The Manuscripts & Audiovisual Collections are rich archival records created by Ohioans documenting more than 200 years of our shared history. From unique daguerreotypes and handwritten diaries to coupons for White Castle hamburgers, these collections preserve the records of Ohio businesses, families and organizations.

Meet our Manuscripts and Audiovisual curators.

Matt Benz, Manuscripts Curator

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Matthew Benz has a master's degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio Wesleyan University. Since joining Ohio History Connection in 1994, he has held the positions of reference archivist, business collections archivist and manuscripts curator. Matt has worked on archival projects for White Castle Systems, Inc.; the Columbus School for Girls; Columbus City Schools; and the University District Organization.

Wendy Korwin, Archives Services Manager

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Wendy Korwin has spent most of her days since college working in libraries. At the University of Virginia, she checked out undergraduate course reserves until 2 a.m. and learned that you needed to type “videorecording” into the library catalog to find the VHS tapes and LaserDiscs.

After completing a master's in Library Science at Simmons College and working for several years in youth services, Wendy returned to graduate school at the College of William & Mary. Thirteen short years later, she earned her doctorate in American Studies by writing about advertising and literacy in the early 1900s.

Wendy has processed archival collections for the College of William & Mary’s Special Collections Research Center, the Pembroke Center at Brown University, and the Providence, Rhode Island Public Library. She moved to Ohio in 2018 and began working at the Ohio History Connection the following year, holding positions as a Government Records Archivist and Project Archivist for the Warren G. Harding papers before joining the curatorial team in 2022.

Daniel Willis, Audiovisual Archivist

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Daniel Willis curates and manages the Ohio History Connection's photograph, sound and moving image collections. He has enjoyed visiting museums and historical sites his whole life. He continued to pursue his love of history in college and earned a bachelor's in history from Miami University in 2019 and a master's in public history from Wright State University in 2021. He first started working with the Ohio History Connection as an intern in the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center archives while pursuing his master’s degree. After graduating, he continued to work with OHC as part of the Ohio History Service Corps between 2021 and 2022. In his time off, Daniel enjoys playing board games and reading science fiction.

Susan Lowery, Reference Archivist, Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor

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Susan Lowery received her Bachelor of History in 2017 and Master of History with a certificate in Applied History in 2020, both from Youngstown State University. As a graduate intern from 2018-2020, she worked at Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor (YHCIL) giving tours, setting up and participating in events, and inventorying a collection of early twentieth-century glass plate negatives from nearby Sharpsville, PA.
Susan began working at the museum in the spring of 2021 as an outside contractor for a temporary exhibit, and later started assisting and training in the archives. In her current position, she works very closely with her co-workers to preserve materials, assist students and further interpret local history.

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