Paul Lai
Election
Position
Name
Paul Lai
Candidate statement
Paul Lai is a librarian at Ramsey County Library in Minnesota. He received his master’s degree in library and information studies from Saint Catherine University and a master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has taught courses in literary studies, ethnic studies, women’s studies, information literacy, and canine cultural studies. His research has focused on Asian North American literature with related interests in American literatures from outside the continental United States. With Sarah Park Dahlen, he is writing a book for librarians and educators on Asian Pacific American children’s and young adult literature.
If elected as archivist and board member, Paul looks forward to harnessing the energies of current scholars and community members to capture documents and oral histories of the organization’s first 40 years. Now is a crucial moment to identify and preserve stories of founding members’ work in establishing AAAS and building the intellectual and activist work of the field. He will work with the organization’s archival home to establish a process for depositing documents and creating effective metadata for finding them. He would like to establish regular projects to engage all scholars and students in archival work as well.
If elected as archivist and board member, Paul looks forward to harnessing the energies of current scholars and community members to capture documents and oral histories of the organization’s first 40 years. Now is a crucial moment to identify and preserve stories of founding members’ work in establishing AAAS and building the intellectual and activist work of the field. He will work with the organization’s archival home to establish a process for depositing documents and creating effective metadata for finding them. He would like to establish regular projects to engage all scholars and students in archival work as well.