Cynthia Heider

In her role as Penn Libraries' first Public Digital Scholarship Librarian, Cynthia works to initiate and support digital projects, scholarship, and programming that center community partnerships and public engagement. As part of the Research Data and Digital Scholarship team, she consults with audiences on and beyond campus to actively facilitate opportunities for equitable collaboration, resource sharing, and critical inquiry in the digital realm.

Prior to joining Penn, Cynthia worked as the Digital Projects Specialist within the Center for Digital Scholarship at the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum. Previously, she worked in archival outreach and collection management roles at the Space Telescope Science Institute, Preservation Maryland, Towson University's Special Collections and University Archives, and the Maryland State Archives.

Cynthia holds a Master's degree in history from Temple University’s Center for Public History as well as a BA in history from Goucher College.