By: Jennifer  Cywinski

Amanda Peters has always had a love for history. It may have started when she
began working at The Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh, where she
was introduced to the history of the coal and coke industry back in
Pittsburgh and she has loved the subject ever since.

In 2016 Amanda became the Archivist at the Coal and Coke Heritage Center
located at the Fayette campus and is in charge of overseeing the collection,
which includes over 1,200 oral histories on the coal industry. These are
stories of people whose lives were intertwined with the coal industry and
their experiences. Amanda also gives presentations, sets up displays, and
provides outreach for the museum.

Amanda received her Bachelors’ Degree in History at the University of
Pittsburgh in Johnstown and went on to receive a Masters of History at IUP
(Indiana University of Pennsylvania). She was exposed to archiving and
museums while going for her Masters and she decided to go back for a Library
Science degree to make her History Degree more marketable. The decision
definitely paid off!

Amanda lives near Pittsburgh and she and her partner Joe live within walking
distance to the downtown area. She has 2 cats and a dog named Teddy. Teddy is
a two-year-old Border collie/Brittany mix and he keeps Amanda on her toes!
She has also decided to train for a half-marathon this year in Pittsburgh!

Amanda loves working at Penn State and even though she is far from
University Park, she feels that she is still well connected to the main
campus and that her work still matters. Everyone is nice and very accessible.
Penn State has a great network of people and we are fortunate to work here!