30+ years experience as a professional archivist including 5 years serving as liaison with cultural heritage professionals in public and private museums, libraries, archives, parks, and historic sites across North Carolina fostering collaborative work and promoting a state government-sponsored grant program; 10+ years managing staff, providing research and reference services, engaging the public and targeted audiences through social media and traditional venues, writing and administering grants, and coordinating collection development and processing of archival materials.
Specialties: Research, Outreach, Communication, and Organization
Professional Experience
Museum Educator City Museum of Raleigh
2021 - present Raleigh, NC
Serve as a member of a part-time team assisting in the daily operation and programming tasks of the City of Raleigh Museum and the Pope House Museum
Conduct interpretive programs for the general public and school groups; give tours
Engage with visitors and field questions both in person and remotely via social media, email, and telephone
Open and close the facilities and manage retail operations and cash handling
Assist with exhibit development, research, and installation
Archival Consultant/Researcher
2018 - present Raleigh, NC
Work with individuals and/or groups to accomplish their archival and research goals
Conduct comprehensive needs assessments for archival collections including but not limited to:
- preservation/conservation of archival materials
- preservation/conservation issues in the facility in which collections are housed
- collection management strategies
- collection processing/arrangement and description options
Conduct historical and genealogical research in local repositories
Process unworked or partially worked archival collections, create finding aids and/or catalog records
Audiovisual Materials Unit Archivist State Archives of North Carolina
2006 – 2018 Raleigh, NC
Managed the vast holdings of photographic negatives, print photograph and image collections, audio recordings, motion picture films, and other moving image media within the Special Collections Sections of the State Archives.
Actively collected photographic materials, audio recordings, motion picture films, and other moving image media that document the history, culture, and people of North Carolina and/or that supplement or complement the public records of the state
Processed incoming collections and collection backlog; created appropriate finding media for presentation online and in traditional formats
Managed the unit; mentored staff; hired contract and intern talent; wrote and managed grants
Provided reference and research services to the general public, historians, genealogists, publishers, designers, advertising and news agencies, and other individuals or entities desiring to use the collections
Promoted use of collections and provided access via traditional programs, communication, and outreach as well as through online venues and social media including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
Planned, implemented, and oversaw digitization initiatives involving audiovisual collections
Oversaw conversion of legacy finding aids and catalogs from disparate databases and more archaic mechanisms to a new comprehensive content management system; mastered the steep learning curve of new system and mentored fellow staff attempting to use and trouble-shoot new system
NC ECHO Project Archivist/Coordinator State Library of North Carolina
2001 – 2005 Raleigh, NC
Served as the archivist and coordinator of NC ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online), a five-year LSTA-funded initiative in which 1000+ cultural heritage organizations in North Carolina were visited and given the opportunity to participate in a statewide special collections needs assessment survey resulting in a comprehensive report on the state of special collections preservation, management, and accessibility in North Carolina and to partner with colleagues in a variety of special collections digitization projects and educational workshops.
Visited and conducted needs assessment survey in person in 800+ museums, archives, libraries, parks, and historic sites in 100 counties across the state of North Carolina
Served as lead liaison with cultural heritage professionals in public and private museums, libraries, archives, parks, and historic sites fostering collaborative work, strategic planning, and grant writing through NC ECHO’s LSTA re-grant program and related projects
Coordinated events and activities of NC ECHO and the NC ECHO Advisory Committee including regional survey summary meetings engaging diverse groups and individuals in explorations of common goals and collaborative potentials.
Managed budget and wrote grant proposals
Developed and executed social media promotion strategies
Correspondence Archivist State Archives of North Carolina
1989 – 2000 Raleigh, NC
Referenced county records, state agency records, and private manuscript collections of the State Archives for remote researchers.
Researched and answered more than a thousand reference requests per month
Oversaw the introduction of e-mail reference at the State Archives
Led the effort to promote use of collections online
Professional Involvement
Society of American Archivists, Visual Materials Section Chair, 2017-2018
Home Movie Day Raleigh co-sponsor and coordinator since 2007
National Institute on Genealogical Research, NARA Scholarship, 1997
Education
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
BA, Economics and Business
MA, Applied History
References provided upon request