For the last couple weeks of my internship, I will be focusing on unpacking materials, making sure they are in AirTable and our collection’s catalog, and then properly archiving them into our collection’s shelves. While beginning this process, I learned how to use AirTable which is basically an online form of our archive. It’s a useful way to keep up with the labeling system and what comes next, so to speak, when putting boxes of items on the shelf. I began unpacking boxes from one of the archives’ donors, and from there I’ve started sorting them into piles based on their ‘theme,’ or what sort of history they have to do with. For example, a lot of items that are donated to the archive are items that pertain to certain groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy, so those items I can sort into one pile. I have been doing that for other ‘themes’ of objects/items as well. It has been an interesting way to realize what people bought or kept and I’ve been wondering why people thought some of these things were important. While unpacking these items, it is not surprising when I run into racist materials, as I’ve mentioned before. So, I have had to take breaks from looking at these items and photos because it can often take an emotional toll.
As the last weeks of my internship progress, I will be making sure the items are in AirTable, making archival labels, putting items and photos into boxes, and putting them into our collection. It has been a fulfilling time at the Maurice Berger Archive and I’ve learned a lot about archiving. The next couple of weeks will be spent dedicating time to archiving a great deal of materials, and I look forward to completing that!