Inside the University of Iowa Libraries is your look behind-the-scenes to meet the people and discover the stories making our organization unique and valuable. From cutting-edge databases to rare books, join us to explore a world of research, preservation, and discovery that fosters student success through countless touchpoints.
When a new collection or material comes to the Iowa Women’s Archives (IWA) at the University of Iowa Libraries, Meredith Kite is the first person to handle it. Located on the third floor of the Main Library, IWA collects and makes available primary sources about the history of Iowa women from all walks of life. As the collections archivist for IWA, Meredith accessions, processes, and manages these archival collections. She also oversees the work of graduate student workers.
Meredith has been in this position since November 2023. Before that, she worked at the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications and a master’s degree in women’s studies and gender research from the University of Florida. She earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Now, Meredith’s goal is to set up collections to be accessible and usable, not just to seasoned academic researchers but also to students who are just getting started with primary sources. For Meredith, facilitating collection engagement goes beyond writing clear and accessible archival descriptions. She strives to keep potential users in mind and understand their interactions with collections, as you can easily tell in her answers below.
Q: How does your work support students, directly or indirectly?
A: Understanding the barriers that students and other new researchers may face when it comes to finding and using primary sources, I know we can’t rely on good finding aids alone. When we host classes in the reading room, I often provide a brief tutorial on how to navigate ArchivesSpace (our catalog of archival collections), how to make reading room requests, and how to handle archival collections. So, I would say I support students by creating good archival description, providing research guidance, and doing my part to make the reading room a friendly and welcoming place.
Q: When does your job feel most rewarding?
A: It’s rewarding any time I can connect a patron to a resource they’ve been looking for. Whether it’s someone finding materials relevant to their academic research, or a person who has found themselves or their relatives in the archives, it’s so rewarding to see someone get excited about primary resources. I remember when I found my grandfather in a digitized yearbook photo in a digital library. He had passed away many years prior, and I never knew he was a one-time manager of our shared alma mater’s baseball team. Finding that connection to him so many years after he died was a very special moment for me. It’s a privilege to be able to provide those kinds of moments for others.
Q: What is a current challenge in your area and how are you approaching it?
A: The first thing that comes to mind is the challenge of stewarding digital archival materials. We typically receive collections once they are no longer “active records” that creators and collectors are still using. This often means we get papers and records when a person retires or passes away or an organization ends its work. Due to the ephemeral nature of digital files and the relatively rapid rate at which storage media become obsolete, this requires an earlier intervention on the part of archivists. Then, once we have the files in our care, there are a number of challenges in managing them and providing access to researchers. How am I approaching it? By having ongoing conversations with colleagues to develop and test workflows. A few of us in the IWA have spent a significant amount of time in the past year or so processing and describing collections that include digital materials. We usually consult with one another, in addition to the digital preservation librarian and other colleagues across the department, as we work and compare notes. It’s an iterative process and one we’re still very much working through. I have also supplemented my knowledge by pursuing a Digital Archives Specialist certificate from the Society of American Archivists, which has given me some tools with which to approach the challenge.
Q: What do you enjoy outside of work?
A: Much of my free time is spent with my cat Goose. Goose is about 10 months old. He was found last summer on the side of the road covered in corn dust—a truly Iowan origin story! He is full of kitten energy, so we spend a lot of time playing. He especially loves to play fetch. When Goose isn’t bossing me around, I enjoy quilting, birding, gardening, and watching Tampa Bay Rays baseball.
Q: What advice would you have for those just embarking on their own careers?
A: I am currently serving as a Society of American Archivists career counselor. So, I offer in-depth advice in the form of career advising sessions, resume reviews, or mock interviews for those pursuing a career in archives! For anyone outside of the archives world, I would suggest connecting with a peer or mentor in your area of interest and asking if you could interview or shadow them at work. In my own experience, seeking guidance from mentors and getting hands-on experience through internships/assistantships/volunteer positions were as valuable to me as the formal education I received in the classroom.
Visit the IWA reading room to learn about the lives and work of Iowa women, their families, and their communities through primary sources. Schedule your visit on the IWA website.
