Today, December 13, was my last meeting of the semester with my campus employment supervisor Maggie Long. After completing my shift, we discussed my work over the semester, my interests, and future opportunities. Although I only worked two hours per week this semester, I engaged in a relatively diverse set of work from vacuuming the books to archiving glass projector slides. Maggie was pleased with my work this semester and I, too, was pleased with my continued time in Special Collections & Archives.
Regarding career interests, my experiences with the glass slides, and working to archive and catalog, sparked an interest in conservation. Next semester, Maggie is now looking at how I could explore this interest with some projects for Special Collections & Archives. In addition, she shared that another student worker graduating this semester will pursue a career in conservation, and Maggie offered to put me in contact with her. After our meeting, Maggie also sent me some links to conservation organizations and programs for me to explore. In addition, we discussed my progress with the six Ideals into Practice competencies, mainly focusing on communication and collaboration which are where my work resides primarily. This semester I was able to work with a few different people within Special Collections & Archives: Amanda Nelson, Suzy Taraba, and, of course, Maggie Long. Each of these women exposed me to new projects and modes of inquiry within the field of archival work. I am excited to continue working at Special Collections & Archives next semester.
