Amanda Breeden functions as a project manager and outreach lead for Greenhouse Studio’s Sourcery project. Originally from North Carolina, she has a BA in History from the University of North Carolina at Asheville where she focused her studies on material culture during the Industrial Revolution. Amanda also holds an MS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in Archives and Records Management. She worked previously at the Forest History Society in Durham, NC, where she processed and appraised the Society of American Foresters Collection in order to prepare it for public use by researchers. Most recently she worked as a Processing Archivist with the Knights of Columbus where she processed new accessions. Amanda also currently works part-time at the New Haven Free Public Library as a Reference Librarian.
Archives
Cresci Callahan, Maureen
Maureen Cresci Callahan is director of Archives and Special Collections, where she supports the team’s mission of bearing witness of the wide diversity of human accomplishment and creativity by providing access to archives. She believes that archives are engines for empathy and provide the opportunity for us all to understand the world differently through the careful study of another person’s life and work.
Maureen is very active in the world of archival standards and is currently part of the leadership team for the national best practices group for archival accessioning. She had been co-chair of the Society of American Archivists’ technical subcommittee on Describing Archives: A Content Standard where she led that group’s effort to revise the core principles of archival description. She formerly worked as a curator of the women’s history archives at Smith College and as an archival technologist at Yale University, New York University, and Princeton University. Maureen is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the University of Michigan.
Areas of expertise
- Archival technical services
- Archives and library standards
- Metadata management and system integration
- Archival acquisition and appraisal
- 20th century US women’s history
Rodriguez, Kenia
Kenia is the Project Manager for the Connecticut Digital Archive and Connecticut Humanities joint initiative, My Town My Story, a program designed to establish, execute, and sustain free and accessible digital community archives for Connecticut’s historically underrepresented populations. Kenia is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in English at the University of Connecticut. Her current research focuses on implementing computational tools and methods to analyze issues of citizenship and gender in contemporary young adult literature by Latino authors.
Burkholder, Kristen
Kristen Burkholder is Head of Access & Visitor Services at the Homer Babbidge Library on the Storrs campus. She collaborates with other staff to create the best experience possible for library patrons and is always looking for new ways to improve the library’s services. Kristen has worked in academic libraries since 2010 and holds an M.L.I.S. from the University of Oklahoma, an M.A. and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in History from Scripps College. In her free time, she reads widely and voraciously and writes the occasional piece of fanfiction.
Professional Affiliations
Publications
- “Dreaming of Eggs and Bacon, Seedcakes and Scones.” In The Hobbit and History, edited by Janice Liedl and Nancy R. Reagin. Nashville, TN: Wiley, 2014.
- “Threads Bared: Dress and Textiles in Late Medieval English Wills.” Medieval Clothing and Textiles 1 (April 2005): 133-53.
- “‘Attempree diete was al hir phisik’: The Medieval Application of Medical Theory to Feasting.” In Social Practice in the Middle Ages, edited by Thomas H. Bestul and Thomas N. Hall. Essays in Medieval Studies 13. Illinois Medieval Association, 1997.
Wilcox, Ieshia
Taylor, Laurie
Laurie Taylor is the Associate University Librarian for Collections & Discovery at the University of Connecticut Library. She leads Acquisitions & Discovery, Archives and Special Collections, Collections Strategies, Digital Imaging & Conservation, and the Digital Preservation Repository Program (Connecticut Digital Archive). Laurie joined UConn after serving at the University of Florida as Senior Director for Library Technology and Digital Strategies, Chair of the Digital Partnerships and Strategies Department, and the Editor-in-Chief of the LibraryPress@UF, and the Operational Lead and Digital Scholarship Director of the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC). Laurie holds a Ph.D. in English/Media Studies and Digital Humanities and a Master of Arts. She has published extensively, and has been the principal investigator, co-PI, and investigator on many grants. In 2018, Laurie was awarded the Caribbean Information Professional of the Year by the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL). Laurie is new to New England and thrilled to learn and explore while growing her community here.
Bernier, Maria
As the director of the Avery Point campus library, Maria works with faculty and staff to support student learning and research. She is available to provide information literacy training in classrooms or online and welcomes suggestions for resources to add to the library collection. She worked most recently in the CT State Library’s Division of Library Development, offering grants, helping public libraries expand their broadband access, supporting professional development for the library workforce, and gathering and sharing data about Connecticut’s public libraries. Prior, Maria worked at the Redwood Library & Athenaeum, Salve Regina University, and Mystic Seaport Museum. She has a BA in English and History from Amherst College, an MSLIS from Simmons University, and an MBA from Salve Regina University. Outside of work, Maria enjoys flower gardening, reading and listening to fiction, and eating good food.
Areas of Expertise
- Maritime Studies
- Statewide library services
- Community engagement
- Excel
Professional Affiliations
- Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Connecticut Chapter (BCALA-CT)
- Connecticut Library Association (CLA)
- New England Library Association (NELA)
- Rhode Island Library Association (RILA)
Fiducia, Kathryn
Kathryn is a Geospatial Services Librarian at UConn Library. She has a Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, and a certificate in Geographic Information Sciences from Tufts University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Politics and Sociology from Southern New Hampshire University. Prior to her graduate studies, Kathryn did a year of service as an AmeriCorps Data and Research VISTA with the City of Hartford’s North Hartford Promise Zone, which greatly impacted her approach to social science research, data analysis, and of course, mapping! Her other research interests include land use policy, researching the environmental impact of lead and how it relates to environmental justice, and affordable housing policy. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys spoiling her two cats Ben and Jerry, hiking, reading fantasy novels, and bird watching.
Fitzgerald, Ellie
Ellie Fitzgerald is the current Conservation Technician in the Conservation Lab, working on stabilizing, re-housing, treating, and assessing the condition of archival material. She graduated with a B.A. in Art History and a B.A. in Arts Administration from UConn in May 2022. While a student at UConn, Ellie worked in the Conservation Lab as a student technician for three years and quickly developed a passion for and dedication to the field. She was trained by Conservator Natalie Granados in book repair, humidification of paper-based material, custom enclosure creation, collection surveying, and the preparation and packaging of Special Collection material for loans/shipment. She is thrilled to return to UConn, the Conservation Lab, and Collections & Discovery.
Affiliations:
American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
AIC Hartford Region ECPN (Emerging Conservation Professionals Network)
Historic Deerfield Summer Fellow ‘22
Frati, Angela
Angela joined the University of Connecticut in the fall of 2019 in the Department of Animal Science. She provided the department with financial and administrative support.
Prior to coming to UConn, Angela worked within several Departments at EASTCONN Regional Education Service Center, supporting multiple directors, program coordinators, psychologists, therapists, students, and teachers. She brings with her significant experience in administrative support and managing daily business operations.
Angela joined the UConn Library Office of the Dean in March of 2022 and currently supports Dean Langley, the Senior Leadership Team, and supervises the Dean’s Office student workers.
Angela earned her BA in English and Creative Writing Certificate from the University of Connecticut.
In addition to writing, Angela loves plants, animals, the beach, and reading. She has a passion for helping others and is not afraid of hard work.