2012-2013 Annual Report

During the 2012-2013 year (February 2012-February 2013), the University of Texas at Austin SAA Student Chapter maintained a membership of approximately 46 members. This iteration of the board of officers included:

• Carlos Duarte, President
• Eleanor Dickson, Vice President
• Kendra Malinowski, Secretary
• Arcadia Falcone, Treasurer
• Elliot Williams, Events Chair
• Meg Eastwood, Webmaster
• Emily Perkins, Marketing Secretary
• Jessica Gauthier, Advocacy Chair
• Megan Dirickson, Membership Chair
• Kritin Law, Social Media Coordinator
• Rebecca Herscowitz, Archivist
• Ciaran Trace, Faculty Advisor

NOTE: The board this year underwent several changes, elected officers included Kristen Marx as Vice President, Margaret Bond as Marketing Secretary, Eleanor Dickson as Archivist, and Rebecca Rasnic as Secretary.

SAA Members: Vanessa Attia, Kari Beets, Catherine Bell, Kristin Bongiovanni, Sarah Buchanan, Emily Bulger,  Kate Coleman, Kathryn Darnall, Ellie Dickson, Megan Dirickson, Don Drumtra, Carlos Duarte, Meg Eastwood, Evelyn Egbeighu, Arcadia Falcone, Parker Fishel, Jessica Gauthier, Sarah Gilbert, Sydney Gulbronson,  Rebecca Herscowitz, Scott Hollis, Steve Kantner, Anne Kofmehl, Kristin Law, Kendra Malinowski, Tim Mapp, Amye McCarther, Emily McDonald, Jordan Mitchell, Kate Neptune, Betsy Nitsch, Laura Norris, Emily Perkins, Josie Ragolia, Ryan Sibbet, Amanda Sutton, Marianna Symeonides, Brian Thomas,Laura Vincent, Paul Vinelli,Elliot Williams, Jarred Wilson,Nora Winslow, Elizabeth Wong, Melissa Wopschall

The 2012-2013 board began their term by planning two events for the spring semester, the bi-annual potluck and a repository trip. On March 31, 2012 Dr. Ciaran Trace hosted a potluck at her home. Students, faculty, and others from the Austin archival community were present to enjoy the many wonderful dishes brought to share. On April 20 approximately 15 students drove to Houston to visit the archives at the Holocaust Museum Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Both institutions hosted interesting and edifying tours that elucidated day-to-day work in museum archives.

Budgets and travel time were tight for many student members this year, especially for the handful of students who completed out of town summer internships, and the national SAA conference proved difficult for many to attend. Arcadia Falcone represented the chapter well in San Diego. Many recent alumni were also present.

Over the summer, the Student Chapter also started hosting monthly meet-ups with local archives professionals. These events offered students an opportunity to network and meet local professionals in a relaxed setting.

Next, the board turned its attention to planning orientation week and Archives Week activities. To welcome new students at the beginning of the fall semester, the Student Chapter hosted an outing to see Austin’s famous bat colony fly out from under the Congress Street Bridge and enjoy the summer evening on the rooftop of a local restaurant and bar.

Fall semester also brought another potluck on October 6, 2012, again hosted by Dr. Trace and again with good company and good food.

In October, SAA-UT hosted two guest speakers during Archives Week to address this year’s theme “Archiving Fashion.”

• Karen Trivette Cannell, Head of Special Collections and FIT Archives at the Fashion Institute of Technology, spoke on Monday, October 22. She shared her experience coming to the archival profession via art history, and she talked about the more intriguing aspects of working in an archives and special collection of fashion materials.
• Lynne Downey, the Historian at Levi-Strauss, spoke on Thursday, October 25. Attendees learned about starting an archives and working as an archivist in a corporate setting. Lynn also exhibited the oldest pair of jeans, and those in attendance were able to see them up-close after the talk.

On Saturday, October 27 the board coordinated an archives clinic at the Austin History Center. Members of the public brought in family heirlooms and were able to consult with professional archivists on how to handle the items. On November 2, the Harry Ransom Center offered a behind the scenes look at their fashion collection, extending Archives Week just a bit longer. Students on the tour saw costumes from Gone with the Wind, Cape Fear, and The Rite of Spring.

In December and January, the board turned its attention inward, and focused on revamping the constitution and reassessing the goals of the organization. They compiled a list of suggestions for the next year’s board on how to improve the Student Chapter.

As this year’s board prepares to elect the next group of student leaders, they are setting the date for the spring potluck, arranging to hear from archivists Kristy Sorenson (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary) and Brenda Gunn (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History) about the Academy of Certified Archivists professional certification, and looking forward to the national conference in New Orleans in 2013.

Respectfully Submitted,
Eleanor Dickson, Vice-President
SAA-UT Student Chapter 2012-2013