Looking Back
I found my way to the world of archives not through a job or position, but through that same restless curiosity which has pushed me forward in all of my life’s endeavors. I wanted new knowledge, new skills, and a greater understanding of how information shapes and alters both our individual selves and our larger world. In the pursuit of my master's degree in Library and Information Science, at a time when information ecosystems are experiencing rapid change and disruption, I have acquired two particularly valuable pearls of wisdom.

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The first, is the deeply reassuring discovery that uncertainty, with all of its accompanying discomfort, is a normal and necessary stage in design, research, and problem solving. It is something to be engaged with rather than avoided, and asks you to trust your idea, yourself, and your team in pursuit of mission-driven goals and worthy change. Process can never be wholly separated from uncertainty, and moving through this tension imbues the work with something essentially human, making even the most mundane process a creative act.

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The second, is the knowledge of how to truly collaborate. From childhood onward, we are advised that we need to work with others, sharing information and pooling our collective talents to reach a common goal. But seldom are people told exactly how to approach this, the most basic steps to take in getting started, and which behaviors to temper or accentuate. As an only child who has often worked in independent roles, learning how to authentically collaborate has changed everything about the way I now approach my work, and has even extended to my personal life. I feel this insight has granted me a new flexibility in determining the most suitable approach for any given problem.

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Looking Ahead
As I worked towards my degree, I also complemented my studies with practical experience at a community-led museum located near my home. I started as an archival assistant and occasional docent. Within two years was elected to the museum board as the Documents & Artifacts Archivist, managing both analog and digital collections. My current priorities in that role are to create an improved disaster response plan, reimagine the museum’s permanent exhibit, and transition from legacy software to cloud-based collection management software. I still have a tremendous amount to learn, and, like so many other archivists I have met in recent years, I am figuring it out as I go along.

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The museum is in a place of transition, affording me opportunities to test out and implement new programs and systems, albeit on a shoestring budget. But working within limitations is itself a great path to discovery and innovation. And working within a smaller institution has allowed me to engage with a wide range of archival activities letting me sample the kinds of specialized roles I might seek out in the future. Best of all, I have found myself connected more closely to my community, created ties with several other organizations in the local area that share similar goals, and forged truly authentic friendships. In a time of social fragmentation, this is something I am grateful for and something I hope to be able to build on.

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I believe that in strengthening our institutions, starting with the local and working outward, we provide an anchor point to stabilize our communities and our democracy during times of accelerated change and upheaval. We are held together by our stories, and those stories are constantly reexamined and retold, repeatedly lost and rediscovered. Preserving a record of change helps us to recognize how far we have come and where we need to go next. Individually and collectively, we are  guided and shaped by our memories and our dreams. This ePortfolio serves that purpose for myself as an individual, just as the archival materials I have worked with serve that purpose for the broader community.  I am proud of my work thus far and look forward to discovering what comes next.

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