Crafty

My posts have dwindled significantly since I started this blog and, well, there is no reason other than sheer laziness.  Wait!  Maybe I should say that I have been directing my energies elsewhere.  That sounds better, doesn't it?  I mean just last week I decided to see how many of the books on the recommended reading list from the exam handbook of the Academy of Certified Archivists I could locate at my local libraries.  I'd like to become a certified archivist in my near future, and if I don't get that first job soon , I may even consider getting a probationary certification until I get the required year or two year experience in the field, so let's just say I'm starting to study early.  (Or, it's just, I like learning, maybe too much.) 

I've been able to locate about a dozen of the suggested books and manuals.  I've read one already and am pretty well through the second.  The second is a manual, Preservation and Conservation for Libraries and Archives by Nelly Balloffet and Jenny Hille.  While it's not meant to be read cover to cover, but instead to be a reference for the practicing archivist and librarian facing preservation issues, I have read it cover to cover, because I'm just like that.  And I'm not yet practicing.  It brought back some of the interesting techniques I learned in my conservation class during library school, a class that was way too short for all of the material to be covered.  It also provided me with a set of tools that the professor awesomely was able to secure for us for free: Brushes, X-Acto knife, mini spatula, and a bone folder, my favorite.  

A tiny arsenal, to be sure, but a good start.  

At any rate, reading through the preservation guide, I decided to try one of the techniques.  Among other things, Balloffet and Hille describe the construction of simple enclosure in which to put archival materials for protection.  We saw samples of these in class, but now I wanted to try my hand at making one.  I chose the Kyle wrapper, a book enclosure.  And the book to measure?  A 1909 copy of poems by Robert Browning.  I have no idea where I obtained this book; it has been sitting on my personal book shelf for years.  It is covered in pencil marks and the binding is coming away from the text block, but otherwise, it's in passable condition.  I considered seeing if the pages needed cleaning, which could be done (in a very time-consuming method), by rubbing an eraser (carefully, in one direction, outward past the page edge to avoid tearing), but there didn't appear to be any dirt marring the pages.  So, I went straight to making the enclosure.

I just wanted the practice of constructing the enclosure.  I didn't have the right environment or materials.  No appropriate and clean work space, just my kitchen table, and the board was of a very skimpy, poster variety.  Still, it was a good start in getting the idea of the work.

This enclosure is made with two pieces: A vertical and a horizontal.  The vertical went off fairly well.  I had to find the direction of the grain on the board, then measure with the binding of the book perpendicular to that.  Math isn't my strong suit, even basic addition, so measuring took longer for me, but I did it.  Yay me.

So, I cut, marked and folded with the bone folder (called thus because it is made of real animal bone), and finished the first stage.

I then moved on to creating the horizontal piece.  There was a small difficulty in that: I was supposed to measure with the binding along the grain this time (this makes folding the board easier), but I didn't, a fact I didn't realize until folding.  The fold is a little bumpy.  I also must have mis-measured a piece here, because this piece does not fit the other piece precisely.  However, it did well enough.

The final product was just a little bit poorly fitted, and the weight of the poster board is not really adequate for good protection, I'd say, but it was a good start to just one of the processes involved in basic preservation.  Oh, and it only took 45 minutes.  (Only?)

The process made me wish that there were local preservation workshops that I could attend and/or afford.  Preservation and conservation are aspects of archival work that really boost my enthusiasm.  

So, what next?  Oh, 19th Century Photographs. 

A Bit of a Pout

My trip to Ireland several weeks ago, and the subsequent documentation of it on this blog took me out of job hunt and contemplating my future mode.  I wasn’t 100% focused on the job hunt beforehand, either, but at least I was making some effort in terms of keeping up with the job ads, the issues, and refreshing my memory on everything that I learned in school.  These past weeks I’ve kept my computer off as much as possible (since the majority of my time at work is spent on the computer, this is not so difficult at home), watched movies, read books, and generally just daydreamed.  It’s not a bad gig if you can get it, but I haven’t been working towards my goals.  Sure, a lot of it is frustration; after all, I graduated over six months ago and I haven’t even had an interview yet.  I find more and more often that I prefer instant gratification, and this wait is a monumental pain in the butt.  Then there is the uncertainty of the future.  I don’t know where I’ll get that next job, where I’ll live, whom I’ll meet, etc.  That should be exciting, and on one hand, it is.  On the other, my knees are knocking.  But we’ve been over this ground before.

  

So, I picked up the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of American Archivist.  I get it as part of my membership with the Society of American Archivists.  When I was in high school and dreaming about becoming a novelist, I never thought that I would be reading professional journals and finding the articles interesting.  I do, though.  I’ve gotten involved in these articles on metadata, processing, and I’ll be turning soon to a case study on archival fund raising.  Case studies are my favorite.  They are able to illustrate to me the issues of the profession better than any research project.  Maybe it’s because they’re more narrative and I’m a big fan of storytelling, but case studies help me to envision real world applications of the skills an archivist must possess to do his or her job well.  As an entry-level archivist with limited experience, I appreciate these windows into the profession. 

At any rate, reading the American Archivist these past couple of days has returned my focus to working towards that new job, my first in the field of information.  I’ve applied to three more jobs in the past two weeks which, for me, is progress indeed.  I still am not convinced that applying to any and every job out there for which I’m remotely qualified is the answer.  I still am not a numbers girl.  My approach may be the wrong one, and I may have no right to complain, but I’m really trying to tell myself that it’s still early days yet (yes, at six months and counting, it doesn’t not --uh, double negative?  Where did I get my English degree from anyway?--feel like early days anymore, but lie to me) and there’s no evidence to prove that my method is so wrong.  Oh, except for that part where I don’t have a job yet.

That’s pretty telling, isn’t it?