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In 2024, the SAA Solo Archivists Section (SAS) will elect new leadership to fill the following positions: Vice Chair/Chair, Events Coordinator, Regional Representative, and Web Liaison.
Meet the 2024 Candidates:
Bio: Kim Bradshaw is the Records Manager of the Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM). She earned a Master’s degree in Art History and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Memphis, and she received her second Master’s in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee in 2020. A lifelong Memphian, Kim held positions at the Metal Museum and the Pink Palace Mansion before returning to her alma mater. Her 2022 work with the basement records of A. Schwab’s general store on historic Beale Street led to the launch of an online archive that contains over 4,000 items. She currently divides her time between the daily administrative tasks of museum operations and the archives she started after discovering sixty years’ worth of exhibition records in an AMUM storage room.
Candidate Statement: I’ve been a solo archivist for most of my career, long before I knew there was a name for it. When you’re part of a skeleton crew at a small museum, “wearing many hats” is a given, and you get used to rustling up grant funding for anything outside the scope of overhead costs and payroll. My first foray into archives involved digitization and metadata entry for a collection of 15,000 35mm slides, and it was only possible because I somehow convinced IMLS to give me $26,000 in 2015. In a way, I’ve done everything backwards: I would’ve been grateful for things like the SAS Buddy List and “Essential Resources” database back then, and I’ve enjoyed swapping stories with colleagues during virtual “Solo Sessions” meetups this year. I see the Solo Archivists Section as a net that grows bigger and stronger with every new connection, providing the strength and support that we can’t always get from our institutions. As a member of multiple SAA sections, I see the SAS Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect position as an opportunity to cast that net even wider. Thank you for your consideration.
Bio: After spending 20 years as a marketer in the entertainment industry, I decided to pursue my interest in asset management, archives, and information organization. In Spring 2021, I received my MLIS degree from San José State University, and in November 2021, I began working as the Archivist for Santa Monica Studio, an internal development team owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment, and best known for their PlayStation franchise, God of War. I earned a Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certificate from SAA in September 2022. I’m based in Long Beach, California. I got involved with the Solo Archivists section in 2023 and am currently one of the Regional Representatives.
Candidate Statement: Over the past year, my experience with the Solo Archivists section has been eye-opening. The section is filled with amazing solo archivists willing to offer their suggestions and advice to other members. Many of us feel overloaded with work and without internal peers to lean on, sometimes we feel uncertain about our work. The discussions, presentations, and initiatives of the Solo Archivists section are invaluable to me and my self-confidence as an early career archivist. As Events Coordinator, I will continue the work I initiated with the Buddy List and develop more ways for our members to connect to resources and to each other. As solo archivists, I appreciate that we all have limited time, and I want to make sure that the time that you give to SAA and the Solo Archivists section is worthwhile.
Bio: My name is Laura Kathryn Nicole Jones (it/its). I’m currently the Collections Manager at a small (four-person staff), rural historical association, the Grand County Historical Association, in Grand County, Colorado. I am the only employee in the collections ‘department.’ I was trained in both archival science and museum studies at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and graduated with my MLIS and GCMS (Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies) in May of 2023. I have been in this position, my first position out of graduate school, since I graduated last year.
Candidate Statement: During the last year as not only a lone arranger but also a lone collections department employee, in charge of managing and caring for the collections of four museums, I have learned a lot about the struggles of small, rural, underfunded, and understaffed institutions. While things have not always been easy and I strive to keep my head above the drowning waters of my to-do list each day, I have learned and developed invaluable skills that are often over-looked by staff who work in larger institutions: collaboration, multitasking, experimentation, time management, project management, creativity, and community support, to name a few. While these seem like obvious skills that everyone should relish, I can honestly say I did not truly develop these skills until I began this position; when you work with others, you don’t always realise how much you lean on their advice for support and miss the (sometimes scary) opportunity to jump into the unknown. At the same time, I understand how difficult and daunting it can be to find support when you work alone and live in a rural community without the funds or ability to frequently attend in-person professional development or other opportunities to connect with peers. With this in mind, I would like to run for the position of Regional Representative for Western Colorado and help connect other solo archivists to opportunities and colleagues so we can extend and grow our community like the deep roots of a pine on the edge of a crag, fighting against the winds of uncertainty and change.