As this year ends and the next is about to begin, here’s a brief note to wish you the best for 2017. As I wade through the long list of astonishing things in 2016, I’ve been appreciating the thoughtful words of others at year end, so I’m sharing some of those with you in hopes you also find them to be timely and encouraging.
First from Brenda Banks, past president of SAA and much-missed colleague who passed away this year, this wonderful quote from her 1996 presidential address you may have seen in the SAA Foundation Board’s annual letter:
“Armed with the lessons of the past, the willingness to accept or adapt to an ever-changing society, and commitment and conviction… we move confidently ahead to meet the challenges of the future with knowledge, courage, and determination.”
And two more encouraging statements from nearby communities – in each case, if we fill in “SAA” the words fit well.
From Mike Furlough, Executive Director of HathiTrust:
“At the end of a stressful, fractious, and divisive year in the US and beyond, I hope we can all agree that it’s good to see it drawing to a close. That said, all of us at HathiTrust have been buoyed all year long by the work we do, and that’s in no small part because our membership so strongly believes in the necessity of our work and in developing community focused solutions to our common challenges.”
From President Reif of MIT:
“We live in a moment when, in our public conversation, familiar standards of decency and open, respectful discourse can no longer be taken for granted. These unwritten rules of a healthy society are especially significant in a community like ours; at MIT, our differences of opinion, perspective, training, identity and background, and our ability to navigate and learn from those differences, are essential to our creative excellence. These shared values have even greater importance in this charged time, when incidents of discrimination across the country have left many members of our community uneasy about their own safety.”
With your ongoing help and support, SAA will continue to accomplish great things for archives, archivists, and the broader community. On behalf of SAA, thank you for all of your hard work!
In the new year, I’ll continue to work hard with SAA Council, leaders, and individual members to advance our goals and to address issues and challenges as they arise; and on my own, to seek causes to contribute to and support – please do share your accomplishments and concerns as you do the same. Renewed by the holiday break, I’m looking forward to working with and hearing from you. All the best!
Nance
p.s. watch for an update to SAA’s Strategic Plan in 2017 …
Off the Record 
Thanks for your hopeful and helpful message as we pass into a new year. More than ever we need to examine and to reinforce the “familiar standards of decency and open, respectful discourse.” These “shared values” are foundations for our work as archivists and for our profession and the Society which sustains it. With best wishes for the new year and thanks for your service.