Archives

Jill Zawacki

By Jill, on July 21st, 2009

On my personal blog, I’ve managed to condense my life, worldview, and personality down to less than a paragraph:

“Recently graduated Master’s student with a soft-spot for the Motor City, blogging her way through a quarterlife crisis.”

As my co-contributors have provided a bit more background about themselves, I suppose I could expound upon the factors shaping the opinions and thoughts of my blog posts.

Recently graduated – Like the other contributors, I came to the University of Michigan to earn my Master’s degree in Information, though my original career plan was centered on libraries. Through my coursework and internship/working experience during the program, I came to focus on Archives as a career to integrate both my love of history and documentation of the past with my desire to serve the public.

Motor City “soft spot” – Having spent my childhood in rural southern Michigan, I spent what I consider my “formative years” at Wayne State University in downtown Detroit earning my Bachelor’s degree in American Studies. Unlike any other city in the country – or the world – Detroit represents, to me, the post-modern: deconstructed, transformed, misunderstood, or perhaps un-understandable. My education and experiences within such an environment have given me a unique perspective American cities, culture, and daily life.

Quarterlife crisis – With the completion of my collegiate education, I am in the midst of a transformation from my former “student” identity to a new “professional” persona. I am a blank slate, free to construct myself into the type of archivist of my choosing, realizing that my continuing informational education is now completely my own responsibility. With the advice of former professors, guidance of experienced colleagues, and empathy of friends who find themselves in similar situations, I have been well-prepared, but I am now an adult – with all the freedoms and responsibilities that adulthood entails.

My main areas of interest:

  • Public Services: How can institutions provide the best customer services suited to the archival setting? How should researchers be educated about the uses and value of records? Where do these duties fit within the role of “archivist”?
  • Archives vs. Libraries: Coming from a public library background prior to my graduate education, I am interested in the different roles archives and libraries play in their communities and the interactions each institution has with its patrons.
  • Access vs. Preservation: The longtime discussion (battle?) of the archival field. How do we balance preservation of original sources while still providing open access to unique historical materials?
On my personal blog, I’ve managed to condense my life, worldview, and personality down to less than a paragraph:
“Recently graduated Master’s student with a soft-spot for the Motor City, blogging her way through a quarterlife crisis.”
As my co-contributors have provided a bit more background about themselves, I suppose I could expound upon the factors shaping the opinions and thoughts of my blog posts.
Recently graduated – Like the other contributors, I came to the University of Michigan to earn my Master’s degree in Information, though my original career plan was centered on libraries. Through my coursework and internship/working experience during the program, I came to focus on Archives as a career to integrate both my love of history and documentation of the past with my desire to serve the public.
Motor City “soft spot” – Having spent my childhood in rural southern Michigan, I spent what I consider my “formative years” at Wayne State University in downtown Detroit earning my Bachelor’s degree in American Studies. Unlike any other city in the country – or the world – Detroit represents, to me, the post-modern: deconstructed, transformed, misunderstood, or perhaps un-understandable. My education and experiences within such an environment have given me a unique perspective American cities, culture, and daily life.
Quarterlife crisis – With the completion of my collegiate education, I am in the midst of a transformation from my former “student” identity to a new “professional” persona. I am a blank slate, free to construct myself into the type of archivist of my choosing, realizing that my continuing informational education is now completely my own responsibility. With the advice of former professors, guidance of experienced colleagues, and empathy of friends who find themselves in similar situations, I have been well-prepared, but I am now an adult – with all the freedoms and responsibilities that adulthood entails.
My main areas of interest:
Public Services: How can institutions provide the best customer services suited to the archival setting? How should researchers be educated about the uses and value of records? Where do these duties fit within the role of “archivist”?
Archives vs. Libraries: Coming from a public library background prior to my graduate education, I am interested in the different roles archives and libraries play in their communities and the interactions each institution has with its patrons.
Access vs. Preservation: The longtime discussion (battle?) of the archival field. How do we balance preservation of original sources while still providing open access to unique historical materials?

See all posts by Jill