معرفی
Hope Bibens serves as Associate Professor of Librarianship and Director of University Archives & Special Collections at Drake University's Cowles Library. She provides strategic leadership in archival collection development, processing, and accessibility while curating the Political Papers Collection and collaborating with The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement. As subject liaison for Politics & International Relations, U.S. History, and Law, Politics, and Society departments, she integrates special collections into academic curricula.
Her educational background includes a BA in History from Monmouth College, complemented by an MA in American History and MLS from Indiana University-Bloomington. Professional leadership roles encompass presidency of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC) and chairmanship of the Congressional Papers Section within the Society of American Archivists.
Research focuses on enhancing accessibility of archival spaces, innovative primary source pedagogy, and management of born-digital congressional records. Her work addresses critical challenges in digital preservation and user engagement with historical materials, emphasizing practical applications for academic and public audiences.
Bibens develops and teaches specialized instruction sessions on primary source research, Drake University history, and oral history methodologies. She also instructs academic courses in archival methods and family history/genealogy, fostering critical engagement with historical materials across disciplines.
Her departmental leadership includes managing the University Archives & Special Collections team, which preserves Drake University's institutional memory and specialized political collections. Through strategic partnerships like the collaboration with The Harkin Institute, she bridges historical archives with contemporary policy research.
