I’m pretty bad at endings. The conclusion is always the hardest part of a paper for me to write. I’m rubbish at goodbyes. This blog post has taken me the longest to write.
But, I still have to deal with them.
This summer has been absolutely incredible. I have had such a blast working here in the Archives & Special Collections, and I’m sad to see the end of it. I loved getting to learn about indexing methods, getting really familiar with Excel, solving mysteries, doing an oral history, finding weird advertisements, and dealing with the Library of Congress website (I may or may not have used the list of my earlier blog posts to make that list).
There were some frustrating aspects. Technology was sometimes less than cooperative. I was stuck inside for 8 hours a day yearning to be outside in the stunning Tacoma sun. It often felt monotonous—not in a bad way, just that it involved a lot of doing the same thing over and over again.
All and all, I’m so pleased with how my project has turned out (I’m still working on the finishing touches of putting it online) and I cannot think of a better way to have spent my summer. The most valuable thing about the summer, though, is that it gave me a look into the career possibilities in libraries and archives. As a recent college graduate, I’m still trying to figure out what it is I’ll end up doing with my life but this summer has allowed me to experience working in an archives which I’m now thinking I’d like to do in the future.
Archives & Special Collections, you’ve been good to me. Thanks for a fantastic summer!
Students leaving Collins Memorial Library, circa 1965
By: Jillian Zeidner