Making The Most Of My Field Placement
Posted March 19, 2025 by Aurora Daniel
As mentioned previously, I’m taking LIS 438 – Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice. This course has two components: the typical readings and lectures that provide a crash course to archival appraisal, acquisition, and processing as well as a 60-hour long field experience. My winter break internship felt like a nice preview of what I would be learning in this course, and so far it’s been nice to flesh out some of the
concepts and challenges that came up in that project and to be able to actively learn from my mistakes.
One of the surprising parts of this course has been the history of archival collecting and how archival collections have been organized. In undergrad I was immersed in the museum world and museum collections cataloging which, while there is some overlap between the two, is very different from how archives organize their collections. Additionally, the development of the two fields and their standards couldn’t be further from each other, with archives in some cases resembling libraries more in its developments whereas museums are a modern institution beginning in the 17th and 18th centuries. While some of my courses have felt complementary to what I learned in undergrad, either in my classes or internships, this course has felt different and I’ve really appreciated getting to dip my toes into new topics. It makes me excited for the rest of the core archives courses that I’ll be taking this summer!
As for my field placement, I’m currently interning at the Watertown Public Library in their Local History collection. My work is focused on two main projects: the first is that I’m processing a recently acquired collection of Lewandos materials. Lewandos was a dry cleaner that was based in Watertown for over a century. At its peak in the 1920s it had over 50 retail locations and was renowned for its delivery service and quick turnaround. For this collection I’m primarily focused on rehousing materials, making a finding aid, scanning photographs to be included on Digital Commonwealth, updating their website to include some information about the collection, and creating a social media post to advertise it. As of this week I have finished rehousing all of the materials into folders and boxes and a first draft of the finding aid, which feels appropriate as I’m now halfway through my field placement.
My initial survey of the collection
The other main project I’m working on is assisting with a public program. This is a collaborative event between the library and a local historic house museum to have a community day with the bookmobile present. I’ll be staffing the event on the day of, but before then I’ll be helping prepare materials for the event by selecting and scanning, meeting with the historic house contact, and assisting with other prep tasks. To me a key aspect of internships and other pre-professional work experiences is to gain as much of the customer service and outreach as possible. I volunteered to help with this event and could’ve turned it down in favor of more practice with archival processing. Yet, there are important reasons why I chose to do it instead. Firstly, that’s because I’m very passionate about bookmobiles and wouldn’t pass up on an opportunity to work at an event where I’m representing one. Secondly, processing collections is something that is relatively straightforward while outreach and engagement isn’t. I can always fall back on how other collections have been cataloged, refer to DACS, or ask for support (even if it’s just from a peer!). However, the same can’t be said for outreach. The types of events that draw people in, the customer service skills required to make sure they run smoothly and are enjoyable, and how to manage accidents or crises when they arise the day of isn’t something one can just read about and do. These skills are core to the Information Science field and I want to be as prepared as possible so that this time next year when I’m applying for jobs I can show that I’m a well-rounded candidate.
As I pass the halfway point of the semester I find myself both sad and excited. I’ve really enjoyed my courses and the work I’m doing in my field placement and want to soak it up as much as possible before it comes to a close. Simultaneously, I’m excited for summer break, my next internship, potential professional development opportunities like conferences, and some downtime after my summer courses end. I just have to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time, focus on the task that’s right in front of me, and that way I’m able to get my work done without feeling too overwhelmed or
distracted.