Interview an Archivist

 

Info 256 Section 10 Module #1 Assignment: Interview an Archivist

The archivist I had the opportunity to interview for this assignment was Ashlee Chism. She serves as the Archivist and Research Center Manager in the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research at the world headquarters of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Her education includes attending and earning her Bachelor of Arts in English in 2012 from the Southern Adventist University. She also earned her Master of Science and Information from the University of Michigan Specializing in Archives and Records Management 2015.

Ashlee explained that while in library school she gained work experience as a student librarian in the Gerald Ford Library. She began her work at the Archives, Statistics, and Research Center, as an hourly staff member before receiving a promotion to manager. Her work includes preserving, describing, and cataloging the materials of this repository. Ashlee mentioned the Seventh-Day Adventist system does have other archives that are not centralized.

The collections preserved in her repository mainly consist of institutional archives, including meeting minutes from the General Conference. However, the institution also has collections that encompass broader materials that qualify as collecting archives, such as persevering and providing access to a collection of English-language periodicals produced by the Seventh-day Adventists. 

The bulk of the materials are largely paper documents, photographs, film, and recorded audio. The archives have some artifacts but there are a growing number of born-digital files in the collection. Ashlee is technically the sole archivist and she manages one employee in her department directly. She also catalogs books for the Rebok Memorial Library, a non-circulating reference library intended for internal use by the staff of the General Counsel Headquarters.

The Archives, Statistics, and Research Center includes 4 different department teams with a total of 19 people. The archives team she oversees is responsible for archiving, digitizing, and uploading materials to the institution’s digital repository and producing researcher reports. Ashlee explained to me when I asked her what a typical day looks like to her, that there is no such thing, there are only typical tasks. She spends her time answering reference questions for patrons who are using the institution’s online archives. Among her other tasks include fulfilling interlibrary loan requests and following up with researchers requesting access to the archives. 

Another task she handles regularly is requests to use images from the archives.

After she has finished assisting researchers Ashlee spends her time processing collections and developing finding aids to add to the archives. Her work includes managing her staff member and the catalog of the Rebok Memorial Library. Occasionally she will facilitate tours of the archives and she also serves on the archives improvement committee as a part of her administrative tasks. Adjacent teams she works with include the Research and Evaluation team who are responsible for developing global surveys and the strategic plan for the center. 

The Data and Statistics team collects and collates data in the annual yearbook to document members. The third team is the Historical Research team who work on a variety of tasks including answering reference questions and also working on projects. Lastly, there is the team that edits and prepares the materials for the Managing editor of the Encyclopedia of the Seventh-Day Adventists.   

The users of the archives include both historians and internal use too. The research center is not staffed for walk-ins so all researchers must schedule an appointment. Not all researchers are members of the church and Ahslee explained that the research center is open to those who wish to apply to gain access. 

When I asked Ashlee what were the kinds of challenges she faced and had to plan for at her job? She explained to me that she was one of two staff who were trained as archivists in her archives to do the tasks. These tasks include managing time commitments between assisting researchers and completing projects. Another challenge she explained about how to justify devoting time to process collections was that may not be accessible now but will be in the future.  

 A strategy she used to process her tasks was regular communication with a colleague in the form of an informal weekly chat. The issues she and her colleague shared include similar problems like the need for more staff, more money, and the need to explain the intricacies of their job to their administration. Other strategies she mentioned included researching DACS and as a member of the Society of American Archivists, she has other resources and literature to refer to for advice. 

  I asked Ashlee about current trends she saw in the field of archives. Those that she has seen and implemented include reparative descriptions and highlighting women and diverse populations in collections. This subject organically led to my next question about what she saw for the future of archives. Ashlee mentioned that future archives will need to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of their users. 

She also mentioned that archives will need to communicate better to inform each other about which repository is holding what. Other future challenges she mentioned were archives trying to anticipate the consequences of climate change. Another challenge she mentioned archives will need to deal with is how will the information stored on servers be saved for future access, and what will happen to the government’s data.

I asked Ashlee about the kind of advice she could give to a library school student nearing graduation. She advised them to get formal archival training before working in the field if possible. She mentioned that it is important to try out the different types of working environments, like private, public, and academic libraries. Another thing she mentioned that was important was to look at the cost of education versus resources. The last advice she gave me was that it is important to find a way to gain management experience. In your career, if you plan to have a role of leadership in your institution, you will need to learn the skills necessary to navigate situations in the workplace. “You will not just manage things, you will manage people too.”

During the interview, Ashlee provided valuable advice and insights that highlighted the diverse tasks an archivist may undertake daily. She explained that working in an archival environment relies heavily on teamwork, with the primary goal of ensuring that collections are accessible to users. This accessibility is achieved through the skills and training that archivists develop during their education. Ashlee emphasized the importance of maintaining connections with colleagues, as they can offer valuable guidance. Her perspective suggests that the relationships we cultivate within this profession are just as significant as the materials we preserve.