SI-ASB-2008: Smithsonian Institution: National Museum of American History


Smithsonian Institution: National Museum of American History 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. americanhistory.si.edu	Projects 2
The National Museum of American History dedicates its collections and scholarship to inspiring a broader understanding of our nation and its many peoples. We create learning opportunities, stimulate imaginations, and present challenging ideas about our country's past. The Museum's Archives Center houses a remarkable array of American history in documents, photographs, and other works. These include the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, advertising histories of major U.S. corporations, and the Duke Ellington Collection -- sheet music, correspondence, and photographs related to the life and career of the great composer and jazz musician. The museum is looking for as many as seven interns for projects this spring.
Photos and Comments

Students who participated in ASB at the Smithsonian Museum of American History: Barbara Pezet, Emily Hamstra, Megan Esseltine, Nathan Tomlanovich, and William R. Cron, Jr.

"Our supervisors were wonderful, as were the rest of the staff. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful, and dedicated to making this a valuable learning experience and working with us as professionals."

"It was an excellent way to get a feel for a working environment without dedicating an entire summer internship. Very good for us with multiple interests."

More comments from participants...

Projects

Division of Community Life Films

Barbara Pezet. Code: AMHIST-01

Interns
1

The student will be trained in basic handling of archival motion picture film in order to process a small collection of film from the Museum's former Division of Community Life. Work will include removing films from reels, making repairs, cement splicing leaders, and producing smooth winds on cores for long-term storage. The student will also prepare "health forms" for each film, recording condition and intellectual content. If time allows, the student will create a finding aid for the collection.

Faris and Yamna Naff Arab American Collection, circa 1880-1950

Emily Hamstra, Megan Esseltine, Nathan Tomlanovich, William R. Cron, Jr. Code: AMHIST-02

Interns
5

This collection grew out of a major research project by Dr. Alixa Naff on the study of the early Arab immigrant experience in the United States-circa 1880 to World War II. The study began with oral history interviews in 1962 and became a major project in 1980 with a grant from National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The collection contains published articles; demographic statistics; photographs; personal papers; oral histories; articles from Arab-American press, books, journals and dissertations by and about Arab Americans. Students will assist Archives Center staff in re-housing all of the photographs and selected personal papers. Students will also participate in an intellectual arrangement exercise.

Participants' Comments

Naff Arab American Collection

"I re-housed and re-catalogued photo and personal papers collection. I liked that I was participating along with other SI students. The organization was great. Our supervisor was welcoming and helpful. The other staff at the Archives Center were willing to lend their knowledge and expertise."

"With three other SI students, I helped to process a large collection of photographs and personal papers from Arab-Americans in the 20th Century. Our mentors did a very good job of giving us opportunities to try out many things, including conservation activities, presentations and intellectual exercises. They were very supportive and did everything they could to make the experience worthwhile for us. When we ran across a preservation challenge, they showed us how to deal with it, making phase boxes or sink mats...very useful, even outside of this context."

"They cooked us a traditional Lebanese lunch on our last day. Also, Alison baked something for us each day. So nice."

"It was an excellent way to get a feel for a working environment without dedicating an entire summer internship. Very good for us with multiple interests."

"I arranged and housed photos, papers, and other materials in the collection to afford physical and intellectual access and to promote long-term preservation. The staff was very positive and welcoming and the project was of a manageable length for the time allotted. I gained important experience doing basic archival processing and learned some new techniques for constructing preservation materials. I saw how a mid-size archival staff worked together to manage and provide access to their collections, and this will help me as I enter the profession. All of the staff that we worked with were open, positive, welcoming....excellent people with whom I hope to interact in the future."

Division of Cultural Life Films

"My project coordinator had a number of films in her office that had not been processed, so over the week, I inspected, identified, and did minor repairs, learning how to splice film together, fix sprocket holes, etc. I loved every minute of it. It was wonderful getting hands-on experience with audiovisual materials in an archival setting. This experience solidified my desire to work with AV materials in an archival setting."

The SI Alternative Spring Break is open to graduate students of the University of Michigan's School of Information. Undergraduates looking for Alternative Spring Break opportunities should look into the University of Michigan Alternative Spring Break program administered by U-M's Ginsberg Center.