Camilla Stegall, a student in the MSLIS online (Leep) program, discusses her internship with the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University, in which she honed her metadata skills and grew her professional network.
Where did you work, and what was your role?
Over the summer, I interned remotely at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota, as a digital cataloging review/history intern. I wrote item-level descriptions, applied subject headings, and reviewed copyright for correspondence and printed materials to and from Theodore Roosevelt from the spring of 1911 and following the presidential election in 1912.
How did you find out about the internship?
I actually found out about it in a couple ways over the course of a day or so. It was posted on Archivesgig.com and the Archivists Think Tank group on Facebook.
What new skills did you acquire?
I learned quite a few new skills. I learned new aspects about subject headings, particularly FAST subject headings and how to construct a standardized name heading. I learned new research techniques to find information about individuals, especially on sites like Ancestry and Newspapers. I became more confident in understanding copyright for materials from individuals, companies, and governments. In addition, I became significantly better at reading late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century cursive handwriting. The internship also helped me to solidify skills that I had learned in IS 562 [Administration and Use of Archival Materials] and IS 585 [Bibliographic Metadata] by providing hands-on experience with concepts of archives and cataloging. Professionally, I have grown my network of archivists that I know and have worked with. The skills that I learned and honed during the internship will be greatly beneficial in the job search and my professional career.
What did you like best about working at the center?
What I liked best is hard to say. The Theodore Roosevelt Center staff are incredibly kind, helpful, and obviously enjoy what they do, which led to a fantastic experience. I also spent a summer reading Theodore Roosevelt's mail—it doesn't get much better than that!
What would you advise current students who are interested in an internship opportunity?
If you are interested in an internship opportunity, absolutely go for it. If you're a hands-on learner, it will help make concepts that you learn in class make more sense and/or provide a foundation for future classes. If you're not sure about your chances of getting the internship, still absolutely go for it. I knew that the Theodore Roosevelt Center internship was highly competitive, but I took a chance regardless. I'm so glad that I did!