#pittstudents

[pittarchives]

Student Interview: Kyle Conway

Name: Kyle Conway

Education: I just graduated from Pitt in April with a BA in History and English Literature, and I’m headed to law school in August.

How did you get interested in working in the archives?

I was looking for an internship to fill some free time during my last semester and I came in for an interview. There was a photo series set up of the development of the Point that was on its way to Hillman to be put on display, and I immediately loved how the ASC traces Pittsburgh’s history so thoroughly and so well.

Tell us about what you are working on at the ASC:

I processed the addition on the American Left Ephemera Collection when I started, which was fascinating. I just finished processing the records of the Pittsburgh chapter of Ikebana International, which is a garden club based on the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Now I’m processing an addition to the Tim Stevens Papers.

What’s something fun or interesting you’ve found while working with archival material?

While processing Tim Stevens’ Papers I found his invitation to President Obama’s inauguration in 2008, which is so incredibly cool. Also, I’ve been going through a lot of newspapers from the 1990s and I’ve found three very mixed reviews for the seminal classic Space Jam. The jury’s still out on which find is more priceless.

What is something you learned from working at the ASC?

I think I’ve learned just how much you can preserve of the past with something seemingly inconsequential. The things I work with from the early 20th century are often still so relevant to something I was reading about the night before. I took a class on the Israel-Palestine conflict in my last semester at Pitt, and the day after I learned about Israeli right of return, I came to ASC and found an advertisement from 1949 to visit Israel in a labor newspaper. It wasn’t the main reason we were preserving the paper, but it’s such an interesting piece of history just sitting there on the side. I’ve also learned that hand lotion is crucial when you handle old paper all day. Crucial.

[pittarchives]

Student Profile: Dominique Luster

Name:  Dominique Luster Education:

I have a B.A from the University of Kentucky in Theatre Design and Technology with minors in Art History, German, and Graphic Design. While at UK I was a Gaines Humanities Fellow from which I received several research and travel grants and wrote my thesis “Bertolt Brecht: Epic Theatre and Its Transference into the 21st Century.” I’ve been fortunate enough to present a few of my research projects at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research and at Harvard University’s National Conference for Undergraduate Research and have won multiple innovation and creativity awards.

I am a 2012 U.S. Fulbright Scholar. I studied German language and German History and Culture at the Freie Universität in Berlin.

Currently, I am in the MLIS Archives and Information Science program at PITT.

How did you get interested in working in the archives?

I worked in the Special Collections library at the University of Kentucky processing theatre collections.  It was part of a Learning Lab internship that was designed to introduce non-traditional majors to library science with the hope of encouraging ethnically diverse students to consider careers in the information profession. While a participant in the Learning Lab, I studied archival theory as well as processed a few smaller collections.  At the end of my time in the Special Collections, I was given the opportunity to curate an exhibit titled “Kentucky Hemp” which was featured as a part of the Learning Lab’s scholastic output presentation.

From here I worked as a Collections Processer at the Archives of American Art as a Horowitz-Fraad Minority Intern. Here I learned most of the practical processing skills that built on my previous theoretical education.     

Tell us about what you are working on at the ASC:

I am processing the Robert Lord Collection during my rotation with the ASC. Dr. Lord previously served as the Chair of the Music Department while also being the University Organist in both Heinz Chapel and Frick Chapel. During his 45 years at PITT, Dr. Lord taught approximately 8,000 students, played for over 4,000 weddings and became the world’s foremost authority on 19th and 20th century French organ music and improvisation. I am truly enjoying working with this collection; as a former music student myself Dr. Lord is still teaching with every box I open.

  What’s something fun or interesting you’ve found while working with archival material?

I’m not sure if it’s just coincidence or a special knack but I have a tendency to find unexpected letters from former US Presidents. So far I’ve stumbled upon personal correspondence from George Washington and John Quincy Adams.

And like every archivist, I come across my fair share of Cat photos!

What is something you learned from working at the ASC?

My focus for my short time in the ASC was to better my skills in collection surveying. It is quite normal to be hired as a project archivist or be assigned to a long-term processing job for collections that can expand to hundreds of linear feet. One of the best tools an early professional can have is the ability to effectively survey and analyze a collection in order to gain greater intellectual and physical control. The Robert Lord Collection is just the right size to feasible manage such an exercise.