Madeline Conrad

Archivist | Data Detangler

I love the adventure of getting lost in the worlds of history and fiction alike.” 

Work at HAI

Madeline works as the onsite archivist for Louisiana State University’s Athletic Archives. As an LSU alum and an avid Tigers fan, she continues to preserve the university’s unique and fascinating history through her work with HAI. She focuses primarily on processing, digitizing, and describing historic photographs, memorabilia, and audiovisual materials pertaining to LSU Athletics. Her professional interests include sports history, digital preservation, and ethical archival description.

Path to HAI

Madeline was introduced to the field of archives in 2017 when she began working as a Public Services Student Assistant at LSU Special Collections while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Latin. Her experience in this role inspired her to enroll in LSU’s Library and Information Science graduate program. She continued to work at LSU Special Collections as an Archival Graduate Assistant until she graduated in May 2021 with an MLIS and certificate in Archival Studies. Her research throughout graduate school focused on the ethical care and description of Indigenous materials in non-Tribal collecting institutions.

She continues to build her knowledge of archival ethics and best practices, particularly as they pertain to the records of underrepresented groups. In the year before joining HAI, she forayed briefly into military archives as a volunteer archivist with the Louisiana National Guard while also working as an adjunct librarian. She was excited to return to LSU in 2022 as an Archivist for HAI.