29 Earn Digital Archives Specialist Certificates from SAA

Congratulations to the 29 new Digital Archives Specialists (DAS). These archivists, who represent a variety of repositories from around the country, earned a DAS Certificate from SAA after completing required coursework within twenty-four months and passing comprehensive examinations in November 2017.

The innovative DAS Curriculum, developed by experts in the field of digital archives, is structured around seven core competencies: understanding the nature of records in electronic form; defining for a variety of audiences the requirements, roles, and responsibilities related to digital archives; formulating strategies and tactics for appraisal, description, management, organization, and preservation; integrating technology to provide access to digital collections; planning for the integration of new tools for successive generations of technology; curating, storing, and retrieving original masters and access copies of digital archives; and providing dependable organization and service to designated communities across networks. Participants complete nine required courses from four tiers addressing these competencies.

The new Digital Archives Specialists are: Beaudry Allen, University of California Santa Barbara; Meghan Bailey, University of Massachusetts Boston; Nicholas Bartley, University of Virginia; Sally Benny, New England Historic Genealogical Society; Annalise Berdini, University of California San Diego; Lily Birkhimer, Ohio History Connection; Caitlin Burhans, Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Vicki Cooper, Northern Kentucky University; Andrea D’Angelo, Archdiocese of Toronto; Susan Floyd, Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Jodie Foley, Montana Historical Society; Katie Fortier, Pathfinder International; Halley Grogan, Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Gillian Hearns, Archdiocese of Toronto; Tina L. Kay, Bonneville Power Administration Library; Leif Kopietz, Minnesota Historical Society; Jane LaBarbara, West Virginia & Regional History Center; Amanda Leinberger, United Nations; Lauren Manninen, The College of William and Mary; Keiko Okuhara, University of Hawai'i at Manoa; Denise Rayman, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Anna M. Reznik, Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Krystal Rycroft, Sun Life Financial; Jenni Salamon, Ohio History Connection; Cynthia Sauer, Bowling Green State University; Lydia Spotts, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields; Hilary Streifer, Peabody Essex Museum; Friday Valentine, Chemeketa Community College; and Sarah Zimmerman, Chicago Public Library.

A total of 384 people have earned Digital Archives Specialist certificates since the program began in 2011. For more information, visit www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das or contact SAA Education (education@archivists.org).