Mickey C. Lanning, MSIS

​In a less third-person way of speaking, I am a person with a hunger for discovery and who is lucky enough to be in a field that is ripe with it. Archival collections, no matter what the subject or materials, are full of curiosities and wisdom that hold answers to many questions - although sometimes they just generate more questions.

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Among the many firsthand experiences I've had with archival institutions, a theme has presented itself time and time again: to be an archivist and to care for the collections within your organization, whether digital or physical, you have to care as much about the future as you do the past. Winston Churchill once echoed this sentiment toward history when he said, "The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." My experiences with the challenges of independent archival research and historical writing taught me the importance of interweaving the past with its implications for the future. These same experiences inspired y professional goals as I sought a Master's degree with a specialization in Archives and an emphasis on museums. 

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I was lucky enough to continue my education at the school that first introduced me to archival research, and I'm grateful I was granted the privilege of attending UT-Austin's iSchool so I could utilize my love of history to support my career goals of working within museums and archives. I learned many things during this program, from digitization to processing, but I also learned more about why I was drawn to this field in the first place. 

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I love organizing. I love researching. I love writing. I love preserving. I am an information professional with a historian's heart, and I'm here for the long-term. 

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Download my Curriculum Vitae or scroll down the page to see my educational and professional experiences.