We are excited to introduce Collin Vandewalle to the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives team as the Sackner project archivist for the next year.
Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Collin grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Unable to stay away from his prairie roots, he returned at 18 to attend Drake University. There, he double majored in law, politics, and society; and rhetoric, media, and social change. While at Drake, Collin worked in Cowles Library’s Special Collections and Archives as a student assistant, where he fell in love with archival work. After Drake, he taught English at a university in Guilin, China, for a year before coming back to Iowa to enroll in the master’s program at the UI School of Library and Information Science. During this time, Collin had a position as a student lead in Special Collections and Archives. His focus during this time was on reprocessing J. N. “Ding” Darling’s Papers for a celebration of what would be his 150th birthday in 2026. Collin also co-curated an exhibit on Darling, now open in the Main Library Gallery.
“I most look forward to the chance to make the Ruth & Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry more accessible to the public. It is a wonderful collection full of surprising and thought-provoking pieces. Every time I wander through the collection, I find a new exciting piece that I cannot wait for researchers and students to see as well,” says Collin. “I hope to have many engaging conversations [with researchers] about the Sackner materials during my term.”
In his spare time, Collin is a self-proclaimed nerd, regularly playing Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons with friends and family. Right now, his new reading obsession is the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. He also enjoys staying active by going on frequent hikes with his partner and playing racquetball with friends. Glad to have you on board, Collin!