Cassie Tanks
Aspring: Archivist· Historian· Librarian
tanks.c@northeastern.edu
I am dedicated to the empowerment of others.
I am dedicated to the empowerment of others.
Carolina Academic Library Association associate; University Archives
20th century; Black power; transnational liberation; Cold War
Read about her workwith Apartheid Heritage(s) .
Stewarded the development of the UNC Story Archive from a concept to a viable project in four months and adapted the workflows for a virtual space due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Designed the project so oral history contributors are collaborators and participate in the creation of descriptive metadata. Developed workflow guides, trained others in the processes, and prepared the entire project for hand off upon graduation so it could be continued seamlessly.
Explore the Queerolina Omeka Classic exhibit and ArcGIS Story Map here.
Stewarded this exhibit from the proposal, to planning, to development, to phase one completion. Combined archival principles and best practices, humanities theories and praxis, and digital humanities tools to create an interactive exhibit with ArcGIS StoryMaps and Omeka Classic.
Read more about Cassie's standpoint in relation to her involvement with developing the "Queerolina" exhibit below.
View the Queerolina map below
This case-study of the UNC Story Archive examines data derived from semi-structured interviews to explore what processes are used by community members who participate in metadata creation about their story and their community. The findings reveal that the keywords and phrases (metadata) selected by UNC Story Archive contributors to describe their archival contribution are a result of an intricate negotiation of relationships, identity, and information seeking practices. The study data illuminates how contributors navigate relationships with the UNC campus as well as with those who are part of the “in group” and the “out group” of the communities each identified with. This results in metadata that reflects desires to ensure that their story is elevated as an important piece of the larger institutional historical discourse and to account for their safety, or to protect their community. .
Available at: https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/masters_papers/t148fs89t?locale=en
The COVID - 19 pandemic, racial reckoning across the United States, and the uncertainty of the future dramatically shaped the development of the UNC Story Archive collection. Formerly envisioned as a mobile recording studio that would travel to events to collect the stories of University of North Carolina alumni and students who are part of communities that have been misrepresented, ignored, or outright silenced in the historic record, a shift to entirely remote space had to happen. While considering how to rework the planning for this collection during Summer 2020, important questions about proceeding mindfully during crises arose. This article discusses how building the UNC Story Archive on intentional theoretical frameworks of collaboration, radical empathy, and honoring of space facilitated that shift and helped navigate those challenging questions.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/index.php/vrab/article/view/211
Cassie Tanks & Hooper Schultz, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
I have never met a taco I didn't like.
I enjoy being active and visiting local coffee shops. Taking dance classes, boxing classes, lifting weights, and going for long walks are some of my favorite ways to unwind.
I spend my free time reading, watching comedy and horror movies, and taking in comedy shows when possible. This influences how I approach work- I like to have fun and have a good laugh.
My latest hobby is getting to know my new city, Boston.