The American Heritage Center has appointed Sara Davis as the new university archivist.  The university archivist serves as a liaison between the AHC and University of Wyoming departments, faculty, staff, and student organizations to assist in records retention schedules, which are critical in terms of the legal value of records as evidence and the reliability of information, as well as collecting materials that help document UW. The AHC is the University of Wyoming’s official archival repository.

Sara Davis, AHC University Archivist

Davis, a Wyoming native and UW alumna, left Wyoming to attend Simmons College in Boston to pursue a higher education at a nationally renowned American Library Association accredited program. Her intention was to one day return to her home state and share her experiences and knowledge to advance public information services.

While in Boston, Davis gained experience in the archives management field by working with the Appalachian Mountain Club, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site and participating in professional organizations such as the New England Archivists and Society of American Archivists.  Additionally, Davis served as a consultant for the National Association of Olmsted Parks performing services for the National Park Service at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site as their digital archivist and project manager.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to return to a community that I feel dear to my heart — Wyoming, the Rocky Mountain Region, and the University — to help in the preservation of our history,” Davis says. “I look forward to engaging our community in preserving our history and playing an active role in collecting materials that document campus culture, the history of the University of Wyoming, its administration, programs, services, and members of its communities.”

The university archives are divided into three categories: official records of the University of Wyoming, the papers of UW faculty, and records of student and affiliated organizations.  Types of materials found in the university archives include class syllabi, departmental or committee minutes and records, diaries, scrapbooks, audiovisual materials, publications, announcements, and correspondence.  Overall, the university archives aim to collect documentation on the seven functions of an academic institution: convey knowledge, advance knowledge, confer credentials, foster socialization, maintain and promote culture, sustain the institution, and provide public service.

Davis holds an Associate of Arts in music from Laramie County Community College and two degrees from the University of Wyoming (Bachelor of Arts in humanities and fine arts and Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in psychology). Additionally, she has a Master of Science in library science with a concentration in archives management from Simmons College and a digital archives specialist certificate from the Society of American Archivists.

Davis can be reached at sarad@uwyo.edu or at 307-766-6832.