Sebastián Encina Email & Phone Number

I am an archaeologist and museum professional, primarily interested in connecting collections, information, and people. I focus on making museum collections accessible to researchers and students, and then making research available to the public. I also take pride in connecting people to each other, bringing together skills and interests that will further the field of museums and archaeology.I have been Collections Manager at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan since 2003. Previously, I worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in the Anthropology Department. I worked at the Institute of Museum and Library Services as well as the George Eastman House. From October 2017 until October 2018, I was the move consultant for the UM Museum of Natural History.​During my time at the Kelsey, I have been responsible for the museum’s database, its functionality and upgrades. In 2007/8, I planned the move of the collections and registry into its new home in the Upjohn Exhibit Wing. In my day-to-day role, I'm heavily involved with exhibitions, and my own exhibition, Ancient/Modern: The Design of Everyday Things, ran in 2014.  I am interested in making information readily and freely available. To this end, I've overseen a continuous digitization of collections, including archival materials, and have investigated how to make it all available to students, classes, researchers, and the general public.I am currently a Board member for the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS). My primary roles involve forming partnerships with organizations that advance the work of museum professionals, advocating for and on behalf of international museum collections specialists, and overseeing the national mentorship program. Previously I was chair of the Collections Stewardship Professional Network of AAM (CS-AAM) where I strived to provide the tools collections specialists across the country and beyond need to fulfill their roles. I want to learn the role of museums in our communities, how we can connect, what we can provide, what we can build together. In addition, I was chair of the Mentor Program, where I connected emerging and mid-career museum professionals with established museum professionals working in collections management.

Listed skills include Research, Museum Collections, Museums, Microsoft Office, and 20 others.