The Disciples of Christ Historical Society is delighted to introduce our newest team member. Bess Ruzich (she/her) has joined us in a temporary position for one year as a collection survey archivist. 

Bess received her undergraduate degree in History and a Master’s in Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As part of her post-graduate education, she worked at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, a charity in Edinburgh established to support wounded war veterans. She aided in establishing a collection management database and care plan for their World War I artifacts to improve the objects’ accession records, conservation, and accessibility for researchers and the public.

A dedicated history lover, Bess has a wealth of experience in historical research, transcription, and collections care. After graduation, she worked in several museums and auction houses, including the Carnegie Museum of History, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, the American Civil War Museum, and Heritage Auctions. She is particularly excited to contribute to the stewardship of DCHS’s large and historically significant collection. “Having the opportunity to have some ownership over such an archive and to make it more accessible to people locally and farther afield is really important to me.” Bess is returning to the Pittsburgh area, where she grew up, having lived in Texas and Connecticut for the past eight years. In her downtime, she enjoys cross-stitching while watching Pittsburgh Penguins hockey.

Bess’s primary responsibility is to conduct a survey of congregational records in the Historical Society collection. In the coming year, she will write brief finding aids in Spencer, the archival collection catalog, for about 1,400 linear feet of congregational records in the Historical Society’s holdings. The finding aids will make the congregational records more discoverable to staff and researchers alike. She will also assess the physical condition, housing, and research value of each set of congregational records. When she is finished with this work, the Historical Society will have a fuller understanding of its congregational records that will inform future congregational collecting. “Bess’s work has strategic importance for the Historical Society,” said Colleen McFarland Rademaker, Senior Archivist. “Our congregational collections must reflect the diversity of the denomination. A good understanding of our current holdings provides the foundation from which collecting can proceed sustainably and with clear purpose.”