Katy Rawdon

Katy Rawdon is the Coordinator of Technical Services for the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University, a public research university in Philadelphia. She worked previously as the Director of Archives, Libraries, and Special Collections at the Barnes Foundation (2001-2012), an art collection and educational institution which houses one of the world's greatest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern art. She co-authored the chapter "What's in a Name? Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia and the Impact of Names and Name Authorities in Archival Description" in Ethical Questions in Name Authority Control, (Library Juice Press, 2019), the Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia Anti-Racist Description Resources (2019), and contributed to the Best Practices for Queer Metadata (2024) as part of the Queer Metadata Collective. A published author of romance novels (as Katy James) and poetry, and an enthusiastic fanfic writer, she has long been interested in intersections between popular culture and her work in special collections. She received her BA in Art History and Women's Studies from Smith College and her MLS from Simmons College.