Dec

Archives Director riding off into the sunset—or at least to Warrenton

Anne Van Camp, the Director of Smithsonian Institution Archives, will retire early next year. Her last day at the Smithsonian will be Jan. 31, 2018.

Anne Van Camp, director of Smithsonian Institution Archives (Photo by Ken Rahaim)

Van Camp has been the director of SIA since March 2007. During her tenure, she helped to modernize and streamline systems and services that make the Institution’s archival resources more accessible to researchers and the public. She provided leadership and guidance on the preservation of the Smithsonian’s digital assets, consolidated and strengthened the stewardship of the historical photographic collections, and advised units and senior leadership on broadening access to and strengthening stewardship of the national collections.

Throughout her career, Van Camp has been an active contributor to the archival profession. She was named a fellow of the Society of American Archivists in 1994 and served as a member of the U.S. Department of State Historical Advisory Committee from 1991 to 2001. Anne shared her expertise in digital preservation as a member of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access (2008–2010), which produced the important study, “Sustainable Economics for a Digital Planet.”

Van Camp and her husband, Harry Simmeth, plan to move to Warrenton, Va., to be closer to the countryside and to their horses. Other plans include volunteering in adult literacy and therapeutic riding programs.