Detailed CV

Education

  • MA, May 2012, Library & Information Science, University of Iowa
  • BA, May 2006, Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Iowa

Summary of Experience

Building digital collections of reformatted items and born digital objects, using digital asset management systems. Managing communication projects to publish and disseminate materials on deadline. Coordinating among faculty, learners, and library staff to explore digital tools for learning and discovery. Promoting the University of Iowa and its Digital Humanities initiatives to a national audience through HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Sciences, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory), with an emphasis on digital research, digital literacy, and public engagement.

Summary of Technical Skills

Experienced user of digital imaging software; Adobe Photoshop, Premier, Media Encoder, and Dreamweaver; digital asset management software (CONTENTdm); databases; and citation management tools. Expert user of open source content management systems (WordPress, Omeka), social media applications, mobile technologies, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and Microsoft Office Suite, with the capacity to train students and staff in the software. Working knowledge and practice of some programming languages (PHP, MySQL, HTML, and CSS). Capacity to adapt quickly to and troubleshoot new technologies and digital tools.

Professional Archival Projects

  • Archiving digital files for Little Village, Iowa City serial publication
    • Preparing reformatted files (OCR, optimization) and metadata to build a digital collection on local history
    • Liaising between Little Village and the UI Archives and Iowa Research Online
    • Training student intern
  • Archiving media for Grinnell College
    • Preparing video files and metadata for the Iowa Labor Collection at the State Historical Society of Iowa, using proper codec
  • Researching for Emily Shaw, Digital Preservation Librarian at the University of Iowa
    • Researching articles for literature review in Library Resources & Technical Services
  • Handling documents in UI Special Collections and Iowa Women’s Archive for independent researchers 

Work History

Librarian I, January 2012–present, Collection Services, Iowa City Public Library

IT Aide, May 2012–December 2012, IT Department, Iowa City Public Library

  • Assisting hardware needs, including computers, printers, and scanners

Research Assistant, 2010–2012 (academic year terms), School of Library and Information Science

  • Little Magazine Database project (2011–2012)
    • Acting as coordinator in faculty-programmer-coordinator team to develop database website, highlighting project management needs
    • Installing, testing, and managing Omeka websites as digital archives
    • Collecting metadata and managing volunteer’s documentation of metadata
    • Consulting to the Digital Research and Publishing division of the UI Libraries on the functionalities of content management systems for digital research projects
  • Virtual Writing University Archives (2010–2011)
    • Reformatting, editing and exporting video through Adobe Premiere for the Iowa Digital Library
    • Reformatting, editing and exporting audio through Audacity for the Peter Nazareth collection
    • Working with Dublin Core metadata in CONTENTdm
    • Teaching students in an undergraduate English class how to navigate the Iowa Digital Library and create metadata

Editorial Assistant, July 2007–January 2011, West Wind Education Policy

      • Managing, editing, and proofreading all communication projects including websites, social networking sites, funding proposals, reports, bibliographies, and conference materials in various formats
      • Developing complex workflows and meeting client deadlines
      • Working with media vendors, including videographers and programmers
      • Managing the compilation of a $218 million grant application for the Iowa Department of Education
      • Executing basic programming and design using HTML, WYSIWYG programs, and Photoshop
      • Working with subject expert to develop video about scaling up education initiatives
      • Investigating and introducing new web-based tools to colleagues and clients, instructing them in using the tools, developing handouts
      • Documenting observations for ethnographic research on inter-cultural communication

Editor, Associate Editor, Features Editor, Assistant Editor; August 2005–September 2010, Little Village

      • Developing local stories for each issue in a 3- to 4-person team, and maintaining strict publishing deadlines
      • Coordinating story assignments and proofing and editing copy through more than 40 issues
      • Directing design elements and coordinating graphics for publication
      • Supervising student intern

Reference Aide, May 2001–January 2007, Iowa City Public Library

      • Reformatting Irving B. Weber newspaper articles and polishing files in Photoshop for the Iowa Digital Library
      • Assisting public with computer needs and maintaining organization of reference collection, reference storage, magazines, newspapers and City of Iowa City documents
      • Researching information requests from reference librarians through print, databases, microfilm, and physical archives

After School Program Teacher, Teacher’s Aide, August 2001–May 2004, Willowwind School

      • Tutoring students aged 6-14; leading After School Program activities

Activities

One-Shot Instructional Sessions: Teaching Omeka as a content management system platform for digital archives

THATCamp workshop, March 2012 (50-min learning and working session)

Presentation to User Education: Multimedia course, February 2012 (15-min presentation)

Coordinating Digital Humanities discussions among faculty and librarians

Recording audio and video to preserve conversation

Editing video “Imaging Digital Humanities for Museums & Archives,” submitted to crowdsourced video panel for Museum Computer Network 2011 conference

Co-organizing Iowa’s first-ever THATCamp (The Humanities and Technology Camp), March 30–April 1, 2012

Co-organizing Unpacking the Library: Exploring Works in Progress Across LIS, conference presented by B Sides open access journal, March 25, 2011

Handled all conference technology needs—including video, audio, and website—in addition to statewide event marketing

“The Public As Collaborator: Crowdsourcing Models for Digital Humanities Initiatives,” 2012 Jakobsen Conference Poster Presentation

Editor, B Sides journal, 2011–2012; Associate Editor, B Sides journal, 2010–2011

Honors & Affiliations

2011–2012 HASTAC Scholar

2012 Graduate Fellow, Obermann Institute on Engagement and the Academy

Member of American Library AssociationAssociation for Library Collection and Technical Services (Preservation and Reformatting, Cataloging and Metadata Management Section)

Member of Beta Phi Mu, Beta Beta Theta (Iowa) Chapter

Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society Member

Software, Applications, and Programming Knowledge

Web-Based Tools

Content Management Systems

      • WordPress
      • Omeka
      • Drupal
      • ICON
      • Blackboard

Project Management

      • Doodle (scheduling/polling)
      • Microsoft Live Office, Web Apps
      • Google Apps
      • Survey Monkey
      • Survey Gizmo
      • RegOnline
      • Constant Contact

Social Media/Networking

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google+
      • YouTube
      • Vimeo
      • HootSuite
      • Ning
      • Groupsite

Software

      • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Premiere, Dreamweaver, Acrobat Pro)
      • Arcon
      • Audacity
      • Microsoft Office
      • CONTENTdm
      • Acrobat Connect Pro (web-based meetings)
      • Smultron
      • Filezilla
      • Wordle
      • Zotero

Style Manuals

    • Chicago
    • APA
    • AP
    • Custom guides