Crystal Brannen
Albany,NY
Summary
Professional with thorough understanding of archival systems and document preservation. Known for maintaining high standards in organizing and cataloging collections. Recognized for collaborating effectively within teams and adapting to evolving project requirements. Skills include archival research, cataloging, and digital preservation, coupled with meticulous attention to detail and proactive approach.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Teaching Assistant
Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott Professor at Seattle U
Seattle, WA
07.2024 - Current
- Supported classroom activities, tutoring, and reviewing work.
- Helped with grading assignments and tests, providing constructive feedback to students based on results.
- Collaborated with fellow teaching assistants to create a consistent and supportive learning environment for students.
- Tutored struggling students individually and in small groups to reinforce learning concepts.
- Offered constructive feedback on student assignments, helping them refine their writing skills and comprehension.
Archives Assistant
U.S. Forest Service
Flagstaff, AZ
01.2022 - Current
- Reviewing existing metadata information, uploading to the digital archives database. Compiling data packages.
- Assisting with preservation projects on location in Flagstaff, Arizona, which includes processing collections.
- Assisted researchers with locating relevant documents, enhancing their research experience.
- Developed finding aids that simplified the process of locating specific documents within collections.
- Prepared archival materials for digitization projects following established protocols.
- Authenticated and appraised historical documents and archival materials on daily basis.
- Developed classification systems to facilitate public access to archived materials.
- Streamlined usage by creating organizational systems for newly digitized records and documents.
- Evaluated records for accuracy, value and status of preservation.
- Researched and recorded origins, provenance, and historical significance of archival materials.
- Maintained strict confidentiality when handling sensitive documents, ensuring privacy for all parties involved.
- Digitized crucial records to enhance accessibility for remote users and streamline retrieval processes.
- Improved archival preservation by implementing proper storage and cataloguing methods.
- Collaborated with other archive staff to complete large-scale projects efficiently and accurately.
Archives Assistant
Arizona Queer Archives
Tucson, Arizona
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Responsible for uploading a newly donated collection to the AQA’s digital collections
- Worked with Dublin Core and their in-house system OMEKA
- Responsible for describing the materials, uploading images and other material, tagging files, etc.
- Efficiently processed incoming acquisitions while maintaining detailed accession records.
iVoices Archives and Collections Curator Internship
University of Arizona
01.2021 - 01.2021
- Acting as head of the Collections and Repository team and the Legal and Ethics team.
- Working with the campus repository and other work related to the podcast collection.
- Helping to create a custom taxonomy. Integrating content into the eBook.
- Assisting with the transcription and deidentification of audio and other media files. Metadata entry. Describing and tagging content.
Content Editor
iNDEMAND
New York, NY
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Managed and edited online digital movie libraries, archives and the daily programming schedules for major cable networks
- Suggested improvements to content to enhance quality and accuracy.
- Handled content distribution, file processing (encoding, transcoding, captioning) quality control, media ordering and tracking
- Proofread, edited and evaluated final copy to verify content aligned with established guidelines.
- Edited and reviewed content for grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Contributing Writer
Houston Press
Houston, TX
01.2012 - 01.2014
- Transcribed interviews and assisted with research, quote and image requests for editorial stories
- Attended art related events and film screenings on behalf of the Houston Press
- Assisted fellow writers with proofreading tasks when needed, contributing to overall editorial quality control efforts.
- Wrote compelling, succinct, clear news scripts under tight deadlines.
- Pitched unique article concepts to editors, securing regular contributions to high-profile publications.
Education
M.A. - Library and Information Science
University of Arizona
05-2025
Certificate - Archival Studies
University of Arizona
05-2024
B.A. - Anthropology & Communications
University of Houston
05-2013
Master of Arts - Criminal Justice
Seattle University
Seattle, WA05-2026
Skills
- Student Engagement
- Records management
- Cataloguing expertise
- Metadata creation
- Digital archiving
- Attention to detail
- Multitasking Abilities
- Organizational skills
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Records organization
- Database management
- Information management
- Teacher support and collaboration
- Effective communication
- Collection development
Timeline
Teaching Assistant
Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott Professor at Seattle U
07.2024 - Current
Archives Assistant
U.S. Forest Service
01.2022 - Current
Archives Assistant
Arizona Queer Archives
01.2021 - 01.2022
iVoices Archives and Collections Curator Internship
University of Arizona
01.2021 - 01.2021
Content Editor
iNDEMAND
01.2013 - 01.2016
Contributing Writer
Houston Press
01.2012 - 01.2014
M.A. - Library and Information Science
University of Arizona
Certificate - Archival Studies
University of Arizona
B.A. - Anthropology & Communications
University of Houston
Master of Arts - Criminal Justice
Seattle University