Special Collections Staff

Susan Graham

Special Collections Librarian
410-455-5825
sgraha1@umbc.edu
she/her/hers

Susan Graham is the Special Collections Librarian at the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she works with the photography, popular culture, science fiction, rare books, alternative press, radical literature, and digital collections. She also teaches archival, visual, and information literacy in the Special Collections. She holds B.A.s in Visual Arts (concentration in Photography) and Anthropology from UMBC and obtained her MLS in 2007 from the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. During her graduate studies, she worked as a graduate assistant in the conservation lab and in the Preservation Department of the University of Maryland Libraries.

Department areas of interest

Collection management, preservation, photography, fanzines, description

Emily Hauver

Curator of Exhibitions
410-455-2270
emilyh2@umbc.edu
she/her/hers

Ryan Koons

Folklife Specialist
410-767-6568
koonsr@umbc.edu, ryan.koons@maryland.gov
he/him/his

Ryan Koons has served as Folklife Specialist at the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) since 2020. In this position, he has oversight of the Maryland Traditions Archives housed at UMBC in collaboration with Maryland Traditions, MSAC's traditional arts program. At UMBC, he processes, describes, arranges, digitizes, and publicizes materials in the traditional arts collections. He also directs the Folklife Apprenticeship and Heritage Award grant programs and acts as media curator and administrative coordinator for Maryland Traditions. Ryan received a bachelor's degree from Dickinson College, and a master's degree and doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a Certified Archivist and member of several professional societies, including the American Folklore Society, Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, Society of American Archivists, and Society for Ethnomusicology. He has presented and published on topics in archives, culture, history, and performance.

Department areas of interest

Maryland Folklife Archives

Lindsey Loeper

Reference and Instruction Archivist
410-455-6290
lindseyloeper@umbc.edu
she/her/hers

Lindsey Loeper has served as the department's Reference and Instruction Archivist since 2019, previously serving as the Special Collections Archivist since 2007. In this role she coordinates the Special Collections reading room, reference and researcher services, instruction and archival literacy, and serves as the primary student supervisor and coordinator for interns and volunteers. Lindsey received a Bachelor's Degree in American Studies from UMBC and a Master's Degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park with a specialization in Archives, Records, and Information Management. Lindsey is a Certified Archivist, and a member of the Society of American Archivists and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.

Department areas of interest

Reference and research, instruction, archival literacy, student assistants and volunteers

Robin Martin

Library Services Specialist
410-455-2353
rmartin5@umbc.edu

Robin Martin has held the position as Special Collections Library Services Specialist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) since 2017. She has also worked for Special Collections in other part-time capacities since 2008. Robin received a Bachelor's Degree in Ancient Studies from UMBC, and a Master's Degree in History with a specialization in Public History, also from UMBC.

Department areas of interest

Serials, Alternative Press Collection, photograph description, space coordinator

Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare

Processing Archivist
410-455-2353
lojoohi1@umbc.edu

Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare is the Processing Archivist for the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, where she arranges and describes the photographic and manuscript collections. Before UMBC, she was the Athletics Archivist for University of Maryland, College Park and processed collections for the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). She received her bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College in English Literature and Computer Science, a M.S in Information and Library Science and M.A. in Irish Literature from New York University's dual degree program with Long Island University. She has published on archival processing strategies and is a member of the Society of American Archivist and American Library Association.

Department areas of interest

Archival processing, description, photography, University Archives

Beth Saunders

Curator and Head of Special Collections & Gallery
410-455-3827
bethsaunders@umbc.edu
she/her/hers

Beth Saunders holds a PhD and MPhil in Art History from The CUNY Graduate Center and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before arriving at UMBC she was Assistant Curator in the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and taught Art History courses at Baruch College, Rhode Island College, and the Rhode Island School of Design. A specialist in the history of photography, Beth has published essays in edited volumes and exhibition catalogues and contributed articles and reviews to CAA.Reviews, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Exposure, Photography and Culture, and Rivista di Studi di Fotografia. She is co-author of the exhibition catalogue Apollo's Muse: The Moon in the Age of Photography (The Met, 2019.)

Department areas of interest

Curatorial, campus and community partnerships, donations and collection management, Friends of the Library & Gallery, photographs

Garrett Freas

Graduate Assistant
410-455-2353
gfreas1@umbc.edu
he/him/his

Garrett Freas is a first-year MA student in the Historical Studies program at UMBC and a Special Collections graduate assistant. Garrett graduated from Mercyhurst University of Erie, PA in May 2021 with a degree in History and a concentration in documentary filmmaking. While there, he helped to digitize Erie's African American Heritage Trail in conjunction with the Mercyhurst University History Department.

Department areas of interest

Research, curation, digitization, photography

Alieh Rezaei

Graduate Assistant
410-455-2353

Department areas of interest

Nikki Vietz

Graduate Assistant
410-455-2353
nikk1@umbc.edu

Nikki Vietz is a first-year MA student in the Historical Studies program and a Special Collections graduate assistant. She received her bachelor's degree from UMBC in History and Political Science. Before returning to UMBC for her master's degree, Nikki was a legal assistant at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Department areas of interest

Preservation, collections management, and reference and research