Morgan Wilson’s love of history and old objects dates back to her childhood trips to flea markets, yard sales and antique shows with her grandparents. 

“The most exciting thing for me was to find a box full of stuff and to search through it. It was very much like a treasure hunt,” said Wilson, the 2017 Colby-Sawyer graduate who became her alma mater’s archivist and systems librarian in September.  

“It still feels that way.” 

During a recent treasure hunt while taking stock of the college archives, Wilson came across Colby-Sawyer-themed dolls and stuffed animals. The curly-haired dolls have Colby Junior College blazers. The stuffed animals were Colby the kangaroo (which was once the institution's mascot) and a baby kangaroo, Junior. 

Wilson's initial work priorities include surveying the collection and putting in place finding aids — documents that inventory and describe the materials. And, she’s researching software with a public interface that will allow people to search the college’s collections online. 

She’s eager to also become involved with instruction. “It’s cool to see students engaging with history and people from the past and feeling a personal, emotional connection that transcends time,” she said. “It’s meaningful to me when I can help students discover the magic of archives.” 

Wilson — who in 2025 earned a dual master's in history and library and information science with a concentration in archive management at Simmons University — also enjoys helping people with research requests. 

“It’s fun and I rarely get the same question twice,” she said. “It’s great to feel like I am helping people. Reference work and providing research assistance is where I can feel the value of my work.” 

Wilson welcomes requests to assist with research and encourages alumni, faculty, staff, students and community members to contact her if they have archival materials they’re interested in donating. 

One recently donated item: a student’s biology notebook from the 1940’s. “It’s incredible,” Wilson said. “It’s so valuable. It has notes and doodles and drawings and captures a student’s experience.”  

Wilson, who grew up in Newport, New Hampshire, first attended Emerson College to pursue a film degree. She transferred to Colby-Sawyer to study English, which she found was a better match for her personality and interests.  

“I liked that Colby-Sawyer was more rural and natural, and it felt quiet and peaceful,” she said. “I also found the old buildings charming; history feels really present at Colby-Sawyer.” 

Wilson learned about the college archives during her post-graduate presidential fellowship with Colby-Sawyer's Alumni Office. That’s when Brantley Palmer, the college archivist at the time, brought a box of old yearbooks and other historical mementos to the Thornton Living Room for Homecoming.  

“I was immediately interested. I didn’t know this was a job,” said Wilson, who proceeded to pepper Palmer with questions. “‘What is that? What do you have? What do you do as an archivist?” 

She was so intrigued that a few years later, post-COVID, she did a summer internship with Palmer. 

“He was patient and helpful with all my questions. He offered so much guidance. And after that experience, I knew that this was what I wanted to do,” she said. “It confirmed that I should go to graduate school and pursue this.” 

Wilson is a strong advocate for the archives, which preserve institutional memory and the history of the community and people. 

“It’s not just administrative records; it’s not as dry and removed as that. These are records and objects that document the actual people who were here before us,” she said. 

“I think looking at what's been done before in our history can be useful guidance for what to do today and in the future. We can look to these archival materials for inspiration and guidance and for help to understand the current moment we’re in.”