Anita Mechler is an information and archival professional with over 14 years of experience working in public, private, corporate, non-profit, and academic institutions and organizations.
Introduction
I am a US southwest-based information and archival professional, located in Tucson, Arizona via Chicago, New Orleans, and Texas. I am also a creative writer and painter with a passion for how our shared history shapes our current culture and shapes our day-to-day lives.
Anita Mechler Consulting will co-create solutions with you for your informational and archival needs, ensuring quality organization that is critical for the success of your organization, in helping attract new patrons and providing your current audience with easy-to-use, efficient, and helpful information. I will help you discover and honor the unique story of your diverse history.
My Services
01.
Archival Services
Do you have boxes of documents and photographs languishing in a closet, basement, attic, or storage space and want to access, discover, and preserve those stories and items?
Do you have electronic "piles of files" and you are at a loss on how to start organizing and using them more efficiently?
Do you want to make a plan for how to store your files in the future?
I can help you with that!
02.
Information Management
Do you have a website that doesn't seem to be serving your current clientele? Would you like to attract new patrons to your business but don't know where to start? Do you have repeated complaints of "information overload" and you need help untangling the resources you already have to create something fresh and useful?
I can help you with that!
03.
Presentations & Exhibitions
Would you like to tell the story of your organizations or special collections in a way that it has never been heard or seen before? Do you need help reaching a modern audience? Do you need assistance with conceptualizing how to make best use of the information you already have at your fingertips whether it be text, photos, or video?
I can help you with that!
About Me
MLIS, RBMC, CA
Recently, I relocated my home office and life to the vibrant and beautiful city of Tucson, Arizona after briefly living in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am drawn to rich histories and cultures and the beauty of the nature around me. Before 2021, I lived in the great city of Chicago for over 20 years. For the last 14 years, I have been an information professional at many local and varied institutions, spending my time between libraries and archives, at non-profits and corporate institutions. Being able to work from home during the pandemic opened up my world to working with organizations all across the nation.
I have a passion for organizing information, interpreting the historical record, and advocating for hidden stories. I earned my Master's of Library and Information Science and a Rare Books and Manuscripts certification at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. The times when I have been able to dive into informational work and advocate for the power of diverse storytelling have been my happiest.
My love of archives first bloomed at the Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) at Loyola University Chicago, where I earned a Bachelors in Sociology and Women's studies. During my graduate school studies, I also worked at the Chicago Public Library as a "Cybernavigator," helping the general public learn how to use computers for their own personal development. With that knowledge, I created curricula that aided that process further. I also spent time as a Community Informatics Fellow at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. After earning my MLIS, I interned briefly at the WLA, creating a digital exhibition of the papers of Peggy Roach, a civil rights activist.
As the Director of Library and Archives at the Union League Club of Chicago, I worked on original archival research projects on which I gave lectures as part of outreach and advocacy designed to directly preserve those resources. Later, I became a Project Manager / Archivist at the Black Metropolis Research Consortium, during which I completed a Project Management Fundamentals Certification, Copyright Law for Archivists, and became a Certified Archivist while developing and managing multiple grant-funded programs and initiatives specifically around subjects in Black history. Most recently, I worked as a Records Management Specialist at Rotary International, helping revamp a professional development program for liaisons who managed records of current offices and contributed to the historical record via the institution's archives.
Currently, I am working with several clients on improving their websites, helping them organize their educational products, and advising on creating sustainable structures to various informational needs of their organizations and patrons.
Contact me to further discuss what I could do for your informational or heritage management.
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
- Kofi Annan