An Archivist's Tale

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.