Twisting the Plot (again)

Skylar C -

Second snow day! I again had to miss Friday because of the storm, but was still able to work the other days. For this week, I changed my internship up a bit. My advisor, Sarah Willadsen, told me that instead of both scanning and uploading the documents, I could go through the binders and scan them all at once so I could get as many as I can done. It is already going faster, as I have finished the binder covering the years 1975 through 1977 and already started the one 1977-1979. So far the new building for the Prescott Public Library has been built (where it is now), and they are starting their first years of operation. Numerous things have already happened, like art shows, and it is so interesting to look at old photos and articles from past library activities, like an announcement for a new Star Trek club in 1977!

But, besides the binders, I had another pleasant surprise at my internship! Ivy stopped by on Thursday and we were able to talk for a couple of minutes before she had to leave. Below is a picture of us while at the library! I was scanning documents in the copier room, and it was so nice to chat with her for a little. Outside of the internship, I continued reading Creating a Local History Archive at Your Public Library. I also continued playing around with my pamphlet and started to design and create a Powerpoint for my presentation. For the extra hours on Friday that I missed at the library, I continued to work on my new Powerpoint and finished my book. It contains a lot of information, most that I won’t be able to use, as it goes into the very technical details of keeping an archive. I then started a new one, titled Archives Alive: Expanding Engagement with Public Library Archives and Special Collections. This one was especially interesting because it gives examples of library programs that help the public engage with the collections in libraries. For example, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts made multiple programs on African Dances, ones which recorded the different dances and interviewed African dance instructors in the city. One thing that I especially liked was some libraries’ efforts to encourage artists to create works of art inspired from the works in their collections, like with the Hartford Public Library’s Hartford History Center and its Arts and Archives: Master Classes.

Sources:

Phillips, Faye. Creating a Local History Archive at Your Public Library. ALA Editions, an Imprint of the American Library Association, 2017.

Schull, Diantha Dow. Archives Alive: Expanding Engagement with Public Library Archives and Special Collections. ALA Editions, an Imprint of the American Library Association, 2015. 

Me and Ivy at the Prescott Library

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Comments:

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    theodore_d
    Wow, Skylar! It must have been wild to see someone you know at your internship. Also, I never knew that the city library used to be in a different place, as recently as the 1970s, no less! Here's hoping for more interesting findings from your internship, and less snow days!
    moorea_c
    The snow days are such a bummer sometimes, but I'm glad you were able to do some exciting things on the other days and see Ivy! That's awesome that you were able to cover the entire binder and start a new one!
    skylar_c
    Thanks! I am certain that I will find more interesting history, as there is so much to look through! The snow day was a disappointment, but it is nice that I am still making great progress!
    james_pi
    Sounds like you're making good progress with your project Skylar! Even with the snow days, it's nice that you were able to get some important things done like your presentation and finishing that book. Seeing Ivy in your blog was definitely a surprise for me, so I can't imagine what a surprise it was to see her at your Internship!
    skylar_c
    Thanks! It has been nice to get ahead on my project, but sad to miss that time at the library. It was a surprise seeing her, but a happy one!

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