As I end my internship this week, I want to speak on the variety of experiences, impressions, tasks, and thoughts that have come to mind over the course of the last few months. Though the internship was a mere 180 hours, I was able to learn a tremendous amount about the fundamental day-to-day work of an archivist. Some of this I learned by doing, some I learned by reading, and some I learned by listening. In any case, the amount I know now greatly exceeds what I knew a few short months ago. This Fall has easily been the most challenging and most rewarding of my time in graduate school.
As I began, I knew I needed to learn. And learn. Then learn some more. I have always felt that one cannot fully grasp anything by simply reading--you have to experience it too, at some point. I had never worked professionally in the role of archivist, yet I knew I wanted to enter the profession. The very nature of archival work suits my appreciation of the past, respect for the preservation of the present, and hope that future researchers will be able to do good work based partially upon my efforts. I do not believe these ideals to be idealistic but instead, simply aspirations for society. History deserves respect. An archive may be the ultimate tool to showing that appreciation for the past.
Yet as I started my work, I often felt unsure of myself as I made my progressions in processing my collection. The "doing" was more confusing than I anticipated. A few stops and starts did little to add to my confidence. I worked for years before graduate school and always quickly rose to the challenge; unexpectedly, this was not something I could grasp quickly despite my background knowledge and eagerness to learn. Sadly, the archive was not the most fun place in the world at 8 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I began to wonder.... why did I choose this again?
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