Current Positions
WINTERTHUR LIBRARY Wilmington, DE
Curator, Special Collections 2023-present
· Stewards a world-class collection dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of artistic, cultural, social, and intellectual history of the Americas in a global context from the 17th to the 20th centuries
RBS MELLON FELLOWSHIP FOR DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, & CULTURAL HERITAGE Charlottesville, VA
Rare Book School Fellowship Program 2022-present
Facilitator, Video Working Group
· Provides guidance and mentorship to fellows as they work to produce a video deliverable with the aim of advancing multicultural collections
· Teaches techniques and technical skills for video production
· Organizes and facilitates meetings via Zoom and in-person
Professional Experience
TYPE PUNCH MATRIX Silver Spring, MD
Rare Book Cataloguer 2021-2023
· Engages in complex bibliographical research in order to properly describe everything from hand-press books to modern first editions and everything in between, including extensive consultation of secondary sources
· Responds to bibliographic inquiries from customers and the public
· Creates original content for and maintains the company’s social media channels on Twitter and Tiktok
· Writes, produces, edits, and presents “Bite Sized Book History,” a series of short videos that introduce physical aspects of rare books
· Identifies potential customers and establishes relationships based on their bibliographic interests
· Shares original research as talks and publications in academic and popular venues
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Special Collections 2019 – 2021
Reference Librarian
· Answered complex reference inquiries from staff, curators, interns, fellows, and more from across the Smithsonian, as well as from members of the public and outside researchers
· Managed the libraries in the curators’ absence
· Published original research and shares information through conferences, public lectures, and events
· Coordinator of the resident scholar program; supervises interns, volunteers, and fellows
· Built and maintained relationships with donors, researchers, and colleagues through both special events and day-to-day interactions
· Reviewed rare book catalogs and advises purchases to the curator, and attends various antiquarian bookfairs to maintain and build relationships with dealers
· Monitored environment of the Special Collections vaults, coordinating with our conservators and facilities staff
· Assessed condition of collections items as they are pulled, flagging fragile items for stabilization
· Created workflows for collections digitization projects and management of departmental policies
· Developed successful grant applications
· Lead new employee orientation working group; serves on various committees representing Special Collections
· Developed and implemented “Rare Books 101,” a workshop teaching the basics of rare book handling and research to new users
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Libraries Special Collections (Cullman Library) 2016 – 2019
Library Technician
· Responded to reference inquiries from staff, curators, interns, fellows, and more from across the Smithsonian, as well as from members of the public and outside researchers
· Responsible for rare material packing, shipping arrangements, and unpacking
· Pulled and shelved rare material in response to reader requests
· Maintained and filed records of reader registration, material requests, and material transportation
· Assisted in public and donor events
· Participated in various working groups
· Assisted in selection and prioritization of material for digitization
ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY OF ART & ARCHITECTURE Edinburgh, Scotland
Institutional Library 2015-2016
Library Assistant, contract (1 year)
· Established an adaptable cataloguing standard for the Academy’s library with reference to industry standards
· Undertook complex and time-sensitive cataloguing of rare books, artist books, and general collections
· Developed and implemented a social media strategy for the Academy as a whole
· Edited images of digitized books and arranged them into digital objects using proprietary software
Education
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW Glasgow, Scotland
Information Management & Digital Preservation 2015-2016
CILIP-Accredited (Equivalent to ALA-Accredited)
Master of Science, achieved with Merit
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH Edinburgh, Scotland
Material Culture & the History of the Book 2014-2015
CILIP-Accredited (Equivalent to ALA-Accredited)
Master of Science, achieved with Merit
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Linguistics 2011-2013
Bachelor of Arts, GPA 3.66
Publications, Conferences, Lectures, & Exhibitions
CHAPTER: “Working on the Best Material and by the Best Methods: Douglas Cockerell and Son and Their Work for the University of Glasgow Library”
Chapter for Suave Mechanicals volume 7 (2022), ISBN 9781953421081
CHAPTER: “Books of Ours: What Libraries Can Learn About Social Media through Manuscripts”
Chapter for Intermediate Horizons: Book History and Digital Humanities (2023), ISBN 9780299338107
ARTICLE: “Shuffle Your Library: The Book History of Magic: The Gathering”
Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies Vol. 19 issue 3, Nov. 2023 ISSN 1749-8716
ARTICLE: “No Mere Foppery: A Defense of Rainbow Bookshelves”
The Green Bag Vol. 24 No. 3, Spring 2021
ARTICLE: “Poisonous Books: Analyses of four 16th and 17th century book bindings covered with arsenic rich green paint” [co-author]
Heritage Science Vol. 7, November 2019
ARTICLE: “The Beetle and the Bard: Aspects of 17th Century Printing Practice as Illustrated by the Works of Thomas Moffet and William Shakespeare”
The International Journal of the Book Vol. 17 Issue 2, December 2019 doi:10.18848/1447-9516/CGP/v17i02/15-28
Winner of the International Award for Excellence for The Information, Medium & Society Research Network
ARTICLE: “Book Marks: Mysteries in the Margins”
Smithsonian Libraries Connect Magazine, Summer 2018
ARTICLE: “Publishing, Pretense, and Pigeons: The Case of Madame Knip”
Smithsonian Libraries Connect Magazine, Summer 2017
ARTICLE: “Sharing, Not Shushing: Social Media and Rare Book Librarians”
TXT Magazine, University of Leiden, 2017 Issue
ARTICLE: “Issues in the Rebinding of Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts: Facing the Future, Conserving the Past, and Creating Useable Objects for Today”
The International Journal of the Book, Vol. 15 Issue 1, Dec. 2016
CONFERENCE: American Library Association Annual Conference, June 2019
Poster given: “Rare Books 101: Outreach by Reaching In”
CONFERENCE: Natural Sciences Collection Association (NatSCA) Conference, May 2019
Paper given: “Arsenic and Old Books: Using danger as a tool for engagement”
CONFERENCE: International Congress on Medieval Studies (Kalamazoo), May 2018
Paper given: “The Social Lives of Manuscripts: Communicating Manuscript Materiality through Social Media”
CONFERENCE: Otago University Centre for the History of the Book Symposium [in conjunction with UNESCO Cities of Literature], November 2017
Paper given: “So You Don’t Have to Go to the Trouble of Reading: Pliny’s Naturalis Historia”
LECTURE: “Book Marks: Mysteries in the Margins”
Given as part of the Smithsonian Libraries 50th Anniversary Lecture Series, April 2018
EXHIBITION: The Natural History of the Book
Original Smithsonian exhibition, autumn 2022
Specialized Training and Experience
Biocodicology: The Parchment Record and the Biology of the Book Washington, D.C.
Participant on behalf of Smithsonian Libraries 2019
Folger Feminism in Bibliography Workshop Washington, D.C.
Participant on behalf of Smithsonian Libraries 2019
Preparedness and Response in Collections Emergencies (PRICE) Training Washington, D.C.
Participant on behalf of Special Collections 2018
Virginia Rare Book School Charlottesville, VA
Participant in the Descriptive Bibliography course 2017
London Rare Book School London, England
Participant in the “European Bookbinding 1450-1820,” 2015 & 2016
“The Medieval Book,” and “Provenance in Books” courses
Recipient of ABA Bursary and LRBS Bursary
Scottish Catholic Archives Edinburgh, Scotland
Placement for Masters’ Degree 2015
Intern
· Developed a cataloguing standard for the photography collection with reference to industry standards
University of Edinburgh Centre for Research Collections Edinburgh, Scotland
Western Medieval Manuscripts Digitization 2014-2015
Volunteer
· Increased findability of collections through adding metadata and keywords to images
Skills and Affiliations
Software ILLiad, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Docs, Google Drive, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, Affinity Photo, Adlib, Drupal, Turning the Pages, LUNA Inscribe, Oxygen, Irfanview, Gemini, KE EMu
Digital Skills Proficient in XML, HTML, CSS; in-depth knowledge of social media platforms (Instagram, WordPress, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Snapchat); skilled at digital photography and 2D digitization
Standards MARC, ISAD(G), EAD, SPECTRUM, ISAAR (CPF), ISDF
Language Intermediate (reading/speaking) French; Elementary (reading) German, Spanish, and Old English; Basic Latin and Japanese
Other Familiarity with art history and artistic styles, knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), published photographer, volunteer poll worker
Affiliations Bibliographical Society of America, American Library Association, Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, Nerd Nite (organizer, host, and participant), Washington Rare Book Group