Curriculum Vitae

Education

MS Library and Information Science, Concentration in Archives Management
Simmons University. School of Library and Information Science. Boston, MA

BA Major in English Literature, minor in German
Ball State University. Muncie, IN

Experience

University Archivist & Digital Collections Librarian (Associate Librarian)
Grand Valley State University (March 2019 – Present)

Archivist for Collection Management (Assistant Librarian)
Grand Valley State University (August 2016 – March 2019)

Assistant Archivist
Grand Valley State University (October 2014-August 2016)

Processing Archivist
University of Florida Libraries, Special and Area Studies Collections (August 2013-October 2014)

Archives Assistant
Yale University Libraries, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (March 2007-July 2013)

College Programs Assistant
Ball State University, College of Architecture and Planning (August 2005-July 2006)

Archives Assistant
Ball State University, Archives and Special Collections Research Center (May 2003-July 2005)

Skills and Abilities

  • Expertise in archival processing and applying DACS standard of archival description
  • Proficiency with digitizing archival materials according to national standards, working with vendors to have audiovisual and other archival materials digitized for access and preservation, and applying Dublin Core description for digital objects
  • Proficiency with ArchivesSpace and Archivist’s Toolkit archival collection management systems, and Omeka Classic digital collection access system
  • Experience using Aeon special collections access software, ALEPH and Voyager cataloging modules, CONTENTdm digital collection access systems, and Preservica digital preservation system; Archive-It web archiving tool; and BitCurator digital preservation tool
  • Experience processing large and complex collections, applying both traditional and “MPLP” processing strategies
  • Proficiency with EAD encoding for archival description; experience writing XSLT stylesheets; familiarity with other encoding standards such as MARC XML, MODS, METS, EAC-CPF
  • Knowledge of archival conservation and preservation practices, procedures, and equipment
  • Experience with MARC cataloging using DACS and AACR2 descriptive standards; familiarity with RDA and VRA Core
  • Experience creating and maintaining web sites with HTML, CSS, and CMS, creating and editing wikis, and maintaining databases

Grants

  • Improving Access to Information Grant, $25,000, LSTA/IMLS. “Transcribing Young Lords Project” October 2024-August 2025.
  • Catalyst Grant, $1500, GVSU Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence, “Policing Grand Valley: Exploring Campus Security Activities with Data Visualization” October 2019.

Publications

  • Annie Benefiel. 2023. “Onward to Omeka: A Migration Tale”. TCB: Technical Services in Religion & Theology 31 (4):7-11. https://doi.org/10.31046/tcb.v31i4.3246.
  • Annie Benefiel and Leigh Rupinski, “Michigan Collections: Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives,” Open Entry, Vol. 48 No. 2 (p. 24-25), Fall 2020.
  • Annie Benefiel, Jacklyn Rander, Matt Ruen, and Leigh Rupinski, ed. by Michelle Finchbaugh (November 2018), “Biz of Digital – Exploratory Evolution: Using Participatory Changes to Rethink and Reorganize Digital Collections Services,” Against the Grain, 30:5. https://www.against-the-grain.com/2018/12/v305-november-2018-table-of-contents/
  • Annie Bélanger, Sarah Beaubien, Annie Benefiel, Jacklyn A. Rander, Matt Ruen, Leigh Rupinski, and Matt Schultz (August 2018), “Establishing a Shared Vision for an Integrated Approach to Collections and Scholarly Communications: From a Facilitated Evolution of the Digital Collections Programs of the Grand Valley State University Libraries.” White paper, Grand Valley State University Libraries. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/library_reports/1/
  • Annie Benefiel (December 2017), “User Insights: Using and Testing the ArchivesSpace PUI,” ArchivesSpace Blog.  https://archivesspace.org/archives/2587
  • Melanie Shell-Weiss, Annie Benefiel, and Kimberly McKee (October 2017), “We Are All Teachers: A Collaborative Approach to Digital Collection Development,” Collection Management, 42:3-4, 317-337, DOI: 10.1080/01462679.2017.1344597
  • Annie Benefiel, Matt Schultz, and Scott St. Louis (April 2016), “Capturing Veterans Voices: Access, Preservation, and Experiential Learning for Students,” Archival Outlook, March/April, 10, 26: http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=293827&ver=html5

Presentations

  • “The Best Things In Life Are Free: Building Positive Donor Relationships,” Panel presentation, Benefiel, A., Lawrence,S., McClellan,M., Kirkwood, J. Michigan Archival Association, Detroit, MI. (June 2024).
  • “Robert Hall Merill: An American Engineer in China,” Benefiel, A., Archival Kismet virtual conference,  (April 15, 2023). https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/library_presentations/112/
  • “Prioritization Matrices for Digital Preservation Planning”, poster presentation, Benefiel, A., Midwest Archives Conference 2023, Chicago, IL. (April 14, 2023). https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/library_presentations/113/
  • “JSTOR Community Collections,” Przybylski, J., Benefiel, A., Michigan Consortium for Library Services (MCLS) webinar, non-academic, invited. (August 2022).”Connecting History: Creating Family Archives,” with Leigh Rupinski [invited]. 16th Annual GVSU Art & Science of Aging Conference, March 18, 2021.
  • “Save Your History: Family and Community Archiving Basics,” with Leigh Rupinski. Webinar for the Kutsche Office of Local History. February 8, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdfvbZs7EM
  • “From Power to Partner: Harnessing institutional digital collections for community archives projects,” [accepted as part of panel “Building Bridges: the power of collaboration in diversifying archival collections”], Midwest Archives Conference, Des Moines, IA. May 2020 [cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic].
  • “Supporting Community Archives (Or, How I Learned to Let Go and Love History Harvests),” with Kimberly McKee. Michigan Archival Association Annual Conference, Mackinac Island, MI. June 2019.
  • “Excel-ing in Archives and Digital Collections,” Michigan Academic Library Association Cataloging/Metadata Interest Group Pop-Up Conference, Lansing, MI. December 7, 2018.
  • “Usability Testing and Metadata Improvement: Meeting User Needs and Expectations in ArchivesSpace,” by Annie Benefiel. Session 709: Beyond the Reference Interview. Archives * Records 2018 (Joint Annual Conference of COSA/NAGARA/SAA), Washington, D.C. August 2018.
  • “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls: Project Management in the Archives” with Brian Wilson, Nicole Smeltekop and Christiane Evaskis-Garrett. Michigan Archival Association Annual Conference, Bay City, MI. June 2018.
  • “ArchivesSpace PUI Overview and Implementation Strategies,” webinar with Leigh Rupinski, Mark Custer and Susan Pyzinski.  [Invited] October 2017. https://archivesspace.org/archives/2494
  • “Collection Building Through Collaboration,” Michigan Archival Association conference, Traverse City, MI. June 15, 2017.
  • “Beyond the University: preserving the personal @ GVSU,” with Matt Schultz, Personal Digital Archiving conference, Ann Arbor, MI. May 12, 2016.
  • “ArchivesSpace at GVSU,” part of the ArchivesSpace Roundup, Michigan Archival Association conference, Holland, MI. June 12, 2015.
  • Lightning talk about digital projects and adoption of Preservica at GVSU, Mid-Michigan Digital Practitioners meeting, Ann Arbor, MI. March 27, 2015.
  • “Efficient Processing for Backlog Reduction: Applied Minimal Processing Strategies,” with John Nemmers, Society of Florida Archivists Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. May 7, 2014.

Exhibitions

  • “Issue Press,” Seidman House case exhibit, Fall 2022-Summer 2023.
  • “Boldly Driven: A Tradition of Innovation,” library exhibition and video slideshow. Co-curated with Leigh Rupinski. November 2019
  • “Puerto Rico in my Heart: 50 Years of Young Lords,” library exhibition. Co-curated with Leigh Rupinski and Angelo Moreno. November 2018
  • “The Murmur and the Roar,” library exhibition. December 2016
  • Digital exhibits 2015-2019: https://gvsuspecialcollections.wordpress.com/author/benefiea/
    • “Michigan Picture Postcards,” March 2018
    • “Grand Valley Logos: 1960s and 70s,” January 2018
    • “Michigan Mysteries,” April 2017
    • “The Alabastine Company,” January 2017
    • “The Murmur and the Roar,” December 2016
    • “Ravines of Grand Valley,” October 2016
    • “Grand Rapids Carnival of Fun,” August 2016
    • “National Poetry Festival at Grand Valley,” April 2016
    • “Birds and Fish of Japan,” March 2016
    • “Books Go To War,” January 2016
    • “A Creative Process, Illustrated,” October 2015
    • “D.J. Angus: In Search of Adventure,” September 2015
    • “Chained Books,” July 2015
    • “Assemblies, Cotillions, and Whigs,” March 2015
    • “Art by an Unknown Medieval Craftsman,” March 2015
    • “Michigan in the Novel,” February 2015

Professional Associations and Service

  • Michigan State Historical Records Advisory Board (2022-2025)
  • ArchivesSpace Governance Board (2020-2023), Chair (2022-2023)
  • Michigan Digital Preservation Network (MDPN) Advisory Committee (2020-2024)
    • MDPN Technical Subcommittee (2020-2022)
  • Michigan Academic Library Association (2017- 2018)
  • ArchivesSpace Nominations Committee (2016)
  • Michigan Archival Association (2014-2025)
    • Board Member-at-large (2016-2023), Survey Committee, Chair (2017-present), Audit Committee, member (2019), Nominations Committee, member (2019)
  • Society of American Archivists (2009-2020)
  • Mid-Michigan Digital Practitioners (2014-2025)
  • Midwest Archives Conference (2014-2020)
  • Society of Florida Archivists (2014)
  • New England Archivists (2008-2013)
    • Communications Committee, member (2012-2013)
    • Local Arrangements Committee, member (2012)

Institutional Service

Grand Valley State University

  • University Academic Senate, University Libraries Advisory Committee (2019-2025)
  • University Libraries, Visiting Archivist Faculty Fellow search committee, Co-chair (2019)
  • University Libraries, Faculty Assembly Executive Committee member at-large (2018-2019)
  • University Libraries, Library Teaching Awards task force (2018)
  • Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Adjunct Archivist search committee (2018)
  • Division of Inclusion and Equity / James and Grace Lee Boggs Center, Archival consultant (2018-2020)
  • University Libraries Student Appreciation Week Task Force, Chair (2017)
  • Art Galleries, Collection Manager search committee (2017)
  • University Libraries, Copyright Committee (2016-)
  • University Libraries, Library Council (2016-2017)
  • University Libraries, Archivist for Public Services & Community Engagement search committee, Chair (2016)
  • University Libraries, Dean of University Libraries search committee (2016)
  • University Libraries, Building and Signage Working Group (2016)
  • University Libraries, Metadata and Digital Curation Librarian search committee (2015)
  • University Libraries, Newsletter Working Group (2015)

Yale University

  • Yale Health Advisory Board (2012-2013)
  • Beinecke Library Space Planning Task Force (2012-2013)
  • Yale University Library Staff Association (2010-2012)

Ball State University

  • University Library Staff Assembly Nominating Committee (2005)
  • University Library Social Committee (2004-2005)

Community Service

Michigan Genealogical Association, Lucy Mary Kellogg Award Nominating Committee (2019)