New Head of Special Collections
Dr. Meredith Evans Raiford has begun her role as Director, Special Collections Research Center. She comes to the Gelman Library System with more than 5 years experience arranging, describing, developing, and digitizing important archival collections such as the Clarke Africana Collection, the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection, and the Maynard Jackson Papers. Dr. Raiford has more than 12 years experience as a manager in both academic and commercial settings and brings extensive expertise in financial accountability such as purchasing, budgeting as well as hiring and training with her to this position.
Dr. Raiford received her Ph.D. from the School of Information and Library Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her dissertation title was: Record Keeping Practices in Selected Atlanta Area Black Churches. In addition to her Ph.D., she also has a Masters of Public History from North Carolina State University and an M.L.S. from Clarke Atlanta University.
She remains active in archival and library education and teaches in the San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science. Her research interests include strengthening community-based record-keeping practices; developing effective methods of collection development and access in an increasingly digital society; the relationship between custody of records, appraisal, description, and social memory; and the impact of collaboration as it pertains to the collection of historical documents.
Dr. Raiford has evaluated record keeping programs within six different churches to foster collaboration with professional archival institutions. In her immediately prior position to becoming Head of Special Collections at Gelman, she assisted with the development of library policies and procedures and was an active member of a variety of committees, including the Digital and Technology Services Committee. She is an active member of the Society of American Archivists, the American Library Association, and the National Council of Public History.