2019 Board of Directors Election Candidate Biographies and Statements
Candidates for Vice President/President-Elect
Biography
Amye McCarther: I’m an arts archivist and media conservator currently based at the New Museum in New York. My previous work has included the Merce Cunningham Trust, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Judd Foundation, the Whitney Museum, the Harry Ransom Center, the Joan Mitchell Foundation’s CALL Project, and others. I’m the outgoing Director of the Programming Committee for the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, the Co-coordinator of the Solo Art Information Professionals special interest group for the Art Libraries Society of North America, a member of the Digital Libraries Federation’s Museums Cohort and Labor Working Group, and a member of the American Institute for the Conservation of Artistic Works’ Electronic Media Group. My research interests include analog media and hardware preservation, performance documentation, scaling conservation in response to climate change, critical approaches to library and archival practice, and designing digital collections for engagement and access.
I joined the Archivists Round Table when I moved from Texas to New York during graduate school and the community I found within the organization was an invaluable support in charting my early career. Working as the Director of the Programming Committee these past two years has, in many ways, been the realization of my best hopes for what I might do as an archivist, whether it has been crafting programs around unique collections, tackling challenges impacting our members and sister organizations, or simply celebrating the success of my colleagues. I hope to continue growing my professional service in the capacity of Vice President.
Candidate Statement
Archives continue to be a rising presence in our cultural life and imagination, and our work increasingly intersects with issues that intimately shape contemporary experience, including information literacy, social and historical narrative, privacy, surveillance, and transparency, to name a few. Our professional ethics and insights have incredible value to bring to these spaces and I’m excited at the prospect of leading a professional organization representing such a sophisticated talent pool. But I also recognize that we still have work to do in order to truly foster diverse representation within our membership, adapt to an ever-evolving technological landscape, and address the rising precarity experienced by emerging archives professionals.
I have been immensely proud of the advocacy work that the ART Board has undertaken to elevate the field and the leadership I’ve seen demonstrated. If elected, I hope to carry that vision forward while upholding our core values. The Archivists Round Table has an amazing foundation in its many committee members and devoted supporters, and this foundation has enabled us to address the needs of our community and to raise our collective voice regarding critical issues impacting the field.
As Vice President, I would be committed to providing lateral support and resources to our committee leaders and their members, and to recognizing those whose service has made us the organization that we are today. It is my belief that we should continually seek out avenues for engaging with policy in the public sphere, and I would work with our Advocacy Committee to ensure that we take advantage of every opportunity to have a seat at the table. Finally, I would continue to bring forward voices that bring diversity to our conversations and strengthen our shared practice. I’m excited by the proposals that our President Cristina Vignone and President-Elect Deidre Dinnigan have brought forward in response to the feedback we’ve received from members over the past year, and I look forward to celebrating our fortieth anniversary season together!
Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, is a New York City ophthalmologist, an internationally distinguished author, curator, historian, collector, TV consultant and archivist. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine & Psychiatry and Professor of Medical Humanities at NYU Langone Medical Center. His collection of over one million historic photographs is recognized as the most important private comprehensive collection of early historic photography. In 1977, he founded The Burns Archive to share his discoveries. He has authored 49 books, over 1100 articles, curated over one hundred exhibitions, and consulted on dozens of documentaries and feature films. He is the Medical, Historical & Technical Advisor to HBO/Cinemax’s THE KNICK and PBS’ MERCY STREET.
The Burns Archive houses the world’s largest private collection of early medical and historic photographs from the birth of photography to the atomic age. With over one million historic photographs, it is well known for providing photographic evidence of forgotten, unseen and disquieting aspects of history. The cornerstone of The Burns Archive is its unparalleled collection of medical photography, but it is also renowned for its iconic images depicting the darker side of life: death, disease, crime, racism, revolution, and war. The Archive has produced dozens of books, and curated and contributed to thousands of international museum and gallery exhibitions. Over the past forty years, thousands of publishers, curators, authors, researchers, artists and filmmakers have utilized this unique source of visual documentation. The Burns Archive actively acquires, donates, researches, lectures, exhibits, consults, and shares its rare and unusual photographs and expertise worldwide.
I wish to serve as Vice-President of ART because I would like to share of my knowledge as an archivist and my experience and expertise as an executive at multiple organizations. As a leader and innovator, I served as president of the Medical Archivists of NY State from 1979-1981 and CEO of the International Society of Physician Historians in the 1980s. I was chair of the photography committee at the National Arts Club for over a decade. My 45 years as an archivist and professional in multiple library, archival and historical organizations, includes managing the Burns Archive, a collection of over one million historic photographs.
Candidates for Director of Programming
Lisa Barrier is the Asset Cataloger for the Carnegie Hall Archives. Her role consists mainly of creating, organizing, and standardizing metadata for the Archives’ physical and digital collections and for Carnegie Hall’s education, marketing, and development assets. Outside of metadata management, she enjoys working with different departments to promote the use of archival materials and Carnegie Hall history. Lisa graduated from Pratt Institute's Master of Library and Information Science program in Spring of 2015, with a focus on Archives and Digital Archives. She currently lives in New York, NY.
Candidate’s Statement:
As a relatively new Archivist, I am always looking for ways to learn from other information professionals and expand my network. The A.R.T. Director of Programming position provides a platform for me to do so and allows me to demonstrate my ability to work efficiently and resourcefully to produce beneficial monthly meetings. I believe I am qualified for the role as I am friendly, organized, enjoy working both individually and in groups, complete projects and tasks quickly and accurately, and am not afraid to creatively solve problems. I have experience in fundraising and event planning for cultural institutions and non-profits and am flexible with my time and availability. As Director of Programming, I plan to become fully acquainted with the needs and wishes of current A.R.T. volunteers and members and to work closely with everyone to coordinate fresh, successful events.
Megan Williams is the Outreach and Reference Librarian in the Photographs and Prints Division at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Her interests include preserving and providing access to the photographic record of black culture, teaching radical histories through images, contemporary art, and motorcycles.
I have been a member of ART or other professional organizations, such as ARLIS, for several years. These organizations have been invaluable to me as I pursued my career as a librarian and archivist, and I am eager to give back by serving as Director of the Programming Committee. ART events are a great opportunity for our community to learn more about the many local institutions, exhibitions, individuals, and issues relevant to our work. They are also a chance for us to get to know one another. I am interested in expanding upon the great work that's already been done by focusing the committee's energy on events that center the archives and voices of marginalized groups. I look forward to reaching out to and collaborating with my friends and colleagues around the city to put together fun and interesting programs for you all. I am also excited to hear from our members about the kinds of programming that would be most meaningful or helpful to them and their work.
Candidate for Director of Education
Maya Naunton is a graduate of the Palmer School Library and Information Science at Long Island University. Maya’s experience includes working
in university and museum libraries. She is interested in improving digital tools and copyright issues as they apply to libraries and archives. From her previous career as an Art Conservator, Maya brings expertise and interest in preservation issues.
I strongly believe in the Archivists Round Table mission of providing a platform for the members to communicate and to further their professional development. In the coming year, I propose continuing cooperation between the Archivists Round Table, Metro, and SAA and to use this cooperation to further improve our educational programming.
As the field continues to change and evolve, the Education Committee has the responsibility for assisting archives professionals to further develop their professional skills and stay up to date with new tools. In order to fulfil this obligation, I propose offering workshops that educate the members in the issues of copyright as it applies to their work as well as covering technological developments that are of interest. As one of the ways for the members to expand their awareness of digital issues, I feel that A.R.T. would benefit from cooperating with NYC Digital Humanities group.
I am looking forward to helping A.R.T. members learn new skills in the collaborative environment and to making the next Symposium a great success.
Candidate for Director of Advocacy
Patricia Glowinski is currently an archivist at the New York City Municipal Archives. She holds an MLIS from Pratt Institute (2008) and a Digital Archives Specialist Certificate from the Society of American Archivists (2014). Since graduating in 2008, she has worked primarily as an archivist but has also had gigs as a librarian and has worked at a variety of institutions and repositories such as the Center for Jewish History; Weill Cornell Medical Center Archives; University of California, Irvine Special Collections and Archives; Brooklyn Historical Society; the Harvard Library in New York; and Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Architects. She is a member of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York; Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference; Society of American Archivists; National Council on Public History; and the American Printing History Association.
I am excited by the opportunity to run for director of the Advocacy Committee, one of the committees of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York (ART) that does important work for the archivist community and archival repositories in New York City and beyond. I have been a member of ART since 2010 and a member of the Advocacy Committee since 2015. Although I have been a member of professional organizations that have ranged from local to international in scope, I feel most connected and effective working at the local level. That said, the New York City metropolitan area is vast and it includes a wealth of talented archives professionals who come from a multitude of backgrounds with many viewpoints, needs, and concerns. While serving on the Advocacy Committee I have had the pleasure of working with inspiring fellow committee members and I have learned that the most effective way to serve the community is to not only educate myself on issues facing the archival community but to listen to and learn from the community. Each year brings new concerns and issues alongside long term issues that affect the archival community. Advocating for diversity and inclusivity in the archival profession, addressing inequitable workplace practices, advocating for sustainable funding, and ensuring equitable access to archives, just a short list of pressing issues, will require a lot of work from all of us. Regardless of the outcome of the election, I look forward to continuing serving on the Advocacy Committee to create opportunities for the archival community to come together and address these and other critical issues.
Candidate for Treasurer
Sonali Sugrim. MLS 2017, CUNY Queens College and Certificate for Archives and the Preservation of Cultural Materials, MA Public History, St. John's University, E-Resources and Content Management Librarian, Acquisitions Librarian, Freelance Archivist, Queens Memory Project Volunteer
As a Treasurer, I will be thrilled to be a part of such a diverse group of Archivists. I would make it a priority to engage and collaborate with colleagues as well as to assist in the continuation of the programs supported by the organization including the many advocacy initiatives. I would bring years of experience of handling budgetary needs of various positions and a desire to learn and work together. I would advocate for transparency and accountability and make an effort to ensure that the organization meets the needs of its members.
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