Louise McAward-White

Collections Data Manager

Louise McAward-White

Louise became the Collections Data Manager in 2023. Louise manages the Collections Information Database (CID) infrastructure, including internal cataloguing, object movement and archive workflow management systems; and the external Collections Search system. She is responsible for managing data standards and practices in relation to CID to ensure that the BFI National Archive’s collections are documented according to best practice. Louise manages the Documentation Editors who create and enhance records for film and television material in the BFI National Archive, and for the BFI Filmography. The systems and data powered by this work includes: Mediatheque, BFI Player and BFI Replay.

Louise was previously a Collections Systems Specialist at BFI (2016-2021), before completing a stint at Axiell, the heritage collections management systems supplier. Prior to BFI, Louise worked in various museums and libraries both national and local in the UK. Louise has a BA in Marketing and Events Management (London Metropolitan University) and MSc in Science and Society (Open University).

Outside of work, Louise is on the committee of the Social History Curator’s Group (SHCG), and co-founded Fair Museum Jobs (award nominated for their campaign by Blooloop in 2020, and Living Wage Foundation in 2024). She has previously been on the board of Dacorum Heritage Trust and Dyspraxic Me, and chaired Stokenchurch Community Library for 4 years.