We are excited to welcome Rachel Romero as our new collections archivist in Special Collections and Archives.

Originally from Chicago, Rachel received her MLIS with a special collections certificate in May 2024 and her BA in English from the University of Iowa. Previously, Rachel was a graduate processing assistant in Special Collections and Archives, where she worked on the Estera Milman and Stephen Foster papers. She brings a strong background of public services after 13 years at the Drake Community Library in Grinnell, Iowa, where she filled multiple roles, the latest one being a library assistant.

Rachel is looking forward to cultivating her archival skills, especially with arranging and describing analog and born-digital materials. She also looks forward to collaborating with her coworkers to “increase discoverability of collections and highlighting marginalized communities through accessioning and processing work.”

As an archivist, she states that she enjoys diving “into interesting collections and getting to know their creators. My first collection was so fascinating and off the wall at times that I’ve been hooked ever since!”

When not at work, Rachel enjoys painting, reading, and visiting a good farmers’ market.