Interest in archives leads Glasco to take the "Leep" to LIS

Erin Glasco

After working for several years as a bank examiner with the federal government, Erin Glasco switched gears to pursue her interest in archives and special collections, enrolling in the iSchool as a Leep student in 2015. While Glasco enjoyed the variety of her work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, she was frustrated by her inability to help consumers solve their issues with financial institutions until after the damage had been done. 

"I changed careers because I wanted one that I could feel passionate about, and one that would allow me to take a more proactive role in repairing harm," said Glasco. "I best see that happening in my role as an archivist through my commitment to meaningfully diversifying the historical record via archives."

She chose Illinois after attending an information session in Chicago and discussing the program with an acquaintance who is an iSchool alum. Those interactions, along with the flexibility of the Leep online option, helped cement her decision to apply. Glasco's research interests include the use of survivor-centered, post-custodial archival theory in praxis, exploring the decolonizing power of community-led archives, and government surveillance of the Movement for Black Lives.

Now in her second year of study, Glasco feels she has learned a great deal from her iSchool coursework and forged lasting connections. "My favorite class in the program thus far has been Community Archives taught by Rachel Matteson and Chris D'Arpa. The class was special because it moved beyond being a mere survey course of community archives. We spent a lot of time considering the varied notions of 'community' and 'memory' and explored the ways in which community archives succeeded or failed in centering the communities they purport to serve," Glasco said. 

The class included an optional trip to New York City to participate in Alternative Spring Break, an experience which was "career-affirming" for Glasco. Students toured several community archives/historical societies including The Lesbian Herstory Archive; the Interference Archive; and the Weeksville Heritage Center, which is the site of one of the first free Black communities in the U.S. 

Glasco served as an archival intern at the Center for Black Music Research (CBMR) at Columbia College Chicago from May 2014 to July 2016, assisting with reference and contributing to some of the center's finding aids. In addition, she conducted research and curated a small exhibit at the CBMR on the FBI surveillance of noted singer, actor, and civil-rights activist Paul Robeson. In August 2016, she presented a graduate student poster about her research on Robeson at the Society of American Archivists (SAA) annual conference. 

This fall Glasco was selected as a 2016-2018 Association of Research Libraries (ARL)/SAA Mosaic Program Fellow. The Mosaic Program promotes diversity in the archives and special collections workforce by providing financial support, practical work experience, mentoring, career placement assistance, and leadership development to emerging professionals from underrepresented groups. Fellows receive up to $10,000 in tuition assistance. As part of the Mosaic Program, Glasco is currently serving as an intern at the Roosevelt University Archives in Chicago, helping to process the papers of two former professors and assisting in the library technology department. 

"I take the charge of making archival spaces more meaningfully and thoughtfully diverse seriously. I'm hopeful that my fellowship year will allow me many opportunities to discuss and take action in conjunction with my peers as we continue the work of making archives more representative spaces," said Glasco.

A native of Austin, Texas, Glasco holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and MBA with a concentration in management from Florida A&M University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching stand-up comedy, attending concerts, and yoga. She volunteers with Liberation Library in Chicago, "a wonderful organization that sends books (and messages of support) to juveniles incarcerated at various facilities around the state."

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