The End, Part Four: Falling Action

I spent the last month of my internship almost exclusively processing the collection.  At times I found a folder I had missed or been improperly assigned to a sub-series.  However, I found the work pleasant.  My earlier frustrations seemed less mind-boggling, and the archive seemed less intimidating.  In processing, I came across deeds, financial documents, and death certificates from the Civil War Era.  I found that to be very exciting.  Those records were in fine condition; however, a group of newspaper clippings from the 1940s fared far worse.  The clippings would have been in poor shape in any circumstance, yet these had been taped to some type of construction paper, leaving shards of tape, construction paper, and newspaper peeling.  Nearly half of the text from these clippings was unreadable due to the adhesive.  Newspaper clippings are going to be a part of collections for the foreseeable future but one cannot help but contemplate the useful time remaining for the billions of these likely in collections across the world.  In the proper conditions, newspaper can be made to last for a lengthy period of time but the proper conditions are hard to come by.  

In a past life I worked with paper for 40 hours or more each week.  I am fascinated by the history of paper, its various constructions, and the paper choices of users.  I may be digressing but I believe the paper a person uses can speak of something about the individual.  Obviously current production standards may dissuade one from accepting this argument, yet if a person chooses to use 70 pound over the standard 20 pound, that speaks to their socioeconomic status, taste, or fads of the time.  It's a part of history overlooked by many, and one I still think about today, surrounded by boxes of the paper from all comers.

The last few weeks of my internship passed very quickly.  I spent the day before Thanksgiving processing and encoding up until the close of business. The last two weeks were spent processing and helping out with a reference question or two.  I tossed more than a few old, rusty paper clips into the trash.  (I am less fond of paper clips now.)  Interestingly enough, Professor Nugent had copied several dozen oral histories from archives across the country.  On these he had made front-page notations of what chapter the history might belong to in his forthcoming book on the subject.  In respect to archival copyright, I made photocopies of the first page and pulled the remainder as a reprint.  In this manner, the notes are preserved and the archive can be easily contacted for more information on the oral history if a researcher finds it necessary in the future.  In many ways, processing is the direct opposite to working in a print production facility.  Instead of pulling out blank sheets for imprinting, an archivist takes the imprinted paper and stores it away.  I find the analogy slightly off but personally pleasing nonetheless.