2017 Election

Chair-Elect/Vice Chair candidate

Debra Schiff (Deb)

Local History Librarian at Chester Public Library in Chester, NJ; also Archivist at the Plainfield Historical Society; and Archival Consultant.

I wish to be part of the Lone Arrangers Leadership to give back to the Section and others who come to us for help because the Lone Arrangers have always been so helpful to me. As you can see from my resume, for the past four years, I have been very actively involved in the leadership of the History & Preservation Section of the New Jersey Library Association. Now that my past-presidency is drawing to a close, I wish to turn my service energies to the Lone Arrangers.

In the next three years, I would like to see the Lone Arrangers more involved with education in SAA, perhaps producing hands-on workshops specifically for Lone Arrangers and those individuals smaller institutions. I can imagine us partnering with regional archives consortiums and organizations, as well as statewide groups, to accomplish this goal. From my experience as an archives and preservation consultant with the MARAC CAPES group, I’ve seen so many small institutions that are struggling with caring for and making their collections accessible. It would be great if we could become more of a resource for those places and develop relationships with them, and encourage partnerships with larger organizations to help them preserve, organize, and describe their collections.

We already provide so much good guidance from the listserv. Maybe it’s time we put together a series of free online guides (or videos!) based on the questions we receive and answer. Perhaps these aren’t just for the next three years, but ongoing programs that could have stewardship through subcommittees. Overall, I’d like to see the Lone Arrangers marshal their energies not just toward helping others to meet their goals (which is why folks think so highly of us), but also toward raising the awareness of what we do on a larger scale – not just advocacy for the profession, which is great, but for our Section specifically.

I also would like to see more networking events on a local or regional level. We are doing very interesting, good work, and should be sharing it with others in our field. Also, we’re fun and enjoy eating good food and socializing. I can imagine a “Tell me about your current project” meet up? Or, a “What’s the next exhibit you’re planning, and what kinds of challenges/joys have you experienced with it?” luncheon.

Deb Schiff is the Local History Librarian at Chester Library in Morris County, New Jersey, and the Archivist at the Plainfield Historical Society. She also serves as a CAPES consultant for the NJ Caucus of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), and is a private preservation consultant for archives throughout New Jersey. She is the New Jersey Library Association History & Preservation Section Past-President, and has served as an officer in the section for the past five years, and as Bylaws and Constitution Chair for two years prior. Deb has served the last four years as a member of the Society of American Archivists Lone Arrangers Section’s Steering Committee. She currently serves on the Programming Committee of the 2017 Fall MARAC in Buffalo, New York. She received her MLIS from Rutgers, and BA in Communication -- Radio, Television and Film, from William Paterson University (then College). Prior to changing careers in 2009, Deb was a consultant and freelance writer/editor for online software companies and technical magazines, respectively. She also held the positions of Senior Communications Specialist and Managing Editor, Magazines at IEEE, and was Copy Chief at Electronic Design Magazine.

Steering Committee Candidates:

Jim Havron, CA 

Archivist, Tennessee Annual Conference, Nashville, TN

Jim has practiced archives in small and large institutions for a number of years. His first position as a volunteer in charge of the historical records of a small organization required him to seek out books on archival practice and advice from archivists he had met while doing historical research. After he received formal training and experience, he went on to work in religious, government, academic, and public library archives and special collections. At times he was the only staff member, and at other times he was part of a larger staff but the only archivist. He has also served as an archives resource person for history and archives governing boards, and on information technology teams with an archives or records focus In such cases he was (and still is) serving as the sole professional voice for the archives profession among other professionals. Havron currently serves as special project archivist for the Tennessee Annual Conference, UMC and Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives, both in Nashville, TN. He also works as a consultant and contract professional in archives and information security.

Mr. Havron is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists. He has an MA in public history (archives management), and an MS in computer information systems (security and assurance). He has the SAA Digital Archivist Specialist certificate and is a certified cybersecurity/information security professional with a CompTIA Security+ certification.

He has served on boards and committees for SAA sections and roundtables, as well as other national and regional associations, and has held several positions as officer or committee member in state societies. Current memberships include Society of American Archivists, Southwest Society of Archivists, Midwest Archives Conference, Society of Tennessee Archivists, Society of Georgia Archivists, Commission on Archives and History for the Tennessee/Memphis Annual Conferences, UMC, and others. He is active in ISACA, a major professional society for information security and audit.

Mr. Havron entered the archives profession with the perception that information technology (IT) used in creating, preserving, and accessing records would soon outstrip the compatibility with the core competencies of the archives field. He likewise was convinced that IT professionals were not likely to fully understand the needs of the archives profession. His goal has been to acquire core knowledge and experience in both fields and bring that to bear on the relevant issues in the archives world. Because of the very rapid pace of technology growth and adaptation, Havron spends a good deal of time continuing research on the theories and changes in these fields.

His preferred method of educational engagement is nonacademic, so he has does presentations, workshops, blog posts, videos/Webinars, podcasts, and group and individual instruction. He particularly enjoys working with smaller groups/institutions for whom existing procedures and systems are unaffordable, impractical, or inappropriate. He strongly believes that outreach programs to establish partnerships between professionals that have resources and those who do not is necessary for the eventual survival of the historical record. Havron feels that the archival community, in and of itself, (let alone individual archives,) does not have the capability to preserve all that needs preservation in the world of records contained in dynamic and unstructured databases, robotic communication, Big Data, the Internet of Things, and a pace of obsolescence that has some recording media obsolete before the active life cycle of the record has run. He therefore constantly searches for innovative approaches to the obstacles we face.

Sara Borden

Archivist, Rowan University Libraries

Sara is the Archivist for Rowan University Archives and Special Collections (UASC).  Her responsibilities include overseeing the daily functions of the UASC, processing collections, creating access points, writing and editing finding aids, making decisions regarding digitization, working with on- and off-campus stakeholders, fielding researcher inquiries, and instructing students.  Prior to her current position, Sara was the Digital Services Librarian at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, where she oversaw digitization and digital history projects, as well as performed duties associated with rights and reproductions requests.  Sara also held positions at the Penn Museum and PhillyHistory.org.  Sara is a Certified Archivist who received her Master of Arts degree in History with a concentration in Archives from the Center for Public History at Temple University.  She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree through the Arcadia University Honors Program with a major in history and a minor in art history.  She is a has been an active member of MARAC since 2009, serving on the Membership Committee, for which she is the current Chair.  She is also a member of SAA and an enthusiastic participant in the Delaware Valley Archivists Group and Archives Month Philly.

Annie Tummino

Archivist and Scholarly Communications Librarian, SUNY Maritime College

As the Archivist & Scholarly Communications Librarian at SUNY Maritime College, Annie Tummino immerses herself in maritime special collections and advocates for Open Access while working in a historic fort by the sea. She is currently working on implementing ArchivesSpace for management of archival collections and building an Institutional Repository for scholarship, among other projects. 

Prior to joining the Maritime library faculty in 2016, Annie worked in a variety of New York based libraries, archives and museums, including Columbia University, Museum of the City of New York, Queens Museum, Metropolitan New York Library Council, Brooklyn College, Queens College, and the Department of Environmental Protection Archive. She received her Master of Library and Information Studies and Archives Certificate from Queens College in December, 2010.

Annie is also a social justice and feminist organizer, working with groups such as National Women’s Liberation and the Redstockings Archives for Action. She was lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, Tummino v. Hamburg, that successfully made emergency contraception available to women and girls of all ages over-the-counter.

Prior to attending library school, Annie worked from 2004-2008 as Manager of Realbirth Childbirth Education & Postpartum Support Center in NYC, and from 2002-2003 as an Information Counselor at Planned Parenthood in Springfield, MA. She received her BA in Women’s Studies and Social Thought & Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2002.