2016 Elections - Women Archivists Roundtable Candidates!

Co-chair Candidates

Stacie Williams: Stacie Williams is the Learning Lab Manager at the University of Kentucky's Special Collections Research Center, coordinating an undergraduate archives research internship, and she additionally teaches the graduate-level archives and manuscripts management course in UK’s School of Library and Information Science. She has previously worked at Tufts University's Digital Collections and Archives, the Harvard Medical School's Countway Library, and the Lexington (Ky.) Public Library. In 2013, Williams organized a panel at SXSW about ways that information professionals can influence and engage grassroots activism on Twitter, and she has co-published on topics such as community archives, cyberracism and information literacy. She is a 2010 ALA Spectrum Scholar and a member of the 2015 Archives Leadership Institute cohort. She holds an M.S. in library science with an Archives Management concentration from Simmons College, and a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. 

 Statement of Interest: I am incredibly interested in serving as co-chair on the Women Archivists Roundtable, as I find that it is nearly impossible to be an archivist without discussing, in- depth, various issues related to women, such as labor, pay, management, and historical documentation of women's lives and contributions to our larger culture. Further, I am interested in  contributing an intersectional praxis to our work that addresses the ways in which race, class,  physical ability, and sexual identity affect how and for whom we do our jobs. I believe that serving in  a leadership role on the roundtable is the best way to advocate for the issues we face as women  archivists, and to help bring us together for the betterment of the women we document.

Steering Committee Candidates

Alexis Antracoli: I am Assistant University Archivist for Technical Services at Princeton University’s Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library where I leads technical services operations. Previously I worked as Records Management Archivist at Drexel University and Project Archivist and Archives Assistant at the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library. I received my MSI from the University of Michigan School of Information in 2011. I am active in regional and national professional organizations, having served on SAA's Records Management Roundtable and on several MARAC committees, and have published on web archiving and the archiving of born-digital audio visual content. In addition to women's issues, my professional interests include archival management, preservation and description of electronic records and web archives, acquisitions outreach, and enhancing access to collections. 

 Statement of Interest: I am interested in serving on the Women Archivists Roundtable Steering Committee because I want to contribute to providing professional resources and support for women archivists. I have been impressed with the work of the WAR Roundtable in creating new opportunities to discuss issues affecting women such as pay equity, negotiation, and paid leave as well as raising awareness of women archivists. I would like build on the great work that has been done by working to create additional educational and discussion opportunities, and support women in advocating for their needs within their workplaces and the larger profession. As I have progressed in my career, I have seen that there are a variety of challenges that affect women in various stages of their archival careers. Reflecting on those challenges, I think that there is a need for mentoring opportunities designed specifically for women and open to those in all stages of their careers. Regardless of where we are in our careers, the advice and support of women who successfully navigated professional challenges previously can be a vital element of professional growth. I think WAR would be an ideal forum for the development of such a program. 

Rachel Henson: Hi! My name is Rachel Henson and I am currently an archivist at the Carl Albert Center Congressional Research and Studies Center where I archive the papers of members of Congress. I received my MLIS in Archives Management from Simmons College in 2015. During my time at Simmons I worked in a corporate library and archive at Draper Laboratory and the children’s department of the Cambridge Public Library. I also interned at the Massachusetts Archives and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library while working on my degree. Before graduate school, I worked in an academic library while obtaining my bachelor’s degree in English Literature. I’m a new professional with a fresh perspective on the archives field and I’ve got a lot of ideas that will encourage increased participation in both SAA and within the roundtable itself. In my personal life I like to play video games, play music, read and spend time with my gigantic orange cat, Mimi.

 Statement of Interest: I believe very strongly in the power of archives and the field’s importance  to human history as we save it and make it in the present day. Identity is a complex issue that I  believe archives and archivists can embody and reflect better than we are doing currently.  Promoting diversity should be a goal for this roundtable within the mission of monitoring the status  of women and promoting the participation of women at SAA and in the profession as a whole.  Social and racial justice must be core values that our community works toward and I’d like to help  begin this work on this roundtable. Women are leaders in our field and we have a chance to prove  that prioritizing diversity and equity works. Between the inclusion of other minorities in how we  address gender in the workplace and how we archive to being the leaders who advocate for our  profession out in the rest of the world, we are responsible for the direction it takes. Let’s use this  power for people of all identities!

Amanda Leinberger: My interest in archives started when I was an undergrad at Mount Holyoke College. I was researching women's higher education and fell in love with the treasure trove of women's lives, stories and papers at the MHC archives. From there, I went to the University of British Columbia for my Masters in Archival Studies, and am currently an archivist at the United Nations in New York. I also serve on the MHC Alumnae Association Board of Directors as a data and information management liaison. I've always had an interest in women's history and spaces. In my prior life, I managed the kitchen of a drop-in center for female survival sex workers, and I volunteer with several different woman's and LGBT organizations, including the Trevor Project. As I move further along in my archival career, I want to add my skills and labor to the advancement of women's leadership and history. I enjoy working with professional associations, and for several years I was on the Professional Learning Committee of the Association of Canadian Archivists, and was a co-chair to the planning of several conferences during my time at UBC. 

 Statement of Interest: As a women's college graduate and strong proponent of both women's leadership and the advancement of spaces to highlight women's involvement in the world. I see  the WAR as a fantastic place to not only promote women's leadership, but also to monitor and  ensure that the archival profession is a space where women's contributions are valued and  encouraged. Especially important is the task to "identify barriers to professional advancement" for  woman and other minorities. WAR has laid a strong framework for the profession and I would love  to continue that work.

Katie Nash: Katie Nash is the College Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Williams College where she has been in this role since October 2014. At Williams Katie is responsible for leading the College Archives unit of Special Collections in which she oversees goal setting for the unit, works with a team of colleagues to prioritize projects, spearheads reference and research services, serves as the project manager for the institutional repository project management committee, collaborates with the library's Head of Research Services to contribute to outreach and marketing including social media initiatives, and actively works with instruction librarians on the teaching and promotion of archival collections and primary sources. Prior to arriving at Williams, Katie was the University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Elon University where she worked from 2005-2014. At Elon she was responsible for overall management of the department, providing instruction and reference services, participating in campus wide events and committees, project management for digital initiatives, and overall marketing and outreach. 

 Statement of Interest: I have been involved with a few SAA committee's and roundtables for  many years. I believe it's important to contribute back to the archives profession and by providing  service to SAA is one way of of accomplishing this goal. I've been involved with larger SAA  roundtables such as the College and University section, but I'd like to explore being a part of a  more intimate roundtable. I believe my background, knowledge, experience, commitment, and  energy will be a good fit for this roundtable. I'd like to focus my energies on something I personally  and professionally believe in, and that's the participation and promotion of women in the workforce  in general, but specifically the archives profession. It's hard to make changes as an individual, but  exploring and invoking change as a group can be powerful and rewarding.

Alice Sara Prael: My name is Alice Sara Prael and I am the Digital Accessioning Archivist for Beinecke Library at Yale University. This position includes developing and implementing a centralized born digital accessioning workflow for all Yale University Libraries. I recently completed a National Digital Stewardship Residency at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, where I created a digital preservation strategy and organized the first NDSR Digital Preservation UnConference. Before that I graduated from University of Maryland with an MLS, specializing in Digital Curation. During that time I also served as a graduate assistant for Digital Projects and Initiatives at McKeldin Library. When I'm not working on digital archives I play roller derby, hike and paint. 

Statement of Interest: I would like to be a steering committee member for WAR because I'm interested in furthering the charge of women archivists in SAA. I am especially interested in contributing to the WAR blog and twitter chats as they strengthen our community of women archivists. I have been a regular contributor to blogs for both my position at NDSR and in my new  position at Beinecke Library, as well as keeping a personal blog for professional reflection. I would love to conduct interviews for the Three Questions series in the WAR blog. I am also a regular participant in twitter chats and would be thrilled to organize and contribute to this kind of dialogue.

Elizabeth Skene: Elizabeth Skene is Digital Initiatives Librarian and assistant professor at Western Carolina University where she is responsible for the institutional repository, digital preservation, data management, and digital collections. She holds an MSI from the University of Michigan in Archives and Records Management. Prior to working at WCU, Skene was Curator of Collections at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, MI. She is a member of the 2016 SAA annual conference program committee, a former board member of the Michigan Archival Association (2012-2014), and served on SAA’s Communication Technology Working Group (2012). She lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina and enjoys hiking with her dog, cuddling with her cat, and collecting eggs from her chickens. 

Statement of Interest: The WAR roundtable plays a crucial role in facilitating awareness of  women in leadership (and the lack of), the unseen labor women perform, and the persistent gaps  in compensation. This roundtable has been invaluable in bringing these issues to the forefront and  being a leader in creating discussion and debate. I would be honored to play a role in continuing  this advocacy, both within the archival community and with our library and museum colleagues.  Advocacy has always been part of my work and I have a special interest in supporting young  female professionals, facilitating mentoring, and helping women transition into leadership roles.

Krystal Thomas: My name is Krystal Thomas and I am currently the Digital Archivist at Florida State University Libraries under the Special Collections & Archives division. I completed my MSI at the University of Michigan in 2009. Prior to FSU, I was the digital library coordinator at the Theodore Roosevelt Center in Dickinson, North Dakota. My work is a mix of digital project creation and management, supervision of the Digital Library Center here at FSU and acting as a consultant for digital archiving projects on campus. We're also making the move more and more into born digital processing as well as web archiving. Outside of work, I read like a fiend, walk dogs at the local shelter every weekend and try to keep my sweet monster of cat from completely destroying every inch of carpet in my apartment. 

Statement of Interest: I would like to get more involved with SAA in general and I see the  Women Archivists Roundtable as a great place to start contributing. Long before I started down  the archival path, I was a women's studies minor in undergrad so the history of women and how  they contribute to their professions and organizations has always been one that is near and dear  to my heart. I enjoy what WAR does with its blog and social media accounts and would relish the  opportunity to contribute and help to grow the work the Roundtable does for women in the  profession.

Anna Trammell: I completed by MLIS in May 2015 and began in my current position in September 2015. I am the Archival Operations and Reference Specialist at the University of Illinois Archives Research Center. In this role, I answer reference requests, supervise student employees, design and teach instruction sessions, manage outreach events and social media, and work closely with the records of student organizations. I am the New Professionals Blog Editor for the Student and New Archives Professionals Roundtable and will begin as the SAA Publications Board Intern in August. 

Statement of Interest: The women of WAR are having valuable conversations about what it means to be a woman in the archives profession. As a new member of the profession, I have greatly  benefitted as a follower of WAR’s online presence which has helped me think critically about pay  inequity, workplace discrimination, and the struggle of maintaining a work life balance. In my own  work, I have aimed to highlight women in the University’s history by creating exhibits on women’s  organizations, organizing a panel on women’s history, and working with donors from undergraduate  student groups focused on women’s issues. If selected as a member of the Steering Committee, I  hope to play an active role in expanding WAR’s reach by contributing to the blog and social  media. I believe the Twitter Chats are extremely useful to members and I plan to develop new  partnerships for co-sponsored chats and other activities. I also aim to propose new methods for  highlighting women archivists of the past and celebrating those of the present through outreach  and by soliciting contributions for the blog. I am very excited about the work WAR is doing and  would be honored to be have the opportunity to join the leadership of this roundtable.

Sandra Varry: Sandra Varry is the Heritage Protocol & University Archivist at Florida State University where she collects, manages, and provides access to FSU’s archive and manages its History Museum. She holds an MFA in Photography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MLIS from the University of South Florida. She became a Certified Archivist in 2013 and Digital Archives Specialist in 2014. She is Immediate Past President of the Society of Florida Archivists and is currently the Society of American Archivists’ Key Contact for Florida. 

Statement of Interest: Since joining WAR I have found the group to be welcoming, supportive, and engaging. As a steering committee member I hope to contribute to activities that increase the  dialogue and understanding surrounding the issues women face in the archives profession. I feel I  can be an asset to the roundtable in continuing to increase outreach and engagement, and in  promoting an environment where women can advance and flourish in the profession.

Jona Whipple: My name is Jona Whipple and I am the Archivist at the Chicago-Kent College of Law Library. I received a Master of Library Science with a specialization in Archives from San Jose State University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. In my current position, I oversee and manage the entirety of archival collections, and manage a flourishing digitization program. My subject focus is legal history, including the inspiring history of women in the law profession. I have enjoyed five years of experience in my current position, where I have devoted my attention to creating exhibits, digital collections, and written materials to educate the legal community on the stories of early women lawyers and the difficulties they faced. 

Statement of Interest: I have always been interested in women's history, in particular, women's  struggles for equality in the workplace. For these reasons, I am passionate about advancing  women's voices in the archival field. More than anything, I want to give women archivists the  opportunity to teach and learn from each other. I want to be involved in steering the Women Archivists Roundtable because I would be proud to be able to serve and give back to a  community that has provided me with so much insight in my career. I hope to be instrumental in  fulfilling current and future needs of women archivists and further enhance the positive  atmosphere within the organization.