Week 12: It's So Hard To Say Goodbye

Today was my last day.  I had some loose ends that needed tied up and I wanted to tweak the arrangement on Media Manager a little bit more.  I had some boxes that needed re-shelved and I wanted to say goodbye to everyone.  I walked into the office and there was a card sitting by my computer and it made me a little sad!

Laura came in while I was beginning to do some work and she asked to see me in the conference room.  I wasn’t sure what she was going to talk about and figured it would be the evaluation portion of the practicum.  Instead, she completely surprised me and offered me a part time contract job!  I will be continuing my project after the New Year and I could not be happier!  I have grown to really love working at the University Archives.  I enjoy working with the staff and I really love the collections. 

We spent the first 15 minutes or so discussing the logistics.  Afterwards, we went back to the office and I continued on with my work with a giant smile on my face.  I finished uploading any straggling items in my folder and put all of my notes and worksheets in a drawer to be kept for a couple months until I return.  Laura gave me her evaluation and to say that it was a glowing recommendation would be an understatement.

At the beginning of this practicum, our timeline proposed a digital collection of 55 items.  As of the end of this practicum, a total of 161 items are publicly viewable.  I view this project as a complete success.  Not too long ago, I was researching something on Google and one of the artifacts from our collection was the 2^nd or 3^rd result listed!  I would say that the discoverability of the Byrd collection has grown exponentially.  Additionally, with the additions of stacks locations, box number, and folder/item numbers, the project has become a great visual finding aid for quick, on-hand access.  With the inclusion of external and internal links, many of the records also offer reference resources for additional research.  Along with all of these great benefits, going through the collection has been very beneficial for the preservation and longevity of the items themselves, as I was able to re-house many of the objects for long term maintenance.

 

In: 1:30 p.m.
Out: 5 p.m.
On-site hours completed today: 3.5

On-site hours completed total: 101.25