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Re: Why do we stay with it?



Title: RE: Why do we stay with it?

Twelve years ago I was a late bloomer in the archival field, having become the untrained archivist of my institution at the tender age of 49.  Eight months later I was enrolled in Pitt's Graduate School of Library Science (as it was then called), pursuing an MLS with emphasis in Archival Management while continuing to work at the Diocese.  Why?  I discovered that I really needed to know what I was doing ... that I love digging into history ... that I love the feel of old papers, the look of old artifacts ... that I love the mystery and resolution of tracking history and facts.   Don't get me wrong ... I am NOT a historian, but I feel very strongly that the roots of an institution or a person have a great deal to do with who they have become.  These same roots have much to tell us about who they/we MIGHT be, given any number of courses of action based on, or instead of, those of the past.  And when the missing pieces of a history puzzle turn up on my desk from some church's boiler room ... I am ecstatic!!!   I believe that archivists love what they do for all these reasons:  the challenge ... mystery ... the hunt ... satisfaction of resolve.   We may not be happy with an unresolved issue, be it a missing person or a missing piece of paper, but that, too, is part of the draw.  Happiness is being an Archivist!!!!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Louise Sandberg [mailto:lsandberg@MAILSERV.MVLC.LIB.MA.US]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 4:31 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: Why do we stay with it?


As a colleague of mine once said "Archivists like reading other people's mail".
Well, that's part of it.  LOve the search, love the new acquisitions, love
talking to people who know what I'm talking about.
Louise Sandberg, Special Collections
Lawrence Public Library
Lawrence, MA

Daniel Sokolow wrote:

> My reasons for sticking with it?  Pretty much the same as everybody's - in
> my case, I dropped engineering like a hot potato after 1 year (whaddaya mean
> I need calculus?) and headed for history, something I did for fun anyway.
> Flash forward a few years, with graduate school coming and no real prospects
> (or burning interest) in being an academic, and the Archives world looked
> like a good fit - keep the history thing going while actually getting paid
> for it.
>
> I still think there's nothing better than that Eureka! moment of coming up
> with the obscure answer to the obscure question - the patron is usually
> delighted, and I always feel like I'm doing my job helping someone out.  Add
> to that the hot & juicy gossip about people long- (or not so long-) dead,
> which I for one always get a kick out of reading, and there's always
> something new to wake me up in the middle of the day.
>
> Most of all, it beats gettin' a real job.
>
> DS
>
> ______________________________________
> Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator
> David Taylor Archives
> North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
> 155 Community Drive
> Great Neck, NY 11021
> mailto:dsokolow@nshs.edu
>
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>