Hi!
I’m Caity Bell, an archivist for hire offering freelance archival skills.
Since I was a child pestering my grandmother for “history lessons” on all the family knickknacks, I’ve been fascinated by history. More specifically by history on a smaller scale, the sort that is so often overlooked but is deeply integral in shaping who we are both as individuals and as a community. This interest led to my Bachelors degree at the University of Alabama, where I received a double-major in Anthropology and Religious Studies, and then to my Master’s in Religion in Culture (with a certificate in Museum Studies and another in the Digital Humanities). My research during my undergraduate degree focused on how museums help to shape the representations of minority groups through their exhibits (I did so by focusing on how Southeast Asian religions are represented at the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory, and the Freer & Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian – trips for which I utilized my grant-writing skills to receive funding). I then furthered this focus on representations during my graduate years by examining not religions of Asia, but instead the shifting narrative trends of local history that I found within my hometown. This graduate research led me to an internship, and later to employment, with Landmarks of DeKalb County, Inc., a nonprofit historical association committed to “preserving our history for future generations.” My extensive work with Landmarks has instilled in me an even deeper appreciation
for history on a smaller scale, and with it a desire to ensure those residing in smaller communities have access to it. By cataloging and digitizing the collections within the archives at Landmarks, I’ve helped to bring a second life to the historical figures within this county. Stories that were forgotten have been made accessible not only through a digital software that now makes these collections easily navigable, but also through the curation of new exhibits and presentations that shine light on those familiar stories residents only thought they knew by heart.
History, even on a small scale, is how we connect. It’s how my grandmother and I first connected, and it’s how so many others weave together the threads that bind them. Having grown up in a small, rural community, I know how easy it can be to lose this history, and just how difficult it can be to access the very tools and services that make preserving it a breeze. That is why, since 2020, I have been offering my services as a freelance archivist. I am presently engaged in a longterm archival project with Landmarks, but I have curated my schedule to allow myself ample time to engage with other archival work in Northeast Alabama. As an archivist I have worked with museums and similar institutions, as one might expect, but my skills have also allowed me to be of service on an individual level. My experience with exhibit curation and my training in the digital humanities have provided a skillset in graphic design and digital media, which I have used to assist individuals with smaller projects (such as designing a history book for publication). I have also helped with projects that are more in line with what one might expect from an archivist, such as transcribing audio files, restoring old photographs, conducting research, and assessing the preservations needs for family heirlooms (and offering archival-grade suggestions for preservation, along with more affordable, short-term storage solutions). I strive to make these services accessible to everyone, and as such I remain committed to finding a rate that works for us both. So, if you have a project in mind, don’t just picture it. Preserve it! Ring your local archivist today.