Katie Risseeuw

Profile

Katie Risseeuw is the Preservation Librarian, a position she has held since 2010. She manages collections care and preventative preservation programs and is involved with audiovisual and digital preservation. She has a Master of Science in Information Studies with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Preservation Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a BFA in Art History from the University of Kansas, where her studio focus was printmaking and photography. Past work experience includes: projects at UT's Alexander Architectural Archive and the Video Game Archive, internships at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and Yale University Library, and positions at Powell's Books and the Harry Ransom Center's Film Collection. She is active in preservation sections of the American Library Association and the College Book Art Association.

Close up of part of a document that shows a huge tear in the parchment that runs through script handwriting.

Going More Than Skin-Deep with Parchment Documents

Posted September 11, 2025

By Katarina Stiller, Conservation Resident Recently, a treatment was performed on a large and interesting collection in the Northwestern Libraries conservation lab. The project...

Light blue cover of a Bingo magazine with floating heard of women

Preserving Panafrica: Ephemera in Art and Culture

Posted January 16, 2025

By Susan Russick Magazines. Brochures. Books. You expect to see these materials in a library setting, but not on exhibit in an art museum—and...

A purple and black poster with a white background. The illustration shows 2 women, one with her arms and fists raised, with the text Cry Out above.

Collaborative Effort: Conservation Contributions to a Museum Exhibit

Posted November 12, 2024

This fall, Northwestern University Libraries loaned 63 items to The Block Museum of Art to appear in the exhibition Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and...

colorful pieces of paper on a black background

Many Hands Make Light Work: Treating and Housing Over 1,000 Siege and Commune of Paris Posters

Posted August 27, 2024

By Jess Ortegon Over the years, Northwestern conservation staff have worked on a few sections of the Siege and Commune of Paris (ca. 1870-1871)...

Breaking News! Big Bound Newspapers Get Boxed: Housing a Chicago Tribune Collection

Posted May 1, 2024

By Julie Calcagno Taking on a large collection housing project, especially if you’ve never done one before, can be daunting. There are so many...

Going Under the Microscope: 15th Century, Fractured and Flaking

Posted March 21, 2024

By Lindsey Williams The Object in Question In Die Festo Resurrectionis Domini is a 15th century gradual, or choir book, used during the time...

4 paperback books about pot with various colors and illustrations on the front.

What a Trip! The Deacidification of a Far Out Collection

Posted February 21, 2024

By Julie Calcagno What do sci-fi pulp, countercultural newspapers, and 1960s books on marijuana have in common? They’re enjoyable reads, food for thought and...

Black and red arabic script on brown paper in a lighted grey chamber.

Looking a Little Deeper: Conservation and Multispectral Imaging

Posted December 7, 2023

By Jess Ortegon During our work to care for the physical aspects of Northwestern University Libraries’ collections, we sometimes find that objects require a...

Yes, We Do That, Too! Preservation Week Insights

Posted May 1, 2023

Happy Preservation Week! It’s the best time of year because it’s an opportunity to talk endlessly about what preservation is and what our department...