Candidates for Vice Chair/Chair-Elect (one three-year term):
Leah Rios
Biography
Leah Rios-Wicklein is an archivist in the Prints & Photographs Division at the Library of Congress, where she works extensively with 20th century documentary photography, prints, and drawings. Her work centers on stewarding and expanding access to large-scale collections, with particular emphasis on the contributions of women photojournalists and African American photographers and printmakers. She began her career at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, and later served as a manuscript archivist at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she developed expertise in managing complex archival collections. Leah holds a B.A. in Studio Art and an M.S.L.I.S. with a concentration in archives and special collections from the University of Arizona. Her professional interests include expanding access to visual materials and fostering more inclusive and representative archival collections.
Candidate Statement:
I am eager to serve as Chair-Elect of the Visual Materials Section to build on and strengthen the collaboration that already exists across institutions, advancing shared approaches to stewarding visual materials. Our field benefits from ongoing exchange, and I am committed to continuing to create and support opportunities for practitioners to share policies, workflows, and strategies in helping us refine our practices and avoid duplicating effort. A key priority for me is enhancing the discoverability and accessibility of visual materials through dialogue around evolving descriptive practices and standards. I am particularly interested in how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are being integrated into our work. As these tools continue to develop, the section can play an important role in supporting informed, practical conversations that help members navigate both implementation and uncertainty. I would value the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful and impactful way to the section’s continued work by supporting knowledge-sharing, inclusivity, and innovation within the visual materials community.
Sara Cordes
Biography
Sara Cordes is the Digital Collections Librarian in the California State Library's History Section, a premiere special collection of Californiana featuring historic books, photos, newspapers, periodicals, manuscript collections, vertical files, and more. She has worked in the GLAM sector since 2012 and has over 8 years of experience in special collections, focusing on visual materials, photographs, negatives, digitization, and digital asset management systems. Prior to academic and special libraries, she worked in informal education and museums. She has been involved in SAA since 2021, and more recently has been a participant in the VMS's Reading Group and a contributor for the Annotated Bibliography Project. She has also been involved in the Society of California Archivists, American Library Association, American Alliance of Museums, and the American Association for State and Local History. Sara holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon as well as a MLIS and a M.A. in Museology from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Candidate Statement:
I would be honored to serve on the Steering Committee in the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect role to continue my current work with VMS and contribute to the future of the section. I believe it is important to foster collaboration and strengthen a support network for those involved in specialized visual materials work. As Vice Chair, I would hope to create community within VMS and SAA and incorporate networking opportunities into our section planning and Annual Meeting programming. I have so enjoyed being a part of a group that has so much passion for their work and can only hope to empower others to contribute to conversations about the future of our field. There is exciting work ahead of us, and I would love to be a part of that effort in coordinating the section’s upcoming events, meetings, and more! Thank you for your consideration.
