Archivist Lee Stout recently retired from his position as head of Public Services and Outreach for the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, Penn State University Libraries. From 1974 to 2001, he served as University archivist and held the academic rank of librarian, Special Collections. As head of Public Services and Outreach, Stout developed and administered outreach programs for all three archival and rare book units in Special Collections. He also taught in the library studies and history programs, and presented lectures on campus history and architecture.
Stout is a frequent presenter at archival meetings, and has been a consultant to colleges and universities, governmental archives, corporations and historical societies. Originally appointed by Gov. Robert Casey in 1989, he continues to serve as a member of the Pennsylvania State Historical Records Advisory Board, and in 2003, was appointed to the U. S. National Historical Publications and Records Commission and chairs its executive committee. He has served as chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, and he has served terms as treasurer, vice president and president of the Society of American Archivists. In 1996, he was named a Fellow of the Society, its highest individual award. Stout describes his role at the helm of the Society of American Archivists as the culmination of 25 years of work with the organization. "It was a wonderful, challenging experience, and I'm proud of the fact that the organization has continued to grow."
Stout received his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Penn State and his master of library science from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of a number of articles on archival topics and Penn State history, and wrote the state assessment report, "Historical Records in Pennsylvania," for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. At Penn State, he has been an elected faculty senator, member of the University Promotion and Tenure Committee and chairman of the University Faculty Senate Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities. He also has chaired and served on administrative program review, search, and building committees.
Stout will continue to be active in the profession with work on a number of projects, including his longstanding interest in the preservation of electronic records, a book on the history of Penn State's Berkey Creamery, articles on archival and historical topics, and oral history interviews for several ongoing projects. He also will continue his monthly column with Town & Gown magazine, a local State College publication, which he has written since 1990.