Congratulations to Sue Luftschein and Angel Diaz. Their term will start at the LAAS August 23 General Membership meeting.
Sue Luftschein is the Archival and Metadata Librarian in USC Libraries Special Collections and Archives division, where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of archival processing in the Special Collections department and ensuring best practices across the division. Sue earned her MLIS from UCLA in 2005, and also holds a Ph.D. in art history (CUNY Graduate Center, 1996). Prior to joining USC in 2009, Sue worked as a project archivist on California photographic collections at the Huntington Library, and in the Institutional Records and Archives Department of the J. Paul Getty Trust. Sue has a long and scholarly interest in the history of the western United States, especially California. As an LAAS Executive Committee Member, Sue would like to develop more educational opportunities for LAAS members, such as workshops on basic preservation techniques, using social media to effectively publicize collections, and exhibition design. She would also like to see the organization leverage its resources to develop additional opportunities to engage the public with Los Angeles history and culture, such as cooperative exhibitions, perhaps extending the Archives Bazaar to a two-day conference and exhibition event, annual lectures or symposia, collaboration with other types of historical and cultural organizations in Los Angeles, and expanding our membership. Sue looks forward to the opportunity to work with the other members of the Executive Committee, and the membership, to continue and to advance the important work of LA as Subject.
Angel Diaz is the Archivist at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Transportation Research Library & Archive. She was previously the California’s Gold Archivist at Chapman University and Project Archivist at UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center, as well as Project Cataloger/Archivist at the Autry Museum of the American West. Prior to becoming an archivist, Angel was a grades 6-12 humanities educator in Oakland, CA. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from UCLA and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of San Francisco.
Angel has been involved with LA as Subject as a member, volunteer, and event coordinator for the past four years. She has enjoyed getting to meet with colleagues regularly and planning the Archives Bazaar, as well learning about the fabulous collections held throughout the Los Angeles area. She also is the co-founder and a member of the Steering Committee for the Los Angeles Archivists Collective, and understands the importance of consistent communication, thoughtful collaboration, and diverse and dynamic programming. If elected to the Executive Committee, she will seek out opportunities for collaborative programming that involves both archival and library professionals and the public. She would like to support efforts to increase dialogue and participation amongst members. Angel is also interested in further developing outreach and advocacy efforts to not only showcase collections but also to promote a greater understanding by the public of the significance of preservation.