Institutional records

Processing Collections Part I: Allen R. Myers’ and Arthur Asbury’s Presidential Papers, and the Babies Hospital

Staff Intern work, Out of the stacks , , ,

– by Morgan Rafel, Archives intern

 

My favorite part of Kent State’s Masters of Library and Information Sciences program is that the final semester before graduation consists of a culminating experience. We could choose between a thesis, a research paper or project, or an internship. Seeing as I had little to no archival experience when I started the program, I knew I would have to find an internship. I knew I wanted to be in a museum setting, so I began applying mainly in the DC/Maryland area, but had no luck. I had reached out to Chrissie Perella, the Archivist at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (CPP)’s Historical Medical Library, about their archival internship about a year beforehand, so I decided to reach out again and see where it would go…

Fast forward a few months and I began my internship at the Historical Medical Library in January 2020. During this time I have, so far, had the opportunity to process three different collections; two Presidential Papers collections and the Babies’ Hospital of Philadelphia collection…well, half of it, but more on that later.

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Oh the Humanity! Processing the Records of the Humanism in Medicine Program

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– by Bonnie Small, Archives intern

 

Segments of Albert Einstein’s brain? A syphilitic face? How about a jar of skin pickings? Where else in the world can so many medical oddities exist under one roof? Growing up in Philadelphia, the Mütter Museum’s impressive collection of the strange and unusual had left its mark on my macabre side from an early age. When I decided to pursue my Masters in Library and Information Science (with an archives concentration) through the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s online program, I knew exactly where I would apply for an internship.

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia (CPP) is the parent organization of both the Mütter Museum and the Historical Medical Library. Prior to my internship, I was unaware that just above the museum’s marble staircase resides the world-renowned research library specializing in the history of medicine. I came to regard the Historical Medical Library as a sanctuary from the noisy crowds entering the museum below and as a hidden gem powering the museum’s exhibits. And more importantly, it became my designated work space during my internship.

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The College, Council, and Committees

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– by Sabrina Bocanegra, Archives intern

 

Having had some hands-on experience in archives before I started the Library and Information Science (LIS) program at Drexel University, I waited until towards the end of the program to search for some more professional experience. Of course I had visited the Mütter Museum several times in the past. However, not until I started the program had I visited the Historical Medical Library on two separate occasions for class assignments. After those assignments, I became pretty familiar with the Library and knew that I wanted to be an intern at some point before I reached the end of the program. I was pleased to hear that Chrissie had an archives intern position available during my 2nd to last quarter at Drexel.

On my first day, I jumped right into the collection I decided to tackle, which at the time was described as the Committee on Museum papers. My experience as a volunteer in the archives department of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and my coursework in a few archives courses made me feel a little bit more confident about processing this collection.

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Continuing Medical Education in the Archives

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– by Allie Shanafelter, Archives intern

 

Nearing the end of my time in the Information and Library Science program at Drexel University, I realized that I had been taught theory but did not have very much hands-on experience working in special collections or archives.  So, I decided it was time to find an internship.  I had heard about the Historical Medical Library during one of my courses at Drexel and was already familiar with the associated museum.  I was very excited to begin my internship at the Historical Medical Library in mid-April.  I was given the daunting task of processing the College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s continuing education records which date from the early 70s to the early 80s.
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Why Wood-n’t You Want to Be An Archivist?

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– by Carly Schanock, Archives intern

 

As a graduate student in the Library and Information Sciences program at Drexel, you learn a lot about theory and read many articles about archives and archival work from those who have experience in the field. I couldn’t help but be jealous of those with practical experience in the archival field as there is only so much you can learn from reading. I’d previously done work with digital archives so I wanted an opportunity to work with physical materials. I had visited the Mütter Museum one weekend but hadn’t realized at the time that they also had a library and archives. It was during one of my graduate courses at Drexel that I had to interview an archivist. I discovered the Historical Medical Library and ended up touring there for the class. Luckily, just a short time later I received an email about an archives internship available at the Historical Medical Library and I jumped on the chance. I began my internship at the Historical Medical Library in January 2018.

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The Brains of the Operation: Processing the Records of the Office of the Executive Director

Staff Intern work, Out of the stacks , , , ,

– by Mary Hanes, Archives intern

The records generated by organizations provide important evidence about the organization’s history and function. In January of 2016, I started to process the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Office of the Executive Director records.  The Director oversees the everyday governance and administration of the College.  This includes overseeing the budget, strategic planning, special projects, and creating and maintaining relationships with other institutions. With so many responsibilities, the office generates a considerable amount of documentation, from correspondence to meeting minutes. The scope of my project includes processing boxes the Library received from the Office of the Executive Director and arranging them to better document the office’s administrative activities and governance duties.

Because the Executive Director’s Office produces so many files, the office keeps active records and sends the inactive files in boxes to the Library. Boxes arrive with varying levels of organization. Recently, the executive assistant to the current CEO requested minutes from a specific committee meeting. Although the material was located, it became clear that the collection needed processing to make it more accessible for current staff and future external researchers.

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