Holidaze: guest blog post by Sylvia Podwika

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Published date: 
Friday, December 16, 2016 - 9:45pm

 

Hello all! I’m Sylvia Podwika and currently I am one of the two Emporia University MLS students working in conjunction with Selena in the Archives Library where the focus is on news and public affairs audio programming and digital preservation.  My role is Archive Intern and this is my first time ever working in any kind of archive. With my first term of grad school in Library Science under my belt, it is great to combine that book knowledge with hands-on experience. I really appreciate having Selena as a mentor for this experience because she has been nothing but helpful and is always there to answer any questions I have, even those outside the realm of work. So far I have learned a lot (especially about metadata and best practices!) and look forward to learning more.

A little background on myself: Originally a Midwesterner (shout out to Chicago!) but I have lived in Oregon for nearly two decades and in Portland for nearly a decade. I moved to Corvallis last year and while the commute to KBOO can be long, at this time in my life, it is worth it to me! KBOO has such a kind and including team and I have yet to feel awkward or unincluded. My path to the archiving world started with a passion for History and ensuring that it is passed onto future generations. I believe that it is essential to correctly and accurately preserve assets in order to protect its original content and context.

Working at KBOO, I have seen first hand how important it is to follow best practices and workflow. So much of the collection’s assets have unique and cool content and without proper preservation that could be lost! We do have tools to aid in that (thank you digitization!) but the reality is that budget dictates a lot of what can be done so we do our best with what we have.

With all the changes I have had in these past few month and it being the holidays, I realize that while I am a little bit dazed, I am no less thankful for finding what speaks to me. Life is full of challenges and how you deal with them speaks volumes. I would like to say thank you to Selena and everyone at KBOO. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you and yours!