SNCA presenters look at the past, future

Elizabeth LaFave embraced and developed an entrepreneurial mindset at East Carolina University that continues today.

Guests look at poster presentations on display on the first floor of Joyner Library for the 41st Society of North Carolina Archivists conference. (Photo by Ronnie Woodward)

LaFave, a two-time ECU alumna and the sixth annual Aman Pirate Challenge winner with the ECU Miller School of Entrepreneurship, was one of many presenters and attendees in Joyner Library for the recent 41st annual Society of North Carolina Archivists conference. She presented about Invenire, the digital platform business she founded to help museums and libraries with accessibility and digital components to complement exhibits and grow their audience.

The conference was a perfect fit for LaFave, most recently a spring 2024 doctoral graduate in chemistry who still lives in eastern North Carolina, to return to ECU to present about Invenire to statewide representatives.

“The entrepreneurship challenge had an incredibly lasting impact on structuring my life, specifically with a business that I am still going forward with and presenting at conferences and meeting new contacts,” LaFave said. “Also in my (full-time) occupation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, what I learned from my mentors in the entrepreneurship challenge was exceptional. They allowed me to approach things in different ways, and combining that with my chemistry background, I think it allowed me to be successful.”

She was grouped in a session with Kelly Policelli, representing Elon University archives and special collections, and Natalie Bishop from Gardner-Webb University’s John R. Dover Memorial Library. Policelli discussed digital best practices and solutions in archives, and Bishop focused on preservation, metadata, artificial intelligence and other topics in digitizing 28,000 film negatives from the Ellis Photography Studio in Shelby. LaFave commented on how she enjoyed the different approaches and perspectives they each brought to similar digital initiatives.

Other conference session topics included developing how-to video series, engaging with student interns and high school teachers, and social media strategizing for special collections employees.

LaFave said she has grown her business with local museums and libraries, including a current project with a museum to create a virtual option for patrons to view second-floor items on a tablet while they are on the first floor of the museum.

“We have heard back from customers, including some museum directors, and they are always giving advice on how we can improve things, as well as what we do really well for them,” LaFave said.

The theme of the archivists’ conference was outreach and engagement in a digital world.

“Archivists can present something tangible and real,” said Josh Hager, 2024-25 SNCA president and records description unit supervisor with the State Archives of North Carolina. “We have records, manuscripts, photographs, texts that document the lives of people with their real experiences and their stories. We can make tangible, relevant, resonant connections with communities across our state through our holdings, sharing with communities that need to see it and working with communities to preserve their own history. It is so critical in this field that we continue to make and foster those connections, and I’m so happy that we are here to try to further that work.”

ECU members on the SNCA 2024-25 executive board were Patrick Cash, Marlena Rose and Mollie Frazier.

After serving as vice president and programming chair, Cash was named president of the 2025-26 board. Also named to the 2025-26 board from ECU were Frazier, Alston Cobourn, Kristen Daniel, John Dunning and Jennifer Daugherty.

“Overall, I think the conference went great,” said Cash, manuscripts curator who works in ECU Academic Library Services Special Collections with Cobourn, Dunning, Daugherty and Daniel. “The two-day event showcased the outstanding work that archivists from across the state are doing every day. It also was great to have so many of our colleagues and peers come to Joyner Library and see not only our special collections holdings and the amazing work our team does, but also the larger offerings of Joyner as well. The comments have been nothing but positive from those in attendance, and I think we put our best foot forward representing ECU.”

The keynote speaker was Ensley Guffey, archivist for Catawba Nation Archives.

For LaFave, presenting meant a moment to both reflect and look toward the future. The Aman Pirate Challenge boosted her career path and is the signature pitch competition in the Miller School, playing a significant role in the school’s ranking among the Princeton Review’s top entrepreneurial programs.

“I definitely think that ECU resources allowed me to enter into a space where I never thought I would be,” LaFave said. “Using ECU resources allowed me to take advantage and even broaden my education outside of a degree. It was really an honor when I was selected to present here for this conference.”