2015-2016 Treasurer
2015-2017 Treasurer: Chris Needham
Chris Needham grew up outside of Frederick, Maryland. In 2008 he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from The Catholic University of America. His focus was on 18th century European painting, particularly how cultural, social and economic forces affected the oeuvre of Fragonard and Canaletto. Since 2008, Chris has worked in the Office of the General Counsel at the US Department of Defense managing records and assisting with document review. He also volunteers as Board Secretary and Director of Programming for the educational non-profit Anime USA, working with dozens of scholars, artists, and cultural presenters to develop and put on cultural and educational programming. He is scheduled to graduate in spring 2017 with a Master’s of Library Science (MLIS) with a focus on Cultural Heritage Information Management (CHIM). Chris’ professional and academic interests include cultural education and outreach, art research and the history of collecting.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in librarianship?
Studying art history, I always had this nagging feeling that I was a bad art historian because I found the institutional archives, curatorial records and auction catalogues more fascinating than scholarship on the more visual aspects of art. While working in a legal setting, I discovered I had a professional talent for information organization and maintaining records. I also learned that I loved volunteering with cultural and educational non-profits. One day it clicked—all three of these things could be combined into an exciting and rewarding career in librarianship.
Why did you decide to attend CUA?
I knew from my time spent as an undergraduate that Catholic University offers an excellent education. The professors are passionate about their fields, and many of them are at the top of their professions working in the DC area and bringing their expertise to the classroom. I knew I wanted not only a MLIS degree, but to focus on cultural heritage. This is one of the few schools in the country that offers this concentration. Combined with classes held in the Library of Congress and class schedules friendly to people working full-time, it was an easy decision to apply.
What do you enjoy most about being a Catholic University student?
Catholic offers an excellent education, and is located in Washington DC, one of the best cities in the world for research libraries, archives, special collections, and museums. In no other program in the country does a normal day of class entail learning how to preserve important documents from our nation’s history at the Library of Congress, discussing challenges associated with image collections at the National Gallery of Art, learning about library collection management at The National Museum of Women in the Arts or spending an hour talking one-on-one to a leader in the field as part of a homework assignment.
What do you enjoy most about being an AGLISS officer?
I’m excited to help strengthen the sense of community among CUA’s MLIS students and work with so many of my talented peers to provide opportunities for professional development and networking . I hope to use my passion and leadership abilities to give back to the program and improve the student experience.