Congratulations to the 34 new Digital Archives Specialists (DAS)! These archivists, who represent a variety of repositories around the country, earned a DAS Certificate from the Society of American Archivists (SAA) after completing required coursework within twenty-four months and passing a comprehensive examination in September 2023.
The innovative DAS curriculum, developed by experts in the field of digital archives, is structured around seven core competencies: understanding the nature of records in electronic form; defining for a variety of audiences the requirements, roles, and responsibilities related to digital archives; formulating strategies and tactics for appraisal, description, management, organization, and preservation; integrating technology to provide access to digital collections; planning for the integration of new tools for successive generations of technology; curating, storing, and retrieving original masters and access copies of digital archives; and providing dependable organization and service to designated communities across networks. Participants complete nine required courses from four tiers addressing these competencies.
The new Digital Archives Specialists are:
Shadow Abbott; Lindsay Alukonis, Catholic Diocese of Arlington; Christopher Banuelos, Rice University; Bailey Berry, Pepperdine University; Bridget Bihm-Manuel; Eli Boyne; Heidi Connor; Doreen Dixon; Haley Doty Vaden, CA, Charleston Water System; Pamela Fanelli, Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation; Julie Hause, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians; Katy L. Hogue, State of California; Angela Hoover Morris; Lynn E. Kinsman; Taylor Gaston Kirby; Paula Kiser; Jessica Lowman, Marshall University; Zachary Maiorana; Laura Douglass Marion; Jo Anne Martinez-Kilgore, Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records; Susan O'Shea; Lindsay Osmun, CIBC; Christy Phan; Kristi Proko, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Brien Puff, Syracuse University; Shanna Raines, Greenville County Library System; Aaron M. Rau, Montana Historical Society; Kolbe Resnick; Kimberlee Roberts, Great Basin Institute; Elizabeth R. Russell; Samuel Worcester Sfirri, University of Pennsylvania; Catherine Sorge; Caitlin Walker, Massachusetts Historical Society; Hannah Bryce Zuber.
A total of 851 people have earned Digital Archives Specialist certificates since the program began in 2011. For more information, visit www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das or contact SAA Education (education@archivists.org).
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SAA Headquarters
Society of American Archivists
Chicago IL
saahq@archivists.org------------------------------