Today I went to an archiving workshop at the Mill Valley Public library. There was a group of about 20 of us who were taught basic labeling and archiving methods. We helped the library with archiving some of its historical information as well as categorizing slides and 8 mm film for a local art nonprofit. It was really interesting learning about the processes and the importance of archiving historical items. The other volunteers were great to work with, some are currently working in the arrival space, others are interested in getting into the field or some form of library science and still others are like me – just wanting to learn more about it. We were in the bowels of the library doing our work for a good six hours, with a short break for lunch outside, though most of us were so excited about getting back to the work we were doing we ended up cutting our lunch short. It was very energizing learning something new and different with a new group of people. I’m definitely interested in volunteering as an archivist again in the future.
As I worked with my group to look at slides and try to come up with titles and descriptions, I thought about the importance of labeling any information that you want people to understand and recognize in the future. I’m thinking about all of the photos that my mom has of her family and from her 20s and 30s before she met my dad. I know who some of the people are in the photos, but not many, and would love some background on what they were doing when the photos were taken. I’m sure that discussion would open up more stories too. So this has me excited and motivated to spend some time with my mom going through her priori albums and recording that information. My sisters and I know who some of the people are in the photos, but none of our kids do and if we want any of those photos to be meaningful to our kids or grandkids, etc. we need to include some information on them.
Afterwards I got to enjoy the walk home, it was a lovely warmish afternoon, just right for being outside, not too hot or not too cold. I spent the rest of the evening going through emails and information in preparation for my start next week as the Interim ED at the Village Community Resource Center.