Walking into the Belk Library Archives and Special Collections on the second fl oor of the Elon Library, the cabinets of books immediately catch the eye. Some are older, while some are newer books belonging to the Elon Authors Collection. Just around the corner sits a quaint offi ce, which houses some of the most important documents in the history of the university.

Here, there are old cultural programs, photographs, student publications and countless other documents that serve as a guide to Elon history.

And behind all of these documents and artifacts, there is one woman: Katie Nash.

Nash, the Special Collections Librarian and Archivist in Belk Library, tries to explain that her job consists of more than dealing with “old stuff.”

“My main duty is to collect documents and preserve every aspect of the university’s history,” Nash said. “It is dealing with the history of the university, which can be yesterday or it can be 100 years ago.”

Nash was hired in June 2005 and became the university’s fi rst full-time archivist. Before arriving at Elon, Nash worked part-time at the Greensboro Historical Museum in the archives and also at the Interlibrary Loan offi ce at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. But, it took a little encouragement for her to apply to Elon.

“I remember reading the job experience asking for all these different things that I don’t have experience with or [not enough of],” she said. “I didn’t really think I had a shot.”

Luckily for Elon, Nash was encouraged to apply by several coworkers, and a short time after that she was hired and began to make her mark at the university.

“Since I am the fi rst full-time person, I have been able to create my own personal path and also a path for the archives,” Nash said.

Documenting every aspect of the university’s history may seem overwhelming. Everything from cultural programs, to photographs, to building blueprints, to academic catalogs, to old memorabilia – there is nothing about the history of the university that does not fall under Nash’s radar.

Whether it is working with a retiring faculty member to try to get his or

her papers, helping students with projects or serving on a faculty committee, Nash has led Elon through creating the archives as a valuable resource for faculty, staff, students and the public.

“A good leader is a good communicator and an effective communicator,” she said. “I also think that to be a good leader you have to be humble, and you have to expect the best of the people that are working for you and with you.”

Nash said those who work for an effective leader never want to disappoint the person in charge.

Personally, she said her dad has been an infl uential leader in her life. “With leadership, you have to work with all different types of people,”

she said. “He’s a great leader and was a great leader in his career in the Navy.”

In a short time at Elon, Nash has made her impact on the archives as well. Recently, the library launched its fi rst-ever digital project. Nash worked with an intern to launch an online digital postcard collection of the university’s old postcards. She said that has been one of the best projects she has worked on since she’s been at Elon and would like to see the archives do more digital projects in the future.

“I am fortunate to be working on the university history fi ve years after Katie became archivist,” said George Troxler, Professor Emeritus of history. “She has made remarkable progress in gathering and inventorying our collections and making them available to researchers. Katie is enthusiastic about her responsibilities and helpful beyond what can be reasonably expected of an archivist. It is wonderful to have her help and advice.”

When students present projects that Nash has assisted them in working on, or when projects from the archives are publicized, such as the digital postcard collection, Nash remains out of the limelight.

“I’m pretty humble,” she said. “It’s always nice to see because the work here is more behind the scenes. When it comes out to the main public view, [it’s nice] because I know what it took to make it happen. It’s always rewarding to see the public reaction.”

LEADING THE FUTURE BY DOCUMENTING THE PAST

47 // � e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders

Story By Pam Richter

Katie Nash

� e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders // 48P

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Story By Pam Richter

GET TO KNOWKatie NashArrived at Elon in 2005

“Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface.” - Confucius