EMILY ECKSTRAND

Welcome! I am Emily Eckstrand, an MLIS degree candidate at the University of Illinois- Champaign Urbana. While at the School of Information Sciences. I have focused my studies in Archives, Arts and Cultural Heritage and Digital Curation. In addition, I hold a degree in printmaking, bookmaking, papermaking and art history from the Cleveland Institute of Art.

This portfolio demonstrates the varied work I’ve created through the MLIS program. The interdisciplinary  nature of my MLIS has provided  ample opportunity  to explore the  depth and complexity of library and information sciences. Each opportunity has respectively taught me the abundant services, actions, historical memory, and cultural preservation that libraries/ archives fulfill. There is power in community libraries/ repositories; particularly important to me are efforts towards creating a sense of belonging for people.

My specific lens and identity within this rich and nourishing environment has been arts and cultural heritage institutions, specifically their strength in shaping our understanding of ourselves: our legacy, our present, and our future. I’m deeply passionate about community engagement, curation, collaborative cross-pollination, interdisciplinary exhibitions, history, restorative language, critical archiving, material book culture, digital humanities, and art. I look forward to sharing the skills, tools and perspective I’ve gained to advocate for: equitable access, diversity, archival amnesty and creativity within information institutions.