Rachel Onuf

Rachel Onuf started working for the Archivists’ Toolkit at the end of 2007. As an archives analyst for phase two of the Mellon-funded project, she helped establish functional requirements, draft software specifications, and test the application as new modules were developed.

Rachel has worked as a consultant for the past several years. She conducts collection surveys and assessments and teaches workshops on preservation planning as well as how to inventory & assess collections.

This work complements the Preservation Management and Introduction to Archival Methods and Services courses she teaches for “GLSIS West,” the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science campus based at Mt. Holyoke College.

Rachel’s interest in archives started while she was a student at Swarthmore College, where she worked at the Friends Historical Library all four years, and then on a part-time basis after graduation. While earning an MILS at the University of Michigan, she worked at the Bentley Historical Library and the William L. Clements Library. Wanting a more solid grounding in American History in order to better contextualize the historical manuscripts she loved, Rachel then earned an MA from the University of Virginia, with a focus on the 19th century south.

Rachel found The Historical Society of Pennsylvania the most compelling workplace for its irresistible combination of superlative collections and obvious need. Rachel started there on a Mellon-funded project, surveying the entire holdings of the Society, and was Director of Archives when she left. She developed and managed several successful grant-funded projects during her tenure.

Since moving to Massachusetts in 2004, Rachel has also explored an interest in all things agricultural. A year-long apprenticeship at an organic farm introduced her to Jersey cows, apples, and working with draft horses, and she is thrilled to still be around all three. At the Northfield Mount Hermon School Farm, she works with students -- milking cows; making cheese, ice cream, maple syrup, and apple cider; and growing vegetables and flowers.