Steering Committee, Programming Chair, Secretary, Treasurer

More info about positions and the election process can be found in our bylaws.

Steering Committee (3-year term)

Jasmine Larkin

Jasmine Larkin is currently the Accessioning Archivist at UCLA Library Special Collections. In this role, she has primary responsibility for accessioning activities and is currently developing a retrospective accessioning project to address UCLA’s collections backlog. She received her MLIS with a specialization in Archival Studies from UCLA, and she previously held positions at the Getty Research Institute and New York University. She has been an active member of LAAC’s Programming Subcommittee since 2019 and recently served as the subcommittee’s co-chair in 2020.

Jasmine appreciates the accessible, supportive, and inclusive community that LAAC has built  over the years. 2020 has demonstrated that our communities are vital for providing the support, knowledge, and resources we need to take on the many challenges we encounter individually and collectively. If elected to the Steering Committee, Jasmine would endeavor to help LAAC continue to uphold and foster an equitable and egalitarian environment for its members, with particular advocacy for emerging professionals and underrepresented groups. Through these efforts to bring new, diverse professionals into the community, Jasmine believes that LAAC will be a stronger organization that is better equipped to support its members and their professional aspirations.

Programming Subcommittee Chair (1-year term)

Michael Sokol

My name is Michael Sokol (he/him). I am a first-year MLIS student at UCLA. Concentrating on Archival Studies, I am interested in community archiving, artist archives, Indigenous librarianship, audio preservation, and the intersection of archives and human rights. I am originally from western Massachusetts and am now based in L.A. I worked as a radio producer and DJ for many years, and I now (sporadically) produce a podcast where I have conversations with artists about the relationship between art and social transformation.

Secretary (2-year term)

Carolina Meneses

Carolina Quezada Meneses was most recently the Manuscripts Division Archival Resident at Princeton University Library where she focused on reviewing, researching, and assisting the Digital Archivist with updating digital processing guidelines. She received her MLIS with a specialization in Archival Studies from UCLA, and has previously worked at UC Irvine Special Collections and Archives and UCLA Library Special Collections. Carolina is interested in the preservation of dance and performing arts and by extension, audiovisual and digital preservation.

I’m really excited to self-nominate for the secretary position at LAAC. I’ve been involved with LAAC since I moved to Southern California to pursue my MLIS back in 2018. I’ve attended a few archives tours, as well as presented at the ArchiveNOW conference in 2018 and contributed to the Movement issue of Acid Free in 2019. Over the years, I’ve met and worked with other members of LAAC and as such feel very rooted in the community and can envision myself becoming a more integral part of the collective.

Treasurer (2-year term)

Lauren McDaniel

I have over fifteen years of collections experience and hold degrees in history, visual and material culture, and archival studies. Currently, I am a temporary Special Collections Archivist at the Getty Research Institute. Just prior, I was the temporary Visual Materials Processing Archivist at UCLA Library Special Collections. While at UCLA, my colleagues and I used our collective power to file a union grievance against UCLA Library regarding temporary appointments. Two years on, the grievance continues, as does our fight against the widespread problem of contingent labor in the cultural heritage and education fields. Since 2003, I have also been a self-employed information professional, managing my own business finances as well as clients’ accounts and expenses.

I have participated in and benefited from LAAC’s valuable network and activities over the past few years, including Acid Free featuring my article about UCLA’s Barbara and Willard Morgan papers in its movement-themed issue. I now want to step up my organizational involvement by running for the leadership position to which I could best contribute: Treasurer. Using my dual skills in organizing—information and labor—I would help make LAAC an even stronger resource and voice for our archival community.

 

 

The Los Angeles Archivists Collective (LAAC) is accepting nominations for the following positions, with terms beginning in 2021

• Steering Committee member (3 years)
• Secretary (2 years)
• Treasurer (2 years)

These positions will provide LAAC members with an opportunity to lead and contribute to future programming efforts, as well as engage, collaborate, and build relationships with the other local archivists and professional organizations. For a complete description of the duties and responsibilities carried out by these positions, see the LAAC bylaws at https://www.laacollective.org/about/bylaws/

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee coordinates the organization’s meetings; presides at all meetings and seeks members to serve on subcommittees. The Steering Committee will also form ad-hoc groups as needed which include, but are not limited to, the Holiday Party/Fundraising committee; Nominating committee; and Scholarship committee.

Secretary & Treasurer

The LAAC secretary and treasurer are acting members of the leadership team. The secretary attends community and leadership meetings, in order to accurately record meeting minutes. They also may be asked to update website pages to reflect current resources. The treasurer manages LAAC finances, including bank accounts and programming funds.More information about each position can be found on the LAAC website.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 22nd, 2021 (self-nominations are encouraged).

To submit nominations, email hello@laacollective.org with the nominee name and position. Include a short biography and candidate statement detailing current work, professional interests, and ideas for the candidate's role in LAAC (approximately 200 words). The online ballot will open the week of January 25, 2021.

In addition, LAAC seeks the following subcommittee members:

• Outreach, 3-5 members
• Programming, Chair and 3-5 members
• Publications, 1-2 members (preferably with web production and/or design knowledge)

Members are not elected--they volunteer to be active subcommittee members. Terms are for 1 year. Students are especially encouraged to participate in these positions - LAAC is interested in having local student representatives from UCLA, San Jose State, University of North Texas, and USC.

Each subcommittee will meet in-person or virtually three times a year, and check in with other local professional organizations to avoid duplicate efforts and/or identify potential collaborations for projects or events. For more information, see the Subcommittees section on our about page at https://www.laacollective.org/about/.

To sign up for a subcommittee member position, email hello@laacollective.org by Friday, January 22, 2021 and specify which subcommittee you are interested in. Please also include a few sentences about yourself.

We look forward to receiving your nominations and applications. Please feel free to email with any questions: hello@laacollective.org.

ISSUE 11: FICTIONS

Image via Universal Pictures

Acid Free, the online quarterly magazine of the Los Angeles Archivists Collective, welcomes contributions for its upcoming issue. Acid Free seeks to be a smart, complicated, non-academic forum for a variety of voices and issues in our field, to ground archivists locally and regionally while also keeping an eye toward larger conversations and landscapes.

The theme of our Winter 2020 issue will be FICTIONS, which can be broadly interpreted through an archival lens. Possible topics may include: literary archives, research, or other topics involving artistic production and genre; systemic issues and the stories we tell ourselves within the profession; myths, lies, truth-telling, and subterfuge; creative speculation and ways of imagining; or other takes on the theme. Articles can highlight documents, collections, or exhibitions; explore local landmarks; share projects and stories; or address other theme-related archival subjects and issues.