Eden Orelove, Archivist/Historian
National Transportation Library (NTL)
Shown volunteering at King Street Cats
Eden Orelove is brand new to the National Transportation Library (NTL) – she just started on June 20, 2023, as the Archivist/Historian. While she is not NTL’s first historian, she is its first archivist. And she is not a novice to the archival field – she’s held positions at the Smithsonian as the Technical Services Archivist in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and as the Photo Archivist for the National Museum of African Art. She recently began exploring the many boxes of documents and memorabilia at NTL and is excited about what she will discover.
Eden obtained her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and her MLS at the University of Pittsburgh, where she concentrated on archival management. She obtained a second graduate degree in art history from The George Washington University. Her favorite class in her library program was on preservation, and she is excited to preserve NTL’s exceptional collection. So far, Eden has enjoyed meeting staff members and has begun familiarizing herself with the history of the Department. In her past position at the National Museum of African Art, Eden curated and processed materials related to African art and culture. steamships.
In her spare time, you’ll find Eden running . . . marathons! Not just any marathon – her goal is to complete all six World Marathons (so far, she has completed 4, including the Tokyo Marathon) and will soon be running a marathon in Antarctica. She and her husband Andrew like to travel and have a cute cat named Purrsephone (a pun on the name of the Greek goddess of spring and queen of the underworld). Eden also volunteers at King Street Cats – the only all-volunteer, cat-exclusive, no-kill rescue facility in Alexandria, Virginia.
We have already uncovered some valuable binders of papers collected by State DOT Secretaries, including some from the Eisenhower administration. The NTL collection includes many spectacular historical maps, photographs, and rare newsletters and publications that document the history of transportation from the 1800s onward.
As Eden makes progress organizing the NTL archives, she is happy to answer reference questions from DOT staff, government officials, and researchers. A memorable question she received while working at the Smithsonian Institution was from a visitor who asked if she could take the Kermit the Frog puppet out of its display case to have her picture taken with it. Obviously, Eden said “No!”
Eden is a highly successful mentor. In a 2012 conference presentation titled “Working as a Contract Archivist: Strategies for Success,”, Eden advised, “Take advantage of networking opportunities. Don’t be afraid to meet people. If You Feel Overwhelmed… Contact Me.”
“Archives enable us to understand and learn from our past. Reflecting on our history enables us to grow and shape a better, more informed future.”
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