Influential Woman · Museums

Heidi Taylor Caudill

Collections and Community Engagement Manager, Historic New Harmony

New Harmony, IN

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's in Art History Degree University of Kentucky Degree Master's in Art History Degree University of Louisville Degree Master's of Science in Library Science Degree Master's in Strategic and Organizational Communication (in progress) Degree University of Southern Indiana Cert Certified Archivist

Her Story

About Heidi

I work as Collections and Community Engagement Manager for Historic New Harmony, which is a unique program through the University of Southern Indiana's Outreach and Engagement Division. USI owns 23 historic properties in the small town of New Harmony, Indiana, which was once the site of two utopian communities. The university gives tours and talks about the town's history, but also serves as what they call a living learning laboratory for ideas, bringing classes from USI and other universities to explore different ideas about community building, healthcare, and more. In my role, I take care of our archival and museum collection, but I also split my time with community engagement, which involves communications work, managing our social media, finding ways to promote what we're doing and attract collaborations with businesses and university classes. I also put together programs that benefit the community. It's kind of like two sides of a coin - the more introverted side of taking care of the collections, and then the extroverted side of getting this information out there and promoting it. I've been working with them since September 2023, a little over 2 years now.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Heidi

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

There's a term in library school, or in the library world, that's called vocational awe. It's where you just believe that your job is just so important that you allow people to take advantage of you because you're there for the mission, you're there for this passion that you're serving. I think it affects a lot of people in the industry that I'm in. So I'm always telling students, younger people, just know when to walk away, know how to set boundaries, and remember that you're a human being, and you need time to rest. You need time to be with your family. Don't let the job overtake your life. It's everywhere in this industry, but it's so important to remember.

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