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Alumnus named deputy director of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Feb. 26, 2008—James "Jamie" Roth, a 2001 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science, was recently named deputy director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Mass.
In his new role, Roth will be responsible for helping to manage the Library, an institution devoted to preserving and sharing the historical record of John F. Kennedy's presidency.
Specifically, Roth said his focus is to oversee the construction of a new addition to the Library, work on various issues related to the Archives and Museum divisions and oversee budgets and facilities maintenance. He will also continue his work on the Library's digital initiative, a project to digitize, index and archive millions of presidential documents, manuscripts, photographs and audio/visual recordings.
Before being named deputy director, Roth was head of the Library's Archival Processing Unit. He said he has been thrilled with the broader perspective that has come with his new position.
"I love it. It's exciting and challenging," Roth said. "I was previously involved with the detailed workflow of daily life in a processing area, dealing with arrangement and description of textual collections, oral history interviews, records management and our digital initiative. Now I have a much more general overview of how a presidential library works: the interaction of the archives, museum, store, public programs and education divisions; the relationship to our private nonprofit partner, the Kennedy Library Foundation; and the daily running and maintenance of the building itself.
Roth said that his time at SILS was excellent preparation for his new role.
"I would never have had the same opportunities I've had without the SILS education," he said. "There is an expectation at SILS that every student will rise quickly and be leaders in their organizations and in the profession. I think SILS prepares students well to face these challenges. I feel my education was not just about learning library science and archival theory, but learning the practical leadership skills we need to flourish in our careers."