One of the things we love about working in archives is that sometimes the papers give you a little glimpse into people’s lives. Not the important, momentous, world-shaking events, but daily lives. A window on relationships, family, love. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, all three of us (Mariecris, Megan,…
Guest blogger: Mariecris. Black History -Will no longer be taught in the context of slavery then freedom, of our arrival in the country before the Mayflower in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. – Yes earlier than Mayflower dropping anchor at Plymouth Rock. -As you study history the best way to acquire…
Guest blogger: Megan Last week, we had a visit to the Archives by Channel 2 (KTUU) to film a segment on African American history in anticipation of February’s Black History Month. The collection they were most interested in seeing and talking to us about – and by “us” I really…
Apparently, I (Megan) can’t hide in my office anymore and plead my newbie status as an excuse for not writing a blog post. I’ve been Reference Archivist here in Archives & Special Collections for two weeks now and an Alaskan for just three weeks. And what a busy three weeks…
Guest blogger: Mariecris Anyone passing by the Archives the first few weeks of December may have seen a curious sight: me working behind a blockade of boxes. I wouldn’t say that I was “hiding behind my work.” But at times my work involves being immersed in boxes, folders, papers, and…
We’re used to seeing items from our collections show up in footnotes in scholarly articles, that sort of thing. But this weekend we had the pleasant experience of seeing a thank you to us (Nicole, Mariecris, & Arlene) show up in a program from a play! A local theatre, Cyrano’s,…
It’s coming up on Alaska Civil Rights/Martin Luther King Jr. Day and once again the question has reappeared. Archivists, librarians, and historians around the state are being asked: “Where do I find the text of Elizabeth Peratrovich’s speech to the Legislature?” Here’s my standard answer: “It doesn’t exist.” Let me…
Since we’ve been a little quiet on the blog of late, just a quick update. Here’s been the week at A&SC. Monday: Megan Friedel, our new archivist, started work. We did a tour of the building, requested a university email account, she obtained her University ID card, and we got…
Since it’s a quiet day and we’re about to be closed for a little over a week for the holidays, here’s a piece of absurdity to carry you through. From a letter from Fred Wildon Fickett to his fiancee Nellie Lord. 1885 March 11. Fickett was about to leave on…
Being an archivist means always having something new to learn. This is Arlene. I’ve been with A&SC for just over 7 years now. So I’ve got a fairly good grasp on what collections we have–maybe not item or folder level–but it’s rare anymore that I run into a collection where…
