Warm Weather and the End of the Semester

Posted April 15, 2023 by Rebecca Devereaux

The warm weather has returned, and the end of the semester is upon us! It has been a
while since I posted to the blog, and I have a lot to share. This semester I’ve been completing an
internship at Harvard’s School for Public Health in their Center for the History of Medicine
(CHOM). I have interviewed several of the people who work in CHOM. One of my biggest
takeaways is that when you are receiving a donation it is important to make the donor feel heard
and valued. The archivist should not be in a rush, because often many emotions are tied up into
donations. This is another way to understand the archives as a relational space. I have also been
able to help with the accessioning of Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith’s papers. There is something so
special about walking through another person’s career.
At the end of March, I traveled back to Washington and attended the Washington Library
Association annual conference. This year it was held in my hometown. I also had the joy of
attending with my mother who is a teacher librarian. It was so special to meet other LIS students,
receive mentorship from the experienced librarians there, and see old friends. I am hoping to
expand my conference attendance in the next year or two.
This afternoon I will be working on my research paper for my transnational labor history
class. I have a few more projects for my library courses to finish up, but the end is in sight. Time
to power through the last three weeks of the semester.

Bonus thought: My mom and I went to a talk from the bookmobile driver for the Walla Walla public
library. He gave us bubbles for showing up at his
presentation as a family.