Week 12: Storage and Research

After finishing my collection last week, my collection was now ready for storage. Archive collections are stored in a a separate humidity controlled room.This room is also protected by a locked cage so that only authorized personnel may enter. Once a collection is finished, the collection is placed on one of the shelves and organized by call number. That is the final step of archiving a collection.

So with my collection finished, I was given the task to do some research. A man had come in to the Archives department seeking any information about his father. His father had attended Loyola around 1953 and played for the basketball team. With this information, I searched through yearbooks and student newspapers to see if I could find any mention of this man's father. Eventually I was able to find some information in the school newspaper that included a picture of the basketball team he was on. This information was tagged and then provided to him. So while an archivist may be responsible for organizing and maintaining collections, they are also responsible for helping to assist others in research.