Sucky Updating Skills

Man, I suck at updating this blog.

In archives news, e-records survey is starting soon which should be interesting. I have never done one before so that will be a fun experience.

Hopefully, dinosaur adventures soon too!

Starting to research my paper for Advocacy and Ethics. I was going to go somewhere today and conduct some shiny, delicious research but I didn't feel much like it. Did some from home instead.

I'm writing about theft and personal collecting so it should be really interesting. I am thinking of checking some newspaper articles for instances of this.

Excited to go home for a few days too.

I signed up for classes for next semester and I haven't decided if I'm going to leave it or not. I might add/drop like a crazy woman.

Smells like you're a teenager in love....

Library books need to be returned. Things need doing. So I am updating this? Smart life choices are happening right now.

After yesterday's archives class in which there was epic arguing and tuning out of said arguments and in general wondering what the hell I think I am doing in Pittsburgh anyway, I have decided there are only two career choices open to me now: flapper or member of a ukulele orchestra.

And PanOpto Man had to chime in too. There was much head shaking.

Worked in the Preservation Lab today. There was much talking about last night's class and our poor life choices.

I love you, Preservation Lab. You make sense. Hopefully learning some new book treatments soon. People are here for field placements and it's good to see new faces.

Went to Peter's after class which is our way. Grilled Cheese and delicious drinks were had. Riding the bus slightly drunk is my new hobby. I strongly recommend it.

Part of me will miss Pittsburgh and the awesome Archives friends I've made plus awesome New Hampshire Friend Letty as she is in Library Business and all that jazz. We need to go to another concert together.

And the other part of me will happy to move on to the next place. More than likely, Maryland briefly and then either moving further up North to more snow, cold, and greyness or staying in Maryland and moving to Baltimore to find a museum/archive that will hire me. East coast, you and I are stuck together for awhile. For some reason, I like you...? *shrugs*

One day, I will write a proper blog in which I write about Important Archive Issues.

Serious Business

Well, I've survived the first complete week of work and classes. It looks like the classes will be pretty interesting for the most part. Digital Preservation makes my eye twitch, mostly because I do not understand how people deal with all of that data without quitting their jobs. Seriously, all that metadata, plus the actual documents, plus the maintenance required to make sure the documents will actually open a few months, a year, five years, twenty years from now. Crazy. I guess I will find out how they deal because I will at some point have to do these things in my career.

I will have to start the job search. I've done a little bit of searching but I think this weekend there will be serious business action!job searching. I wanted to apply to some internships but I either didn't have enough experience or I would still be in school. The NASA one looked amazing but sadly it starts in June and I don't finish my program until the end of July/early August. The Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Archivist position has been open for awhile, like a year and a half. That is my dream job. Right there. I don't know why they haven't filled it. We talked about it at work today. I really want to do music archiving. That would be my super duper dream job of amazing.

I'm hoping to gain some archival experience through some volunteer activity this semester. Some people are doing field placements at the Preservation Lab. It's my favorite job so far. That's part of the reason I decided to do some volunteering work instead of field placement, because I wanted to be able to keep my preservation job. Sometimes I wonder if it was the best choice but I like it too much.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. I must go watch some Six Feet Under.

Why do I do this to myself?

I'm back in Pittsburgh! Class starts Wednesday, then work on Thursday and Friday. I'm worried for myself. I'm afraid I won't make it through four archives classes. It might kill me. If I don't make it, tell the kids I love them.

Done for the Semester

I am happy to say that I am done for this semester. I can't believe I made it. I keep expecting one of my professors to corner me in a dark alley and inform me that I have to write another ten page paper. Which brings me to the reason I haven't updated in almost a month. I had two 10 page papers which ate my soul. It's ok though because the soul has been restored through the watching of Torchwood and the visiting of Carnegie museums and libraries.

The Carnegie Public Library in Oakland is so freaking amazing. I went in there today and seriously had a librarygasm. I checked out as much books as I could carry. It was swell. None of these books had anything to do with the library profession. I'm kind of burnt out on it right now. The next three weeks will be reading and writing for me.

The Natural History museum was awesome as well. I saw the dinosaur exhibit through the windows in the library and was like, what the hell, man. I mean, I'm finished for the semester except for work next week so I figured I might as well go for it. The dinosaur skeletons are awesome. The mineral exhibit is really cool too. I didn't go into the art museum for long because I had just come from the library with my backpack and security told me I couldn't have it in the gallery. I figured I'd been walking around long enough anyway. Tomorrow, I might go back and see the rest of it. I need things to do for the next week. I figured I would check out the Warhol museum and get some christmas shopping done. That would be helpful.

Any suggestions on what a swinging archivist should do in Pittsburgh? Seems like I should know by now seeing as how I've lived there since August. I've been busy writing disaster plans and literature reviews. I included zombies in the disaster plan. You gotta plan for this stuff. Anything can happen. You have to protect your valuable archival collections from becoming zombie noms.

I should not blog at 2am. Goodnight, friends.

Quick Things

I fail a little at updating and I am sorry.

In the world of library school, I have been writing feverishly, trying to finish four papers at once. They are all done. There are only two left this semester. I will probably start working on them later this week. I am wrecked, seriously school is kicking my ass.

I signed up for classes next semester: Archival Appraisal, Advocacy & Ethics, Digital Preservation, and Archival Representation. I will weep for my social life next semester. Not that I have one now or anything.

Pittsburgh makes me lonely. I can't say I'm not glad to be heading home next week.

Learned a new book treatment, making new cases. I like working in the preservation lab. I'm thinking of trying to get a job at lab after I finish at school. I'm probably going to take it into consideration because so far, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I like hands on things. I need to talk to archivists and librarians outside of the program. I feel like I have an inaccurate view of what they do.

On a completely unrelated note, has anybody seen the new Doctor Who Special? I watched it tonight and I was digging it. I can't wait for Christmas.
Thanks for reading <3

Archivists have no clue as to what they do all day

So I had my meeting with my adviser and I have to decide what to do. I have the option of switching out of the program and moving to Librarianship instead of Archives-ness. I'm confused about it because I thought I knew what Archivists did but apparently I don't. Apparently, they don't know either. We did repository reviews for one of my Archives classes and we had to ask specific questions during our interviews about their collection policies and many places don't have collection policies. So that was interesting.
I just don't know anything. I thought they worked with the actual materials being preserved and took small preservation methods, like basic things (for instance making boxes for books etc.) and then, cataloged and organized all of the materials in their collection. I never thought they did anything with exhibits, like in museums but now, I'm not sure if they actually work with the collection or with the records and metadata (vocab word) of the collection... I am so confused, guys.
If it's the first thing, then that's what I want to do or be a technician in a Preservation lab, which I am getting experience in right now. Librarianship is what I've always wanted to do but I've only recently become interested in Archives. I can't do both at the same time, I would have to go through the program again. Which I cannot do, at least right now.
So it's decision time.
I want to work in a music archive or as a music reference librarian. I don't know which... I guess I could be both but it would take more training that I don't have the time and more especially, the money for right now. I need to get out in the real world and stop avoiding it through school.
I am going to talk to some music librarians in the area and see what they do. If I like it better, I might switch.
Anyway, enough rambling. Library school goes well, for the most part. Sometime soon, I am going to check out this Tattoo Parlor in South Side to either get an industrial piercing or an open book tattoo on my wrist, which I have learned from people who get wrist tattoos, actually does not hurt that much. I'm down with that.
How are you all doing on this lovely Friday morning?