Women's Collections Roundtable 2016 Ballot

Meet our wonderful slate of candidates for the 2016 WCRT election. The two individuals receiving the most votes will serve as co-Vice Chairs of the roundtable in 2016-2017 and co-Chairs of the roundtable in 2017-2018.

Annalise Berdini

Biography

I am currently the Digital Archivist at UC San Diego Special Collections and Archives. I previously worked as project assistant and processor on the PACSCL/CLIR Hidden Collections Project in Philadelphia, PA, where I earned my MLIS in Archives and Digital Libraries at Drexel University. In these positions, I've been lucky to process several hidden women's collections, which were finally made available for research, and to promote the collections further using flickr and project blog posts. 

Statement of Interest

One of the greatest joys I have taken from my work as an archivist has been discovering and promoting collections that celebrate the contributions of women to history, especially in historically underrepresented fields such as science and research. I would be thrilled to work as vice co-chair on the Women's Collections Roundtable because of how significant that work is to me, and am excited for the opportunity to work with members to better promote and shine light on such collections.  

As vice co-chair, I would work to contribute towards improving visibility of these collections and the work that women in our profession are doing. Reaching out to institutions to learn about and promote women-centric collections, starting a blog for archivists who self-identify as women and work with women's collections to speak about their experiences in the field, and providing mentoring services to women archives students are a few of the ways I would like to give back to a community that has fostered my own development, and helped grow the passion I have for the profession and the work we do. In addition, I envision partnering with other roundtables and sections, such as Women Archivists and SNAP for Twitter chats and blog posts, and with AAC and LAGAR to better highlight the intersection of women's collections with other identities.

Rosemary K. J. Davis

Biography

Rosemary K. J. Davis is the Samuel French Collection Processing Archivist with Amherst College’s Archives and Special Collections. In addition to an MSLIS degree from Pratt Institute, she holds a BA in Visual Studies and Fiction from the New School. Prior to her work at Amherst College, Rosemary processed Riot Grrrl collections at the Fales Library at NYU, exhibition records at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jazz Loft oral histories at Duke’s Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the papers of Christian J. Lambertsen at the Duke University Medical Center Archives. She is a member of SAA (WCRT, I/A), ALA (RBMS/ACRL), TLA, and NEA (COC working group). 

Statement of Interest

I believe the WCRT can function as a vital consciousness-raising mechanism for significant women’s collections, while also serving as a resource-building community for archivists striving to create more inclusive professional environments. I think my passion for feminism, social justice, and making space for more voices can help me contribute positively to the Roundtable’s leadership. If granted the opportunity to serve, I will endeavor to enrich and extend WCRT’s ongoing initiatives, in part by working to help our group actively develop discussions related to:

--ways to share and build intersectional, feminist work practices and workflows with the explicit aims of transparency and inclusiveness --strategies for crafting institutional policies (particularly collection development and outreach) which are more reflective of the communities represented by archival collections and more inclusive for the people employed as archival laborers --opportunities for and roadblocks to working as an advocate for women’s collections within and outside of institutional structures 
   
Such discussions could create opportunities for collaboration with other SAA factions (e.g. Issues and Advocacy Roundtable), institutions, and individuals. In addition, the WCRT membership could find new venues to exercise its thoughtful expertise by examining the complex labor involved with women’s collections including assessment, description, accessibility, and community-building. Using social media to kickstart dialogue, carrying those conversations into larger venues like pre-conference symposia, and putting our ideas into wider circulation through journal articles could help WCRT be a spotlight and a catalyst for change.  

Chloe Raub

Biography

Chloe Raub is Head of Archives and Special Collections at the Newcomb Archives and Vorhoff Library Special Collections, part of the Newcomb College Institute of Tulane University. She has worked in libraries and archives for over six years in a variety of professional settings, including The George Washington University Special Collections Research Center, the American Institute of Physics Archives, and the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. She is an active member of the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) Wikipedia initiative, intended to bring primary sources to a wider audience via Wikipedia, and Art+Feminism, a global campaign to improve coverage of women in the arts on Wikipedia and encourage women's participation as Wikipedia editors. She also serves on the board of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. Chloe earned her M.S.L.I.S from The Catholic University of America with a concentration in cultural heritage information management. She also holds a M.A. in anthropology and museum studies and a B.A. in anthropology and women's studies. 

Statement of Interest

I joined the Newcomb Archives as an Archivist and Special Collections Librarian in September 2014, and was promoted to Head of Archives and Special Collections in June 2015. The Newcomb Archives collects records that document the history of women and gender in the Gulf South. I am passionate about enhancing collections use and access through public outreach and education. One of my primary responsibilities as Head of Archives and Special Collections is to integrate our collections into the undergraduate curriculum, by offering instruction sessions on archival research and administering service learning projects and internships. I work closely with faculty members across campus departments and encourage their students to think critically about the role of gender in multiple historical contexts. I also coordinate exhibitions and events with a focus on exploring the histories of women and gender minorities via primary source documentation.

I was recently appointed as a Representative to the ALA/SAA/AAM Committee on Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and am at a point in my career where I am eager to take on a more active role in my professional community. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the WCRT and engage with other archivists working with women’s collections.