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Meredith Evans
Amending 827 (28243241406).jpg
Meredith Evans (right) with David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.jpg
Alma mater Clark Atlanta University
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Occupation Archivist
Title Director of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

Meredith Rachelle Evans is an important archivist, historian, and scholar. An archivist is someone who collects and preserves historical records. She is currently the director of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work often focuses on the history and experiences of African Americans in the United States. This includes collecting records from African-American churches and saving social media posts from important civil rights protests, like those in Ferguson, Missouri.

Meredith Evans's Education Journey

Meredith Evans attended Friends Seminary for high school, graduating in 1990. While there, she started a student group called Cultural Awareness Reaching Everyone (CARE). She also worked to make sure books by Black authors were part of the school's lessons.

She earned her first degree in History from Clark Atlanta University. She also got a master's degree in library science from the same university. This degree teaches people how to organize and preserve information. Later, she earned another master's degree in public history from North Carolina State University. Public history is about sharing history with everyone, not just in classrooms.

Dr. Evans then earned her PhD in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her special research for her PhD looked at how African American churches in Atlanta kept their important records. She has also taught classes about libraries, archives, and information at several universities. These include Clark Atlanta University, Wayne State University, and San José State University.

Meredith Evans's Career Highlights

Working with Important Historical Records

While working at the Atlanta University Center, Meredith Evans helped get a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This money was used to make digital copies of the papers of Martin Luther King Jr.. This made his important writings and speeches available to more people.

As an archivist, she also helped teach a workshop about how to protect church records. This workshop was inspired by a fire that destroyed the historic Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago. It taught people how to care for and preserve their church's history.

Documenting Modern History

Dr. Evans has held several important roles at universities. She was the Director of Special Collections at George Washington University from 2008 to 2012. She also worked at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Washington University in St. Louis.

At Washington University, she played a key role in creating "Documenting Ferguson." This was a special online collection of digital materials about the protests in Ferguson, Missouri. These protests happened after the shooting of Michael Brown. This project showed how new ways of collecting information, like social media, can help save history as it happens.

In 2014, her university joined with others to create "Documenting the Now." This project, also supported by the Mellon Foundation, helps collect and save Twitter posts about social justice. This makes sure these important conversations are saved for future researchers.

Leading the Jimmy Carter Library

In November 2015, Dr. Evans became the new director of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta. This library and museum holds the records and artifacts from the time Jimmy Carter was president. She still holds this important position today.

In 2017, Evans was chosen to be the Vice President of the Society of American Archivists (SAA). This is a major group for archivists in the United States. She then served as the 74th president of the SAA from 2018 to 2020.

Awards and Recognition

Meredith Evans has received several important awards for her work:

  • Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellowship (2013)
  • Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (2024)
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