Karen Sieber

Email: ksieber@luc.edu

Program: Joint program in United States and Public History 

Website: www.ksieber.com

• PhD student in Public History and United States History, Loyola University Chicago, 2016-2021 (anticipated)
• Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Duke University, 2016
• BA, American Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies (Urban History), University of North Carolina, 2015
• Advanced Certificate in Preservation of Gravestones and Cemetery Monuments, International Preservation Studies Center, 2014

My background is in the digital humanities, musum curation and community outreach. I strive to connect the public with the tools necessary to better understand, preserve and share the history around them. My research interests are varied, but center broadly on 19th century and 20th century United States social and cultural history. While I am best known for my race riot and lynching research, I am particularly interested in community history, southern culture, urban studies and travel & leisure. I am currently working on three research threads. The first is regarding the history of the American road trip, and another is on the intellectual lives of  Chicago's Hobohemia. Lastly, I am examining efforts of early Chautauqua leaders to bring Chautauqua to the homes of everyday Americans, from working class laborers to prison inmates.

• Graduate Assistantship, Loyola University Chicago, 2016-2020
• Graduated with honors + highest distinction (summa cum laude), University of North Carolina, 2015
• Phi Beta Kappa, 2015
• Carolina Research Scholar, 2015
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, University of North Carolina, 2015

• Invited Speaker, “The Red Summer in Chicago,” Illinois State University History Department, February 2018.
• Presenter, The Well-Read President, Digital Lightning Round, American Historical Association Conference, January 2018.
• Featured Speaker, "Fighting the Power: Honoring the Work of Bill Tuttle," Distinguished Lecture in American Studies, University of Kansas, October 2017. 
• Presenter, Visualizing the Red Summer, Digital Lightning Round, American Historical Association Conference, January 2017. 
• "Visualizing the Red Summer: facilitating digital research on the riots and lynchings of the Red Summer of 1919" Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science, November 2016. 
• “Visualizing the Red Summer of 1919: insight through access to primary documents.” Digital Humanities Forum 2016, Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities, University of Kansas, October 2016.
• “Digital Loray and the Collaborative Digital Humanities.” University of North Carolina, Department of American Studies Speaker Series, November 2015.
• “Mapping the Mill Village: the Loray Mill in 1920.” State of North Carolina URCCS, November 2015.
•  “Writing on the Wall: The Cultural, Historical and Political Significance of Graffiti in Istanbul’s Gezi Park Protests.” Celebration of Undergraduate Research, University of North Carolina, April 2015. 

• Consulting Historian, Director, PBS-affiliate WTTW, Public History Lab  (2018)
• Consultatn, (future) Mapping Reconstruction, Zinn Education Project (2018)
• Tour design, Doing Business on Devon: A Historic Walking Tour, Rogers Park West Ridge Historical Society, Chicago, IL (2017-2018)
• Grant Writer, May Weber Ethnographic Collection Digitization Plan (2016)
• Curator, I is for Innovation, Museum of Durham History, Durham, NC (2016)
• Curator, Mapping the Mill Village (interactive map exhibit), Kessell History Center, Loray Mill, Gastonia, NC (2014)
• Curator, H is for Hayti, Museum of Durham History, Durham, NC (2015)
• Research and Design, Walking tour, Loray Mill Village, Digital Loray (2015)
• Oral history collection, Story Squad/Audio Under the Stars, Museum of Durham History, Durham, NC (2015)
• Archive assistant, Loray Digital Archive (2014-2015)
• Program Manager, EDCI and Museum of Durham History Partnership (2014)
• Walking tour design, East Durham, Museum of Durham History (2014)

• Project Manager, Chicago and the Great War (2018) 
• Creator, The Well-Read President  (2017), Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library (2017)
• Creator, Visualizing the Red Summer (2015)
• Creator, Digital Project Manager, The Mill Village in 1920,  Mapped historic data about over 2,000 residents of the Loray Mill Village in 1920
• ​Project Development, Digital Exhibit Curation, Digital Loray (2013-2016)
• Contributor, Historic building researcher, Open Durham (2012-2015)

Graduate Assistant and Junior Professor, History Department, Loyola University Chicago, 2016-2018 

• Create lesson plans, teach discussions, grade papers, direct student research
  • HIST 102 - The Evolution of Western Ideas and Institutions from the 17th Century
  • HIST 103 – American Pluralism
  • HIST 203 – American Pluralism
  • HIST 212 – The US since 1865
  • HIST 366A -WWI in American Culture (digital project management)

Digital Cataloging and Metadata Review, Digital Exhibits, Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library, Summer 2017

• Research and cataloging of Theodore Roosevelt’s personal papers
• Metadata entry into collection management program using LC, Dublin Core and other metadata schema and controlled vocabularies
• Conducting copyright and usage research
• Creation of digital exhibits that feature digital assets in the collection

Database Development/Project Manager, Digital Innovation Lab, University of North Carolina 2013-2016

• Mapping community histories
• Creating historic data sets using controlled vocabularies to make digital, interactive maps
• Overseeing student data entry and data cleaning
• Web development and digital project management
• Historical research
• Event planning, Kessell History Center grand opening and fundraising events