AC26 | Session 12
Starting from Scratch: Lessons Learned from a New Program in a Historic State Agency
Target: Federal, Tribal, State, Local, Public Institutions of Higher Learning
Focus: Archives, Records Management, Technology/Tools
Levels: Intermediate
GARA: "Program Establishment & Administration" OR "Training, Advocacy & Outreach" 
Overview

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority delivers regional transit services within a 100+ year-old institutional context. Until 2023, however, it and its predecessor entities had no central records, archives, or information management program. This gap created significant risk for the Authority, particularly in an environment of limited resources from oversight agencies and the State Archives.

Deputy directors for the RIM and Archives/Digital Asset Preservation workstreams will share lessons learned to date on obtaining stakeholder buy-in, embedding best practices in archives management, and advocating for strengthened records retention policies applicable across local, tribal, state, and federal government environments.

Learn how a small team built champions outside their department, introduced new systems while managing legacy paper backlogs, and navigated a hybrid physical-digital environment. The presenters will also discuss how collaboration with peer agencies helped build momentum and institutional support.

Participants will gain practical guidance on identifying allies, managing change during system implementation, addressing legacy backlogs, and integrating governance practices into daily workflows—particularly in organizations where a formal RIM program did not previously exist.

Presenters
Alison Anderson
Alison Anderson
Deputy Director, Archives and Digital Asset Preservation, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Alison Anderson is a Certified Archivist (CA), Digital Archives Specialist (DAS), and holds a master’s degree in library and information science with a concentration in archives management from Simmons University. She has previously served as senior cochair of the Society of American Archivists Design Records Section and as a member of the SAA Digital Design Records Taskforce.

With over fifteen years of experience working with visual materials (including architectural and construction records), her interests include enhancing metadata, improving workflows, and creating connections across systems and collections to improve the user experience.
Sarah R. Demb
Sarah R. Demb
Deputy Director, Records & Information Management, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Sarah R. Demb is the MBTA’s first Deputy Director of Records and Information Management, responsible for establishing the RIM program and spearheading updates to the Massachusetts Statewide Records Schedule to include MBTA operations records.

Prior to 2024, she served as Senior Records Manager/Archivist at the Harvard University Archives for a decade. She has also worked as Museum Archivist and Records Manager for the Museum of London, Records Management Advisor for the London Museums Hub, and Project Manager at the International Records Management Trust.

She holds an MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin and is co-author of Records Management for Museums and Galleries: An Introduction (Chandos Publications, 2012). She has contributed to The Handbook of Archival Practice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) and Museum Archives: Practice, Issues, Advocacy (SAA Publications, 2022).