The Civil Service Council will feature a Civil Service employee at Illinois State University each month to highlight an exceptional colleague and the outstanding work being done on campus. This month, learn about and applaud Senior Archives Specialist Julie Neville.
What is your position on campus and how long have you been with the University?
I am a senior library specialist at the Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives. I handle most of the research requests sent to the University Archives. This includes working with students, faculty/staff, alumni, community members, and researchers from around the globe. I also add newly donated items to existing archival collections and supervise our processing interns. I have worked for the university for eight years.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
I love doing deep dives in the archives looking for answers to history mysteries! There are so many stories from our past that have been forgotten. Rediscovering those stories and making them accessible is extremely rewarding. The work I am doing now to preserve ISU’s history will aid researchers for generations!
What are your hobbies or favorite pastimes?
I am a voracious reader. It has surpassed being a hobby or pastime decades ago! There are so many books out there and so little time to consume them all! I also enjoy spending time with my family, crafting, and catching up on my favorite reality tv shows.
What else would you like others to know about you or your time at ISU?
Did you know that you can tour the University Archives? Contact us to set up a time to come out and see some of the awesome items we house! Also, before you throw something ISU-related out, contact us to see if we need it for our collections!
More about Neville from April Anderson-Zorn, University Archivist
Julie keeps the information flowing at Archives! If you’ve ever needed a historic photo of campus, a list of faculty for your department, or maybe just needed to know the date of that Elton John concert at Horton you rocked out at, Julie gets that info for you—and more. Julie is a thorough researcher, ensuring you get exactly what you are looking for and, if we don’t have it, will point you in the right direction. Julie also has an expert eye for answering some of the most detailed and sometimes sensitive questions and handles researcher interactions with care. Julie is also a skilled archives processor, making sure the materials are organized, preserved, and accessible for anyone who wishes to use them. Our student assistants and archives processing interns benefit from her expertise, wisdom, and guidance as they learn to organize, research, and provide access to Rayfield Archives collections. Many Rayfield Archives students have gone into public history, library, museum, and archives fields thanks to Julie’s watchful eye and careful training of each student. We are lucky indeed to have Julie on the team!
