for Dell Computers and does cybersecurity consulting. He has been with SAA for a number of years. He is particularly involved with emergency preparedness/disaster recovery, security threat and risk assessment, and understanding cybersecurity for archivists.
I have been a professional archivist for a number of years, but I entered the field with the specific plan of also becoming an electronic information professional. I felt, even over a decade and a half ago, that the ability to preserve and understand the records being generated by most entities depends on the ability to preserve and understand electronic records. While most archivists will learn to do this on some level as their carriers progress, I felt then and now that there was a need for people who had the core professional training in each field, thereby being able to work where the professions meet. In the process I developed an understanding that professionals often need a different viewpoint when they work outside the areas they normally work, one coming from professionals in that new area.
I think of security holistically. It is part of all we do. Because so much information, both static and transactional, is in an electronic format, cybersecurity must be part of the “whole.” Prior to obtaining my information systems education, I was already specializing to some degree in security. I have always felt that providing a secure environment for records and people, as well as preparing for disaster recovery, was an essential component to what we do as archivists. This was reinforced when I entered the cybersecurity/InfoSec (information security) world as the primary targets for maintaining security were identified as CIA. “C” for confidentiality- records/information should be kept securely confidential when appropriate. “I” for integrity of data- all that is possible is done to verity the records and other information that might provide context for interpreting them. “A” for availability/accessibility- records should be accessible to the appropriate people at all times. CIA is also a good summing up of most of what we do as archives professionals.
I have discovered that, at least in cybersecurity/InfoSec, security slips from the mind as a priority unless the mind is specifically trained to examine security as second nature. This requires access to the proper resources, as well as an understanding of the source of danger and a willingness to do the training. As members of SAA’s Security Section, we have resources we can share, as we do on the list and blog, and as professionals we can find ways to share these resources of skill and knowledge with others. The rate development and implementation of electronic information creation, use, and storage, and threats to these practices, grows too quickly to handle without reaching out. I advocate finding as many platforms as possible to reach out to ourselves and others, providing possible solutions to dealing with rapidly growing and changing issues in security. I would like to see more professional discussion on different types of threats, either via online forums, Webinars, or personal meetings. I would like us to advocate for regional and state organizations to provide workshops and forums on things such as general security, disaster planning, and cybersecurity. I feel that the section does well in its discussion forums and news dissemination as it is, but should I be elected I hope to have the chance to help us become more proactive in taking these things to others.
Blake Relle received his Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in archive management from LSU in 2013. He obtained his bachelor's degree in accounting from Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans in 2007. Currently, he serves as an Archives Specialist at the Louisiana State Archives. In this position he fulfills request for materials made by the public as well as state agencies. Also, he processes and creates a DACS compliant finding aid for each collection transferred to the Archives. From 2013 to 2015, he served as a digitization intern at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. In this role, he scanned items from the Museum’s archives including photographs, photographic negatives, propaganda leaflets, journals, flight books, and letters.
Professionally, Relle has presented on “How to get new archival professionals involved in archival organizations?”, and “Should archival professionals do continuing education?” At the SAA meeting in August of 2016, Relle was on a panel that discussed how archives and museums can provide access to their collections to people with disabilities. Relle serves on the Steering Committee of the Government Records Section (SAA) as well as on the Louisiana Archives and Manuscript Association (LAMA) Scholarship Committee.
By serving on the Leadership Team of the Security Section, I will have an opportunity to help develop solutions and best practices that will help keep archival collections secured. Threats to our collections can come in many forms as well as come from internal or external forces. By exchanging ideas and coming up with solutions, we can work towards keeping our collections secured for the enjoyment of future generations. We must be proactive in keeping our repository’s collections secured.
The Leadership Team of the Security Section is proposing a Standing Rules change, augmenting the organization of the Officers. Currently, the Security Section Officers is a group of 3 individuals: a Secretary (1-year term), a Junior Co-Chair (first year of a 2-year term), and a Senior Co-Chair (second year of a 2-year term). The proposed change will maintain a 3-person leadership team, but will do away with the Secretary role in favor a single, annually-elected position with a three-year term (year one as Chair-elect, year two as Chair, and year three as immediate past-Chair).
Below is the text of the proposed Standing Rules change with the deletions struck out and the additions underlined:
IV. Governance
A. Officers. The officers of the roundtable shall be a Senior Co-chair, a Junior Co-chair, and a Secretary. The Junior Co-chair shall be elected annually for a two-year term, serving in year one as Junior Co-chair and in year two as Senior Co-chair. The Secretary is elected annually and may not serve more than three successive years.
The three-person team of officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Chair-elect, and an immediate past Chair. The Chair shall be elected annually for a three-year term, serving in year one as the Chair-elect, serving in year two as the Chair, and serving in year three as the immediate past Chair.
B. Nominations.The Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the positions of Chair-elect Junior Co-chair and Secretary every June to all Section roundtable members via the Section's roundtable official email discussion list and website. A slate of candidates shall be established by the officers and announced to Section roundtable members no later than June 15.
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