Harold T. Pinkett Student of Color Award: Carol Ng-He

Carol Ng-He, who is pursuing a master of library and information science degree at San José State University, is a 2020 recipient of the Harold T. Pinkett Student of Color Award given by the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The award recognizes minority graduate students of African, Asian, Latino, or Native American descent who, through scholastic achievement, manifest an interest in becoming professional archivists and active members of SAA. 

Ng-He serves as exhibits coordinator at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Arlington Heights, Illinois. As an immigrant from Hong Kong and a veteran art museum educator, she is passionate about using exhibitions to uplift ethnically underrepresented voices and present them to the public, to diversify archival collecting, and to increase accessibility to and awareness of collections. In 2019, Ng-He founded the Curating and Exhibitions Interest Group under Chicago Area Archivists for scholars, (art) historians, archivists and librarians in order to build community across varying disciplines of practice. Recently, she organized and led two Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) webinars on career development and advancement focused on the experiences of librarians of color. Because of the impact of her work, she was asked to serve as the chair of the ARLIS/NA Professional Development Committee for 2020-2021. In addition, she has presented on topics related to immigration, identity, and otherness. 

As one recommender noted, “Not only is Carol an ambitious student, she is also collegial, appreciative, and receptive to different perspectives and ideas.”