Center for Lowell History, UMass Lowell Archives and Special Collections

Tony Sampas, Head Archivist (he/him)
Email: anthony_sampas@uml.edu
Phone: 978-934-4165

As a native son of Lowell, Tony Sampas is devoted to saving its history for present and future generations to explore. Alongside the CLH Team, he works to preserve and share archival resources that capture Lowell’s innumerable stories—be they large or small, spoken, textual, or visual. Narratives are vital in defining our identities, and in the case of Lowell played a part in the city’s revitalization. Tony supports maintaining the integrity of the recorded evidence so that it can be accessed, enjoyed, and properly attributed.

Education: MLIS, Archives Concentration, Simmons University; 
MFA Visual Arts Lesley University;
BA, Studio Art, Guilford College

Expertise: Archives, Lowell History, Photography and Visual Materials

Research Interests: Cultural Documentation, Information Visualization, Memory Studies

Nikki Tantum, Digital Initiatives Archivist (she/her)
Email: nicole_tantum@uml.edu
Phone: 978-934-5029

As Digital Initiatives Archivist for the Center for Lowell History, Nikki Tantum is dedicated to increasing access to all of the University's archival collections. Her career has focused on community and digital archives, including both of her previous positions as the Archivist for the Digital Transgender Archive (formerly at the College of the Holy Cross) and Archivist for the Greater Boston Portuguese American Digital Archive (Saab Center for Portuguese Studies, UMass Lowell). She is passionate about the idea that representation matters and works to ensure that archives are accessible to everyone. 

Education: MLIS, Archives Management Concentration, Simmons University;
BA, Media Studies, Film & TV Concentration, Emerson College

Expertise: Digital Archives, Community Archives, Portuguese American History, Strategic Planning, Archives Management

Research Interests: LGBTQ History, Women's Studies, Ethnic and Diasporic Studies, History of Television

Carisa Kolias, Public Services & Special Collections Archivist (she/her)
Email: carisa_kolias@uml.edu
Phone: 978-934-5069

After 20 years pursuing a different path, Carisa found her way back to her professional  passions: history and books. While completing her graduate studies she began working at a public library and the Center for Lowell History (CLH). Now full time at CLH, Carisa appreciates that working in the archives allows her to scratch her lifelong-learning itch while working with researchers from UMass Lowell and around the world. Lowell’s deep and diverse history makes her work interesting every day, whether she is working with an archival collection, rare books, or digital files. They all have a story to tell.

Education: MLS, with concentrations in Information Organization and Archival Studies & Imaging Technology, University of North Texas;
Graduate Certificate in Archival Management, University of North Texas;
BA in History, music minor, Gordon College 

Expertise: Archives Management, Research and Reference services, Information Literacy, Local history research

Research Interests: Social History, Indigenous History, LGBTQ History, History of the Book 

Nicole Catarino, Archivist for the Portuguese American Digital Archive (she/they)
Email: nicole_catarino@uml.edu
Phone: 978-934-2432

Nicole Catarino is the Greater Boston Portuguese American Digital Archivist at UMass Lowell. Born and raised in Connecticut, she previously worked as a Public Service Associate for the East Hampton Public Library before pursuing a career in the archives. Her research focuses on modern practices and methodology that advocate for collaboration, inclusivity, and accessibility in physical and digital archives, and she seeks to improve her expertise in community-oriented archives and disaster preparedness practices for information organizations. She is currently studying the Spanish and Portuguese languages.

Education: MLIS Archival Studies Concentration, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge;
B.A. English, University of Connecticut, Storrs

Expertise: Digital Archives; Public Librarianship; Literary Translation; Digital & Analog Preservation Methods

Research Interests: Portuguese Language and Culture; Folklife and Cultural Heritage; Slow Archives and Ethical Curation; LGBTQ+ History