2024 IASA Award of Recognition

Lynn Johnson – 2024 IASA Award of Recognition

At this year's conference's general assembly, the Executive Board of IASA announced the 2024 IASA Award of Recognition. This award was given to Lynn for her years of service to IASA as a member and former Secretary General and to audiovisual heritage work on the African continent. The Executive Board extends this award to Lynn as a gesture of gratitude and acknowledgment of her contributions over her career.

Ilse Assmann, former IASA President, provided the Board with a tribute to Lynn. She writes: 

It is a pleasure to write this tribute to Lynn Johnson to honour her on being the recipient of the 2024 IASA Special Recognition Award. Lynn is not only a friend and fellow South African but also an esteemed colleague and IASA member.

I met Lynn for the first time at the 2009 IASA Conference in Athens. She did a presentation during the Broadcast Archive Section meeting. I was impressed by her professionalism and when IASA was looking for a Secretary-General during the 2011 election, I contacted Lynn and asked if she would be willing to stand for the position. Lynn agreed and during the next 9 years she served on the Executive Board as Secretary-General. In addition to this formidable task, Lynn also served on the Broadcast Archive Section Committee as Secretary.

Lynn studied Library Information Science and joined a private broadcaster’s News Archive team after she completed her studies. She quickly moved through the ranks to become the Digital Archive Systems Manager and Trainer before being promoted to Supervisor of the eMedia Archives. In 2022, Lynn accepted the position of Archive Manager of a commercial News Broadcaster, a position she still holds. In her private time, she is studying towards a Master’s Degree in Digital Curation. Her dissertation is about ‘Metadata schemas within the broadcast library sector’. As many IASA members know, Lynn is also an enthusiastic marathon runner.

Lynn started her journey with IASA under the leadership of Jacqueline von Arb, president of IASA from 2011 until 2014. Jacqueline remembers how daunting the new experience for Lynn must have been as a newcomer to the Executive Board: “Yet, Lynn embraced her new position with remarkable energy and passion. She quickly became a driving force on the 2011-14 Board, contributing to the consolidation of constitutional changes and the modernization of our cherished association. Together, we laid the foundation for an institution dedicated to preserving the past while maintaining a clear vision for the future. It was a great honour to serve alongside Lynn, and I was delighted that she continued to contribute for another six years. IASA is undoubtedly stronger thanks to her invaluable efforts”! Lynn served alongside me and Toby Seay with the same energy, passion and professionalism. Through her supportive leadership style, she built trust with not only the Executive Board but also the wider IASA community. She made complicated tasks such as the IASA Travel Awards seem effortlessly. Lynn built relationships across the IASA membership through her work and her commitment and ensured everyone felt and still feels valued.

Since Lynn’s first IASA conference she has been interested in and supportive of IASA’s activities. She became involved in the Broadcast Archive Section and was soon elected to the committee. Elizabeth Steinhäuser writes fondly about Lynn: “Lynn is a great friend to me and so many others, but the BAS to be honest was difficult to revive, as the member numbers were dwindling. Lynn tried everything and she really succeeded in always finding officers so that it could carry on”. It is precisely this quality that makes Lynn the valued person she is: her loyalty, dedication, perseverance and her never-give-up attitude.

Lynn’s selfless support and leadership, her steadfast commitment and dedication to the advancement of IASA, audiovisual archives and preservation makes her a worthy recipient of this year’s IASA Special Recognition Award.

Please join me in congratulating Lynn!