08/20/2025
Congratulations to our own Ronnie Calder for being awarded the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance's Roger McDonough Librarianship Award.
NJSAA is excited to announce Veronica "Ronnie" Calder as our 2025 Roger McDonough Librarianship Award recipient.
The award is named for Roger H. McDonough, New Jersey State Librarian from 1947 to 1975. Beginning in 2002 the NJSAA, along with the New Jersey Historical Commission, Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference New Jersey Caucus, and the New Jersey Library Association History and Preservation Section, has given an award to a librarian or archivist or manuscript curator for excellence in service to the New Jersey history research community and/or the general public.
Ronnie Calder began her career at the New Jersey State Archives (NJSA) in August 2000. Throughout her tenure, she has played a vital role in ensuring the NJSA's participation in significant historical celebrations, including the NJ 350th anniversary, as well as the centennial celebrations of the 19th Amendment and World War I. She has also been a key contributor to New Jersey’s Rev250 initiative, serving as a co-curator for upcoming exhibits at the State Museum and 225 West State Street. In addition, she has collaborated with numerous partner institutions conducting research on New Jersey history. As supervisor of Reference Services and the Data and Outreach units at NJSA, Ronnie has guided major digitization projects and supported reference inquiries from all aspects of the history field.
Ronnie goes above and beyond in her role as supervisor of the NJSA's day-to-day operations. Joseph Klett, the State Archivist, noted that “Ronnie has provided diligent, friendly, and professional assistance to State Archives users, as well as to New Jersey historians, genealogists, and archaeologists for 25 years. She consistently brings creativity and foresight to her work and volunteer activities, demonstrating both leadership and sensitivity within the State Archives staff and in the delivery of services to the public.”
She has been involved as a judge for New Jersey History Day since 2013. For many years she regularly assists New Jersey Department of State agencies with events, statewide conferences, and initiatives, from presenting, to participating in social media campaigns. Ronnie represents New Jersey on the Council of State Archivists (CoSA), where she participates in the monthly State Archivists and SERI (State Electronic Records Initiative) calls, and is currently on the planning committee for the upcoming annual conference. She brings her creativity to creating graphic arts for the State Archives and other agencies in the Department of State and the archival community, including creating this year’s logo for the CoSA annual conference.
Her dedication to informing the public about the State Archives’ holdings and New Jersey history overall has been unwavering throughout her career.
