Fellow: Amy Cooper Cary

Amy Cooper Cary, head of special collections and university archives at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will be inducted as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) during a ceremony at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Council of State Archivists, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and SAA in Washington, DC, August 12–18. The distinction of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed on individuals by SAA and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the archives profession.

Cary is a strong leader, educator, and writer, and has been instrumental in promoting access to archives and records for people of all backgrounds. Cary holds a master’s in information science with an archives specialization from the University of Michigan and a master’s in comparative literature from the State University of New York, Binghamton. She was a member of the 2008 cohort of the Archives Leadership Institute and the 2013 cohort of the Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians.

A prominent mentor and role model, Cary directed one of the most successful archival graduate training programs in the United States at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her work on the SAA Committee on Education and the Graduate Education Subcommittee connected SAA with broader trends in the education field. She continues to teach her own classes, work with other faculty to promote the use of primary resources and archives in research, and provide students with practical experience in digital stewardship via fieldwork placement.

Cary has served in a variety of leadership capacities. As the Reviews Editor for American Archivist, she revitalized the reviews section and initiated an online Reviews Portal. She has also served on the Awards Committee and Program Committee, and is in the final year of a three-year term on the SAA Council, where she is a strong advocate for archival education and publication. Beyond SAA, she has been the editor of Archival Issues, reviews editor of RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, and grants reviewer for both the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. She is past president of the Midwest Archives Conference.

As one supporter noted, “Cary represents the best of what an archivist should be, always finding ways to improve the public understanding of the archives profession. She understands what archives can offer to the public and how to generate enthusiasm for archives as a profession, demonstrating resourcefulness, initiative, and commitment.”