Matt Shoemaker began his career with 5 years of IT work in the corporate sector after pursuing a degree in computer science. He then returned to school and earned an MA in history and an MLIS with a concentration in archives from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He has worked in various archival institutions in the Milwaukee area, helped out with archival disaster relief at the Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln building collapse. Since 2009 Matt has worked for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania where he is currently the director of digital collections and systems. His personal research interests include archives and technology and French colonialism in North Africa.