BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Industrial Archives & Library (IAL) announced today the appointment of Chase A. Swanson and Madeline E. “Madi” Ruzak as Processing Archivists on the IAL collections staff. Mr. Swanson and Ms. Ruzak will be responsible for receiving new collections as they come in, rehousing the records into archival enclosures and creating finding aids so the public can access the materials. They also will be responsible for working on the organization’s existing backlog of unprocessed records.
“We are delighted to have Chase and Madi join the IAL at this very important time in our organization’s continued development,” said Steve Donches, President & CEO, of the IAL. “We have experienced significant growth of our collections, and the timely addition of Chase and Madi to our staff will enable us to better manage our records and make them available more quickly to the public,” he said. “Growth is continuing,” Donches added, “and having these two superbly qualified professionals on our staff will help position the IAL for that continued growth.”
“[IAL has] experienced significant growth of our collections, and the timely addition of Chase and Madi to our staff will enable us to better manage our records and make them available more quickly to the public.”
Stephen G. Donches, President & CEO
Chase A. Swanson earned his BS in History in 2022 from Southern Utah University, and he is currently attending San Jose State University to complete his Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree.
A native of Martinsville, Ind., and raised there and in Metamora, Ill., Chase resided in Columbus, Ohio, while working at the OCLC Library & Archives department during the summer of 2023 before relocating to Pennsylvania. He also worked at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Chase is a member of the Society of American Archivists and the American Historical Association. He resides in Hellertown, Pa., with his wife, Gabrielle.
Madeline “Madi” Ruzak is a native of Erie, Pa., who graduated from Lehigh University with BA’s in both English Literature and Anthropology before moving west to pursue an MS in Folklore and Public Culture from the University of Oregon. She recently finished a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree at the University of Pittsburgh before joining the IAL staff. Madi resides in Bethlehem, Pa.
