2016 SNAP Election Nominations

SNAP RT 2016-2017 Ballot

Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Candidates

Megan Moltrup - University of Texas at Austin

My name is Megan Moltrup. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin this past May. During my time at UT, I specialized in archives and was involved in our student chapter of SAA. Last year, I served as our President, one of my major projects was working to organize a roundtable meeting for student chapter officers. I've worked in a variety of institutions including the Harry Ransom Center, Smithsonian Archives of American Art and in July, I'll begin working at the Library of Congress. I've always been involved in leadership positions in clubs and organizations throughout my educational career. I enjoy being able to help my peers in any way that I can and this position would allow me to continue doing that.

Katie Rojas - The University of Texas at San Antonio

Hi, my name is Katie Rojas, and I work as the Manuscripts Archivist for The University of Texas at San Antonio Special Collections. I have an MLIS with a concentration in Archives from The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2015). Prior to working for UTSA, I worked for the City of San Antonio’s Municipal Archives in various capacities (2013-2015). I have also worked as a digital cataloguing intern for the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library (Summer 2013).

I have been a member of SAA since 2013 and I am excited to attend my first SAA conference this August. In 2014-2015, I contributed to the SNAP Blog’s Year in the Life series, and participated as a protégé in SAA’s Mentoring Program. My other professional activities include membership in the Society of Southwest Archivists (since 2014), and participation in the Technologies & Website Subcommittee for planning the redesign of the Texas Archival Resources Online consortial website (2015-2016).

As a protégé, the guidance I received from my SAA mentor was invaluable, and it helped me to see how important it is to support and connect with others in the profession, especially for students and new professionals. Additionally, it has been incredibly helpful to see the experiences of both seasoned and new archivists in the SNAP community, and I hope to contribute to the continuation of engagement, support, and advocacy by becoming involved in an official capacity. Thank you for taking the time to consider me as a candidate for SNAP Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect!

Secretary Candidates

Rossy Mendez - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
 

My name is Rossy Mendez and I currently work as a Project Archivist at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. I graduated from Pratt’s MSLIS program in the spring of 2014 and have been an active member of SNAP for nearly 4 years. During this time I have attended meetings, participated in Twitter chats, and contributed blog posts.
 

I am interested in running for Secretary of SNAP because I believe in its mission.  SNAP has provided valuable guidance and networking during my library school years and beyond.  SNAP has been the place where I can connect with colleagues that share my interests in archival literacy, diversity, and social justice. I have had a number of project positions in a variety of settings and understand firsthand the challenges that new professionals face. I have been fortunate in that in my short career I have had the opportunity to hire interns and students and have been able to provide them with projects that make them competitive in the job market.
 

My qualifications for the position include volunteering for archival organizations including serving as the Social Media Manager of the Archivists Round  Table of Metropolitan New York and previously serving as the Event Coordinator of the Pratt SAA chapter. I have also served as secretary for other volunteer organizations and have been responsible for minutes, maintaining website information, and communication with members.
 

It would be my pleasure to serve as your secretary for the upcoming term.

Member-At-Large Candidates

Lauren VanDenBerg - University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
 

Hello all. I'm Lauren VanDenBerg, a recent MLIS graduate and current Archivist for the Congressman Barney Frank Collection at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. I have been a member of the SNAP roundtable since my first semester of my graduate degree. Now that I am not working 3 archives jobs and an internship I have time to get more involved and would love to follow in the footsteps of the individuals who have done an amazing job of serving thus far.
 

Kira Piper - Shippensburg University

My name is Kira Piper and I am currently enrolled in the MSLS program through Clarion University with a specialization in archival studies as well as the MA program in Applied History at Shippensburg University. I received my BA in history from Shippensburg University in May 2015. I am very interested in sharing my experiences and learning from others in the SNAP Roundtable. In my career as a graduate student thus far, I have been appointed head graduate assistant of the history department, volunteered at Shippensburg University’s archives and special collections, and will soon start my internship at the United States Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA, where I will be working directly with professional archivists and public historians. I believe that SNAP is a valuable resource for developing professionals and I would be excited and honored to serve as a steering committee member to share my experiences and learn from other professionals in the field. Being a very soon-to-be graduate of both a history and library science program, I am passionate about mentoring younger professionals and advocating for them in a very competitive job market. If elected to serve as a steering committee member for the SNAP Roundtable, I will make it my mission to help professionals who are just starting out in the field of archives and library science.

Thank you for your consideration!
 

Sheila Joy - Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg
 

My name is Sheila Joy and I was nominated for the Steering Committee Member position by Christy Fic. I recently graduated from Shippensburg University in December 2015, receiving a Master’s Degree in Applied History. I am currently employed as an Archives Assistant in the A.R. Wentz Library Seminary Archives at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTSG) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I am interested in serving as a Steering Committee Member because it would be a great way to connect with other professionals in the field.
 

I have leadership experience supervising interns, library staff members, and volunteers. I am also passionate about connecting archives with the public through social media. I participated as a panelist in the Rethinking Pennsylvania History in the Digital Age Conference in Grantville, Pennsylvania this past October, where I presented my experience contributing content to my graduate school’s library blog and social media sites. As the Archives Assistant at LTSG, I have experience creating, managing, and contributing content to the A.R. Wentz Library blog, which is in its early stages.
 

Becoming a member of the SNAP community would allow me to share and receive valuable information that would expand my skills and knowledge as an archivist, improving the institution that I serve. I would love to be part of a group whose exchange of information and ideas would not only benefit the SAA and SNAP communities, but the archives profession as a whole.
 

Nicholas Piontek - University of Michigan

Hello Steering Committee membership, my name is Nicholas Piontek and I am a 2016 Master of Science in Information graduate of the University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI). While at UMSI I had the privilege to serve as an elected co-officer of the student SAA chapter. My fellow officers and I were responsible for planning events for our membership that would benefit our members and the archival community. We hosted networking and resume workshops with local archivists, as well as archives blitzes at archives. My interest in the Steering Committee Member position stems from my experience in graduate school, and I believe that our SNAP community can play an important role in the profession and with our student chapters. Thank you for your consideration!
 

Katherine Madison - Heinz History Center Library & Archives
 

My name is Katherine Madison (though I go by "Kate") I am an historian-turned archivist, and I will graduate from my MLIS program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences just before the SAA Meeting in Atlanta this year. (2016!) I currently work as the NHPRC Graduate Student Intern at the Heinz History Center Library & Archives, and have formerly worked as an independent bookseller and social media manager, research assistant, teaching assistant, and museum intern. I am also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference and the American Historical Association.
 

At the University of Pittsburgh, I served as the President of our SAA student chapter and was recently awarded the SAA's F. Gerald Ham and Elsie Ham Scholarship for graduate studies. As an archivist with subject master's in early American history, I am interested in the digital humanities and historical memory. I find great joy in combining my processing work with outreach and advocacy about the archival profession and the documents in our care. (My final project of my MLIS degree has been to research "the use and representation of records in 'Hamilton.'") I believe in making archives accessible to as many users as possible.
 

I am interested in serving as a member of the SNAP Roundtable's Steering Committee because I want to give back to the archival profession, learn more about SAA (and share that knowledge with the members of the Roundtable), and to advocate for the needs and views of new archivists within the profession at large. Having gone through two very different graduate school programs, I am passionate about providing support and guidance (and grad-school/archives-based humor!) to current students. As I enter the world of new archives professionals alongside my current cohort, I hope to lean on the membership of the Roundtable for guidance, and to help shape the conversation, in turn.
 

Thank you for your consideration!