UNC Professor Cal Lee Is Next Editor of The American Archivist

The Society of American Archivists is pleased to introduce Christopher A. “Cal” Lee as the next Editor of The American Archivist. Lee, a tenured professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Information and Library Science, will serve a three-year term beginning January 2018. The American Archivist, established in 1938 and published semi-annually, is the premier professional journal in the archives field.

Lee, who holds a PhD in Information from the University of Michigan School of Information, has earned distinction as an educator, mentor, editor, and author. At UNC, he has recruited, advised, and guided emerging professionals and scholars and overseen more than fifty master’s papers, cultivating student writing through all phases of their work. A prolific writer, he has contributed widely to the professional literature, authoring or co-authoring dozens of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, conference papers, and research reports. In addition, he was the co-editor of a special issue of the Journal of Digital Information (2007) and of the books Proceedings of DigCCurr2009: Digital Curation: Practice, Promise, and Prospects (2009) and Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Digital Curation (2015). He has also been a presenter at more than 100 conferences.

“It’s a great honor to be named Editor of The American Archivist,” Lee said. “I'm very excited to be taking on this role."

Lee brings with him extensive experience and leadership within SAA. He has served on The American Archivist Editorial Board, SAA Publications Board, and the Task Force on Electronic Publishing. He edited the book I, Digital: Personal Collections in the Digital Era (SAA, 2011). Most recently, he was named one of six new SAA Fellows in 2017.

 “Lee’s own scholarship, coupled with his significant history of nurturing the work of students and his knowledge of the intersectionality of archival work with other disciplines, positions him well to lead The American Archivist at this time,” noted SAA President Nance McGovern, who chaired the Search Committee. “His involvement in a diversity of publication venues will serve him well in recognizing opportunities for advancing both contributions to and readership of the journal by a wider array of scholars and professionals,” McGovern added.

Lee’s selection as Editor of The American Archivist by the SAA Council completes a six-month process that included broad distribution of a call for applicants. Lee will succeed Gregory S. Hunter, professor of Library and Information Science at Long Island University, who is stepping down after six years in the post.