Weekend 14.

This weekend I worked with some of the special collection books, organizing and arranging them so that sets stayed together. This is a different section that what I previously worked with. This weekend marked the end of my practicum hours. I've officially reached the allotted time I needed. I will continue to volunteer at Beauvoir, as time permits, to continue to gain experience in archives. Special thanks to all who have helped me in the experience.

                                                

Weekend 13.

This weekend I mainly watched the desk and helped patrons as needed. There were a lot of events taking place at Beauvoir, so not many people made it up to the library. I also did a little bit of cataloging. This only requires looking up the book on the Library of Congress website and matching the call numbers that are listed on the spine label, if there is a label. Then, simply making note of that or any changes that may need to be made on a spread sheet. They do not have a formal cataloging system in place at this time, another Katrina loss they haven't quite bounced back from yet, but they're getting there.

                                                          

Weekends 11 and 12.

These weekends were pretty short weekends because I was only able to work a few hours. This past weekend I attended the Digi-day workshop at USM to supplement the digital training I haven't really had access to at my practicum site. There we worked with flat bed scanners, content dm, and enjoyed some presentations from digital library managers. The few hours I got in at Beauvoir were mainly spent helping patrons in the library, as the staff have been busy preparing for Fall Muster. I'm drawing close to the end of my time there, with just a few weekends left. It has definitely been a lot of fun and I will continue to visit and help them with up coming activities as my time permits.

Weekend number 10!

This weekend I got to experience some hands on preservation work. I learned how to apply archival wax to iron antiques to prevent farther damage from rusting. It was a very unique experience. The wax has a strong smell like a gun cleaner. The items we applied the wax to, Mr. Spence had already cleaned of any excess rust and debris. The wax we used was Renaissance museum wax. This type of wax is made in England and is used in the Royal museums. Because any work done to artifacts must be reversible, this wax will wash off in very hot water. Getting the experience of working with objects that are one hundred plus years old is very educational and rewarding.

         

Weekend number 9.

This weekend at Beauvoir was a slower weekend than normal because it was the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and there were a lot of events on the coast to attend. Beauvoir has their own Katrina memorial display, for which I have included a few pictures. They received a good deal of damage from the storm.

This weekend my work involved watching the desk in the library in case any patrons did come by in need of help with ancestry research. Most ancestry research patrons seek help with at Beauvoir is the search for information on a relative who fought in the civil war. There are a lot of resources to use such as cemetery records, pension records, enlistment records, wounded veteran lists, and more. It is interesting work and when I have extra time there without patrons, I enjoy searching my own family history.

Weekend number 8.

This weekend's volunteer time was very short. I was only able to work Friday because I attended the MS Book Festival on Saturday. For the day I was able to work, I did some reorganizing of the special collection bookshelf. The shelf space for this area is very small, so when more books need to be added to the shelf, it means shifting everything. It's actually a lot more work than it sounds, especially for someone as short as me, but I do enjoy working with the special collection books because you never know what treasures you might find there.

*Before.

*Cart that needed to be added to the shelf.

*A few treasures!

*After. (I tried leaving some space so it wouldn't be so hard the next time.)

weekends 5, 6, & 7.

The past few weekends I mainly helped patrons in the library. I greeted people who came in and helped them with anything they needed help with. Most of the patrons are just curious about the library and have general questions. Others come in to do ancestry work and need help finding documents regarding their ancestor who may have fought in the American Civil War. Beauvoir has many resources available for this type of research, including Fold3 and a large collection of confederate soldier reference guides. I am really enjoying my time volunteering here.