Fellow: Cal Lee

Christopher A. “Cal” Lee, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Information and Library Science, will be inducted as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) during a ceremony at the SAA Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, July 23–29. The distinction of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed on individuals by SAA and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the archives profession.

Lee holds a PhD in Information from the University of Michigan School of Information. As an educator, author, and dedicated volunteer, he has been instrumental in helping archivists find solutions to provide access, to preserve, and support the long-term curation of digital collections. At UNC, he spearheaded a curriculum that helped hundreds of information professionals gain skills needed to be digital curators and has created and taught numerous workshops, including the digital forensics workshop for the SAA Digital Archives Specialist curriculum.

Lee has served SAA in a variety of leadership capacities: on The American Archivist Editorial Board, Publications Board, and the Task Force on Electronic Publishing. He is active in the Electronic Records Section and, during his term as chair, helped coordinate the work of the Electronic Records and Government Records sections in drafting a response to the National Archives and Records Administration’s rulemaking on the disposal of electronic records.

In addition, Lee’s scholarship has contributed greatly to the professional literature. He edited the book I, Digital: Personal Collections in the Digital Era (SAA, 2011) and has authored or co-authored six peer-reviewed articles, nine book chapters, 28 peer-reviewed conference papers, nine research reports, and given 140 conference presentations. His works have been cited more than 400 times.

Lee has also led a series of projects that have developed, disseminated, and supported free and open-source software, BitCurator, that archivists around the world are using to apply digital forensics methods for the curation of their collections.

As one of his nominators noted: “Lee defined the field of digital forensics, demonstrated its absolute relevance to the archival profession, and developed workshops, courses, and support materials that make it possible for archivists to master digital forensics tools and procedures.” Another nominator said: “He performs cutting edge research and translates it into actionable ways that practicing archivists can use.” 

Lee is one of six new Fellows named in 2017. There are currently 189 Fellows of the Society of American Archivists.