Meet the Amigos Trainers: Carmen Cowick

If you need training or consulting on preservation, Amigos Collections Care Specialist Carmen Cowick is here to help!

Carmen provides training, support and consulting services for Amigos member libraries in the areas of preservation and collections care. Carmen previously served in the library and archives of The American Irish Historical Society, The Seamen's Church Institute, and the Special Collections Department at the City University of New York's Queens College. She received a bachelor's degree in art history and a master's degree in library science with a certificate in archives and preservation of cultural materials from Queens College.

Asked why she chose preservation and collections care as her vocation, Carmen says, "As an archivist, part of processing a collection involves taking certain preservation measures with items in the collection. This was always my favorite part because there was something so satisfying about preserving an object, extending its life for future generations of researchers."

Carmen will present "Preserving Digital Art: The Challenges that Digital Art Presents to the Traditional Art World" at the Art Libraries of North America's annual conference in March in nearby Fort Worth. In May, she will address the Society of Southwest Archivists annual conference in Arlington, TX, on "Preserving Playground Games." Her article, "Preserving Street Art: Uncovering the Challenges and Obstacles," will appear in the Spring 2015 issue of Art Documentation.

What brings a native New Yorker to Dallas? Carmen said she came here to experience the milder winters and "that great southern hospitality you always hear about." Away from work, she says you're likely to find her at the Dallas Museum of Art, jogging along Dallas' Katy Trail, or catching an independent film at the Angelika Theatre.