University Library News

This press release was originally published by the Society of American Archivists:

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CHICAGO – Brittany Newberry, music and popular culture archivist at Georgia State University, is the 2025 recipient of the Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award from the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The award celebrates and encourages early-career archivists who have completed archival work of broad merit, demonstrated significant promise of leadership, and performed commendable service to the archives profession.

In her three years of employment at Georgia State, Newberry founded and developed the Atlanta Hip Hop Archives, and has served as a founding member of the Southern Hip Hop Studies Consortium. The Atlanta Hip Hop Archives is the first to document southern hip hop. Prior to her role at Georgia State, Newberry was a processing archivist at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library where she processed collections related to African American history and culture. In national service, Newberry has served as a member of the ArchivesSpace Trainer Corps, while also serving on the ArchivesSpace User Advisory Council in roles as chair, member engagement team lead, and testing team lead.

In addition to her leadership at Georgia State and the ArchivesSpace Trainer Corps, Newberry is an active member of SAA, where she has served on the Archivists and Archives of Color Section Steering Committee, as chair of the Membership Committee, and as a member of the Nominating Committee. While on the Membership Committee, Newberry worked collaboratively to revise SAA’s career development program, developing the Career Services Commons. She facilitated the creation of an orientation process for counselors, and she created a matching platform and communication mechanisms to enable counselors to work with services recipients. The Commons hosted 240 appointments in its first year. Newberry has also served the Society of Georgia Archivists as assistant chair, chair of the Program Committee, communications director, and outreach manager.

As one supporter writes, “Newberry has demonstrated exemplary leadership and innovation to preserve the cultural heritage of underrepresented groups through community engagement, mentorship, and advocacy.” Another adds, “Her contributions reflect the spirit of Mark A. Greene’s legacy—demonstrating innovation, leadership, and a deep commitment to expanding the impact of archives on society.”

Established in 2011 and renamed in 2017, the award honors SAA Fellow and Past President Mark A. Greene.

The press release is available online here: https://www2.archivists.org/recipients/2025/mark-a-greene-emerging-leader-award-brittany-newberry