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Listening Session for Archival Educators, Students, and New Professionals
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Title: Listening Session for Archival Educators, Students, and New Professionals
Facilitators: Rebecca Frank, Jessie Knoles, Nicole Font
Date: Wednesday, Feb 01, 2023
Time: 11am Hawaii-Aleutian / 12pm Pacific / 1pm Mountain / 2pm Central / 3pm Eastern Online!
Register at link: http://bit.ly/3H7RcTe
This listening session aims to create dialogue between the Students and New Archives Professionals (SNAP) Section and the SAA Archival Educators Section (AES). AES hopes to shape an agenda that encourages dialogue between educators and students and learn about the ways AES and SNAP might collaborate in the future. Potential topics, for example, include the evolving role of internships in archival education, establishing initiatives for diversity and inclusion within education, and professional development needs and opportunities. In particular, we hope that the session results in increasing communication between educators and students and recent graduates.
This listening session is geared towards: (1) educators who would like to provide input to help shape the future agenda of the AES, (2) SNAP members who would like to share their experiences, feedback, and/or questions with educators and SNAP steering committee members, and (3) SAA members who would like to contribute to this dialogue.
The session will not be recorded, but shared notes will be taken for both AES and SNAP to use in shaping future programming initiatives and strategic planning for their sections within SAA.
About the Sections
The Archival Educators Section facilitates exchange of information about archival education programs throughout the United States and Canada and provides a forum for discussion of issues relevant to those who teach courses and workshops in archival administration and related topics, in both academic institutions and other settings.
The Students and New Archives Professionals (SNAP) Section advocates for and addresses the needs of those starting out or who are exploring a career in the archives profession. The section provides educational outreach and advocacy that furthers the career development of, and dialogue and engagement with, students and new professionals.
Campus Networking in a Hybrid World
Written by Alexis Bhagat, University at Albany SUNY
I am the Vice President of the Information Science Student Association (ISSA) at the University at Albany. How I landed in this position is a convoluted story, which I think might be typical for the return to in-person classes after the interruption of the pandemic. I’m sharing it here on the SNAP blog to test that assumption, and to find out about other chapters of SAA and your experiences during the pandemic and with the return to in-person classes.
First, a little bit about me. I’ve just finished my third semester in my MSIS program, and I look forward to graduating soon and moving on to the next phase of my career. Currently, I work as the director of the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library in Albany, NY. Before that, I was an independent curator and artist’s assistant based in New York City. In 2013, I worked on an art exhibition called XFR STN at the New Museum, and I have wanted to study archives ever since then. I finally decided to apply to school in 2019. When students were sent home in 2020, my wife and I decided that I should wait a year so that I could stay home with our young daughter, and I began my studies in Fall 2021.
As a return-to-school student over 40, I was excited to meet other students. ISSA was not meeting, and all of my archives classes were still online, so I kind of went conference crazy my first year. I presented a poster at ARLIS, contributed a LibGuide at the Wild Energies, and registered for the SAA conference in Boston.
Taking the Plunge in Boston
Since the SAA was going to be in Boston in summer 2022, I reached out to ISSA to ask about ride sharing or room sharing. No one replied, and so with encouragement from one of my professors, I decided to restart our student chapter. I got in touch with the leaders of our student chapter from the 2019-2020 school year, when students were sent home from classes. None of them knew what happened to the Association when they left. The 2019-2020 President sent me the old Constitution, access to the Association’s social media pages, and we worked to try to recover access to the old website (which we still do not have access to!) They told me how to renew our association with our University’s Graduate Student Association (GSA).
When I tried to do that, the GSA told me that ISSA was already a Registered Graduate Student Organization with a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. These are the minimum registration requirements. All of these officers were PhD students; this was puzzling because as our student chapter of SAA and ALA, ISSA had been primarily an organization of the MSIS students.
After a few weeks of emailing with this new board, we all figured out what happened: the “Informatics PhD Students Organization” had re-registered as the “Information Science Student Association” in 2021. I met with the new president, Jeffrey Baez, and we decided to treat this as a happy accident. We would try to serve as the graduate student organization for all the graduate students in our college– archives, libraries, data analysis, cyber security, both MS and PhD.
A New Collaboration
It’s a big tent, a tall order, and an experiment. This expanded model might serve us well, or it might not last beyond this year. The GSA president told me that most of the student organizations that represent professional MS programs have perennial struggles around continuity, and the Information Science Student was no exception. Professional students are usually only around for two years and many have full-time jobs as well. PhD student organizations have much better continuity since the students are around for 4-7 years and presidents are likely to serve their organizations for two or three years. If we can provide compelling services and programs for both constituencies, then combining with the PhD students can bring needed continuity to our organization.
Creating those services and programs for the combined organization is the challenge that we are trying to tackle. Library and Archives students tend to want job-seeking / professional development services – resume reviews, learning about professional associations, tours at prospective internship sites or employer sites. PhD students want peer support and conference support. Cybersecurity graduate students created their own student organizations, serving undergraduate and masters students. We are working on stitching together our big umbrella, starting by making our student organization the student chapter of ASIS&T as well as SAA and ALA.
We put on a bunch of social events this Fall to reach students in our diverse disciplines. We sent out surveys, and there was a big demand for social events. Only a handful of students ever came to these social events, which was disappointing. In Spring Semester, we are planning more educational events that can be streamed online. This way our online-only students and campus students can both take part, and videos will be available to watch asynchronously. We hope students will see this as an opportunity to reconnect.
Community Feedback
What is going on with your student chapter? Was your student chapter disrupted by the pandemic? Did your chapter continue to meet through 2021 or are you re-establishing your chapter after a pause? Do you have programs for campus-only students, online-only students, or both?
No one has a playbook for how to proceed in the new normal. I would love to hear about experiences at other schools.
SAA Awards and Scholarships – Apply Now!
Every year the Society of American Archivists offers several awards to recognize leaders and achievers in the archival field. Below are descriptions of the awards most applicable to students and new professionals, but feel free to explore the other awards and opportunities SAA has to offer!
The deadline for submitting a nomination or application is February 28.
Check out SAA’s website for more information on eligibility and how to apply.
[Text taken from the SAA website]
Awards for Excellence
Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award
The Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award celebrates and encourages early-career archivists who have completed archival work of broad merit, demonstrated significant promise of leadership, and/or performed commendable service to the archives profession. The award is given based on the total experience of the awardee, including knowledge, leadership, participation, and/or achievements in the profession.
The Theodore Calvin Pease Award recognizes superior writing achievements by students of archival studies. Entries are judged on innovation, scholarship, pertinence, and clarity of writing. Papers examining major trends and issues in the archives profession are preferred.
(There are a lot more awards in this category, so feel free to take a look!)
Travel Awards
Donald Peterson Student Travel Award
This award supports students and recent graduates from graduate archival programs within North America to attend SAA’s Annual Meeting. The goal of the scholarship is to stimulate greater participation in the activities of the Society by students and recent graduates. This participation must include either a presentation of research during the Annual Meeting or active participation in an SAA-sponsored committee or section.
Harold T. Pinkett Student of Color Award
This award recognizes and acknowledges graduate students of color, such as those of African, Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern/North African, or Native American descent, who, through scholastic and personal achievement, manifest an interest in becoming professional archivists and active members of the Society of American Archivists.
Student Scholarships
Note: You can apply for multiple scholarships in a single cycle, but may only receive one.
F. Gerald Ham and Elsie Ham Scholarship
The F. Gerald Ham and Elsie Ham Scholarship provides financial support to graduate students in a professional archival studies program. Criteria for selection of the award recipient include the applicant’s past performance in her/his graduate program in archival studies as well as a faculty member’s assessment of the student’s prospects for contributing to the archives profession. Selection will be made based on merit.
The Mosaic Scholarship provides financial and mentoring support to students of color pursuing graduate education in archival science, encourages students to pursue a career as an archivist, and promotes the diversification of the American archives profession. The award is given to applicants who demonstrate excellent potential for scholastic and personal achievement and who manifest a commitment both to the archives profession and to advancing diversity concerns within it.
The Josephine Forman Scholarship provides financial support to minority students pursuing graduate education in archival science, encourages students to pursue a career as an archivist, and promotes the diversification of the American archives profession. The scholarship is given to applicants who demonstrate excellent potential for scholastic and personal achievement and who manifest a commitment both to the archives profession and to advancing diversity concerns within it.
Embracing Local Opportunities
Post contributed by Johnamarie Macias, MLS.
A few months ago, I came across an online conversation about which organizations to join and conferences to attend when you’re starting out in the archival field. A handful of responses emphasized getting involved with local and regional organizations. I took that advice to heart, and earlier in November, I attended the North Carolina Community College Archives Association (NCCCAA) Annual Conference at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina. It was a special occasion for everyone involved because it was the first in-person event in three years, but it was also a special occasion for me because it was my first archives conference.
Even though I earned my library science degree and archives certificate a little over 10 years ago, I had a difficult time breaking into the archival field. At times, it felt impossible. I almost gave up on the profession entirely until my current position appeared when I least expected it. Nowadays, I’m working a job I love, pursuing the career I mapped out for myself, and embracing new opportunities with renewed energy, which brings me back to the NCCCAA Annual Conference.
Some attendees had years of archival experience under their belts, while others had little training and were seeking to enhance their skills. A few, including me, were just starting out and looking to get their feet wet. Impostor syndrome could have easily reared its ugly head and chipped away at my self-confidence, but it didn’t because regardless of the various professional experiences and skill levels in the room, everyone attended the conference with a strong desire to learn from each other and support each other’s progress in preserving institutional histories.
Those realizations helped calm my nerves and encouraged me to introduce myself to other professionals in the field, engage in conversation, and ask questions during sessions. One of my questions, aimed at university archivists, was about what strategies they use to get students to visit the archive. Their answer? Create pop-up exhibits in student areas as a way to bring the archive to them. That got the wheels in my head turning and thinking about all sorts of ideas.
By the end of the day-long conference, I felt like I was finally part of a meaningful community of professionals fostering growth, collaboration, and creativity. Not only that, but I walked away with an inspired state of mind and with a more confident attitude toward myself and my future in archives.
As 2022 quickly comes to a close and we prepare ourselves to embrace a new year, I’m going to echo the advice I read online: the next time you have the opportunity to get involved with a local or regional organization, don’t hesitate to take advantage of it. The new ideas, perspectives, and connections you’ll gain will benefit your archival career in countless ways.
Johnamarie Macias is the Archives Assistant at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina. She completed her MLS degree and Certificate in Archives and Preservation of Cultural Materials at Queens College, City University of New York. She was also appointed NCCCAA’s Secretary for 2022-2023.
Professional Publishing with SAA: Two Upcoming Webinars
There are two upcoming opportunities to learn about publishing with SAA!
Rutgers University SOURCE SAA Student Chapter
An Evening with Amy Cooper Cary, Editor, American Archivist
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 @ 6pm Eastern
Registration: tinyurl.com/bdrjamd9
[Zoom link sent with registration.]
Amy Cooper Cary, MA, MSI, Fellow of the Society of American Archivists, Editor of the American Archivist; and Marlee Newman, MA, MI
Rutgers SOURCE is thrilled to invite you to our upcoming discussion with Amy Cooper Cary, Editor of American Archivist, academic journal of the Society of American Archivists, with Marlee Newman, American Archivist editorial board member, MI graduate, and former Rutgers SOURCE president
The discussion will be wide-ranging, covering topics such as professional pathways and interests, getting started with professional publishing, and building community in the face of challenges in the field.
Amy Cooper Cary is current Editor of American Archivist and Co-Editor of the Archival Futures Series. Amy holds a MA in Comparative Literature with a specialization in French translation from SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University), and a MSI with a specialization in Archives and Records Management from the University of Michigan. She is a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists.
Marlee Newman serves on the editorial board of American Archivist. She holds a Master of Information from Rutgers University, with a concentration in Archives and Preservation, as well as an M.A. in Early Modern European History from King’s College London. Her research interests include the role played by archives and cultural heritage institutions in preserving, questioning, and interacting with historical narratives; in particular how people engage with and impact historical records, and how we can work to build more inclusive narratives.
“Write Away” Forum on Publishing Opportunities in SAA
Thursday, November 17, 2022 @ 12:00 pm Central
Wondering what it takes to write a research article? Draft a book proposal? Prepare a case study on archival practice? Review a professional resource? Define terminology in the archival lexicon?
There are a wide range of opportunities to write for SAA and contribute to its newsletters, blogs, case studies series, reviews portal, magazine, journal, dictionary, and books. Whether you are a novice writer, an experienced voice, or anything in between, learn how to share your experiences and expertise through SAA’s writing opportunities at this free virtual forum on Thursday, November 17, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT.
RSVP required for Zoom security.
At the forum, SAA Publications staff Abigail Christian will kick-off a discussion with Publications Editor Stacie Williams, American Archivist Editor Amy Cooper Cary, Journal Reviews Editors Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke, SAA staff Julia Pillard on Archival Outlook, Archival Futures Series Co-Editor Bethany Anderson, and Dictionary Working Group Chair Rosemary Pleva Flynn. Each will highlight their respective publishing outlet and address how to submit content, topic trends, and new directions. There will be a Q&A session following the presentations as well as how to connect with editors after the forum.
Join SAA and “write away”!
SNAP Engagement Survey
Dear SNAP members,
We need your help to make SAA’s Students and New Professionals Section (SNAP) the best it can be for its members! SNAP leadership is working to better understand how its members engage with us and hear more about what you want out of this section. We also want to hear from our SAA student chapters! Our steering committee is committed to maintaining existing programs of use to our members and building new spaces for engagement, networking, and professional development, but we need your input. To help us do this, we’ve prepared a brief survey for SNAP members which will take roughly 5 minutes or less to complete.
Link to survey: forms.gle/rijPbCbL3SwbcMzT6
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at newarchivistsrt@gmail.com.
Archivists Blitz Bryce Canyon National Park
An archives blitz is a sweet but rare treat. Imagine a group of professionals closing in on unwieldy, unorganized, and poorly cared for rooms of amassing records and in just a short amount of time flipping the whole thing into something organized, accessible, and complete.
My colleagues and I make up a small team of three and are employed as Archivists through the Great Basin Institute, a non-profit organization that many National Parks partner with to bring in museum and archives professionals. It’s through this partnership that the three of us work at Zion National Park on collections for Zion, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Cedar Breaks National Monument. Niche federal collections have their challenges with the most common being the overall lack of a permanent Archivist to provide care and oversight. Sometimes a staff member of a park will be assigned museum curatorial or archives work as collateral duty; sometimes there isn’t an opportunity to assign the work to anyone; and sometimes a team of three puts together and plans an archives blitz to solve some of the biggest issues.
Our blitz had these priorities:
- get all accessioned and potential records behind a limit-access locked door
- create inventories and processing notes to have some intellectual organization over the space
- cease opportunities to discuss records management with staff when possible
We had 5 days to do it.
To achieve our first goal of establishing a safe place for records to be housed, we did an unimaginable amount of heavy lifting to reorganize the space of the small room we were given. It was nothing short of a miracle, blood, sweat, and almost tears that we were able to bring in six units of steel flat file drawers for the maps, plans, and drawings collection. These maps were our number one priority because, up until the blitz, they had been stored in a public hallway for all to access.
Left is before – right is after.
We were happy to see an accessioned collection living behind a locked door and the supplies for processing on wheeled carts in the public space. It felt like we set something right in a world that had long been problematic.
Once the space was arranged, we turned our attention to rooms filled with records that staff had set aside for appraisal over several years. Using two federal retention schedules, we moved through the records appraising them for their intrinsic and mandated value, dwindling the number of records down by removing superfluous duplicates and documentation. It took us the better part of the morning, but with a team of three we were able to complete the appraisal and relocate the records in one day. Now, the rolling shelves in the processing room were full of new records to be accessioned and our focus could turn to the nitty-gritty of the maps, plans, and drawings collection inventory.
Despite having moved all of the maps, the three of us had little idea how many were in the collection when we jumped into the inventory. The collection was at varying degrees of completion with some folders unaccessioned, some accessioned but not described, and some described but in different locations. With the knowledge of a researcher needing this collection in the forefront of our goal for this collection, we did our best to create an accurate representation of what is in the collection. Moving slowly and thoroughly through every folder and drawer, we assigned cabinet, drawer, and folder numbers to everything in order to vastly improve accessibility going forward.
By the end of the last day, we had an inventory of over 3,000 maps, several processing plans for the records on the shelves, and a secure archives processing room. The amount of work we were able to accomplish in a week’s time would have taken any one of us months individually. The benefits to the collection were invaluable and now, as we look at the collections of the other parks we assist, we sweetly dream of archives blitzing those, too.
By: Kimberlee Roberts, Rebecca Finnigan, and Emily Moran
The National Park Service has numerous archives and museums around the United States and is an interesting way of participating in government records. If you’re interested in learning more about government records and opportunities in that area of archives, please check out the Government Records Section of SAA.
#AskAnArchivist Day: October 12
To celebrate American Archives Month, the Students and New Archives Professionals (SNAP) section is participating in #AskAnArchivist Day! On October 12, archivists around the country will take to Twitter to answer your questions about any and all things archives. No question is too silly or too practical! Below is a list of SNAP steering committee members who will be available to answer questions that day.
SNAP Twitter Handle: @SNAP_Section
Bailey Adolph, MLIS, (Vice-Chair/Chair Elect) is the Accessioning Archivist at the University of Iowa. She holds an MLIS and a BA in History from the University of Iowa. Her background includes archival processing, collection management, accessioning, exhibition development, and historical research. Her love of history drew her to the archives and being able to handle actual pieces of history keeps her there.
Twitter: @baadolph
Jessie Knoles (Steering Committee member) graduated with an MSLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign iSchool in May 2021. She currently works for the University Archives and the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections (IHLC), units in the Special Collections Division at the University of Illinois Library. She is also an early career member of the SAA Committee on Public Policy. Her professional interests include archival discovery, preservation of cultural heritage, and considering the ways in which archives are used as tools of knowledge and power.
Twitter: @jrk_archives
Nicole Font (Ex-Officio; Social Media Coordinator) [she/her] is a recent graduate of the Archives and Public History MA program at New York University. She has interned at the American Song Archives, worked at the New-York Historical Society, and is currently the Shelby White and Leon Levy Processing Archivist at the Center for Brooklyn History. She also serves as the Digital Editor for the Dylan Review, an online scholarly journal devoted to Bob Dylan studies.
Twitter: @nicoleefont
To learn more about #AskAnArchivist Day, follow this link: https://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/askanarchivist-day#:~:text=How%20Does%20It%20Work%3F,tweeted%20with%20the%20hashtag%20%23AskAnArchivist.
We look forward to answering your questions!
Welcome to SNAP! 2022–2023 SNAP Steering Committee Members
This month, the SAA-SNAP Steering Committee is welcoming several new elected and ex-officio committee members, who join our existing Committee Members in serving the SNAP community in 2022-2023.
New SNAP Committee Members
Bailey Adolph, MLIS, (Vice-Chair/Chair Elect) is the Accessioning Archivist at the University of Iowa. She holds an MLIS and a BA in History from the University of Iowa. Her background includes archival processing, collection management, accessioning, exhibition development, and historical research. Her love of history drew her to the archives and being able to handle actual pieces of history keeps her there. But when she is not working with manuscripts and artifacts, she is likely to be cuddled up with her gorgeous dog, Beast.
Jessie Knoles (Steering Committee member) graduated with an MSLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign iSchool in May 2021. She currently works for the University Archives and the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections (IHLC), units in the Special Collections Division at the University of Illinois Library. She is also an early career member of the SAA Committee on Public Policy. Her professional interests include archival discovery, preservation of cultural heritage, and considering the ways in which archives are used as tools of knowledge and power. She’s most excited to work on SNAP programming that centers on professional and skills development to fill gaps in MSLIS coursework. She enjoys public radio, crossword puzzles, reading and writing poetry, and walking her two standard poodles.
Laura Kathryn Nicole Jones, (Student Chapter Coordinator) is a final-year graduate student in the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s MLIS program with an Archives Concentration and Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. Jones has a keen interest in the preservation of paper materials and can frequently be found attending bookbinding or paper conservation and preservation workshops. After graduation, Jones plans to pursue a bookbinding diploma part-time. Jones has two Russian tortoises and enjoys taking them to the park, along with tabletop gaming, reading, and doing yoga.
Amber Bales, MLIS (Secretary) is a Digitization Services Specialist at Miami University of Ohio and holds a BA in English Literature and an MLIS from San Jose State University where she finished her degree in December of 2021. Her work focuses on the workflow management of digitization practices as well as in the focus of implementing digital preservation practices into those workflows. Contributing to SNAP allows her to connect with professionals from across the country and learn more about the differing environments of the profession. She specifically selected SNAP because of the committee’s focus on engaging with new professionals and encouraging an open atmosphere for curiosity and learning.
LaShaunda Croussore, MEd (Steering Committee member), is a student at San Jose State University, where she is currently working on her MLIS. In addition to her work with SNAP, she serves as the treasurer of the SJSU Student Chapter of ALA. In her downtime, she enjoys trivia and traveling.
Continuing SNAP Committee Members
Marissa Friedman, MA, MLIS, (Chair) is Digital Project Archivist at the University of California, Berkeley. She has formerly worked at the Labor Archives and Research Center at San Francisco State University, the California Historical Society, and the Mill Valley Public Library. Her background includes archival processing, metadata and digitization projects, oral history, and exhibition development, and she holds both an MLIS from San Jose State University and a M.A. in History from the University of California, Riverside. She is particularly interested in community archives and the intersections between digital collections and archival activism.
Michelle D. Novak, MI Candidate, Rutgers University, (Steering Committee Member) is a professional brand-designer pivoting into GLAM—and who has a lifelong passion for history and using primary source materials in her research. Novak is an experienced designer, researcher, genealogist, and teacher who holds numerous professional certificates, including from GenFed, a research intensive held at the U.S. National Archives. Novak has served as a trustee, writer, editor, webmaster, digitization manager, and grant administrator (county and NHPRC) for various New Jersey county and state societies and has lectured at regional and national conferences on research and technology topics. She is the Project Grant Administrator of the New Jersey Early Land Records Project, which is creating a new database of more than 80,000 early land records (pre-1800) from across more than 60 collections at the New Jersey State Archives.
Leah Tams, MSLS, (Ex-Officio; Senior Blog Editor) [she/her] recently completed her Master’s degree in Library Science at UNC Chapel Hill, focusing her work on Archives and Records Management, and she is currently the Accessions Coordinator for Duke University’s Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Leah focuses most of her work upon digital history, women’s history, race relations, and sociocultural history. Leah hopes to use her digital historical training to share her experiences and knowledge, inspiring others to a love of history and a greater understanding of our world.
Nicole Font (Ex-Officio; Social Media Coordinator) [she/her] is a recent graduate of the Archives and Public History MA program at New York University. She has interned at the American Song Archives, worked at the New-York Historical Society, and is currently the Shelby White and Leon Levy Processing Archivist at the Center for Brooklyn History. She also serves as the Digital Editor for the Dylan Review, an online scholarly journal devoted to Bob Dylan studies.
Karlie Herndon, MLIS, (Ex-Officio; Student Chapter Coordinator) is a Library Specialist in the Department of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Mississippi. A recent MLIS graduate (May 2021), Herndon has experience writing, editing, and publishing ARETE, the magazine for the University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School. Herndon pivoted from work as a writing instructor to an archival staff member mid-pandemic and believes that SNAP has been an invaluable resource—especially SNAP’s “A Year in the Life” blog posts, which helped Herndon manage expectations and figure out how archival work “works.”
Kimberlee Roberts, MLIS, (Ex-Officio; Junior Blog Editor) brings a handful of years running, editing, publishing, and managing blogs for institutions like Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Park, and the United States Navy Seabee Museum. Roberts’ involvement with SAA and SNAP comes from a desire to connect with the professional archival community and make new connections with professionals and her profession. Kimberlee is thrilled to serve on the SNAP team as a blog editor. She has been an Archivist for several federal collections with her favorite being her current position as Lead Archivist at Zion National Park. She earned her MLIS from the University of Denver in the spring of 2019.
THANK YOU to SNAP’s Outgoing Committee Members
The following completed their terms with SNAP in 2021—thank you for your hard work and contributions.
- Michelle Novak, Chair (returning as a 2022-2023 Steering Committee member!)
- John Claude Esh, Steering Committee Member
- River Freemont, Secretary
- Lourdes Johnson, Steering Committee Member
- Astrid Ramos, Steering Committee Member
What Does the SAA-SNAP Section Do?
The SAA-SNAP Section provides educational outreach that furthers the career development, dialogue, and engagement with students and new professionals. We engage with SAA Student Chapters; host educational and networking webinars, twitter-chats, and other events; oversee the development and dialogue on our SNAP blog (https://snaproundtable.wordpress.com); and help raise awareness of SAA’s vast professional resources (career development webinars, resume reviews, mentoring, job and internship boards, etc.). At the SAA Annual Meeting, SNAP hosts a session/webinar on issues important to our members and provides a summary of all events for that year.
How Can I Participate with SAA-SNAP?
Calls for Committee Members go out once a year. Elected Position openings are announced in the Spring, annually, and voted upon my Membership. Elected Committee Members serve a one-year term starting after the close of the SNAP Sector Meeting at the SAA Annual Meeting (usually held in August, annually). Positions include:
- Vice-Chair/Chair (a two-year commitment, served consecutively);
- Secretary (records meeting minutes); and
- Steering Committee Members (serve “at-large” and in any capacity, as and when needed, including overseeing projects and program development).
Ex-Officio Committee Members are nominated (either self-nominated or by another) in the spring, annually, and are decided by the SNAP Committee in December. Ex-Officio Committee Members serve a one-year term starting after the close of the SNAP Sector Meeting at the SAA Annual Meeting (usually held in August, annually). Positions include:
- Blog Editors (manages blog and oversees editorial content and development);
- Social Media Coordinators (works with blog to promote posts and events on social platforms);
- Student Chapter Coordinators (coordinates communications to best reach SAA Student Chapters); and
- Web Liaison (updates SAA website and posts official minutes to site).
Volunteers are needed year-round and can be assigned to help with projects and initiatives. If you have an area you would like to help out with, or can be available to serve in any capacity, contact newarchivistsrt@gmail.com.
Content for the SNAP Blog can be self-submitted or in response to a Call for Submissions by the Blog Editors. If you have an idea for a blog post, series of blog posts, webinar topic, or a speaker/author, contact Leah Tams, Senior Blog Editor, at leahtams14@gmail.com. Let us know what’s on your mind and what you would like to learn about!
Autumn Call for Posts
The SNAP blog is looking for submissions for our upcoming themes: American Archives Month, Family History Month, Museum and Galleries Month, or your next best idea!
We take submissions from anyone at any point in their career who is interested in sharing their knowledge with SNAP readers or exploring a topic of interest. We’re currently looking to post content in September and October.
If you have an idea for a blog post, series of blog posts, webinar topic, or a speaker/author, contact Leah Tams, Senior Blog Editor, at leahtams14@gmail.com. Let us know what’s on your mind and what you would like to learn about!
Editorial guidelines for the SNAP Blog blog are:
- Length: About 250–800 words.
- Audience: The SNAP Blog serves as a resource for current students and new archives professionals to learn from fellow colleagues about issues relevant to new professionals through sharing resources, common experiences, and concerns.
- Topics and Tone: The SNAP section encourages submissions featuring diverse perspectives, types of content, and viewpoints. For all submissions, respect for fellow archivists, librarians, and allied professionals is required and all posts must comply with SAA’s Core Values, Ethics, and Code of Conduct.
- Author Bio: Optional, 100–150 words. Please include all credentials/post-nominals.
We look forward to receiving your ideas!
SAA Section Elections Ballots Now OPEN!
Ballots for all SAA Sections are now open for SAA Members until Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Access the main ballot page at mysaa.archivists.org/myballots (SAA Member login required). Candidate statements for our open SNAP Steering Committee positions may be found at snap-2022-election-candidate-statements.
Thank you to our 2022–2023 SNAP candidates, our currently serving SNAP Committee Members, and all those who have served SNAP in the past. Your contributions have helped to build a wonderful, vibrant SAA Section—and we welcome your continued contributions and leadership!
SNAP 2022 Section Meeting and Special Presentation: Inside The Jim Henson Company Archives!
SAA-SNAP 2022 Annual Section Business Meeting and Special Presentation
Inside The Jim Henson Company Archives
Friday, July 15th, 2022
8am Hawaii–Aleutian; 11am Pacific; Noon Mountain; 1pm Central; 2pm Eastern
Special Presentation by Karen Falk, Archives Director, The Jim Henson Company, and Vice President, The Jim Henson Legacy; and Craig Shemin, President, Jim Henson Legacy
Registration: https://bit.ly/3nVKx5z
JOIN US on Friday, July 15th at 2pm (Eastern) for SNAP’s 2022 Section Meeting!
We will begin our webinar with a brief review of the past year’s activities and thank you to all our 2021-2022 speakers and Committee Members.
Then we will welcome two very special guests—Craig Shemin, President of the Jim Henson Legacy; and Karen Falk, Archives Director for The Jim Henson Company and Vice President of The Jim Henson Legacy—for an informal discussion about The Jim Henson Company Archives… [Note: This portion of the webinar will NOT be recorded.]
Inside The Jim Henson Company Archives
For 30 years, Karen Falk has been preserving and presenting the work of Jim Henson. Join Karen and Craig Shemin, President of The Jim Henson Legacy for a chat about Jim Henson’s work, the origin of The Jim Henson Company Archives, and an inside look at how the collection was used in the creation of Craig’s new book, Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show.
Karen Falk has served as the Archives Director for The Jim Henson Company since 1992, and is Vice President of The Jim Henson Legacy. She is the author of Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal and the main contributor to The Jim Henson Company website “Jim’s Red Book.” With The Jim Henson Legacy, she has organized numerous Henson exhibits. Falk works closely with the Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta and collaborates with the Museum of The Moving Image in New York on their Jim Henson Exhibition and serves on their Board.
Craig Shemin is a freelance writer-producer in all media and the President of the Jim Henson Legacy. He is the author of The Muppets Character Encyclopedia and an upcoming book about Henson’s first television series, Sam and Friends. A noted Henson historian, he produced and directed the award-winning documentary Behind the Scenes in Frogtown Hollow, about the making of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and curates the Henson screening events at Museum of the Moving Image. Shemin also produced the video content for the permanent Jim Henson exhibit at the Center for Puppetry Arts and wrote the scripts for the sold out Jim Henson tribute concerts in New York’s Carnegie Hall and New Zealand’s Michael Fowler Centre. craigshemin.com
Business Archives: Perspectives on an Uncommon Career Path
Students and New Professionals (SNAP) 2022 Webinar Series
SAA Business Archives Section (BAS)
Business Archives: Perspectives on An Uncommon Career Path
Presented by Eric D. Chin, MA; Sam Citarella, MA, MS; and L.J. Strumpf, MA, MSIS
[Recorded Thursday, June 2, 2022]
Organized by L.J. Strumpf, MA, MSIS; Michelle D. Novak, MI; and Marissa Friedman, MLIS
What does it mean to be a business archivist? Is pursuing a career in business archives the right path for me? In this virtual event, jointly sponsored by SNAP and the SAA Business Archives Section (BAS), participants will learn from experienced professionals who have held a variety of positions in the business archives field. Discover what makes their organizational records unique and how their career journeys into this facet of the archival world have been equal parts challenging and rewarding.
| 0:00 | Introductions |
| 3:15 | Eric D. Chin, Manager, Archive Operations, NBCUniversal |
| 18:45 | Sam Citarella, Assistant Archivist, Tiffany & Co. |
| 34:00 | L.J. Strumpf, Assistant Corporate Archivist, IBM |
| 46:00 | L.J. Strumpf—Career Advice |
| 49:20 | Q&A (Lots of Questions!) |
Some Key Takeaways from the Presentation
- Business Archives are often overlooked and rarely discussed in archival coursework. But there is a very wide variety of archives, culture, collections, and media waiting to be explored.
- In entertainment media especially, archival practice is rapidly evolving to keep up with new demands, including streaming, on-demand services.
- Eric Chin also pointed out that the SAA is very supportive of corporate archives and SAA and BAS resources include:
- Polirer, Sara, editor. Managing Business Archives. Chicago, SAA, 2022. ISBN: 978-1-945246-61-6.
- Business Archives…Establishing and Managing an Archives Workshop
- Business Archives Section microsite—Explore resources and sign-up for Section newsletters and emails
- Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and Canada
- Business Archives Resources (SAA Members only)
- And, of course, look for Business Archive sessions at the SAA Annual Meeting and/or explore past recorded sessions!
- Career advice from L.J. Strumpf (see the section beginning at about 46-minute mark for the full presentation) includes:
- 1) Don’t be afraid to pivot—everything you do can build new skills
- 2) “Introverts seeking extroverts”—archives can be a small part of a very large corporation, seek out allies (they’re there!)
- 3) Sell yourself—you are your own number one advocate for your work as well as your profession
THANK YOU to Eric, Sam, and L.J. for a great presentation. Please feel free to reach-out to any of our speakers if you have additional questions and get to know the SAA Business Archives Section!
Eric D. Chin, MA, is the Manager, Archive Operations at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA, and oversees the archival holdings and material culture for NBC Television, Cable, Streaming, and Animation productions and responsible for the acquisition, preservation, and exhibition of assets affiliated with these properties. Eric has over 18 years of major studio archives experience working at NBCUniversal and DreamWorks SKG. Through managing their historic collections, he constantly sought creative and innovative ways to build eminence and maintain the legacy for these companies within the entertainment industry. This led to numerous collaborative projects with world renown museums, cultural institutions, and curated events.
Eric is an active member in multiple professional organizations including the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and the Society of California Archivists (SCA). He currently serves on the Council of SAA and was previously the Chair of the Business Archives Section (BAS) within the organization. In the media industry, Eric is best known for pioneering an open knowledge sharing group for archivists working across all studios and institutions in the entertainment field. This allows for colleagues to meet and collectively host networking events periodically to share ideas, trends, and best practices to elevate the profession within the industry.
universalstudioslot.com/archives-and-collections
Instagram: @nbcuarchives
YouTube: youtube.com/universalstudioslot
Twitter: @UniStudiosLot
Facebook: facebook.com/UniversalStudiosLot
Sam Citarella, MA, MS, is the Assistant Archivist at Tiffany & Co., where she works to preserve the most important records documenting the company’s manufacturing and design history. In consultation with the Associate Archivist, she makes available archival collections that have the potential to be of the greatest value to the company’s business needs and inspire creativity among key company stakeholders.
Sam received a MA in American Studies from George Washington University, a MS in Archives Management from Simmons University, and a BA in History from Monmouth University.
Samantha.Citarella@tiffany.com
linkedin.com/in/samanthacitarella
L.J. Strumpf, MA, MSIS, is the Assistant Corporate Archivist at IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY, a position he has held since 2015. He originally joined the IBM Corporate Archives team in 2010 as their A/V specialist, handling Reference requests and overseeing a video digitization project pursuant to the company’s Centennial.
Before joining IBM, L.J. worked in the curatorial department at The Paley Center for Media (formerly The Museum of Television & Radio) in New York City. In 2021, he was elected Education Chair for the Business Archives Section of SAA. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, earning master’s degrees in History and Information Science.
ibm.com.history
archive1@us.ibm.com
Thoughts on this presentation or series—please let us know!
We would like to know your thoughts on the types of topics you would like to see and what days and times are most convenient for you to attend a live webinar. Please complete our short survey!
If you want to present in our webinar series, contribute with a blog post, share with a member a project you are working on, please contact us at newarchivistsrt@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!
[Note: The SAA does not endorse products or services; inclusion does not imply endorsement.]
SNAP 2022 Election Candidate Statements
Thanks to all of our excellent candidates for putting themselves forward in this election cycle. Please read and consider their statements carefully before submitting your votes.
The positions up for election are:
- Vice Chair / Chair Elect (1 position)
- Steering Committee Member / Member-at-Large (3 positions)
- Secretary (1 position)
SAA will be sending the ballots out to all members via Survey Monkey, so watch your inbox and vote!
Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Candidate
The following candidate is running for the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect position:
Bailey Adolph
I wish to be considered as a Candidate for serving with SNAP as I have a strong desire to engage with the professional community, to learn from other new professionals, and to aid in the learning of students and others.
As a Steering Committee Member of the Metadata and Digital Object Section, I have experience in working in a SAA section, but I would like to be considered for the position of Vice Chair / Chair-Elect in order to have the opportunity to be a more active participant in a section.
I am a recent graduate and so I feel passionate about raising awareness of the SAA’s vast professional resources because they have helped me greatly. I would like to connect with students and other new professionals so that they are able to use these resources and thrive too.
Because of my extensive background as a processing librarian, I believe that I have a lot to share and am excited about the prospect of having engaging discussions. Additionally, I see the prospect of being elected to a SNAP leadership position as an opportunity to grow myself. My current role as a processing librarian can be very isolating at times and this could be an opportunity for me to engage outside of my organization, network with others, and improve myself as a professional.
Steering Committee / Member-at-Large Candidates
The following candidates are running for the section Steering Committee / Member-at-Large:
Amber Bales, MLIS
I am a 2021 graduate from the SJSU MLIS program where I focused on archival and digitization courses. I am in the first 90 days of a new position as a Digitization Specialist in the Archives and Special Collection Department. While I am new to this career I am a seasoned professional and bring 5+ years of administrative background to my work and commitments. Joining SNAP would allow me to both serve as a mentor and mentee as I help to construct the narrative of what it means to be a new archival professional and the learning curve expected in a new position, but also provide support for students and fellow professionals.
I have a strong ability to manage my time and commitments and while I am currently undertaking new expectations within the job I am not over taxed in my service commitments and would like to make working with SNAP my top service priority.
Jessie Knoles, MSLIS
My name is Jessie Knoles and I am a 2021 graduate of the MSLIS program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign iSchool. I currently work two “academic hourly” positions at the University of Illinois Archives and the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, both units in the Special Collections Division in the University of Illinois Library. At the Archives, I accession, process, and provide access to the physical and digital holdings of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA), and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).
While at the iSchool, I served as the SAA UIUC Student Chapter Vice President (2019-2020) and President (2020-2021). As president, I would have loved more resources, and I think SNAP could fill that need. Since graduating, I understand what it’s like to be an emerging archivist in a field with precarious employment and competitive positions, and I believe my perspective would complement the SNAP committee.
My professional interests include archival education and outreach, affect theory in the archives, reparative description and decolonization of the archives, and in understanding the contemporary role of archivist (I believe this is an exciting time to reconsider traditional practices!).
Michelle D. Novak, MI
I have served the past year as President of SNAP and wish to continue in an At-Large position so that I may continue to see some open projects through to completion.
I am a recent graduate of the Masters of Information, Archives and Preservation at Rutgers University and have deep experience as serving as a trustee, administering grants, and overseeing complex realignment projects. I hope I can continue to serve SNAP, its members, and contribute to the Section and assist the incoming Chair and Committee.
Secretary Candidate
The following candidate is running for the Secretary position:
Nicole Hudson
I am a recent graduate with a major in library and information science. I would like to be part of this opportunity to gain more experience in possibly the administrative side of archiving, as well as help others who have recently joined this career field in any way possible.
Annual Meeting Awards from the SAA Foundation
For more information, see the SAA’s full announcement here.
The Society of American Archivists Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of ten in-person awards (of up to $1,200 each) and many more virtual awards to support attendance at the 2022 SAA Annual Meeting in Boston, August 25-27, 2022.
Awards for in-person attendance may be applied only to conference registration fees and related expenses (such as travel, lodging, and food) incurred to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting. Awards for virtual attendance will provide complimentary registration to the 2022 virtual conference platform. Only current SAA members are eligible for these awards. Applicants must complete the online form and attach a résumé or curriculum vitae.
The primary criterion for selection will be financial need. Responsibilities as a caregiver for children, parents, partners/spouses, or other family members will be considered in evaluating financial need.
Applications are due no later than Sunday, June 12, 2022.
All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by June 30, in advance of the July 5 early-bird registration deadline.
Award determinations will be made by a selection committee comprising three SAA Foundation Board members and one SAA Council member and will be based on applicants’ responses to the following:
- How will attendance at the SAA Annual Meeting contribute to your professional development and career goals?
- Provide an explanation of your financial need.
Requirements: Awardees are required to attend the entire conference. Within 30 days of the end of the Annual Meeting, awardees must submit: a meeting evaluation form demonstrating attendance at sessions and all-attendee events; expense receipts totaling up to $1,200 (for in-person recipients); and a 400- to 600-word report assessing the value received from the travel award and noting any suggestions for improving the travel award process.
SNAP Section 