EMILY ECKSTRAND
Chicago
Summary
Historical archivist with a passion for cultural heritage, and an experienced steward and advocate for diverse communities. Mesoamerican archivist with the University of Chicago, skilled in metadata standards and project management. Successfully enhanced archival accessibility and collaborated with diverse stakeholders to promote Indegenious community engagement. Proven ability to implement best practices while fostering innovative educational initiatives, creative discovery, cultural literacy, and promoting personal and communal agency. Fluent in Spanish, with a strong commitment to inclusivity.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
4
4
Certifications
Work History
Archivist and Project Manager for the Mesoamerican Languages Collection
The University of Chicago- The Joseph Regenstein Library
Chicago
03.2024 - Current
- Coordinate between project personnel & staff in Technical Services
- Building the online portal
- Helps develop cataloging policies & practices for this project
- Works with Special Collections on manuscript deposits.
- Coordinate and manage the overall workflow of the project to accomplish all the project goals
- Coordinating with stakeholders, & ensuring that the project aligns with best practices for the handling of heritage collections.
- Work with depositors to prepare materials for deposit.
- Supervise student workers and interns helping individual depositors.
- Supervise the project's metadata work by working with staff & depositors to create, apply, enhance & standardize metadata records.
- Work with faculty and graduate students with domain expertise to identify materials from unknown languages and locations
- Flags copyright & ethical issues & does other research that will inform the creation of catalog records or the functionality of the online archive.
- Interacts with faculty, researchers & staff for committee work or information.
- Uses general understanding & experience to administer the delivery of services to program participants &/or beneficiaries
- Collaborated with faculty to enhance archival research support services.
- Participated in outreach programs to promote awareness of archival resources.
- Prepared recordkeeping systems and procedures for archival research and for retention or destruction of records.
- Established and administered policy guidelines concerning public access to materials.
- Trained staff members on proper techniques for preserving archival items.
- Prepared reports on the condition of archival holdings for senior management.
- Recommended best practices for long-term storage solutions for archival materials.
- Provided access to archived materials through both physical and digital means.
- Collaborated with outside vendors on digitization projects involving archives.
Assistant Archivist
The Digitizing El Barrio Archives- The Puerto Rican Cultural Center
Chicago
01.2023 - Current
- Work with Spanish, Mesoamerican and Indigenous languages and culture
- Conducting transformative research and archival work that reconceptualizes dominant Western archival studies
- Collaborating with Boricua community, Researchers, Historians, Partnered Institutions, Community Leaders and the PRCC
- Understanding specific linguistic and geographic controlled vocabularies
- Managing appraising, describing, digitizing, weeding, deaccessioning of community memory and cultural heritage records.
- Maintained preservation standards for fragile items in collections.
- Assisted in digitizing historical documents and photographs.
- Collaborated with community members on archival projects and events.
- Identified potential donors who could contribute relevant materials to the archive collection.
- Designed dynamic educational exhibits to showcase newly procured items.
- Conducted outreach activities at local libraries and schools regarding use of archives materials.
- Assisted with creating descriptive metadata for digital objects in accordance with established standards.
- Skills: Metadata
- MARC 21
- Dublin Core
- Digital Preservation
- Research
- Museums
- CONTENTdm
- Archival Management
- Project Management
- Mesoamerican culture
- Microsoft Excel
- Spanish
Archivist
Chicago Theological Seminary
Chicago
01.2023 - 01.2024
- Archiving Oral Histories of Civil Rights Leaders, Including Jesse Jackson.
- Collaborated with the Chicago History Museum
- Managed archival collections to ensure preservation and accessibility for research.
- Implemented metadata standards for efficient cataloging of archival records.
- Conducted research to enhance understanding of historical context within collections.
- Designed dynamic educational exhibits to showcase newly procured items.
- Reviewed copyright laws relating to preserving digital assets in an archive.
- Skills: Metadata
- MARC 21
- Dublin Core
- Digital Preservation
- Research
- Museums
- CONTENTdm
- Archival Management
- Project Management
- African American history
- Microsoft Excel
- Spanish
Assistant Archivist, Cataloging and Reference Librarian
Chicago Theological Seminary
Chicago
01.2022 - 01.2023
- Process collections of historic documents digitally, for digital conservation and migration project
- Catalog documents, assigned metadata in collection FileMaker database, and online portals
- Monitored budget expenditures related to archiving activities.
- Created finding aids for historical documents and other collections.
- Organized archival materials for the community's historical preservation.
- Assisted in developing outreach programs for community engagement.
- Collaborated with staff to promote cultural events and exhibitions.
- Manage copyright and ethical issues, enhance and standardize metadata
- Select materials, oversee collections, and manage budgets for collections
- Diversity auditing schemas and analysis for acquisition assessment
- Processed a collection of historic documents digitally, for digital conservation and migration project
- Physical processing of archival collections
- Coordinate between various Library Staff, Technical Services, Administration, Stakeholders, Faculty and Outsourced support teams on projects relating to archival workflow
- Create detailed documentation on systems and workflows with timelines and paper-trails both digitally and printed
- Skills: Metadata
- MARC 21
- Dublin Core
- Cataloging
- Digital Preservation
- Research
- Omeka
- CONTENTdm
- Conservation book
- Archival Management
- Project Management
- Library Reference
- Museums
- Microsoft Excel
- Fine Art
Project Archivist
Johnson Publishing Company
Chicago
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Organized archival materials for historical preservation and accessibility, including the Ebony and Jet photo archives, owned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Getty Research Institute
- Conducted research to enhance understanding of archival collections.
- Trained staff on best practices for document handling and preservation techniques.
- Assisted in digitizing materials to improve public access and engagement.
- Ensured compliance with industry standards in archival practices and procedures.
- Created finding aids, inventories, and other descriptive records to facilitate access to archival materials.
- Managed the physical care of holdings in multiple formats including books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and digital media.
- Developed organizational systems for newly digitized content to streamline usage.
- Collaborated with team members to develop archiving strategies and protocols.
Public Library Innovation Exchange Educator
MIT Media Lab
Cambridge
01.2015 - 01.2017
- Documentation of learner outcomes, improved course examination scores and learner outcomes
- Learner evaluation and feedback, referenced to similar courses
- Information literacy instruction
- Provided reference and instruction service
- Developed innovative educational programs to engage diverse student groups.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to enhance curriculum design and delivery.
- Facilitated workshops to promote creativity and critical thinking among students.
- Integrated technology tools to support interactive learning experiences.
- Conducted research on emerging trends in education and technology integration.
- Organized community outreach initiatives to foster partnerships and collaboration.
- Created a safe, comfortable learning environment for students by establishing positive relationships with them.
- Designed curriculum, lesson plans and instructional materials for classroom teaching.
- Identified weakness and strengths to create strategic student improvement plans.
Education and Outreach Learning Facilitator
Chicago Public Library
Chicago
01.2013 - 01.2017
- Provided reference assistance at various branch libraries.
- Worked in the educational department with the Director, Learning and Economic Advancement and Deputy Commissioner on various partnerships, educational projects focused on pedagogical and curricular change for public libraries.
- Provided reference assistance at various branch libraries
- Selected materials and served as liaison to departments
- Initiated and coordinated implementation of virtual reference service
- Skills: Library Services
- Library Reference
- Facilitated engaging educational programs for diverse community groups.
- Developed curriculum materials aligned with library resources and learning goals.
- Conducted workshops on digital literacy and information access skills.
- Analyzed participant feedback to improve future learning initiatives.
- Organized and facilitated workshops to introduce new concepts or technologies to participants.
- Adapted lesson plans according to individual needs for maximum effectiveness.
Co-Founder, Board Member, Gallery Director
The Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory & Educational Foundation
Cleveland
01.2007 - 01.2009
- Developed strategic business plans for market expansion and growth opportunities.
- Established partnerships with key stakeholders to enhance service offerings.
- Developed clear mission, vision and culture for the foundation to grow.
- Helped develope curriculum and papermaking culture.
- Devloped workshops and exhibitions showcasing paper artists and book arts
Education
Master of Science - Master of Library & Information Science
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL06-2011
Bachelor of Arts - Art History, Printmaking, Book Arts
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH06-2011
Skills
Office Productivity
o Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Google Docs
Image Editing, Web and Graphic Design
o Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat, InDesign and Illustrator, Raiser’s Edge, FileMaker Pro, GalleryPro
Mark-up Language Skills
o RDA, LCSH, LCC, DACS, DDC, XHTML, XML
Metadata Standard Skills
o MARC21, Dublin Core, RDA
Cataloging Tool Skills
o Cataloger's Desktop, RDA, Toolkit, OCLC, WebDewey, Classification Web
Instructional Platform Skills
o BlackBoard, Canvas, Moodle, LibGuides
Content Management Systems Skills
o LibGuides, WordPress
Reference Management Tool Skills
o Zotero, EndNote, & other reference management and research collaboration tools
Archival Management Tool Skills
o ArchiveSpace, Artsystems, Archival, Special Collections and preservation studies
Digital Collection Management Tool Skills
o OMEKA, ContentDM, JSTOR
Preservation Sustainability Skills
o Familiar with archival management activities using collections management databases
o Assisted with research requests, both internal and external
o Led digital preservation projects, performed metadata cleanup and communicated with stakeholders to develop policies, procedures, strategies and workflows to ensure
o Established standards, policies, and procedures for acquisition, arrangement, description, preservation, and access both physical and digital archives
o Processing archivist for archives and manuscript collections, both physical and digital, created
o Familiar with best practices for archives, developing finding aids (physical and EAD finding aids, MARC records), and special collections and copyright and restriction policy
Reference Skills
o Maintained library pages and social media for the public face and
o Provided reference services and conducted reference interviews to students and faculty and researchers by various methods (in person, by telephone, and electronically)
o Taught students and faculty how to access the library’s resources ( through video tutorial, signage, handouts, on social media or workshops)
o Helped patrons find material available through Worldcat or other OPACs
o Instruct on proper citation or search strategies
o Created annotated bibliographies for specific topics or course offerings
Cataloging Skills
o Checked and catalogued incoming library publications and information resources
o Interpreted and complied with standards related to cataloging and metadata
o Preformed original and copy cataloging for print and electronic resources
o Supported access and discovery of resources
o Selected and determined new library material to receive from vendors based on catalogue assessment
o Through diversity auditing, enhancing and reclassifying catalog records
o Determining which material stays in the collection or goes offsite through Hunt & gather, and MUSTIE evaluations
Collection Development Skills
o Hands-on experience in acquisition, de-selection, collection development, collection assessment and access of library information resources
o Experience in building selection or deselection polices
o Collection analysis Identification for duplications within print and digital materials, to determine which subscriptions to keep, make patron-driven acquisition (PDA), evaluate if printed material can be weeded or transferred
o Familiarity with using automated acquisitions system
o Experience with DEI approach and preforming diversity auditing with multiple schemas
Facilitation Skills
o Strategic planning, SWOT analysis, grant funding & writing, Demonstrated ability to develop relevant educational content related to information resources and presenting, Proficiency in searching bibliographic and citation databases, Bibliographic knowledge of relevant foreign languages (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish; with Conversational knowledge of Spanish and Japanese), and technical service experience with reparative cataloging
Art/ Art History Skills
o Proficiency in making & producing art in the forms of printmaking, papermaking, bookmaking and binding, their various methods, Background in art history, studio art, art theory & scholarly communications skills within the arts & librarianship
o Research methodologies
o Historical Theorizing
o Teaching history
o Exhibit Curation
o Historical analysis
o Cultural awareness
Language Skills
o Spanish, English, Some Portuguese
Accomplishments
(DPOE-N) Digital Professional Development Grant Recipient (DPOE-N)
Affiliations
Vice Chair for the Chicago Area Archivists (CAA) 2023-Present
Certification
Critical Archival Practices For Archivists and Artists at the Centre for Critical Archives & Records Management Studies- University of LondonUniversity of London Issued 2023
Timeline
Archivist and Project Manager for the Mesoamerican Languages Collection
The University of Chicago- The Joseph Regenstein Library
03.2024 - Current
Assistant Archivist
The Digitizing El Barrio Archives- The Puerto Rican Cultural Center
01.2023 - Current
Archivist
Chicago Theological Seminary
01.2023 - 01.2024
Assistant Archivist, Cataloging and Reference Librarian
Chicago Theological Seminary
01.2022 - 01.2023
Project Archivist
Johnson Publishing Company
01.2020 - 01.2022
Public Library Innovation Exchange Educator
MIT Media Lab
01.2015 - 01.2017
Education and Outreach Learning Facilitator
Chicago Public Library
01.2013 - 01.2017
Co-Founder, Board Member, Gallery Director
The Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory & Educational Foundation
01.2007 - 01.2009
Master of Science - Master of Library & Information Science
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Arts - Art History, Printmaking, Book Arts
Cleveland Institute of Art