Embedded Files
My internship at Pima Air and Space Museum was an opportunity to dive deeply into traditional archival work in a way I hadn't had the chance to do before. I was put in charge of working through assorted accessioned small collections (many a single folder) to help reduce the backlog. It was my first real brush with archival research as well as drafting formal finding aids.
My internship at Pima Air and Space Museum was an opportunity to dive deeply into traditional archival work in a way I hadn't had the chance to do before. I was put in charge of working through assorted accessioned small collections (many a single folder) to help reduce the backlog. It was my first real brush with archival research as well as drafting formal finding aids.
The first thing I did was familiarize myself with the finding aid development process and database program PastPerfect which is used by the archives at Pima Air and Space Museum (PASM). My superiors requested I focus on processing several boxes of one-folder collections that had been accessioned but never processed or added to the database.
Click to view Finding Aid.
Click to view Finding Aid in PastPerfect Database/
In the case of archival materials, I created finding aids, took photos of collection objects and scanned photos. Involved in the process is researching the donors and their gifts as well as tagging objects to be housed in a separate area for preservation purposes. Once all the research is completed and finding aids are prepped, I enter the finding aid information into PastPerfect before shelving the collections, ensuring they are in the correct location.
Click image to view object descriptions for Donald H. Magel Collection.
Before entering anything into the database, I photographed, researched and evaluated each archival object, compiling a single document with the necessary information.
Click image to view object entry in PastPerfect for Donald H. Magel Collection.
After all information was gathered and organized, I created individual database entries for each object, uploading the accompanying photos. Then the items were housed in cabinets in the archive.
Housing Archival Objects
Housing Archival Objects
Blue cabinets housing objects.
Trays in blue cabinets.
Archival object with tag
Inside of the archival object.
In the case of collections that were entirely comprised of photographs, the catalog process involved scanning the images, researching their contents and then inputting individual descriptive information for each picture in PastPerfect.
Click image to view photograph descriptions for Donald H. Magel Collection.
Click image to view photograph entry in PastPerfect for Donald H. Magel Collection.
I took great pleasure in being able to "get my hands dirty" with archival work by searching out the stories of the people and the objects. I also got to see a collaborative side of the work for the first time. So often, I had to reach out to colleagues for clarification with accession numbers or just understanding the mysterious organization of a library situated in the middle of the archive's stacks. I got to hear stories about its founding and the assorted volunteers and donors. It reinforced how each archive is unique in its own way and archivists are the keepers of the knowledge inside.
I took great pleasure in being able to "get my hands dirty" with archival work by searching out the stories of the people and the objects. I also got to see a collaborative side of the work for the first time. So often, I had to reach out to colleagues for clarification with accession numbers or just understanding the mysterious organization of a library situated in the middle of the archive's stacks. I got to hear stories about its founding and the assorted volunteers and donors. It reinforced how each archive is unique in its own way and archivists are the keepers of the knowledge inside.
A Note on Intellectual Property
All images and digital artifacts (including but not limited to digital files) referenced and linked to here are the intellectual property of the Pima Air and Space Museum and are subject to applicable United States copyright laws.
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