Earlier this summer, it was our pleasure to host Charles Wright Academy senior Piper Coyner for an internship in the Archives & Special Collections. Charles Wright requires all of their graduating seniors to complete an internship, and Piper’s interest in libraries and archives led her to contact us. We had a wonderful time introducing Piper to archival work, and we know she’s going to do amazing things over her next four years at the University of Washington! Here is a bit about Piper’s experience, in her own words.
One of the more unique aspects of my high school is that every May, the graduating class ends school a month early in order to embark upon 60-hour unpaid internships. Most of my peers chose relatively similar internships: they all spent their time with a hospital, law firm, or local business. Although all of these internships sound interesting in their own ways, I knew that none would give practical career experience to a person intending to major in archaeology and Middle Eastern Studies. I obviously couldn’t shadow a real-life Indiana Jones for three weeks, but in a strange way, my time with Archives & Special Collections was the next best thing.
At the start of my internship I had only a vague understanding of archival work. To the chagrin of my colleagues, I couldn’t think of archives without the cliché words “dusty” and “dimly lit” coming to mind. Thankfully, I was quickly educated on the function of the archives and assigned some hefty (but enjoyable!) readings to further my understanding. Most of my work with the Archives & Special Collections consisted of organizing and processing university collections. This consists of analyzing the contents of the collection, removing extra copies of publications, placing the materials into similar categories, and foldering by date. In this manner, I processed collections from the Office of Admission, the Office of Communications, the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound (ASUPS) and, my personal favorite, Ka Ohana Aloha, Puget Sound’s Hawaiian student club. I also utilized the student newspaper, The Trail, and the yearbook, Tamanawas, both in-person and digitally, to research certain aspects of Puget Sound’s history, such as campus unrest during the Vietnam War. Of course, my internship with the Archives & Special Collections would not have been complete without a trip to the rare book collection, where I handled medieval manuscripts, read eighteenth century physics textbooks, and absolutely obsessed over the Shelmidine Collection, which consists almost exclusively of Middle Eastern books. I’ll bet that none of my classmates can say that about their internships!
I learned so much over my three weeks interning with the Archives & Special Collections, both about the archival profession and about the history and culture of the University of Puget Sound. The vast majority of the materials that I helped to organize – such as old admissions pamphlets, freshman handbooks, alternative campus newspapers, and club pamphlets – gave me a great sense of the vibrant and welcoming culture here at Puget Sound and made me especially excited to begin my college career. I certainly enjoyed my three weeks here and appreciate the kindness and warmth that all the library staff showed me.
A few “candid” photos of me working:
The Archives & Special Collections is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.
By Piper Coyner, Charles Wright Academy Class of 2018