Photo by Louis Smit on Unsplash

The Los Angeles Archivists Collective (LAAC) is accepting nominations for the following positions, with terms beginning in January 2019

• Treasurer (2 years)
• Secretary (2 years)
• Social Media Subcommittee Chair (1 year)
• Publications Subcommittee Chair (1 year)
• Events Subcommittee Chair (1 year)

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 recently updated LAAC bylaws at https://www.laacollective.org/about/bylaws/

Treasurer

The Treasurer is custodian of all funds; maintains financial records, requests and tracks all receipts and expenses, monitors the organization’s bank and PayPal accounts, provides reimbursements as needed, receives all proceeds from fundraising efforts, and presents financial reports to the organization at meetings.

Secretary

The Secretary takes minutes of all meetings of the organization, sends report of all meeting minutes to be posted on the website, maintains a copy of the current by-laws, maintains an accurate membership roster, and keeps records of organization documents.

Subcommittee Chairs

Subcommittee Chairs organize subcommittee meetings for 3 recently reorganized areas- Social Media, Publications, and Events to ensure subcommittee activities are scheduled and executed, and report to the membership on their progress at each meeting. If desired, Subcommittee Chairs may appoint a co-chair.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 7, 2018 (self-nominations are encouraged). Please note that current students may not be elected to Steering Committee or Subcommittee Chair positions.

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).

In addition, LAAC seeks the following subcommittee members:

• Social Media, 3-5 members
• Events, 3-5 members

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 December 7, 2018 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.

The Los Angeles Archivists Collective (LAAC) is holding a special election to fill a recent vacancy on the Steering Committee.

The successful candidate will serve a full 3-year term. This position will provide an opportunity to lead and contribute to directional oversight for the organization, as well as engage, collaborate, and build relationships with other local archivists and professional organizations.

*Also on the ballot is a proposed change to the bylaws which will reconfigure the current subcommittee structure.

Voting will close on 10/26/18.

Thank you for your participation!

Steering Committee Member Bios

Alyssa Loera

Alyssa Loera is currently a Digital Services & Technology Librarian at Cal Poly Pomona, and has worked in a mixture of libraries and archives since 2007. Her research focus concerns the intersection of technology and archives, which includes the study of accessible technologies, digital library pedagogy/structure, digital preservation, and how physical and digital media are often reflections of our society. She received her MLIS from the University of North Texas, serves on board of the Los Angeles City Historical Society, and is an active member of the Women’s Center for Creative Work.

I have been a part of LAAC since 2015 and since joining, I have seen the members, programs, and values of the group grow into a wildly thoughtful community. I have had the opportunity to participate as a general member, and as a Press & Publications subcommittee member. Being an active part of the Press & Publications subcommittee requires constant communication, adherence to deadlines, and a commitment to the values of the magazine, which align with intersectional and inclusive feminist ideals. Growing within that space has cemented my skills as an organizer.

I see the structure of LAAC as both egalitarian and critical. I see the steering committee as a means to harness the community's thoughts and needs into actionable programming. As a member of the steering committee I hope to support Los Angeles Archivists (and beyond) in building inclusive labor practices, decentering whiteness in our archival processes, disseminating archives education, and in strengthening our connections to the Los Angeles Community.

Ariel Schudson

Ariel Schudson is an LA native and has been a passionate archivist and archives activist for almost 10 years with two UCLA Master of the Arts degrees- one in Cinema and Media Studies and one in Moving Image Archive Studies. An independent scholar, she specializes in 16mm ephemera and the representation of gender/class/marginalized communities in film/TV/moving image media. She is the podcastress of Archivist's Alley, an intersectionally-centered conversational space that examines issues in the archive (good and bad), raises consciousness of our community and focuses on previously-invisible voices and projects silenced by an archive/preservation world centered on White Straight Dudes.

I believe that my role for the LAAC would be twofold: representing the moving image archiving community and continued intersectional activism. I have worked for both during my career and am extremely proactive about them. Having served as the AMIA (Association of Moving Image Archivists) Access Committee chair for 3 years and the AMIA Student Chapter President for 2 years, I have organizational experience and would like to create more inter-organizational bonds, strengthening the LAAC community and community feeling at large. We are nothing if we do not have each other for support. As a second generation Angeleno, I hope to bring that knowledge to the table in addition to offering some of my highly successful social media projects that have been used throughout my archival career (especially within the AMIA organization) for the betterment of the LAAC org and its members.