Jessica Serrao receives travel award from Society of American Archivists

Library Associate Jessica Serrao is the 2018 recipient of the Donald Peterson Student Travel Award given by the Society of American Archivists (SAA).

Serrao, who is pursuing a graduate degree in library and information science with a concentration in archives and records management and certificate in digital curation at UNC-Chapel Hill, will be recognized at a ceremony during the Joint Annual Meeting of the Council of State Archivists, National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and SAA in Washington, D.C., August 12-18.

The goal of the scholarship is to stimulate greater participation in the activities of SAA, such as presenting research or actively participating in an SAA-sponsored committee or section.

During the Joint Annual Meeting, Serrao will be chairing the education session “Documenting Decisions: Strategies and Workflows for Consistent and Transparent Processing.” She will also co-present during the session “Documentation for Team Processing: A Strategy for Internal and External Transparency,” which highlights ways team processors can collaborate and improve internal transparency through documentation strategies and how that documentation has the potential to support external transparency to the public.

"As a recent graduate and new archives professional, I am deeply honored and thankful for SAA's support,” Serrao says. “I look forward to this year's conference theme of Promoting Transparency as it is integral to building confidence in the authenticity, reliability, and integrity of the archival record. It is an exciting opportunity to be a part of the national dialogue and to learn how archivists can and are incorporating transparency into their work."

Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists is North America’s oldest and largest national archives professional association. SAA’s mission is to serve the educational and informational needs of more than 6,200 individual and institutional members and to provide leadership to ensure the identification, preservation, and use of records of historical value.

The Donald Peterson Student Travel Award was established in 2005 and honors the memory of New York lawyer and philatelist Donald Peterson. Past recipients include Elizabeth Vallen (University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign), Alessandro Meregaglia (Indiana University, Bloomington), and Samantha Norling (Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis).