Month: April 2020

Podcast: Season 3, Archives in Context

Listen to Season 3 of Archives in Context!

Season 3 features content from archivists at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019. In “Elevator Going Up,” hosts “take to the streets” to ask attendees to respond—on the spot, with no preparation—to questions about what archivists do and what archives are. Three more episodes highlight the storytelling event A Finding Aid to My Soul. Ten storytellers share funny, moving, and inspiring stories from the archives in part 1, part 2, and part 3. Listen to the season now via the Archives in Context website, Google Play, Spotify, and iTunes.

Call for Contributions: The Handbook for Archival Practice

The first call for contributions to The Handbook for Archival Practice was a success. A number of articles are now under review as a result of an “open” call. A second call is now available which seeks authors for specific terms.

Check out the “call for proposals” at https://thapproject.org/call-for-proposals/ and then “complete the survey” (link on the page) by May 15 to become part of this collaborative publication.

Questions can be directed to Pat Franks (patricia.franks@sjsu.edu)

Go Green with SAA Publications

Do you find yourself reading American Archivist or Archival Outlook only online? Now you can “go green” and opt out of the print version of these publications. By doing so, you’ll help SAA reduce our costs and climate impact—it’s a win-win!

And it’s easy to make the switch. Simply log in to your SAA profile, click “Edit My Profile” in the left column, scroll down to “Communications and Mailing Preference,” and click “opt out” of the journal and/or magazine. Then keep an eye on In the Loop so you never miss a new issue of American Archivist and Archival Outlook!

You’ll still enjoy the same great content—now a little greener and in the format you prefer.

Stacie Williams Appointed SAA Publications Editor

Stacie M. Williams, director of the Center for Digital Scholarship at the University of Chicago, was appointed Publications Editor of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and will begin her three-year term on April 1, 2020. The appointment was made by the SAA Council following a five-month search.

Williams will helm a program that has published 90 books along with dozens of case studies and other electronic content since 2000. The Publications Editor is responsible for setting a vision and providing philosophical direction for the program, directing the work of the twelve-member Publications Board, acquiring and reviewing manuscripts, and maintaining a transparent review process.

Williams has published and lectured widely in the archives, library, and journalism professions. Her work has appeared in SAA’s journal American Archivist, Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies, LitHub, New York Magazine, and The Rumpus. She is the author of Bizarro Worlds (Fiction Advocate, 2018), a bibliomemoir interrogating gentrification and race in Jonathan Lethem’s novel The Fortress of Solitude. Within SAA, Williams has served as newsletter editor for the Archivists and Archives of Color Section, co-chair of the Women Archivists Section, and chair of the 2017–2018 Nominating Committee. She attended the 2015 Archives Leadership Institute and subsequently served on the institute’s faculty in 2017 and 2018.

In addition, Williams has served or currently serves on the advisory boards for the Digital Library Federation, which provides guidance on the design and application of digital library technologies; Rhizome’s National Forum on Ethics and Archiving the Web; the community activist-driven oral history project A People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland; and Documenting the Now, which develops tools and practices for the ethical collection and preservation of social media content.

“Publishing is foundational to how we perform our work,” said Williams, who holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a master of science degree in library science with an archives management concentration from Simmons College. “Having access to the perspectives and processes of our peers—historical, contemporary, and futurist—is how we share our work with each other and also how we challenge it.”

Williams will succeed Christopher J. Prom, Associate Dean for Digital Strategies at the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, who is completing his second three-year term as SAA Publications Editor.

Call for Applications: Editor, American Archivist

Are you an avid reader of professional literature and an author? Do you have experience as an editor? Do you get excited about nurturing new knowledge and voices in the profession? Are you brimming with ideas for expanding this journal’s readership?

If so, you could be the next editor of American Archivist!

Established in 1938, American Archivist is the leading publication in the archives field. Published semi-annually by the Society of American Archivists, the journal features research articles, case studies, perspectives, and international scene pieces as well as reviews of professional literature, archival technologies, and resources. It strives to publish contributions that advance the core organizational values and strategic goals of SAA.

SAA seeks a dynamic individual with excellent communication skills who will enhance the visibility of American Archivist in the archives and allied professional communities and grow the number of high-quality submissions. The Editor is responsible for the solicitation, selection, peer review, and final approval of articles and features. A successful candidate shall demonstrate an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as reflected in the SAA Statement on Diversity and Inclusion. Critical to advancing the goals enumerated in the SAA Strategic Plan, we seek a candidate who will continue to diversify and strengthen the peer review system, harness the diverse talent and perspectives of the Editorial Board, and focus on making our journal more inclusive and accessible. Thus, we welcome a candidate who will maintain the independence, prominence, and credibility of American Archivist as a critical venue for presenting the diversity of knowledge and ideas relevant to the archival profession, through a rigorous peer review process that values diversity and inclusivity and produces excellent scholarly and professional contributions.

The Editor will use PeerTrack (an author- and reviewer-friendly manuscript submission and peer review system) to work with authors and prospective authors on necessary revisions. In addition, the Editor works closely with the reviews editor, a copyeditor, an indexer, and the SAA staff (who handle journal production and business matters). The Editor also coordinates the activities of the American Archivist Editorial Board, serves ex officio on the SAA Publications Board, and reports to the SAA Council.

Candidates should possess the following qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership skills, to include a strong and clear showing of a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity and a vision that places the journal at the forefront of professional dialog.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and nurture relationships with authors, both emerging and established, to encourage them to explore interesting questions, and to submit ideas and articles to the journal.

• Strong understanding of archival work or the archival profession, ability and willingness to develop ideas in emerging areas of the profession, to support the thoughtful reexamination of past professional insights, and to address issues of particular relevance to historically underrepresented populations.

• Ability to nurture intriguing, but not completely formed, submissions to successful publication.

• Excellent personal communication and writing skills, including the ability to edit scholarly material, to give feedback to authors, and to make timely reports to those in SAA with oversight responsibility for the journal.

• Sufficient financial and time-management skills to ensure that the journal is published regularly, on time, and on budget.

The term of the current Editor, Cal Lee, expires on December 31, 2020. His successor, who will serve a three-year term, will begin work no later than January 1, 2021. The honorarium is commensurate with experience ($20,000–$30,000).

Interviews of finalists will be conducted in May 2020. Submit letter of interest and curriculum vitae/résumé by April 15, 2020, to saahq@archivists.org and in the subject line state “Application for Editor of American Archivist.”

Questions should be directed to SAA Executive Director Nancy Beaumont at nbeaumont@archivists.org or 866-722-7858.