14 Archives Speak
A Q&A with Archives Professionals
Katie Higley and Ren Parks
Archives Speak is a series of informal Q&A sessions with archival professionals at the University of Illinois conducted with the goal of informing those interested in the archival professions on what it is really like to be in the field.
After listening to Archives Speak, we hope learners have the ability to:
- Describe the daily responsibilities of various archival professionals in their own words
- Recognize the various paths available to them in an LIS program
- Connect with current archival professionals
- Recognize that an LIS degree goes beyond library jobs
- Recognize that there are multiple paths to the same career
- Identify what an archivist is
Reflection Questions
Here are some questions to consider while listening to each episode:
- What kinds of institutions and programs typically lend themselves to a career in archives?
- Which archival professionals have LIS degrees? Do they consider their paths traditional or non-traditional ones?
- What kind of skills do archivists use, and where do they learn them?
- What are the commonalities between the backgrounds of each of the archival professionals? How are their similarities and differences reflected in their careers?
- What, according to each interviewee, are the best parts of working in an archive? The worst? What, if anything, surprises you about their answers?
- Which interviewee’s career interests you the most and why? If you were to reach out to them, what further questions might you have?
- Is there a kind of archival professional not included in this project you’d like to ask these questions? How could you get in contact with them?
Archives Speak: Katie Nichols Interview
On this episode of Archives Speak, we’re interviewing Katie Nichols. Katie Nichols is the Archives Program Officer at the Student Life and Culture Archives. You can contact Katie at kanicho2@illinois.edu.
Archives Speak: Cara Bertram Interview
On this episode of Archives Speak, we’re interviewing Cara Bertram. Cara Bertram is the Archives Program Officer at the American Library Association Archives. You can contact Cara at cbertra@illinois.edu.
Archives Speak: Jessica Ballard-Lawrence
On this episode of Archives Speak, we’re interviewing Jessica Ballard-Lawrence. Jessica Ballard-Lawrence is the Archivist for Multicultural Collections and Services at the Student Life and Culture Archives. You can contact Jessica at ballard9@illinois.edu.
Archives Speak: Scott Schwartz
WARNING: This episode contains adult language.
On this episode of Archives Speak, we’re interviewing Scott Schwartz. Scott Schwartz is the Director and Archivist of the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. You can contact Scott at schwrtzs@illinois.edu.
Authors:
Katie Higley
Katie Higley (she/her) holds a B.S. in Public History from Central Michigan University. She is a first year MSLIS student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign interested in film preservation.
Ren Parks
Ren Parks (he/they) holds a B.A. in English Literature and History from Illinois College. He is a first year MSLIS student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a focus on community and queer archives.
