Community Collections

Fall semester has started and it has been a whirlwind for me. My year of rotating through departments is over. I had a chance to experience what it's like to work in Collections and Technical Services, Data Services, and Special Collections. Over the last year, I gained valuable experience working in an academic setting and got a chance to figure out exactly what I want to be when I grow up. 😉

As of September 1, I will be devoting all of my remaining residency to developing myself as an archivist in Special Collections. The last few weeks, I've had meetings with the director of the department and we've come up with a job title, description, and goals for my new functional role in Special Collections. I will now be functioning as the Community Collections Archivist - which probably means little to most of you. For me, it's ideally suited. My undergraduate degree is in Community Studies, so this is a natural fit. In this role, I'll be helping to identify and highlight existing collections that have material relevant to historically marginalized communities. I'll also be working with those communities to help ensure they are represented in the archives. So, a lot of community outreach and time searching through the archives. It should be interesting.

In addition to my new functional role, I've also been working hard preparing for the Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness exhibit. We have our opening reception today, a panel discussion on Tuesday, and a garden tour and talk on Indigenous Peoples' Day. I'm excited to see what people think of the exhibit! Check out the photos of the exhibit that I took when we were getting everything set up yesterday: