More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We'll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.

Allie Scholten
Digital Collections Manager, Visual Resources Center; 
Department of Art History

What do you like most about your job?
I like being able to support students and instructors working on many projects, whether it’s developing image sets for their courses, creating an image to help articulate a concept in a publication, or helping archive a new collection. With new research comes new projects at the VRC, so every day develops something new and looks a little different.

What was the last good book you read?
I just finished reading Jenn Shapland’s My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, which was a fascinating reinterpretation of the biography format and how scholars have historically interpreted women and queer figures. Bonus points – she digs up subverted archival material in the process, which is a career dream of mine.

You might work with me if ...
… you need anything related to images, whether for teaching or your own research. The VRC can help source images from publications or harder-to-find resources from other libraries/archives. For students and instructors looking to publish, we can advise on image quality and help with image editing or customize figures you might need.

What are some the best exhibitions you’ve seen in the last year?
I was able to see Bisa Butler’s exhibition at the Art Institute, her work is amazing! She’s using archival photos as inspiration for larger portrait quilts, and it’s very cool to hear her research process and the work that goes into creating the pieces.