An Archivist's Tale: Recent Episodes
Geof Huth and Karen Trivette
Archivists in conversation with archivists, discussing their work and passions and how they care for the historical record and present the storied past. Hosted by husband and wife team Karen Trivette and Geof Huth.
Karen Trivette and Geof Huth, hosts of the podcast, return to discuss their archival lives during the pandemic and their plans for the podcast's future and even the one archival trip they have planned for this year.
Natalie Baur, Archivist-at-Large, tells us her story of encountering the profession, which transported her to Miami, then Ecuador, and then to Mexico, where her story has become one of an archivist for hire continuing to work in a global pandemic.
Karen Jamison Trivette and guest host Alex Joseph interview fashion scholar Lourdes Font, professor of history of art at the Fashion Institute of Technology. They discuss the life and work of Max Meyer, a principal at Abraham Beller and Company, a New York City-based women's cloak and suit manufacturer, and examine how archival materials helped tell his story.
Molly Tighe and Matt Strauss tells us their stories of moving from a masonry company and Japan into archives, how they met, and how they keep their archives thriving and relevant in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
After a long absence, An Archivist's Tale presents a poem to David B. Gracy II, one of our guests. Geof Huth of AAT wrote and read this poem.
Anne-Flore Laloë, Archivist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, tells us how a masters of English and a PhD in geography led her to archives, what it is like to work with helpful molecular biologists, how she, as a lone archivist, manages an organization with facilities in multiple countries, and how records of science can enchant the mind.
Saad Eskander, former National Archivist of Iraq, speaking to us from Iraqi Kurdistan, tells an inspiring story about his work running his nation's archives and his struggle to repatriate national records taken by the US government and even journalists, and he explains how archives can show us a way to the truth and toward a better and more just world.
Karen and Geof, hosts of the podcast, return alone together to discuss how their work has changed and how it has remained the same during the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss what they learned about their operations and how they might change when they return to work.
Rosemary Pleva Flynn, the Chair of the Society of American Archivists' Dictionary Working Group, talks about the origins of this just-released Dictionary of Archives Terminology, an online-only dictionary for archivists, explains how entries are created, and details the rich features of the dictionary. Find DAT at dictionary.archivists.org.
Tamar Zeffren, Archival Collections Manager at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, tells us how archives kept her from becoming a lawyer, explains how she worked odd archives jobs when beginning her career during the Great Recession, and explains how her archives team continues their work while working from home during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Greg Hunter, Professor at the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University, tells the stories of his career, stories of almost always starting from scratch and creating archival improvements for the United Negro College Fund, ITT, the Academy of Certified Archivists, the US National Archives, and historical societies on Long Island.
Pat Franks, Professor, and Program Coordinator of the Masters of Archives and Records Administration program at San Jose State University, tells us how a grant opportunity from the New York State Archives led her to records and information management and eventually into a rich career of teaching and writing.
Cliff Hight, Head of Special Collections and the University Archivist at Kansas State University, sits down to discuss his life as an archivist, how his archives was prepared for working at home for covid-19 because of another disaster they had experienced, and shows how his career and ours have intersected many times over the years.
Judy Blankenship, a de facto archivist working to document the visual culture of Cañari people of Andean Ecuador, tells us her story of becoming an accidental archivist after finishing her career and traveling the world.
Karen Trivette and Geof Huth, hosts of An Archivist's Tale, discuss how they are conducting their archival and library work while confined at home and living their lives in Manhattan, in the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Diedre Dinnigan, an Archivist and Heritage Specialist and the Principal of ForKeeps, tells us how stumbling upon an archives changed her life, how she became an archivist because of that, and why she prefers to be an independent archivist in charge of her own destiny and focused on helping people and institutions save and understand their heritage through their archives.
Ostap Kin, Archivist, Librarian, and Research Center Coordinator at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, tells us the story of chance that redirected part of his life from literature to archives, his immigration to the United States, and how archives capture valuable and coherent fragments of the world. (Photo credit: http://alkadabraphotography.com)
Marvin Sackner, one of the founders of the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, explains how he and his wife became collectors of visual poetry and other works that merge image with text, how they built their renowned collection, and where he donated their assemblage of publications, artworks, and personal papers related to this field. This is a story about the collector as a curator and archivist.
Rachel Binnington, an American archivist in England, reveals her peripatetic life story that begins when she was a child, tells us of her archival yearnings which began many years be most of ours did, and surprises us with her wide array of archives jobs covering corporate records, US congressional records, and the colonial records of Louisiana.
Paul Dryburgh, Principal Records Specialist (Medieval Records) at the National Archives of the UK, explains how a Medievalist transforms into an archivist and discovers a life full of history, people, technology, and the materiality of records. Humour (in this case), intellectuality, humanity, and diplomatics ensue.
Kerstin Arnold, a cultural heritage professional at Archives Portal Europe tells us of her beginnings at the German Federal Archives and provides the amazing story of how a small band of people aggregate metadata on 55,000 fonds and collections held by European archives to allow people all over the world an easy way to find the information they need through Archives Portal Europe.
Margaret Crockett a consultant archivist and records manager with Margaret Crockett, Ltd., and Archive-Skills Consultancy, tells us about her beginnings in government archives, her adventures in archives on the open sea, and how she loves the freedom of being an independent archivist.
Tamara Thornhill, Corporate Archives Manager at Transport for London, tells us not only her own tale but also the often surprising history of her organization, which oversees almost all of the transportation system in Greater London, include most famously the London Underground.
Jennifer Anna, Photo and Digital Asset Manager for the World Wildlife Fund, tells us how cinephilia led her to photography, archives, and a career managing the digital.
Karen Trivette and Geof Huth sit down at the end of the year to celebrate the 100th episode of this podcast and discuss their individual archives days, their plans for 2020, the value of archives, and the home they have found for their podcast archives.
Joseph Komljenovich, Senior Associate Archivist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, regales us with stories: of how he began his college career studying finance but slipped somehow into archives, about epiphanies, about never having been a normal kid, and even about returning to finance, to some degree, in his current job.
Cal Lee, Professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science, invites us to his office to discuss how philosophy and the need to address digital records propelled him into archives and how he has connected himself deeply into the archival profession nationally and internationally.
Kelly Wooten, Librarian at the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture at Duke University, invites us into her home to enjoy her cats and to discuss her career in libraries and archives, one focused on women's work, girl's literature, and zines.
Chrystal Carpenter, Coordinator of University Archives and Special Collections, tells us about her beginnings in Egyptology, her experiences dealing with the aftermath of a massacre, her rich and broad career, and an attempt to reframe what the Archives Leadership Institute could be.
Sophie Glidden-Lyon and Daniel Pecoraro, volunteers at the Interference Archive in Brooklyn, tell us the history of the Archive, how this community archives makes records on social movements available to the public, and all about their cataloging parties.
Aaron Purcell, Director of Special Collections and University Archives at Virginia Tech, recounts his journey from the history of the French Revolution to archives, his professional focus on donor relations, and his place in archives.
Kate Theimer, writer and editor, and her husband, Jim Gerencser, College Archivist at Dickinson College, tell us of their lives together as two archivists and the amazing accomplishments they have achieved.
Arian Ravanbakhsh, Supervisory Records Management Policy Analyst at the Office of the Chief Records Officer at the US National Archives, tells us how his life has always revolved around the District of Columbia and explains his important work developing records management policies for the federal government.
Alex Duryee, Metadata Archivist at the New York Public Library, tells us how he became an archivist as a teenager but discovered it was a profession only later in life, and also explains the archival magic of integrated systems of metadata.
Stephen Novak, Head of Archives and Special Collections at the Augusta C. Long Health Sciences Library at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, tells us how the records of a murder first intrigued him about archives and then tells the stories of a long a rich career that touched just about everything an archivist might ever do.
Hrefna Róbertsdóttir, National Archivist of Iceland, provides a wide view of the archival program of Iceland, its national and regional archives, and how these have responsibility for the records of the whole of society, all while Iceland works closely with other archives on international issues.
Njörður Sigurðsson, Director of Acquisition and Access at the National Archives of Iceland, tells his story of becoming an archivist after studying the history of foster children, explains the archives world of Iceland, and discusses his work internationally addressing the thorny issue of displaced archives.
Ashley Levine, Archivist and Digital Resource Manager at Artifex Press, tells us about his move from pure archives to a more modern kind of hybrid archivist role, how all archivists must learn new skills all the time and why their versatility helps them with that, and he explains why archivists realize there is a social urgency to information, the preservation of information, and truth.
Nicole Milano, Head of the Medical Center Archives at NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses how her study of history and her travels led her to archives, discusses how being a lone arranger helped her practice the breadth of archives, and she also speaks about her experiences helping run a podcast and attending the Archives Leadership Institute.
Heather Lember, a processing archivist at New York Public Library, tells us of her life trip from being a musician to an archivist and finally to the archivist working on the extensive papers of Lou Reed, most of which consisted of audio recordings in many formats. She explains the challenges and joys of processing large archival collections.
Patty Sicular, co-owner of Iconic Focus Models, tells us the story of her career in the fashion and modeling industry, which led to her becoming an archivist by necessity. She discusses working with iconic models, such as Carmen Dell’Orefice (still modeling at age 88), and her plans for donating the archives she has retained.
Meredith Evans, Director of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and President of the Society of American Archivists, tells us why she was always meant to be an archivist, how she practices archives from a community perspective, why the keeping of archival evidence is so important, and how records touch all people.
In a passionate episode, Sara and Ben Brumfield, the founders of FromThePage, describe how they, as software developers, are obsessed by making cultural material accessible, how they work with archivists across the world on such projects, and how their passion encompasses both protecting cultures and making their tangible pieces more available.
David B. Gracy II, an archivist who needs no introduction, discusses how history changed the entire course of his life until archives did the same, recounts some of his long and distinguished history in the field, and talks (as he often does) about what we as archivists need to be and to do.
Kate Saeed, Manuscripts Processor at the Geisel Library of the University of California San Diego, discusses her start in history, her discovery of archives, and how she came into the profession without a degree in the field and how she trained herself into the job. Along the way, she discusses her work on the teleplay for The Archivist, her manuscripts processing and a little bit about the Dr Seuss collection.
Rex Pickett, the author of the novel Sideways, and Kate Saeed, the archivist at UC San Diego who processed his papers, discuss Rex's introduction to the world of archives, their collaboration on the teleplay for a limited series called The Archivist, the novel based on that teleplay that Rex is finishing, and Hollywood.
Jake Salik of Talas tells us how he ended up with a business selling archival supplies, how difficult it is becoming to find and sell traditionally crafted paper, and why Talas makes boxes to order and sells multiple types of parchment and even gold-beater's skin. Gold-beater's skin?
Anthony Cocciolo, the Dean of the School of Information at Pratt Institute, talks to us about his transition from computer science to archives and how he ended up teaching and also writing the book on how to care for archival audio-visual records.
Geir Walderhaug, Advisor and Records Manager at the University at Oslo, discusses his work as a government archivist and records manager, hermeneutics, and how government records are managed in Norway. He also talks about the international nature of archives and his role in the expansive world of archives.
Karen Trivette and Geof Huth, hosts of An Archivist's Tale, tell their own tales of their archivist lives at this moment and their plans for future writing and podcasting.
Sheila Almond, the Records Management Officer for the Orange-Ulster BOCES, tells us how microfilming led her into records management, how records storage areas do not always hold the most pleasant of creatures, and how she and her staff have helped transform the management of archives and records in many local governments in southeastern New York State.
Steve Goodfellow of Access Systems tells us the harrowing story he told his wife during their honeymoon, how he went from selling recordkeeping systems to designing them, and how Abraham Lincoln shows up in the most unexpected places.
Bill Saffady, an independent consultant and researcher, tells the story of his movements from history to libraries to archives to records management, his peripatetic life teaching records management to a generation, and something about what drives him to work and teach and write. Caution: Laughter.
Valerie Komor, the Director of Corporate Archives at the Associated Press, tells the stories of how she became an archivist, of archival stories in her family and her work from around the world, and of the similarities between archivists and journalists.
Lauren Brown, the MARAC (Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference) Historian and longtime MARAC Archivist, recounts how he knows he was born an archivist, his travels from the west to the east coasts of the US, his work with the AFL-CIO and Spiro Agnew at the University of Maryland, and many deep stories about the history of MARAC.
Robert Parnica, Senior Reference Archivist at the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives, tells us why archivists need to be active in society, why archivists are always needed even in online environments, how curated collections of digital surrogates can be their own natural archives, and how he helps researchers use his archives' rich collection of records relating to communism and human rights.
Örs Lehel Tari, Archivist at the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives, discusses how a cartoon led him to archives, how he trained as an archivist at work, how he studied archives remotely through the University of Dundee, and what it's like being a processing archivist with a multi-lingual backlog.
Nina Gostenčnik, Deputy Director of the Regional Archives of Maribor, Slovenia, explains her work at her archives (which acquires government, personal, and organizational records), the problem of reunifying records in the nations that formerly made up Yugoslavia, and how the seven archives of Slovenia operate.
Hrvoje Stančić, Chair of Archival and Documentation Sciences at the University of Zagreb, discusses his work on the international multi-year InterPARES project investigating the means to achieve trustworthiness, his teaching schedule, his dictionary of archival terms in Croatian, and how we often only authenticate the fakeness of a record.
Bogdan Florin Popovici, Head of the Brsov County Archives, discusses his almost accidental start in the school of archival science (which was part of the police academy), how the National Archives of Romania functions, working for a great archivist, and the “truth” of archives.
Gabriella Ivacs, Head of the Archives and Records Management Section of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, discusses her work for the agency, the Roma of Europe, the EU's GDPR, and how archives compensate for lost cultural heritage.
Andy Potter, Electronic Records Policy Analyst for the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, tells us about his passion for audio, and his work managing records, working with government agencies, and (soon) helping set records policies for the federal government.
John Slate, City Archivist for the City of Dallas, spins a tale of being caught in the web of archives before his thirteenth birthday, and how he returns to the source of that capture in his first professional job. He ends up in Dallas, providing essential information for the city, its citizens, and users from anywhere else—all while protecting the assets of the city using the city's archival assets.
Joseph Coen, Archivist at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, talks about his beginnings as an archivist working in local government, his professional work in that community, and how he came to work for the diocese, where he has served many researchers and worked to document the diversity of Catholicism in his diverse diocese.
Chela Scott Weber and Mark Matienzo, archivists married to each other, recount their origins as archivists and a couple. They also discuss their deep and various archival careers and how archivists can create their collective destiny.
Polina Ilieva, Head of Archives and Special Collections at the University of California San Francisco, tells us how she moved to the U.S. and became an archivist. She also explains how she documents her university as well as the history of medicine and the histories of patients, while also maintaining the Industry Documents Library, consisting of documents created by industries that influence public health.
Kate Goad, the Assistant Librarian at the four-year-old Letterform Archives, discusses her work in a private special collections focusing on books, posters, and other printed material, but also holding archival materials, all documenting the richness of typographical design.
Margery Sly, Director of Special Collections at Temple University, talks to us about her broad and diverse career as an archivist, some of her wide-ranging work for the Society of American Archivists, and the huge collection of archives, manuscripts, and rare books Special Collections manages, even as they prepare for a huge move.
George Blood, President of George Blood LP, reveals how a beginning in music turned him into someone intent on preserving audio-visual records for the future. George discusses his company's small beginnings, its recent move into a large new space outside Philadelphia, the 152 audio-visual formats they can convert, their constant search for old av equipment—and the five Emmy awards he has received for his audio production work.
The married couple, Marisa Bourgoin (Head of Reference Services at the Archives of American Art) and John LeGloahec (Archives Specialist in the Electronic Records Division of the National Archives) discuss their very different career paths, how they met and grew their relationship, and how John managed through the 2019 shutdown of the federal government. You can also learn how Nelson Rockefeller died.
Cheryl Stadel-Bevans, a Records Management Specialist for the U.S. federal government, explains how someone with a bachelor's and master's in mathematics becomes an archivist and records management and loves the work. She also recounts her experiences as a furloughed worker in the record-breaking longest federal shutdown of all times on the day (unknown to her at the time) of the last work day of the furlough.
Chris Muller, founder and former CEO of Muller Media Conversions, tells us how he moved from writing code for Grumman to rescuing data from distressed, damaged, and obsolete media. His story covers the globe and some of the major stories of the recent past (Watergate, Whitewater, and WorldCom). The episode includes an account of his experience in downtown New York City during 9/11.
Jessica Newell, Archivist at the Edgar Cayce Foundation, recounts her movement from history into archives, and tells us what it is like to manage the archives of the famous American spiritualist Edgar Cayce. This episode is filled with parapsychology, metaphysical readings, and the interesting story of an American family preserving its history.
Bob Sink, former archivist of the New York Public Library, begins his story during the civil rights era, when he was a member of Students for a Democratic Society, and he explains how his desire to ensure justice brought him into archives. He discusses the joys of creating and maintaining an institutional archives and of his research into the librarians of NYPL. Alexa makes a brief appearance in this episode.
On their fiftieth episode, Karen Trivette and Geof Huth, hosts of An Archivist's Tale, discuss what they have helped create with the podcast over the preceding year and their plans for the podcast for this year, including travel to San Francisco, Slovenia, Hungary, and Austria. Karen discusses her big project for her institutional archives and her talk coming up in Slovenia. Geof explains why he has begun writing frequent online essays covering various issues in archival theory.
Bonnie Marie Sauer, Director of Archives and Records Management at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, discusses her move from public relations to archives, her career from government to performing arts organizations, and the constant need for inreach and outreach in archives.
David Kay, Digital Archivist for Optimity Advisors and the founder of Digital Archivy (http://www.digitalarchivy.com/), tells the story of his fall into archives (particularly digital archives), his work as an archivist for an animated television program, and his efforts to help design the Society of American Archivist's Digital Archives Specialist certification program. This is the first of our episodes to end with a limerick.
Peter Wosh, retired Director of the Archives and Public History Program at New York University, tells the tale of his early life, how his interest in history was spurred by his interest in the history of his own neighborhood, his varied carreer, his interest in Waldo Gifford Leland, and his work training a generation of archivists.
Toya Dubin, President of Hudson Archival, recounts her early life as the daughter of a microfilming company executive (her father) and a records manager (her mother), and as a girl who learned from ballet the need for excellence, before she describes the interesting collaborations she has had and solutions she has developed for archives, museums, and other institutions interested in memory.
Pamela Cruz, an archives executive, relates the surprising story of her move to New York City to fulfill a goal only to become an asset manager for the records and artifacts of businesses (Polo Ralph Lauren and Miramax) before those experiences helped make her an archivist for various institutions, even Girl Scouts USA.
Ryan Anthony Donaldson, Senior Manager of Heritage and Information Services at the Durst Organization, explains how auctions led him to museums and museums led him to archives, how he accidentally created his own first archives job, and what it is like working for a large real estate firm that is also a family business with a constant eye to the future that is informed by its understanding of the past.
Kerri Anne Burke, Global Curator of the City Heritage Collection at Citi Group, and Alan Delozier, University Archivist and Education Coordinator at Seton Hall University, who are married to each other, inaugurate the 2X2 series of podcasts, where one archivist couple interviewing another archivist couple. Learn how they discovered the profession, discovered each other, and solve archival problems together.
Elizabeth Myers, Director of Special Collections at Smith College, discusses how she developed an interest in archives while working on her Ph.D. in history, how she studied to teach herself to be an archivist, and how she moved from a job as a lone arranger to one managing people at Wayne State and Smith. We also discuss deaccessioning and the Archives Leadership Institute in depth.
Kent Stuetz, former Regional Advisory Officer for the New York State Archives, recounts his tales of helping local governments manage their archives and records, supporting one of the largest grants programs for records in the world, and participating in two successful statewide archives advocacy initiatives.
Danna Bell, Educational Resource Specialist at the Library of Congress, discusses her unexpected beginning as a college dormitory director through her transition to archives and her eventual transformation into a multivalent information professional. Along the way, she discusses the librarianization of archives, her deep work as a leader of archival associations, and her professional focus on service.
Josue Hurtado, Coordinator Public Services and Outreach at the Special Collections Research Center of Temple University, discusses his beginnings in archives at Stanford University, his work with records relating to the AIDS crisis while working at University of California San Francisco, his work at the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan, his current position and his work as the coordinator of the Committee for Diversity & Inclusion for the Mid-Atlantic Archives Conference.
Karen Trivette and Geof Huth, hosts of An Archivist's Tale, recount their time at the meeting of the International Council of Archives' Section on University Archives and Research Institutions held in Salamanca, Spain, in October 2018, including the issue of translation in multi-lingual conferences, the death of Geof's former colleague Art Sniffin just before the conference, and the value of the papers they heard and of the friends they made in Salamanca.
William J. Maher, the Director of University Archives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, discusses his start as an archivist, his professional involvement in the Society of American Archivists and the International Council of Archives, his thoughts on the true meaning of "archives," the importance of archives as evidence, and his work internationally regarding intellectual property rights. (Photo Credit: Brian Stauffer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Shelley Sweeney, Head of the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections, describes her work with Indigenous Canadians decolonizing and indigenizing archives, with the Canadian Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, her professional involvement nationally and internationally, and her experience with archives of the paranormal.
In a laugh-filled episode, Geoff Williams, former University Archivist at the University at Albany, SUNY, talks to An Archivist's Tale about how he accidentally became an archivist, his first (which was also his last) job as an archivist, his interest in service and in college history, his "Ask Geoff" column, and a little about his influence on Geof Huth, a protege of sorts of his.
Lisa Mix, Senior Archivists at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses her life as an archivist almost always working in medical archives, back and forth across the country, and the interesting records held by and myths about medical archives.
Rachel Vagts, Head of Special Collections and Archives at Berea College, talks about her beginnings as an archivist, the pleasures of working in small college archives, and her central role in assuring the success of the Archives Leadership Institute over the last six years. Oh, and bell hooks!
Terry Baxter, Archivist for both the Oregon Country Fair and Multnomah County in Oregon, discusses his start in government archives, his involvement in Camp Pitt and the Archives Leadership Institute, and his efforts supporting certification as another means to bring people into the profession of archives.
Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Director of Special Collections and University Archivist at Wake Forest University and then the President of the Society of American Archivists, talks about the unusual start of her career (focused on fly-fishing), her achievements as president of SAA, and what archivists need to know about archivists.
Kathleen Williams, Chief of Archives at the National Gallery of Art, talks to An Archives Tale about her career primarily as a museum archivist, her important role in the creation of the Archives Leadership Institute, and her advocacy work for archives.
Sarah Demb, Senior Records Manager/Archivist at the Harvard University Archives, tells us the three-country story of her career as an archivist, then a records manager, and somehow now both.
Rosemary Pleva Flynn, Principal Librarian and Team Lead for the University of North Dakota Energy Environment Research Center, talks about her work at the crossroads of libraries and archives, her involvement in the Archives Leadership Institute, and her leadership on the online Dictionary of Archives Terminology.
Kevin De Vorsey, an electronic records policy analyst at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, discusses the trajectory of his career from museums to technology to archives, while he deeply covers his technology work at NARA, including the assessment of blockchain technology and the importance of metadata in digital preservation.
In a special episode, Geof Huth and Karen Trivette discuss their experiences at the 2018 Archives Leadership Institute held at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. Karen recounts her experience as a member of that cohort, and Geof reflects on the seven ALIs he has attended, one as a cohort member, and the last six, including this one, as a member of the ALI Steering Committee.
Christopher Barth, the Library Director at the U.S. Military Academy, talks about his career stretching from Alaska to West Point, his work teaching strategic visioning and ethics at the Archives Leadership Institute, and his personal story as a victim of a significant archival theft.
Mark Nigro, Learning Training Coordinator of Brushy Fork Institute at Berea College, talks to An Archivist's Tale about his work helping people and groups achieve their potential and collaborate effectively. Mark reviews his career and about his work with the Archives Leadership Institute as a primary instructor over the last three years. Karen, Geof, and Mark also review their experiences at this last year of ALI held in Berea.
Eimee Lagrama, Head Librarian of University Archives at the University of the Philippines Manila, and quadrilingual (in Tagalog, English, Spanish, and Ilocano) discusses how she came to be an archivist, her archival studies in Madrid, how she tries to follow the example of her father, her experiences at the Archives Leadership Institute, and her radio show "Librabio" for librarians by librarians available at dzup.org.
In a boisterous, funny, and serious interview, Stacie Williams, the Director for Digital Scholarship at the University of Chicago, discusses her own experiences as a participant and later as an instructor at the Archives Leadership Institute, her work in digital scholarship, and her ALI cohort's response to the Charleston Massacre of 2015.
Sharon Leon, associate professor of digital history at Michigan State, discusses her work supporting the activities of archivists, on the web publishing tool Omeka, providing project management training at the Archives Leadership Institute, and researching the lives of the slaves of Georgetown University.
Janel Quirante, the Head Digital Archivist for ‘Ulu‘ulu Archives in Hawai'i, recounts her incredibly direct journey from anthropology to documentary film to video archives, her work preserving video and film, and her anticipation of the Archives Leadership Institute, just hours before it began for her.
Lauren Barnes, Director of Information Governance at S&P Global, recounts her beginnings in the theater and how she ultimately came to archives, records management, and information governance (which is a tale full of unexpected surprises and deep insights into the universe of records and information).
Will Tatum, the Dutchess County Historian, describes his progression from archeology to history to archives (while also remaining an historian) and how he manages and enhances access to the records that make up the Dutchess County Ancient Documents, a collection of court and county records that date from the early 1700s.
Jamie Brinkman, the digital asset manager for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, discusses managing digital resources, promoting the collections, beginning her career at the University at Albany, and the fun of working at the Hall of Fame.
Debra Kimok, special collections librarian at SUNY Plattsburgh, discusses her work documenting the history of her college and region, saving the voices of those who used to live there, serving students, and managing a broad collection of materials.
Fred Grevin, troubleshooter, and a consultant for the New York City Teachers' Retirement System, discusses his wide and ever-changing career in technology and records management, and the passion he has for solving complex information problems.
Brian Keough of the University at Albany discusses oral history, working with donors and researchers, collecting and making available death penalty archives, and producing meta-archives resources.
Sylvia Kollar, Director of the New York City Municipal Archives, discusses her broad experience in archives, her dedication to public service, and her archives' work to gain complete physical and intellectual control over a large collection of analog and digital records.
Daria Labinsky discusses her beginnings as an archivist and what it is like to work for not one but two outposts of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Deb Schiff, an archivist with multiple hats, talks about her geographical and career peregrinations, her multi-job life, and her big project to bring low-cost archives training to archivists practicing in small institutions with limited funding.
Sharmila Bhatia of the U.S. National Archives discusses ensuring good working conditions for archivists, digital preservation for archives, and how she became an archivist even though she comes from a family of scientists.
Vincent Novara of the University of Maryland discusses his life as an archivist of music collections, his past life as a professional musician, and his own encounters with leadership, including as the executive officer of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. (photo credit: Pete Duvall, 2017)
Dan Noonan discusses his life as an appraiser of buildings and how it led to his life as a records manager, an archivist, and a digital archivist in a library setting. He also tells us about his life helping run the Archives Leadership Institute.
Chris Burns, Curator of Manuscripts and College Archivist for the University of Vermont, talks about collecting and using congressional papers, dealing with controversies surrounding archival records, and increasing awareness of archivists and their work.
Jamie Martin, the lead archivist at IBM, talks about her work as an archivist providing tangible value to her organization in the form of history.
Alison Clemens of Yale talks about heading up a large description operation, managing digital records, serving the profession, and the importance of meaningmaking and relationships in archives--and the last is not primarily about records.
Margot Note, a consulting archivist, discusses how her life in archives changed dramatically, how she then remade herself as an archivist, and how she became empowered by learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Brenda Scruggs Gunn of the University of Virginia talks about becoming an archivist, the importance of professional service, certification of archivists, and moving across the country for a dream job.
Bob Clark discusses moving from the law to archives, how the cost of being an archivist diminishes diversity in the profession, and how SAA could better help strengthen the archives profession. (FIT, New York, NY, 2 March 2018)
Karen Trivette and Geof Huth discuss their lives as archivists, how they came into the profession, why they are still there, and why they are passionate about their profession. (10 February 2018, New York, NY)