INTRODUCTION
My name is Jason Brockinton and I am a senior in the history program at Old Dominion University. After completing my bachelor's degree, I plan on pursuing a master's degree in library and information science. I have had two internships in archival work. The first was with George Mason University Special Collections Research Center where I processed photographic materials and texts for the Federal Theater Project collection and the second was with ODU's Special Collections where I completed the Rosemary Thornton collection. My ideal professional goals would be to work as a university archivist, digital archivist, meta data analyst or a combination of all three. I am very much interested in fine arts photography, exhibition design, museum curation and love to travel cross country and adventure all around North America with my dog Henry. I plan to pursue positions with public institutions like the Smithsonian, The National Gallery and the National Archives in Washington, DC as well.
WORK EXPERIENCE
For the last decade I have been living in Juneau, Alaska where I worked in tourism as a guide on whale watching vessels and helicopter tours of the Mendenhall glacier and surrounding ice fields and mountain ranges. I also worked for the state of Alaska's Commision on Post Secondary Education in accounts management and the records department. More locally I was an Account Executive for the sales department at WVEC-13 News here in Norfolk, Virginia. I have also held several different positions in office administration both in Hampton Roads and the Research Triangle in Raleigh, North Carolina.
INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW
Under the direction of the Outreach and Public Services Librarian and Archivist in ODU’s Special Collections department, Katelyn Canaday, my internship was focused on archival training including familiarizing myself with ODU’s processing guidelines and the organization of individual collections. In addition to the processing and organizational skills I have acquired under the guidance of Ms. Canaday I have also received training by the Special Collections and University Archives Assistant Mel Frizelle in scanning documents and other material for digital uploads using Adobe Acrobat, Epson and Gimp systems. The main project of my internship with special collections has been organizing, indexing, storing and creating a finding aid for The Rosemary Thorton collection with the guidelines set forth by the archives. This collection consists of all the research material, including original photographs, publications, artwork, correspondence, diaries and various legal documents, used by Thornton to write her third book "Houses That Sears Built: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sears Catalog Homes". A hidden gem I found while processing the collection was the deed to a Pacific Homes prefabricated house located in Los Feliz, California belonging to Walter Disney and his older brother Edward Disney from 1927. Processing of the collection began in 2020 but not completed due to the covid pandemic. It has been challenging to pick up where another intern left off in processing a collection but also very rewarding to use my former experience at GMU combined with my new training at ODU, including in ASPACE software, to help complete this collection and ready it for public research. This internship was supported by a prestigious grant from the Mellon Foundation.
WORK BASED LEARNING PROJECTS
A crucial aspect to any collection is the creation of the finding aid using the software Archive Space. ASPACE software organizes and makes manageable all aspects of creating and maintaining archives including analog, digital and hybrid items within collections. It also creates a record of changes, additions and other alterations made to any collection throughout its lifetime. Essentially it streamlines the processing and creation of a collection recording the creation every step of the way giving any archivist who may need to add items or make alterations the evolution of a collection from the point of accession forward. The finding aid created with ASPACE accurately gives the researcher an overview of what the collection is about and what kind of materials a researcher will find within it as well as a record of each item and how it was indexed. Summarizing even a medium size collection can be daunting but with the use of ASPACE and the advice and opportunity to ask Ms. Canaday for guidance to answer professional questions made the task manageable and exciting to learn new and relevant software that I did not get the chance to use in my last archival internship at GMU. The ability to create a finding aid is also much sought after in the field of library and information sciences especially in archival and curation positions giving me skills employers will be looking for as I enter the job market.
INTERNSHIP REFLECTION
The challenge of taking over an incomplete collection, correlating all the information, reorganizing and ensuring it was accurate and properly indexed, stored and listed helped me learn how to formally design a collection that was unfinished and allowed me to strengthen my existing skills while developing new ones. Creating a finding aid for researchers and immersing myself in new and emerging archival software also helped me learn systems that will be applicable in the field I plan to work in. Overall, I really loved this experience and the projects I completed on my own. I feel I was given room to accomplish the tasks and to complete the collection using the skills obtained through my history program as well as the new software I implemented while also having willing and able staff to help guide my progress and answer questions. It was fantastic to have the support of the department and valuable advice but also have the freedom to work independently and make decisions about the collection's organization. I am really proud of finishing such an interesting project that touches upon many different areas of American history and can be used by researchers for years to come.
CAREER EXPLORATION
Towards the end of my internship, I was able to sit in on two current interviews for positions at ODU. The first was for the position of Online Librarian with ODU and the second was for the position of Digital Archivist for ODU Special Collections. I attended both the candidate’s presentations about their educational backgrounds and previous work experiences. The Online Librarian candidate demonstrated how she designed learning modules and analyzed the effectiveness of them to help freshman students familiarize themselves with the many resources available to them for research. It was extremely helpful to see what the interview process entails in positions related to digital library science, the field I plan to work in. The candidate familiarized the group with the software she uses like ADDIDE, Contasia, LibWizard and WAVE to create online tutorials intended for college freshman new to research and inform them of the plethora of resources available, like library databases, they can use instead of Google, ChatGpt or Wikipedia for source materials and research. Both candidates described their techniques of design and structural strategies including collaboration with instructors, other institutions, user assessments, feedback as well as accessibility requirements according to Web Content Assessment Guidelines (WCAG). I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend and observe these presentations as they were extremely valuable to familiarize myself with and plan for interviews in the exact fields I am interested in. Ms. Canaday provided me with rare insight into what to expect and prepare for as well as what prospective employers are looking for in candidates. This is the kind of stuff you just can’t learn in a classroom and makes internships so important for students in post-secondary or graduate education.
INTEGRATED LEARNING
As a student of history, I am familiar with the “front end” of using archives to aid in research on various topics. Some challenges presented by this internship so far have been to learn and experience a collection from the archivist, or “back end” viewpoint with the ultimate goal of ensuring each collection is organized in a way that is easily accessible for researchers. The opportunity to understand the ways in which collections are organized from accession to publishing and the philosophy behind the guidelines for processing has imbued me with a unique understanding of the way materials are made available for research and analysis and the priceless value of archives and archival work. My humanities training, through the department of history, equipped me with the skills of critical thinking and analysis. These skills helped me to evaluate the collection and decide on the most rational design that would not only encapsulate what is within the collection itself accurately but also how researchers from many disciplines may use the collection. In the end, the point is to have the collection make an impact and be used by researchers, not just sit on a shelf. In that way I was able to specifically identify fields of study that would have the most to gain from the collection. For example, the collection could be used by researchers of post-world war American history and architecture, women's history and gender studies just to name a few. Being a student of history allowed me to see the value of the collection from multiple viewpoints and its richness as a primary source that could be used for future analysis by several disciplines.
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Archival work is a low social interaction endeavor which I actually value. The autonomy that comes with being assigned a project and seeing it through to its completion is very gratifying. Even so, interaction with your colleagues and department heads is also an important aspect of this kind of work. The communication strategies I find to be most effective is to be clear and concise but also polite and gracious. There is much to be learned from archivists of various different backgrounds and professions. For example, by interacting and training with the Public Outreach Archivist I learned that it is not only the purpose of that position to teach classes about research and assist researchers but maybe even more important is to ensure the security and condition of the materials as they are being used and transported to and from the research center. The dress code in this particular setting was quite laid back and casual, another aspect I value, but not sloppy or unhygienic especially if you are directly interacting with the public. I would add that treating others with value and respect is essential to any professional occupation no matter what position one might hold. Being friendly and jovial is great but one must know when to limit personal sharing of perspectives and information and to consider that not everyone holds your world view and has had your life experiences.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The most rewarding aspect of my internship that was generously supported by the Mellon Foundation was the ability to take on a project of my own and decide how I would design it and make it available for public use. I very much value making my own decisions about how to create a collection but also having the help and support from my colleagues and supervisor when needed. The advice I would offer future interns is to network. Make connections with professionals already working in the field you are interested in. They are an invaluable resource and will give you both the pros and cons of the area of work as well as real time insight into job availability and income expectations.
Credits:
Old Dominion Special Collections The Rosemary Thornton Collection