Wyoming State Archivist Kathy Marquis
Kathy Marquis has been named as the new Wyoming State Archivist. She’ll lead the Wyoming State Archives after serving as Deputy for the past four years and Interim for the past six months.
Kathy received her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Michigan and holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Simmons College. She has worked in a variety of archival institutions and libraries, including the University of Michigan, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Minnesota Historical Society, and as Public Services Librarian at the Albany County Public Library in Laramie.
Her extensive experience in academic, government, and special subject repositories has largely been focused on public services: providing direct service to those doing primary source research, managing reference and outreach departments, and conducting workshops across the country training archivists on how to run an archival reference program.
She’s been active in the Society of American Archivists, delivering papers on archival reference and outreach, and chairing committees on continuing education, annual conference structure, accessibility in archives, and the status of women in the profession. In 2015 she was named an SAA Distinguished Fellow. She is co-author, with the American Heritage Center’s Leslie Waggener, of Local History Reference Collections for Public Libraries, published by the American Library Association.
In her time as State Archivist, Kathy says she hopes to place a special focus on “shining a light on our amazing staff, fabulous collections, and the wide variety of services we offer the public and state and local government employees. The key to getting information to people who can use it is to enhance the ‘discoverability’ of what we offer. Don’t be surprised if you see me in the State Archives with a flashlight in my hand!”
She notes that one of the most important services offered by the State Archives is to help government staff manage their records, whether in paper or digital format. “I’m excited to continue to get the word out about all the State Archives can do for staff who are drowning in records — or who can’t find the record they need at the right time. Call us!”