Amanda Axel Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Niles, Illinois, United States

Greater Chicago Area

Laid off due to COVID-19 pandemic-Responsible for the Adler’s institutional archives and other archival collections, administration of the Adler Planetarium’s rare book and modern library, and participating actively in the use and promotion of archival and library materials in the Adler’s public programs, special events, social media, and digital projects.-Establishing, implementing, and maintaining library procedures and guidelines; purchasing and accessing new acquisitions; performing copy and original cataloging of rare and modern books; and researching and writing finding aids.-In collaboration with the Digital Collections Access Manager, developing and implementing plans for digitization of collections and the management of digital archival records.-Developing, leading, and participating in collections-based outreach initiatives; including participating in social media, evening events, and programs on the museum floor.-Working with researchers; arranging and monitoring research appointments related to archival and rare book collections and answering reference inquiries.-Member of core planning team for remodel of collections storage and staff work areas.

• Directly responsible for physical and intellectual processing of Berklee Archives collections. • Authoring finding aids using Archivists Toolkit.• Recruiting, hiring, training, and supervision of undergraduate student employees and graduate school interns.• Space planning for offices, on-site storage, and off-site storage.• Assisting with scheduling patron appointments and transfer of materials to/from off-site storage.• Assisting with patron requests and visits.

Greater San Diego Area

• Processing a 400 linear foot addition to the Jonas Salk Papers. The collection contains a wide variety of materials, including manuscript material, audiocassette tapes, audio reels, VHS tapes, photographs, realia, and ephemera and span from the 1930s through Salk’s death in 1995.• Hiring, managing, and supervising of an undergraduate manuscripts processing assistant.• Providing reference assistance to students, faculty and researchers in Special Collections during weekly desk shifts.• Member of grant writing team for Special Collections and Archives.

Evanston, Il

• Processing a collection of research relating to a significant event in 20th Century American history; the specifics of the collection cannot be disclosed at this time. The collection contains a large variety of materials, including manuscripts, audiocassette tapes, VHS tapes, vinyl records, photographs, newsprint, and ephemera.• Creating a digitization policy for the archives and, later, a digitization plan for the Foster G. McGaw Papers• Providing reference assistance through telephone and email, and in-person. Many of the requests we receive involve us doing the archival research for the patrons that cannot come into the archives and providing them with answers. I deal largely with genealogy requests.• Grant writing• Establishing new forms of outreach for the archives, such as the creation and curation of a HistoryPin channel

Evanston, Il

Acting as a lone arranger, I processed the records of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL; this processing project coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the congregation. Materials included newsletters, meeting minutes, photographs, and scrapbooks; additionally, I was responsible for the selection of archival-quality rehousing materials.

This practicum provided exposure to a multitude of tasks associated with working in a university archives. Tasks included, but were not limited to:• Processing a collection of research relating to a significant event in 20th Century American history; the specifics of the collection cannot be disclosed at this time.• Appraising and processing the records of Light Opera Works, a professional, not-for-profit musical theatre company founded by Northwestern University alumni, at the folder level. The collection includes paper-based materials, audiocassette tapes, chalk pastel and painted set and costume designs, and photographic slides.• Reorganizing a small, frequently used collection of materials from the 1949 Rose Bowl• Providing reference assistance

The Evolving Archives Initiative is a new project at the university that is testing new approaches to archives in the digital age, with a particular focus on self-generated oral histories. The tasks of the independent study included researching, conducting, digitally recording, and processing of several oral history interviews, and the creation of detailed metadata for completed interviews.

As a volunteer at the Champaign County Historical Archives, I was tasked with archival processing. Further, I analyzed a collection of approximately 14,500 acetate, polyester, and glass-plate negatives in order to write a NEH Preservation Assistance Grant application. The application was for a class assignment, but was used as a reference by the archives for a similar grant application.

During my internship, I headed a collection development project with the goal of obtaining and creating a collection of seminal works in various science fields from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Edited transcriptions of oral histories of Wisconsin veterans

In this position, I reported directly to the library’s Head of Historical Services Unit/Curator. My direct responsibilities included historical collections maintenance (monograph and journal retrieval, shelving, filing of pamphlets), providing document delivery through scanning, photocopying and photographing, developing and implementing plans related to routine stack maintenance, assisting with organization and installation of historical and artistic exhibits, and providing reference and administrative support.

Master'S Degree, Middle Grades Education

Master Of Library & Information Science (Mlis), Library And Information Science

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), History And History Of Science, Technology, And Medicine