Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, Preservation Specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, was recently awarded the New England Archivists’ (NEA) 2013 Distinguished Service Award. “This award really belongs to all the members of NEA,” he said in his acceptance remarks. “The collaboration and cooperation of all the members in pushing forward regional projects in which I have been involved helped ensure success that benefits us all.”
Gregor’s accomplishments in preservation outreach, disaster planning and response, and archives security issues, over a career of more than 30 years, are impressive and highly regarded in the library and archival profession. An important player on the national preservation scene for many years through his collaboration with national organizations, he served as the 2011-2012 president of the Society of American Archivists. He was instrumental in coordinating the organization’s response to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma.
He has presented hundreds of workshops throughout Massachusetts and beyond as Preservation Specialist for the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. He developed a program to bring environmental monitoring devices to libraries to analyze data and, along with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, set up a communications network with libraries and cultural institutions to respond to area-wide emergencies. This pilot effort has gained recognition for the MBLC as a national model for emergency planning. “I have met so many great people and learned so much by being involved in NEA and SAA. I hope that what I have been able to give back to these various organizations has been comparable to what I have gained from my membership in them,” he said.
His recent honors include: 2012 George Cunha and Susan Swartzburg Preservation Award (ALCTS/PARS) ; 2008 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Citation for Outstanding Performance; 2008 Heritage Preservation and American Institute for Conservation Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections (MBLC); and 2006 Society of American Archivists, Council Resolution for Service to the Society and its Members Regarding Response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
The Distinguished Service Award was created in 1987 to recognize an individual or institution for the dedication and service to promoting NEA’s missions and goals and for making significant contributions to individual institutions, the archives profession, and the archival community in New England.
More information about Gregor’s work at the MBLC is available on the agency’s website. Photos from the awards ceremony are on the agency’s Facebook page.
Gregor Trinkaus-Randall
Class of 1964