Karla Irwin Email & Phone Number

• Manages and maintains the Pew’s archives, including identifying, appraising, classifying, storing, and retrieving paper and digital records deemed to have historic value.
• Provide archive-based research and serve as liaison with the Hagley Museum and Library.
• Serves as the lead on internally focused archives research, such as institutional history and past philanthropic activity, using both paper and digital records.
• Assists with management of the Trusts’ information coding taxonomy, which is used to classify all grants and grantee organizational philanthropic data as well as Trusts-operated projects in systems such as SharePoint.
• Supports institutional efforts to maximize the storage and use of information created or acquired by Pew by providing insight into best practices and previous institutional activities.
• Use Pew’s archive to create knowledge resources for staff, such as Pew University courses and exhibits.

Las Vegas, Nevada Area

• Assists in all tasks relating to making archival materials discoverable and usable.
• Helps establish collection management system policies and procedures for entering metadata about Special Collections materials in all formats.
• Develop accessioning and processing policies and workflows for management of born-digital materials.
• Provide guidance to Curators and Accessioning Archivist for transfer of collections with electronic materials.
• Collaborate with Visual Materials Curator to accession, process, and describe born-digital photograph collections.
• Process physical, digital, and hybrid manuscript collections and create associated description in ArchivesSpace in accordance with accepted standards (DACS).

Wilmington, Delaware

• Responsible for digital image file creation: Archival scanning and photography, image editing and color correction through Photoshop, and assigning technical and descriptive metadata using accepted standards (Dublin.
• Conduct all technical work for oral history project: Inventory and condition assessment, rehousing and labeling materials, conversion of analog (audiotape reels, audiocassette) to digital format using Adobe Audition.
• Assist in conversion of new finding aid database by producing EAD finding aids for Archivists’ Toolkit using Oxygen XML Editor, Notepad, and MS Excel.
• Support work with electronic records: Accessioning of born digital materials into the archives including conducting checksums and creating disc images; Assisting with web archiving which includes adding metadata to.

Philadelphia, PA

• Digitized and created metadata for over 10,000 pages of primary documents for the Gordon E. Moore archival collection while observing intellectual property rights and access restrictions.
• Added more than 2,000 digital component links to the Archivists’ Toolkit finding aid as well as corresponding EAD metadata.
• Managed workflow process using Excel spreadsheets in order to ensure timely and accurate completion of project while also tracking data.
• Assisted in processing and re-housing sub-collection of Gordon E. Moore Historical materials and created DACS compliant finding aid.

• Answered virtual reference and research questions for an international user base.
• Conducted reference interviews in an online setting, answering a wide variety of research inquiries.

Greater Philadelphia Area

• Digitally preserved documents, photographs, and ephemera and prepared items for file transfer and upload.
• Participated in digital projects in Special Collections which included adding materials to the Digital Library repository, creation of Dublin Core metadata, and research and transcriptions of manuscripts.
• Wrote engaging blog articles about the Digital Library and utilized other social media tools for outreach.
• Researched and curated the online exhibition, Chaos in the Streets.

Philadelphia, PA

• Processed papers of noted archeologist Diana Buitron-Oliver, a complex collection of personal and archeological records including correspondence, field notes, photographs, oversized documents, and ephemera.
• Evaluated preservation concerns with Archives staff such as outdated digital file formats, film deterioration, and re-housing needs.
• Produced DACS compliant finding aid using The Archivists’ Toolkit.

Philadelphia, PA

• Cataloged historic artifacts using PastPerfect collections management software.
• Supported the Curator in other duties, including donor communications and student worker supervision.
• Assisted Curator in the preparation of the onsite exhibit Brave New World: Fashion and Freedom, 1911-1919.

Arlington, VA

• Assisted with reader services such as updating database information for book circulation and customer information.
• Cataloged new books into database Talking Books for the Disabled.
• Shelved materials and assisted with upkeep/order of stacks in Popular Library.
• Assist librarians as needed including reception desk assistance and answering general patron requests.

Washington D.C.

• Built detailed and historically accurate costumes, which required high attention to detail, creative and abstract thinking, accuracy under pressure, and manual ambidexterity.
• Worked both individually and in a team setting to meet personal and group project deadlines, often under extreme time constraints.
• Supervised and communicated oral and written directions to interns and volunteers for various tasks including costume construction and backstage wardrobe management.
• Inventoried supplies and maintained costume shop storage and warehouse.

Washington DC-Baltimore Area

During this time I worked for Center Stage (Baltimore, MD), Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA), Arena Stage (Washington D.C.) and Ford's Theatre (Washington D.C.)

Cedar City, Utah, United States

Stitcher/Wardrobe Supervisor: August-October 2003;Stitcher: May-June 2004;Senior Stitcher: May-June 2006

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Christiana, DE

• Logged and tracked merchandise daily of goods valuing more than $100,000.
• Handled daily management tasks, while simultaneously satisfying customer needs.
• Maintained excellent customer service and problem solving ability.
• Cultivated positive, on-going relationships with repeat customers.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Mslis, Info And Library Science; Archives

Activities and Societies: DUSAA, DUSLA

Bs, Apparel Design

Activities and Societies: Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP)Minor in Theater