I have chosen to intern at the O. Winston Link Museum/Historical Society of Western Virginia with museum curator and internship supervisor Ashley Webb. As I live close by the school, I am able to go in person three days a week and the occasional weekend day. I also do research and planning from home as a way to get hours. I have conducted research on the Election Day Flood of 1985 for questions to be used in an interview with Tommy Firebaugh, a photographer known for his photos of the Flood.
I spend most of my time accessioning objects, photos, as well as maps by using a virtual archive software called PastPerfect. Some of the most interesting items and photos I’ve archived include contracts and agreements, old tools, as well as photos of old Downtown Roanoke and Hollins University. One of the most time consuming tasks I am working on at home for the museum is transcribing the interview between Tommy Firebaugh and Ashley Webb which involves sitting down and listening to the interview while actively typing everything said in the interview. This week I have been taking maps and accessioning them and I will soon begin preparing a Botetourt County exhibit and learn to label exhibits which means I will be writing the information typically seen under the exhibits.
It has been a very insightful experience volunteering at the museum thus far and it will almost certainly assist me in future career expertise.
