Johnson, Martin

UNC Service

I am a film historian and teach film studies in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. Since joining the faculty in 2018, I have contributed service to my department, and, as a member of the Global Cinema Advisory Board, have built support for film studies across the university. I have programmed film series in partnership with the Ackland Art Museum, and have organized events with several departments and centers.

I also have professional service related to archives and libraries. I am an active member of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), an organization that includes archivists, librarians, and scholars.

Candidate Statement

I am running for the position because I believe that the Library is the lifeblood of the University. Libraries are both repositories for knowledge, and conduits for the ongoing transmission of new research. In recent years, a few bad actors in the field of scholarly publishing have significantly raised prices for their journals, threatening the ability of libraries to continue to acquire and make accessible books, journals, and other media.

While there are solutions to this crisis, such as open access publishing, they require coordination across the university, and partnerships with other institutions. I will contribute my longstanding experience as an advocate for film preservation and access. I am committed to ensuring that faculty will continue to have access to the material they need in order to be excellent scholars and teachers.