Holy historians, Batman!
New University archivist makes a heroic effort on behalf of Northwestern history
A comic-book store is typically full of superhero origin stories. For one such shop in Bristol, Tennessee, that inventory also includes the origin story of Northwestern’s new University archivist.
Matthew Richardson ’06, MA ’13 grew up hanging out and working in his family’s comics store, a cozy community space where his love of history and culture, including the preservation of it, took hold.
“That store is where I learned about Mylar and acid-free boxes, about preservation, about how material culture can bring folks together,” he said. “That’s where it all started.”
Richardson stepped into the University archivist role last August. He filled the spot vacated by Kevin Leonard, who left that position after 15 years to take on the role of University historian.
Richardson’s two degrees from Northwestern (a bachelor of arts in history and English and a master of arts in liberal studies) are only the beginning of his purple pride. He worked in the Libraries’ preservation department early in his career and has an abiding love of Northwestern sports.
As an archivist for Houston Public Library and the Texas Medical Center Library for several years, Richardson was happy in the Lone Star State and was not inclined to relocate—until he saw the University archivist position open at Northwestern. With the support of his wife, a Loyola graduate school alum and no stranger to Chicago, Richardson applied for the one role that might entice them back north.
“I don’t know if I believe in dream jobs,” he said. “But certainly, this pulls together the major threads of my adult life in a way no other professional role could.”
Now that the Richardsons have just about settled, they are reconnecting with the things they loved about Evanston. After attending the 2025 Dolphin Show, they strolled around campus and watched their two young children run around the grounds and play by the Rock. He couldn’t believe he had the good fortune to be back on campus, and he brings that energy to his interactions with alumni.
“One of the University archivist’s roles is to remind people of the value of Northwestern, to put them in touch with the memory of what they had here,” he said. “I get excited about the same things, and I love having an excuse to talk to others about them.”
Richardson is pleased that so much groundwork has already been laid at the Libraries to raise awareness of institutional archives. Compared to other institutions, he said, Northwestern is ahead when it comes to outreach.
“I remember seeing Kevin around the library handing out coasters and engaging people,” he said. “That kind of visibility builds trust over time.”
Shortly before the pandemic, the Libraries initiated Make Your Mark, an outreach campaign to Northwestern’s residential colleges and student groups to promote the depositing of their organizational records with the Archives. That’s work Richardson is looking forward to building on.
“A lot of archives struggle with modern records,” he said. “But someday those records will be historical too, and folks will need to have these sources available.”
As for the kind of visitor experience he’d like to foster in the University Archives, look back to that old comic book shop, where his father was friendly with all his customers and vendors.
“When my dad retired, they all had this outpouring of love, paying tribute to what a welcoming, positive space he had created,” Richardson said. “If I see a fraction of that after my time here, I’ll know I’ve done something right.”