NDSA:Meg Phillips

Meg Phillips, NARA

Biography:
I have been the NARA Electronic Records Lifecycle Coordinator since March 2010, a position in which I assist senior management with Electronic Records Archives (ERA) planning and the coordination of NARA's many electronic records units and projects. I am responsible for gathering and helping NARA prioritize the business requirements for the development and evolution of ERA and I provide staff support to ERA's external advisory committee (ACERA).

Throughout my career I have sought opportunities to get more and more involved in electronic records and digital preservation, and working with ERA at the National Archives has been fascinating and challenging. I was previously the electronic records project manager and ERA coordinator for NARA’s Office of Regional Records Services. I began my NARA career in 2002 on the records management staff of the Mid Atlantic Region, where I advised Federal agencies on electronic records issues and appraised records. Before joining NARA I managed the archives and records management program of a large nonprofit. I have a BA in history from Haverford College, an MA in history from the University of Chicago, and an MLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Interest in serving on the Coordinating Committee:
The National Archives is a founding member of the NDSA and I have served as NARA's liaison and coordination point for NDSA involvement almost since the beginning. I have been active in the Standards and Practices Working Group and the inter-working group "Supergroup" on Levels of Preservation. I also served as a facilitator for the CURATEcamp on Processing Data / Processing Collections following the NDSA's Digital Preservation 2012 meeting this past summer (although the self-organizing format meant I could mainly just participate). I have found all of these activities very rewarding so on a personal level I would like to increase my engagement with NDSA.

I believe in both the general mission of the NDSA and the practical potential of the NDSA's collaborative model to advance the cause of digital preservation and stewardship. From NARA's point of view, being actively involved in the NDSA helps to advance NARA's own goals. From a community point of view, it is also important for the voices of government archivists to be represented on the NDSA Coordinating Committee. Stewardship of government's digital archives will ultimately support open government and democracy in the electronic environment. An archival perspective can benefit all of NDSA by bringing these issues to the fore.

Community Represented:
Federal Government
Archivists
Records Managers
National Archives and Records Administration employees
NDSA Standards and Practices Working Group members

Length of Term:
3 years (ending December 31, 2015)