The 2026 elections for the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries, Inc. open on Wednesday, April 15th. Representatives of PACSCL member institutions have until 11:45pm on April 22nd to cast their votes. Representatives are encouraged to discuss the candidates with staff at their institutions prior to casting their votes.
There is one candidate for one Class B seat. Class B directors must be representatives of member institutions.
There are four first term directors who seek a second term on the PACSCL Board
Each candidate was asked to provide a response to this question: What will you bring to PACSCL?
Class B Candidates
Sara Borden, Rowan University
Sara Borden has been an active member of PACSCL for close to a decade, having been appointed a member representative in 2017. She has been on various PACSCL committees since 2020 and was appointed to the Board of Directors as Chair of Nominations & Governance in 2022, stepping off in 2025. Borden deeply relished her time on the PACSCL Board and she is eager to run for a new term.
Borden loves making professional development more accessible. During her time as Chair of the Nominations & Governance Committee, she spearheaded the establishment of the Mentorship Circles program, which is currently enjoying a successful first year. Borden was also involved in previous strategic planning efforts and would love to bring that experience to this transitional time in PACSCL’s history. Borden believes that her history of leadership within PACSCL and in other professional roles will be an asset to the organization as it builds its future.
Borden is the Head of Archival Collections & Services at Rowan University and held the position of Chair of MARAC for the fiscal year 2022-2023. She led strategic planning initiatives in both capacities. She has a real passion for strategic planning and hopes to bring that passion to the PACSCL Board of Directors. Borden believes that collaboration, communication, diversity, and inclusion are keys to successful special collections programs and wants to see PACSCL’s efforts in these areas continue to grow. She would be honored to be a part of the Board that does so.
Second Term Candidates
Lois Fischer Black, Director of Library Special Collections
Lehigh University
Lois plays a pivotal role furthering the visibility of special collections through community outreach and engagement. Her collaborative approach was shaped by Special Collections positions in the libraries at the University of Delaware, the NY Academy of Medicine, and North Carolina State University before being appointed the Lehigh Libraries Curator (now Director) in 2006. Lois brings strategies for PACSCL Board of Directors discussions and served as PI for PACSCL-CLIR’s landmark digitization project BiblioPhilly. She contributes to professional and community organizations, holding offices and committee appointments in ACRL/RBMS and PACSCL. She currently serves as co-chair of the Program and Member Engagement Committee, is a member of the Nominations and Governance Committee, and participates in the mentoring circles. Lois spearheaded the PACSCL Member Passport program to encourage interaction among colleagues. Her career is replete with examples of making meaningful contributions to the profession that include guideline development, strategic planning, and mentorship. Lois looks forward to continuing her contributions to PACSCL’s future, including the development and implementation of a new strategic plan and onboarding a new Managing Director.
Lois brings PACSCL support from Lehigh’s Library and Technology Services (LTS). LTS takes a leadership role in developing effective methods of education, including the creative use of information technology in teaching, scholarship, and library resources. Central to its mission, LTS added a digital archives librarian to collect, preserve and make discoverable born-digital material. Digitization efforts have included collaborative projects and community partnerships. Lois looks forward to continuing this collaboration between LTS and PACSCL.
Bettina Hess
German Society of Pennsylvania
I am a current member of PACSCL’s Board of Directors and would look forward to continuing to serve for a second term. For the past year, I have also served on the Executive Committee (EC) as Board Secretary. The EC is currently planning for Managing Director Beth Lander’s retirement in 2027 and is acting as the transition team guiding the process. During my term on the Board, I have enjoyed getting to know my fellow board members and working together on projects that will impact the future of the organization, such as crafting PACSCL’s current strategic plan and planning for the hiring of a new managing director. As a representative of a small institution, I know from experience how valuable PACSCL membership can be to solo practitioners, for information sharing, professional development, participation in grant projects, and being a member of a friendly and collegial special collections community. I believe one of my roles as a board member should be to advocate for the organization, and I enthusiastically share the benefits of PACSCL membership whenever I have the opportunity to engage with colleagues at non-member institutions.
Nancy Loi (she/her)
Rosenbach Museum & Library
I am the Associate Librarian at the Rosenbach Museum & Library and a member of the PACSCL OPAC group, DEI Committee, and Harmful Language Working Group. As a Board member, I strive to actively listen to my peers, ask clarifying questions, and provide a thoughtful, practical perspective to help guide and shape the organization’s work.
While there are changes and challenges now and ahead of us, I believe that the dedicated and engaged staff at member institutions will continue to benefit from being part of the PACSCL community. Our collaborative spirit and commitment to sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources give me hope for our profession and culture. I look forward to making connections with my fellow library and archives workers. I aspire to center them and the diverse collections we preserve and make accessible to the public as PACSCL navigates the upcoming transition.
Jessica M. Lydon, Brooke Dolan Archivist/Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
I have served on the PACSCL Board for the last three years as board secretary, vice chair, and as a member of the Strategic Planning Working Group helping to both support governance of PACSCL and identify areas of focus that aligns with the organization’s mission. Additionally, as a member of the Harmful Language Working Group, I have worked with colleagues from PACSCL member institutions to build upon the cross-collection assessment of the Harmful Language Audit conducted in 2023 to create opportunities to discuss reparative description and cataloging work and develop practical guidelines that may benefit staff at member institutions. I care deeply about the challenges cultural heritage workers and institutions currently face and believe strongly in PACSCL’s mission to promote professional development and learning opportunities and welcome the chance to continue serving the PACSCL community.