Meet the Staff - NMU Archives

Marcus is professor and University Archivist at Northern Michigan University.  He worked professionally in Texas and Oregon before coming to NMU in 1997.  

Marcus is the author of numerous publications, including Functional Analysis in Archival Appraisal: A Practical and Effective Alternative to Traditional Appraisal Methodologies (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2014). 

He is a former Regent for Exam Administration, Academy of Certified Archivists. For Marcus’ complete curriculum vitae click here. 

Annika is a project archivist for the 2 year UPLINK (Upper Peninsula Digital Network) grant. The goal of UPLINK is to help heritage organizations around the UP be able to afford to digitize their records and get them online. 

Annika has a B.A. in history and mathematics from NMU and an MLIS from Wayne State University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching TV, and hiking.

Samantha is the part-time Collections Management Assistant. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she received her MLIS in Library and Archival Administration. Samantha has worked at several Michigan archives and libraries where she has processed, digitized, and researched local collections.

She most recently volunteered with two Detroit-based museums, where she once got to clean a triceratops’s metatarsal bone (but only one). Samantha is excited to be working with paper and digital materials again in da UP, and hopes to keep the archives cool with her underutilized knowledge of Tolkien and bee behavior.

Eliza Compton is a senior Secondary Education English major and Spanish minor. Her dream is to be an English high school teacher so that she can turn her passion for reading into something that can support her.

The coolest thing about Eliza is that her circumstances have allowed her to travel to six different countries. She hopes that her circumstances will continue to allow her to visit new places and that life will continue to just keep getting better. 

Eliza loves the archives and loves that she gets to learn new things all the time and get away with it as “working”.

Aura is a sophomore from Hastings, Michigan majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability with an Art and Design minor. She enjoys hiking, horseback riding, embroidery, and spinning yarn. Her favorite book is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

She is eager to learn new (and old) skills and believes that many problems of today can be solved by studying the past.

Eli is a sophomore studying as an English major, focusing on writing for the sole purpose of creation. They hail from southern Michigan in the quaint suburbia of Davison, near Flint.

Someday they wish to publish well-informed novels based on and inspired by the historical weight and significance of modern dangers. They enjoy the arts, languages & linguistics, historical fashion, fencing, and various illustrious world building adventures.

Elijah is a freshman history major from Marquette, Michigan. He is very grateful and excited to be working in the Archives, as work in this field is what he would like to continue doing as a career.

He enjoys reading, writing, organizing things, and catching up with friends- or the latest release from his vast collection of music, video games, or Star Wars shows. Brushing up on movie quotes or pop culture also tends to occur more often than not.

Emma is a freshman studying as an Anthropology major with a focus on archaeology. She dreams of working in the field one day, hoping to discover more about the past, as well as working to preserve it in order to help build a better future. 

Emma is from a small college town, Bowling Green, OH. She is a music enthusiast and got the opportunity to see her favorite band, Greta Van Fleet, three times this past spring. She also loves to ice skate and attend hockey games. She likes to embroider, hang out with friends on the beach, and loves going on spontaneous adventures. 

Erin is a freshman history major with a minor in chemistry from Linden, Michigan, a small farming town on the outskirts of Flint. While at home, she developed a passion for reading, hiking, cats, and becoming a coffee connoisseur. While attending NMU, she hopes to develop these hobbies along with her academics.  

In the future, Erin looks forward to a career in history outside of the classroom, preferably in the field of conservation since she is incredibly interested in the idea of preserving the past to make it more accessible for upcoming generations. 

Jonathan has been an employee in the archives since 2018. His main job here is to transfer records from the university records center. Currently, he is accessioning the CUPPAD collection. He is currently working on completing his Criminal Justice degree and has completed his minor in Biology.

He enjoys the outdoors and has recently taken up photography as a hobby. His favorite collection here at the archives is the ELF records.

Kaitlyn is a senior history major from Franklin, Wisconsin, a small town near Milwaukee. She enjoys reading, knitting, hiking, and being outside. Above everything else, she loves making a good cup of tea.

She is passionate about history and will always take the time to understand, explain or just learn about the past. She hopes that she can help others find the little thing that makes them love history too.

Karen Kasper is the Archives’ Genealogical Research Consultant. She volunteers her time in the Archives each Tuesday and Thursday. Karen was born and raised in Marquette County and is a graduate of Northern Michigan University. She is available on a drop-in basis or by appointment to help patrons with their genealogical research.

In her spare time, Karen enjoys crafting and being a vendor at craft shows, reading her Kindle and is addicted to Farmville 2. 

As cataloger, Steve creates bibliographic records for items in the library and archives collections. He also performs maintenance on the records in the online catalog. Steve has processed and prepared finding aids for the papers of John D. Voelker, AKA Robert Traver. 

Currently, he is working on processing the Bay de Noquet Lumber Company records. For questions concerning the Voelker papers or the Bay de Noquet papers, please contact Dr. Peters.