Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Big Bend Day 1 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2734769&id=2260239&l=f739972cca
My first day I planned on doing most of the easy trails and get orientated to the park. First, I love Big Bend and want to go spend a couple of weeks in the area sometime. I also enjoyed staying at Upstairs at the Mansion, and I will post pictures later of staying there along with a more detailed description!
I started at Rio Grande Village, as it was windy and dare I say cold, and in theory that part of the park would be warmer than the mountains. I took the nature trail thinking it would be an easy introduction, but it involved a nice climb to the top of a hill for a great view of the Rio Grande. I was able to walk down to the bank too and I got way off the trail and had trouble finding my way back. I did NOT enter Mexico.
After that, I took the Boquillas Canyon Trail which was easy and pretty. Lots of Mexican selling things on this trail.
Then, I drove to the other side of the park for two more hikes: Tuff Canyon and Santa Elena. Tuff Canyon was easy and fun, and Santa Elena Canyon was definitely the highlight of the day. As you drive towards it, all you can see is this massive, towering canyon wall and it is very humbling. The hike is short, but beautiful.
This is a lame entry, more later.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2734769&id=2260239&l=f739972cca
My first day I planned on doing most of the easy trails and get orientated to the park. First, I love Big Bend and want to go spend a couple of weeks in the area sometime. I also enjoyed staying at Upstairs at the Mansion, and I will post pictures later of staying there along with a more detailed description!
I started at Rio Grande Village, as it was windy and dare I say cold, and in theory that part of the park would be warmer than the mountains. I took the nature trail thinking it would be an easy introduction, but it involved a nice climb to the top of a hill for a great view of the Rio Grande. I was able to walk down to the bank too and I got way off the trail and had trouble finding my way back. I did NOT enter Mexico.
After that, I took the Boquillas Canyon Trail which was easy and pretty. Lots of Mexican selling things on this trail.
Then, I drove to the other side of the park for two more hikes: Tuff Canyon and Santa Elena. Tuff Canyon was easy and fun, and Santa Elena Canyon was definitely the highlight of the day. As you drive towards it, all you can see is this massive, towering canyon wall and it is very humbling. The hike is short, but beautiful.
This is a lame entry, more later.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Curious Kumquat!
I had the most wonderful meal tonight. Serendipity may be the right word to describe my ending up there. After a wonderful day outdoors, I was hungry and in my hotel room contemplating getting delivery or take out. The hotel info guide had an ad for the Curious Kumquat, which advertised "hot dinners to go." Perfect, carryout that would not be Chinese or pizza. So I called because it was near their closing time according to the ad. As it turned out, they did not have meals to go, but they had meals to eat in. The person on the phone sounded nice so I thought why not eat out tonight? Not what I planned, but I didn't want cheap Mexican or American.
So I dined at the Curious Kumquat, and was delighted. They use only local foods from what I understand so their menu no doubt will constantly change. The meal was prix fixe and well worth the price; I have paid more for mediocre food which is always frustrating, but when a meal is excellent, I enjoy splurging. I chose the pork belly blue corn tacos as my main dish. The first item brought out was bread, butter, and olives. Really good olives. Next was avocado ice cream with Mesquite blini (I think I'm spelling that right). All I can say again is delicious. Also there was amuse bouche - parsley sugar disc with local bee pollen and lavender(I stole that description from the chef's blog.) Next was the chimayo soup which the server said was sort of like a squash soup. Whatever it was, I loved it. Then came the tacos. The pork is cooked sous-vide which I won't explain, but hopefully wikipedia gets it close enough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide. The blue corn tortillas I believe are made in house. Other than not being quite sure how to eat these and I kind of made a mess, I was very very happy with this entree. The crema avocado that accompanied the tacos especially stood out.
Then, the dessert! A warm chocolate cake. Yum.
The service was wonderful, and it turned out there was an Earlham connection as one of the servers/owners was an ESR graduate! Small world.
Actually you can see pictures of some of the food at the chef's blog: http://blogquat.blogspot.com/
What a wonderful meal and totally unexpected! Yes, I'm a terrible restaurant reviewer, but this place was great!
I spent the morning at City of Rocks State Park climbing around on rocks. Awesome. Then I grabbed lunch at a vegetarian deli which was very good, and headed back into the Gila Wilderness to the Catwalk. It's a beautiful area, although part of the Catwalk was inaccessible due to a bridge being replaced. I think I'd like to come spend a week or so in this area and try some of the tougher hikes in the Gila Wilderness. I'm finding Silver City very friendly.
I will get pictures posted later.
So I dined at the Curious Kumquat, and was delighted. They use only local foods from what I understand so their menu no doubt will constantly change. The meal was prix fixe and well worth the price; I have paid more for mediocre food which is always frustrating, but when a meal is excellent, I enjoy splurging. I chose the pork belly blue corn tacos as my main dish. The first item brought out was bread, butter, and olives. Really good olives. Next was avocado ice cream with Mesquite blini (I think I'm spelling that right). All I can say again is delicious. Also there was amuse bouche - parsley sugar disc with local bee pollen and lavender(I stole that description from the chef's blog.) Next was the chimayo soup which the server said was sort of like a squash soup. Whatever it was, I loved it. Then came the tacos. The pork is cooked sous-vide which I won't explain, but hopefully wikipedia gets it close enough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide. The blue corn tortillas I believe are made in house. Other than not being quite sure how to eat these and I kind of made a mess, I was very very happy with this entree. The crema avocado that accompanied the tacos especially stood out.
Then, the dessert! A warm chocolate cake. Yum.
The service was wonderful, and it turned out there was an Earlham connection as one of the servers/owners was an ESR graduate! Small world.
Actually you can see pictures of some of the food at the chef's blog: http://blogquat.blogspot.com/
What a wonderful meal and totally unexpected! Yes, I'm a terrible restaurant reviewer, but this place was great!
I spent the morning at City of Rocks State Park climbing around on rocks. Awesome. Then I grabbed lunch at a vegetarian deli which was very good, and headed back into the Gila Wilderness to the Catwalk. It's a beautiful area, although part of the Catwalk was inaccessible due to a bridge being replaced. I think I'd like to come spend a week or so in this area and try some of the tougher hikes in the Gila Wilderness. I'm finding Silver City very friendly.
I will get pictures posted later.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Gila Cliff Dwellings/Silver City
Link to pictures:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2731993&id=2260239&l=5847c903b3
The Gila Cliff Dwellings made a wonderful day trip from Silver City. This is a beautiful part of the world. The drive is exceptional. On the way back to Silver City, I felt like I was one with the car and the road. It was the most enjoyable drive of my life, through twisty mountain roads, splashing through water that ran over the road, taking in the scenery.
The cliff dwellings didn't disappoint. It's about a three mile hike round trip, passing by the beautiful Gila River.
Back in Silver City, I wandered around town. I ate at Diane's Restaurant, which I thought was pretty good if a bit expensive. I rarely order steak, but tonight I had the Southwest Ribeye--very good. I walked around some more and ended up eating delicious gelato. Yum!
I forgot to mention that the drive from Roswell to White Sands is another of my favorites. You can see mountains in the distance from all angles.
The Gila Cliff Dwellings made a wonderful day trip from Silver City. This is a beautiful part of the world. The drive is exceptional. On the way back to Silver City, I felt like I was one with the car and the road. It was the most enjoyable drive of my life, through twisty mountain roads, splashing through water that ran over the road, taking in the scenery.
The cliff dwellings didn't disappoint. It's about a three mile hike round trip, passing by the beautiful Gila River.
Back in Silver City, I wandered around town. I ate at Diane's Restaurant, which I thought was pretty good if a bit expensive. I rarely order steak, but tonight I had the Southwest Ribeye--very good. I walked around some more and ended up eating delicious gelato. Yum!
I forgot to mention that the drive from Roswell to White Sands is another of my favorites. You can see mountains in the distance from all angles.
White Sands!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2731796&id=2260239&l=83f3ff5920
Links to photos above! White Sands was amazing. Last time I visited I did not have much time to hike, so I got there in the morning and took two hikes. One was an easy nature trail, though I met two retired men on the hike that made for fun hiking companions. They had actually heard of both Macalester and Earlham and thought it was awesome I was taking a trip by myself.
After that hike, I decided to try to hike the Alkali Flats Trail. It is 4.5 miles leading deep into the dunes. I completed the whole trail in about two hours. It was beautiful. There were a few other people before me on the trail, but it was very peaceful and I definitely enjoyed the solitude. I'm very glad I did it! Most of the pictures are on this trail. They might all look alike, but every view was a little different. None of the pictures really describe the depth of the dunes.
After that, I drove to Silver City. Despite drinking lots and lots of water I think I was a little dehydrated. I ate at Jalisco's which I thought was very good. The guacamole with jalapenos especially stands out! The food was spicy which is a nice change of pace from the Midwest. I drove around town, but then unfortunately needed to get back to the hotel to feed my Lost addiction. Decent episode but I just want it to be over.
Gila Cliff Dwellings today!
Links to photos above! White Sands was amazing. Last time I visited I did not have much time to hike, so I got there in the morning and took two hikes. One was an easy nature trail, though I met two retired men on the hike that made for fun hiking companions. They had actually heard of both Macalester and Earlham and thought it was awesome I was taking a trip by myself.
After that hike, I decided to try to hike the Alkali Flats Trail. It is 4.5 miles leading deep into the dunes. I completed the whole trail in about two hours. It was beautiful. There were a few other people before me on the trail, but it was very peaceful and I definitely enjoyed the solitude. I'm very glad I did it! Most of the pictures are on this trail. They might all look alike, but every view was a little different. None of the pictures really describe the depth of the dunes.
After that, I drove to Silver City. Despite drinking lots and lots of water I think I was a little dehydrated. I ate at Jalisco's which I thought was very good. The guacamole with jalapenos especially stands out! The food was spicy which is a nice change of pace from the Midwest. I drove around town, but then unfortunately needed to get back to the hotel to feed my Lost addiction. Decent episode but I just want it to be over.
Gila Cliff Dwellings today!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Washita/Aunt's ranch/Roswell
Sunday was a beautiful day, and I had several stops. One was to Braums for ice cream and a burger. Again with the memories, I remember my grandpa taking me to Braum's when we would visit. We didn't talk much, but I cherish those memories anyway. I saw a grandpa with his granddaughter in Braum's, and they weren't talking much, but hopefully it's all good. OK enough of that.
Next, I went to Washita Battlefield National Monument. It was on the map and sounded interesting, so I went. It is near a small town named Cheyenne in the Black Kettle National Grassland. Black Kettle was a peace chief of a southern Cheyenne tribe that was massacred by George Custer in 1868, in a pre-dawn attack that killed women, children, and many ponies. They purposely killed ponies to destroy their culture and make it difficult to escape. The museum at the monument has an exhibit called "Clash of Cultures." Indeed. Two very different cultures come into contact with each other so there will be inevitable clashes. However, I'm very sympathetic to the American Indian viewpoint. Some, like Black Kettle, were trying to make treaties to preserve their way of life and allow the white man to settle; but others understandably did not want their culture destroyed. I'm pretty sure if invaders entered the United States many Americans would fight back. I don' t know how things could have gone differently, unless European settlers decided the land was not so important that they needed to murder people. Many of the visitors at the monument had written their reactions to what they learned, and most were angry about the massacre and wondered how to end cycles of violence that consistently repeat themselves throughout human history. We can look back and say that was awful, but we continue to engage in these cycles with different players and cultures. I don't have an answer! But, I'm really glad I visited the monument.
Next I went to my Aunt Nola's ranch! This was really fun and we had a great visit. There were many friendly dogs, donkeys, and even a miniature horse to visit! Also my cousin's bird Gulliver who seems to have been around forever is staying with my aunt. The ranch was very beautiful. It would be wonderful to wake up to wide open spaces like that every morning. Of course, I could never be a rancher, so that is not going to happen.
Monday I drove to Roswell, partly on Route 66. It was kind of dreary, but a nice drive overall. Roswell is an odd town. I remember thinking that last time I visited, and it held up this time. The art museum had mostly modern art I did not understand, although had a nice exhibit on Robert Goddard the rocket scientist.
Roswell has a serious traffic problem. As I drove past the International UFO Museum looking for a parking space, all the power went off in downtown Roswell--stop lights included. Because of the nightmarish traffic, this was an unpleasant situation. I turned around, found my hotel, checked in, then walked to the museum since the rain had stopped. The museum is mostly newspaper articles and affidavits about the Roswell UFO incident of 1947. I find it fascinating. The museum was crowded. I wonder how many people believe it or just find it an amusing place to stop on a trip?
I ate at a place several said was the locals' favorite called Peppers Bar and Grill. The burrito was pretty good, and all of Roswell was in it so it was a bit chaotic.
Heading to White Sands and Silver City today! Weather looks MUCH better today.
Next, I went to Washita Battlefield National Monument. It was on the map and sounded interesting, so I went. It is near a small town named Cheyenne in the Black Kettle National Grassland. Black Kettle was a peace chief of a southern Cheyenne tribe that was massacred by George Custer in 1868, in a pre-dawn attack that killed women, children, and many ponies. They purposely killed ponies to destroy their culture and make it difficult to escape. The museum at the monument has an exhibit called "Clash of Cultures." Indeed. Two very different cultures come into contact with each other so there will be inevitable clashes. However, I'm very sympathetic to the American Indian viewpoint. Some, like Black Kettle, were trying to make treaties to preserve their way of life and allow the white man to settle; but others understandably did not want their culture destroyed. I'm pretty sure if invaders entered the United States many Americans would fight back. I don' t know how things could have gone differently, unless European settlers decided the land was not so important that they needed to murder people. Many of the visitors at the monument had written their reactions to what they learned, and most were angry about the massacre and wondered how to end cycles of violence that consistently repeat themselves throughout human history. We can look back and say that was awful, but we continue to engage in these cycles with different players and cultures. I don't have an answer! But, I'm really glad I visited the monument.
Next I went to my Aunt Nola's ranch! This was really fun and we had a great visit. There were many friendly dogs, donkeys, and even a miniature horse to visit! Also my cousin's bird Gulliver who seems to have been around forever is staying with my aunt. The ranch was very beautiful. It would be wonderful to wake up to wide open spaces like that every morning. Of course, I could never be a rancher, so that is not going to happen.
Monday I drove to Roswell, partly on Route 66. It was kind of dreary, but a nice drive overall. Roswell is an odd town. I remember thinking that last time I visited, and it held up this time. The art museum had mostly modern art I did not understand, although had a nice exhibit on Robert Goddard the rocket scientist.
Roswell has a serious traffic problem. As I drove past the International UFO Museum looking for a parking space, all the power went off in downtown Roswell--stop lights included. Because of the nightmarish traffic, this was an unpleasant situation. I turned around, found my hotel, checked in, then walked to the museum since the rain had stopped. The museum is mostly newspaper articles and affidavits about the Roswell UFO incident of 1947. I find it fascinating. The museum was crowded. I wonder how many people believe it or just find it an amusing place to stop on a trip?
I ate at a place several said was the locals' favorite called Peppers Bar and Grill. The burrito was pretty good, and all of Roswell was in it so it was a bit chaotic.
Heading to White Sands and Silver City today! Weather looks MUCH better today.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Oklahoma!
My parents grew up in Oklahoma, and every year we would take at least one trip to Oklahoma to visit my grandparents in Shawnee and Oklahoma City. Some of my fondest memories are spending time with my grandma in Shawnee at Christmas and in the summer, especially one week when I stayed with them by myself while my parents were elsewhere. So, today I spent a couple of hours in Shawnee finding my grandma's house and my great grandmother's house, eating at Hamburger King which is a great Main Street diner, and driving around various neighborhoods in Shawnee. Grandma's house is still there though it doesn't look the same. Oh well. I'm in Oklahoma City tonight. We never spent as much as time with the grandparents in OK City, and I don't remember where they live. I'd like to find their houses though, but not this trip. The one I remember best was their last house, which was probably the house they lived in the least amount of time.
At Hamburger King, I had a cheeseburger, onion rings, and a slice of chocolate pie. Pictures below.
Besides trips down memory lane, I also visited the George Washington Carver National Monument. I mostly associate GWC with peanuts, but he was so much more. He was very close to nature, very spiritual, very wise, and very simple. Someone described him as having the mind of a scientist with the soul of a saint. I'm convinced that is true after visiting the monument. There is a nice little museum, and a peaceful nature trail to reflect upon his life. I highly recommend stopping here. It puts everything in perspective.
Pictures at the link below: (note vegetarians/vegans might want to skip over the hamburger picture. ) I'm uploading pictures to facebook at the moment. Not sure if I will keep doing it this way, but right now it seems the simplest.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2729715&id=2260239&l=1d83761d76
At Hamburger King, I had a cheeseburger, onion rings, and a slice of chocolate pie. Pictures below.
Besides trips down memory lane, I also visited the George Washington Carver National Monument. I mostly associate GWC with peanuts, but he was so much more. He was very close to nature, very spiritual, very wise, and very simple. Someone described him as having the mind of a scientist with the soul of a saint. I'm convinced that is true after visiting the monument. There is a nice little museum, and a peaceful nature trail to reflect upon his life. I highly recommend stopping here. It puts everything in perspective.
Pictures at the link below: (note vegetarians/vegans might want to skip over the hamburger picture. ) I'm uploading pictures to facebook at the moment. Not sure if I will keep doing it this way, but right now it seems the simplest.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2729715&id=2260239&l=1d83761d76
Friday, March 12, 2010
Southwest Road Trip!
In a few hours, I'm leaving on another road trip, this one to Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. I probably will updating the blog with what I'm up to and posting pictures, or links to pictures on facebook. Thanks for reading!
Monday, June 8, 2009
O negative blood
I did a search to learn how many people have O negative blood. I found out today while participating in a student research project I have O negative blood--I'm sure I knew that but had forgotten. Anyway, mostly normal stuff about blood shortages and the RH factor came up, but the sixth thing on Google had the headline:
"Type O Negative Blood Hints At Prince Charles As Descendant of Reptilians."
I won't post the link because it crashed my browser, but subsequent searches revealed a number of conspiracies about Type O- blood including ancient astronauts, reptilian conspiracies, alien abductions, Illuminati, and so on as you might imagine. I had no idea.
"Type O Negative Blood Hints At Prince Charles As Descendant of Reptilians."
I won't post the link because it crashed my browser, but subsequent searches revealed a number of conspiracies about Type O- blood including ancient astronauts, reptilian conspiracies, alien abductions, Illuminati, and so on as you might imagine. I had no idea.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May in Earlham History
Earlham College Pressroom
Link will take you to Earlham's pressroom, which now has a "This Month in Earlham History" feature, with images from the Earlham College Archives. May Day is featured for the month of May.
Link will take you to Earlham's pressroom, which now has a "This Month in Earlham History" feature, with images from the Earlham College Archives. May Day is featured for the month of May.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Summer Plans
I just realized I have two weeks vacation to take before the end of June. This means I likely will not get quite as much work as I had planned in the next month or so. I will take a week off for moving and random days in May. Plus I will gone the second week of August and a little more going to SAA and visiting Rafia (AGAIN--she better feel privileged.)I am also dogsitting and housesitting through the first week of July, giving me a great deal of time to get the house in order before really moving. I've been camping out the last couple of nights to get away from the loud and smoky environment I've been living in for the last few months. Freedom is HERE!
I need to get working on my poster for SAA--better start that this week so it is not last minute.
I need to get working on my poster for SAA--better start that this week so it is not last minute.
I now own a house!
I never thought I would buy a house, but here I am. Pictures if you scroll down one post. I will post more pictures later, after I actually move in perhaps.
I enjoyed going to Earlham's commencement activities yesterday.
Now that most students are gone, it will be interesting to see if I get more or less work done on long-term projects. Last summer (my first) we had quite a few genealogists and "outside" researchers visit, but overall I think it will be less hectic. And no evening and weekend shifts all summer! Yay! (although I think it is good we have those hours and I try not complain too much about them--it is a good time for students to get work done, and that is very important!).
I enjoyed going to Earlham's commencement activities yesterday.
Now that most students are gone, it will be interesting to see if I get more or less work done on long-term projects. Last summer (my first) we had quite a few genealogists and "outside" researchers visit, but overall I think it will be less hectic. And no evening and weekend shifts all summer! Yay! (although I think it is good we have those hours and I try not complain too much about them--it is a good time for students to get work done, and that is very important!).
Friday, April 17, 2009
House I bought!
My house!!!
Here is a picture of the exterior:
Here is a picture of the eat-in kitchen (I will keep that range and refrigerator)
Here is the picture of the sunroom:
Here is a picture of the exterior:
Here is a picture of the eat-in kitchen (I will keep that range and refrigerator)
Here is the picture of the sunroom:
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Three Things
I am currently obsessing over:
1. Buying a house
2. Work Projects including a large digitization project, Archon v. Archivist's Toolkit, and a presentation I'm giving at MAC
3. Battlestar Galactica and what it means to be human. Also finally read Children of Men which I believe to be about the same topic.
1. Buying a house
2. Work Projects including a large digitization project, Archon v. Archivist's Toolkit, and a presentation I'm giving at MAC
3. Battlestar Galactica and what it means to be human. Also finally read Children of Men which I believe to be about the same topic.
Friday, March 6, 2009
What You Can Do With a History Major
Today I am sitting on a lunch panel to discuss "What you can do with a History degree." I believe I am the only person from the "information" professions on the panel. Other panelists include three history professors. I thus suspect it will be weighted to college teaching and going to grad school in History.
What will I talk about? Well, I have a master's degree in History, and a masters degree in Information, specializing in Archives and Records Management. Like many people, I became interested in archives primarily because of an interest in history and working with primary documents. But as I learned more about the field, I discovered a true passion for other aspects of the job as well--managing large projects, developing better ways to inform people of materials in collections, using technology in innovative ways, outreach, and of course electronic records management which deals with institutional records rather than those old 19th century manuscripts that first caught my attention.
In my current position, I get to engage myself in all aspects of the above. I am working on increasing our online presence through finding aids/making information searchable/search engine optimization, managing student workers to help with processing and digitization projects, working with all kinds of patrons, convening a committee on electronic records management, and hopefully as I settle in at Earlham working closely with faculty particularly in the history and English departments to bring more students down to the archives. And sometimes I get to work with the old documents as well. It's a great job. A mentor once told me that if you are 80% satisfied with your job, you are in excellent shape. I can say that like with all jobs there are moments of frustration, but I feel like I'm probably pretty close to that 80% threshold for happiness.
How did I get this job? I started working in Emory University's archives while pursuing a Ph.D in history. I loved it. When I started doing research for my dissertation, and found myself focusing more on how the archives I visited could improve finding aids, online presences, and the reference experience. My dissertation became a distant memory as I took on greater responsibility at Emory and received grant funding for some projects. I eventually left Emory, and took a position working as a researcher at a non-profit. Why? I needed to work for a while and NOT be in school.
To work as an archivist, or librarian, and often as a museum professional, you likely will need to go back to graduate school. You can get a degree in Information, a degree in Public History, or a library science degree from a more traditional program. I recommend working for a few years before heading back to school; I found that students coming right from school were sometimes--not always--less prepared for a professional program that emphasized group work, developing leadership skills, and did NOT hold your hand--you are expected to be mature enough to handle graduate level work. I went to a liberal arts college and you will find the experience very different in a professional school as compared to your experience at Earlham.
While school is important, finding good mentors and internship experiences is just as important. Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. I have been very fortunate in this case but I also jumped at any opportunity that looked interesting.
A word about tech skills: They are important. You can not avoid technology in the archives, museums, or certainly a library. You do NOT need to be an expert, but you need to be able to talk with information technology professionals, know the basics of web design and frankly user centered design, be willing to learn about technical issues, and understand how Web 2.0/3.0 and beyond will impact your work.
That's about it, though there is so much more...
What will I talk about? Well, I have a master's degree in History, and a masters degree in Information, specializing in Archives and Records Management. Like many people, I became interested in archives primarily because of an interest in history and working with primary documents. But as I learned more about the field, I discovered a true passion for other aspects of the job as well--managing large projects, developing better ways to inform people of materials in collections, using technology in innovative ways, outreach, and of course electronic records management which deals with institutional records rather than those old 19th century manuscripts that first caught my attention.
In my current position, I get to engage myself in all aspects of the above. I am working on increasing our online presence through finding aids/making information searchable/search engine optimization, managing student workers to help with processing and digitization projects, working with all kinds of patrons, convening a committee on electronic records management, and hopefully as I settle in at Earlham working closely with faculty particularly in the history and English departments to bring more students down to the archives. And sometimes I get to work with the old documents as well. It's a great job. A mentor once told me that if you are 80% satisfied with your job, you are in excellent shape. I can say that like with all jobs there are moments of frustration, but I feel like I'm probably pretty close to that 80% threshold for happiness.
How did I get this job? I started working in Emory University's archives while pursuing a Ph.D in history. I loved it. When I started doing research for my dissertation, and found myself focusing more on how the archives I visited could improve finding aids, online presences, and the reference experience. My dissertation became a distant memory as I took on greater responsibility at Emory and received grant funding for some projects. I eventually left Emory, and took a position working as a researcher at a non-profit. Why? I needed to work for a while and NOT be in school.
To work as an archivist, or librarian, and often as a museum professional, you likely will need to go back to graduate school. You can get a degree in Information, a degree in Public History, or a library science degree from a more traditional program. I recommend working for a few years before heading back to school; I found that students coming right from school were sometimes--not always--less prepared for a professional program that emphasized group work, developing leadership skills, and did NOT hold your hand--you are expected to be mature enough to handle graduate level work. I went to a liberal arts college and you will find the experience very different in a professional school as compared to your experience at Earlham.
While school is important, finding good mentors and internship experiences is just as important. Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. I have been very fortunate in this case but I also jumped at any opportunity that looked interesting.
A word about tech skills: They are important. You can not avoid technology in the archives, museums, or certainly a library. You do NOT need to be an expert, but you need to be able to talk with information technology professionals, know the basics of web design and frankly user centered design, be willing to learn about technical issues, and understand how Web 2.0/3.0 and beyond will impact your work.
That's about it, though there is so much more...
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