Category Archives: SAA Council

This article originally appeared as the President’s Message in the May/June 2021 issue of Archival Outlook.

At its March virtual meeting, much of the SAA Council’s agenda was related to the Society’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA). Addressing diversity issues and moving intentionally to a culture of inclu­sion has been a part of SAA’s Strategic Plan for many years, and in recent years we have moved this work to our highest priority.

Now embedded in SAA’s Strategic Plan “dashboard” (a detailed view of specific activities to address our goals) is a charge to the Council’s Internal Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion to draft a work plan for incorporating DEIA and cultural competency into all aspects of SAA’s work, taking into account SAA’s Strategic Plan 2020–2022 and informed by existing goals and strategies developed by component groups. The action-oriented plan will be comprehensive in considering the breadth of SAA’s programs, including membership, staffing, and governance and leadership structures. Due on May 31, the plan will outline a multiyear approach to expanding SAA’s resources with the use of external experts and facilitators; meeting the education and training needs of SAA leaders, members, and staff; and developing internal resources for future leaders. I am grateful to Council member Meg Tuomala for her willingness to chair this group and see its daunting task to completion so that we have a road map for the next several years.

Also during the Council’s March meeting, the Diversity Committee presented a fantastic report that compiled feedback and significant recommendations following last summer’s well-attended Black Lives and Archives forums. The report includes recommendations in four areas that have an impact on the people who work in our profession and the practice of archives:

• recruitment and retention,
• structural barriers within SAA,
• DEI training and education for archives workers, and
• archival practice.

I encourage you to read the full report and recommendations. This report arrived at just the right time to inform and influence the Council’s work plan.

The Diversity Committee’s recommenda­tions align with the work of SAA’s Archival Compensation Task Force, which seeks to require salary reporting in postings on the SAA job board and to propose recom­mendations regarding contingent labor. The complexity of issues surrounding fair compensation and the ongoing impact of the ever-increasing number of contingent labor positions remains a concern for the SAA Council, many SAA members, and me.

Determining how best to address the issues of salary transparency and equity is a challenging proposition in our profession. Many of us currently work or have worked for organizations that simply refuse to share salary information publicly. Some of our colleagues have had success in advocating with their employers to reverse that policy. Will requiring salary information on all job board postings hasten that organizational change or will it disenfranchise a segment of our profession from recruiting among our members? We don’t have the answer to that question yet, but please know that the Council has been engaging in a robust discussion and we welcome members’ input. As always, you can reach me at president@archivists.org.

This article originally appeared as the President’s Message in the March/April 2021 issue of Archival Outlook.

It’s with bittersweetness that I share that our long-serving executive director, Nancy Beaumont, will step down from her position once a successor has joined the association. During her eighteen-year tenure, Nancy has guided us through periods of both growth and challenge. She will be greatly missed, as she has become a friend to so many of us during her tenure.

We’re fortunate that Nancy is leaving us in a strong position to recruit a successor. The task won’t be easy, but we have a compelling and important story to tell as we seek candidates to fill the role.

The SAA Council has formed a search committee to oversee the process of selecting a new executive director and we have retained an executive search firm, Vetted Solutions, to coordinate the search.

The search committee comprises the following members:

• Courtney Chartier (SAA vice president/president-elect and head of Research Services, Emory University)
• Eric Chin (SAA Council member and senior archivist, NBCUniversal)
• Stephen Curley (SAA Council member and digital archivist, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition)
• Derek Mosley (SAA Council member and archivist/division manager, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library)
• Christopher Prom (associate dean and associate university librarian for Digital Strategies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
• Rachel Vagts (Chair, SAA president and manager of Special Collections and Digital Archives, Denver Public Library)
• JoyEllen Williams (SAA Foundation Board member and special collections curator, Kennesaw State University)

This is an incredible group of dedicated and passionate members who are committed to ensuring a thorough search process that will result in an experienced next executive director for SAA. The SAA Council recognizes the critical importance of this position to the long-term health of the organization, and we are well prepared for this transition.

Transparency is important to the Council and to the Search Committee—we will keep you updated on the progress of the search through announcements on the SAA website, In the Loop e-newsletter, Off the Record blog, and other online communications channels.

We hope to introduce members to the new executive director at SAA’s Annual Meeting in August!

As noted in the Society of American Archivists’ June 2 Statement on Black Lives and Archives, the vitality of American archives depends on the safety of archives workers and an explicit commitment to social responsibility, justice, and anti-racism in the work that we do and the organizations we work within. 

The SAA Council is convening a forum of reflection to move toward healing and understanding. We invite the archives community to participate in a reflection on the continuation of anti-Black violence and an affirmation of the importance of Black lives. This event is open to all.

Community Reflection on Black Lives and Archives

Friday, June 12, 2020
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET (12:00 pm PT / 1:00 pm MT / 2:00 pm CT)

RSVP required for Zoom security. 

Moderated by Dr. Meredith R. Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta and 74th President of the Society of American Archivists

The SAA Code of Conduct governs expectations of appropriate conduct for this and all SAA events.  

The magnitude of support and interest from the archival profession toward the development of tools and resources to dismantle structural racism in our work is inspiring and powerful. We will also be hosting a facilitated planning forum to gather constructive feedback and develop anti-racist goals in July 2020. We look forward to continuing this work with you.

Additional Resources

SAA Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-statement-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

SAA Council Statement on Black Lives and Archives
https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-council-statement-on-black-lives-and-archives

SAA Code of Conduct
https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-code-of-conduct

SAA Education: Cultural Diversity Competency (free course)
https://www.pathlms.com/saa/courses/4839

A People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland
https://www.archivingpoliceviolence.org/ 

Archives for Black Lives in Philly (A4BLiP), Statement of Principles
https://github.com/rappel110/A4BLiP 

DocNow: Ethical Considerations for Archiving Social Media Content Generated by Contemporary Social Movements: Challenges, Opportunities, and Recommendations
https://www.docnow.io/docs/docnow-whitepaper-2018.pdf   

National Museum of African American History: LET’S TALK! Dialogues on Race Initiative
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/educators/lets-talk 

Rhizome: Digital Resources for a Movement Against Police Violence
https://rhizome.org/editorial/2020/jun/03/digital-resources-for-a-movement-against-police-violence/

Sixty Inches from Center: The Blackivists’ Five Tips for Organizers, Protestors, and Anyone Documenting Movements
https://sixtyinchesfromcenter.org/the-blackivists-five-tips-for-organizers-protestors-and-anyone-documenting-movements/ 

WITNESS: Activists’ Guide to Archiving Video
https://archiving.witness.org/archive-guide/ 

WITNESS: Community-Based Approaches to Archives From the Black Lives Matter Movement
https://blog.witness.org/2015/09/community-based-approaches-to-archives-from-the-black-lives-matter-movement/ 

We, the Council of the Society of American Archivists, unanimously condemn harassment and violence against the Black community. As archivists, we learn from history that this country was founded on genocide and slavery. We continue to witness the legacy of this history with systemic and structural racism that lead to marginalization, disenfranchisement, and death. The murder of George Floyd, and countless others, at the hands of the police manifest the continuing atrocities faced by Black Americans today. As a profession, we stand by our community and acknowledge, unequivocally, that Black Lives Matter. 

During this time of dramatic and traumatic historical significance, the Society of American Archivists remains committed to its core organizational value of social responsibility, including equity and safety for Black archives workers and archives of Black Lives. A truly open, inclusive, and collaborative environment for all members of the Society cannot exist without justice for those affected by anti-Black violence. We acknowledge the trauma Black archives workers face, in particular. The labor of dismantling white supremacy and structural racism in archives, and beyond, does not rest solely upon our Black membership and other people of color. White archivists, who comprise a vast majority of the field, have a responsibility to disavow racism daily in society and in our profession. 

As the Council, we are committed to developing and advocating for solutions that contribute to the public good and affirm the importance of Black Lives.[1] Archives workers should follow current guidance on ethical recordkeeping and archiving of social movements during this time of crisis, with special care taken toward the protection and safety of Black Lives amidst anti-Black violence perpetrated by the police. We particularly center Black-led archival documentation efforts and memory-keeping organizations as we continue our collective effort to repair the legacy of structural racism and acts of state-sanctioned violence. 

We take action in response to our shared outrage and sorrow from continued attacks on the Black community, including archives workers. We are committed to dismantling structural racism in the interest of a legitimately inclusive profession and to positioning SAA as an organization welcoming of, built by, and led by persons of color. As archivists, we are not neutral in matters of social justice and politics.

The vitality of American archives depends on the safety of archives workers and an explicit commitment to social responsibility, justice, and anti-racism in the work that we do and the organizations we work within. We intend to create and convene a space for constructive discussion toward progressive change in the archival profession and true inclusivity of the archival record, in a profound engagement with our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please be on the lookout for an invitation to join us for a community reflection event in June, followed by an action-oriented forum. 

The SAA Council
June 2, 2020

[1] https://www2.archivists.org/statements/issue-brief-police-mobile-camera-footage-as-a-public-record 

Additional Resources

SAA Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-statement-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion 

Archives for Black Lives in Philly (A4BLiP), Statement of Principles
https://github.com/rappel110/A4BLiP 

DocNow: Ethical Considerations for Archiving Social Media Content Generated by Contemporary Social Movements: Challenges, Opportunities, and Recommendations
https://www.docnow.io/docs/docnow-whitepaper-2018.pdf 

WITNESS: Community-Based Approaches to Archives From the Black Lives Matter Movement
https://blog.witness.org/2015/09/community-based-approaches-to-archives-from-the-black-lives-matter-movement/ 

A People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland
https://www.archivingpoliceviolence.org/

The Society of American Archivists is committed to supporting archivists during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The SAA Council strongly recommends that leaders, boards and trustees, and administrators of archives close public-facing facilities until archives workers are significantly less likely to be exposed or contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. While this decision is made locally, we urge decision-makers to act swiftly and proactively to authorize closures and remote work to protect the health of archives workers.

Archives and their staff members serve a crucial role in preserving and providing access to the nation’s cultural heritage. The recommendation to close American archives is not taken lightly, especially as we see access to and use of archives as one of our professional Core Values. However, many members of SAA support or belong to communities that are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus, including older adults and people with compromised immunity. 

Archivists select, preserve, and make available primary sources that document the activities of institutions, communities, and individuals. This work is essential to our communities and our society. Nevertheless, the valued labor of archivists is not more important than the health of the people doing that work. 

The SAA Council encourages managers and employers to facilitate archives workers at all levels to perform remote work. We recognize that it can be challenging to develop remote work activities that support the material and unique preservation imperatives of archives. However, in this time of crisis, individual health and safety are of utmost importance.This includes the staff of SAA, who have the full endorsement of the SAA Council to work remotely (see this update on testing for preparedness) while continuing to support our members. SAA staff members are closely monitoring the pandemic for potential effects on other in-person activities of our members, including our education offerings and the 2020 Joint Annual Meeting in Chicago.

We have created a resources page on which we will provide links to tools for managerial advocacy, support for displaced archives workers, and other resources to help the archives community navigate this global health crisis. We invite members to submit additional ideas for resources to saahq@archivists.org. 

by Michelle Light, SAA Vice President / President-Elect

Dear Members of the Society of American Archivists,

Recently I accepted an incredible opportunity to serve as the Director of the Special Collections Directorate at the Library of Congress beginning May 28, 2019. I’ll lead seven organizational units responsible for the Library’s unparalleled collections of unique or rare, unpublished and published items: the Geography and Map Division, Manuscript Division, Music Division, Prints and Photographs Division, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, and the American Folklife Center, including the Veterans History Project. The Library’s most recent user-centered strategic plan for 2019-2023 lays out an exciting roadmap for engaging more users, and its digital strategy describes plans for growing its online collections, strengthening its digital stewardship, supporting evolving forms of research, and connecting with more users online. I look forward to helping the Library “throw open the treasure chest.”

To best serve the Library and the Society of American Archivists (SAA), however, I must unfortunately resign from serving as SAA Vice President / President-Elect on May 15. Holding prominent leadership roles at both the Library and SAA could create conflicts of interest and confusion as to the capacity in which I am acting at any given time. I especially would not want people to think that I might be using my position as SAA President to influence Congress. The Library is a legislative agency that includes the Copyright Office and the Congressional Research Service, which provides nonpartisan services to the Congress. As a high-level member of Library management, I could not participate in SAA’s growing advocacy on a variety of public policy or copyright matters. Frequent and high-profile recusals, even if effective, would weaken the role of SAA President.

Advocacy on behalf of archives and archivists is core to SAA’s mission. SAA’s public policy agenda and position statements reveal how SAA takes a stand on a variety of governmental issues. SAA advocates for public policies that ensure that archival records are preserved and made accessible as a foundation for our democracy and cultural heritage. As SAA’s public policy agenda explains, “SAA is committed to supporting policies that will ensure the protection of privacy and individual rights; ensure the transparency and accountability of government at all levels; guarantee the administrative continuity necessary for good governance; make accessible evidence of the diverse and complex elements of the human experience; and preserve historical documentation for future generations.” In the past few years, for example, SAA has advocated for funding for federal grant programs for archives, made statements about improving the transparency of government and strengthening federal records programs, and commented on several aspects of copyright law and the functions of the Copyright Office. I recently participated in the first Archives on the Hill event, co-sponsored by SAA, CoSA, NAGARA, and RAAC, during which we visited members of Congress to advocate for funding for NHPRC, IMLS, and NEH, and to educate them about the importance of electronic records preservation. I am proud of the work of SAA’s Committee on Public Policy and the Intellectual Property Working Group to surface issues of concern for SAA action, and I believe their ongoing efforts are important for the profession.

SAA deserves an engaged president who will lead the organization in accomplishing its mission and goals in all areas, especially in strengthening its role in advocacy for archives and archivists. As a member of the SAA Council, I have served with several federal employees who were very careful to recuse themselves from any action having to do with the federal government. They were models for how to navigate the sometimes muddy waters of conflict of interest. Nonetheless, their positions in their agencies were different than mine, and I am mindful of the weight of authority and responsibility of my new position. For those who know how much I value SAA and all the ways in which it has supported my professional growth and development during the past two decades, you might fathom how painful it is for me to relinquish this incredible honor to serve and lead this organization. I plan to remain active in SAA in other ways in the future; I am co-authoring the next edition of Selecting and Appraising Archives and Manuscripts with Margery Sly, and I hope to volunteer again to advance SAA’s research and educational missions.

In order to ensure a smooth transition, the SAA Council has appointed Meredith Evans to complete my full term.

Thank you for your understanding. In my future role at the Library, I will strive to make a transformative impact on the stewardship of our nation’s cultural heritage, an impact that I hope you may someday appreciate. I regret that I had to make this choice, but as archivists it is imperative that we behave ethically and transparently to maintain the public’s trust in our essential services to society. SAA has several initiatives in store for the next three years that will strengthen archivists’ abilities to advocate for their value to their institutions and communities, and I’m confident that through the dedication of SAA leadership, staff, and members, SAA will continue to support your professional needs and aspirations.

Respectfully,

Michelle Light