Abstract:
Archives are integral to the field of public history, as they not only preserve documents for
researchers to access, but also create digital exhibits and presentations for the public. In order to
learn the ins-and-outs of the archival field, from digitizing documents to conducting research for
an exhibit, an internship is a great place to start, which is exactly what I did for my History 369
capstone. I combined my interests in Library Science and history by choosing an internship at an
archive in a library, specifically the Archives and Special Collections at Bracken Library on Ball
State University’s campus. During my internship at the Archives, I completed three projects:
processing an addition to a pre-existing collection, researching the Multicultural Center for a
digital exhibition, and creating social media posts and a blog post. To document my work on
these three projects, I curated a portfolio that includes the steps I took to complete each project, a
daily reflective journal, and a worklog of my 450 scheduled hours, along with other assignments.
My work benefitted the Archives and allowed me to experience different areas of the archival
field.
