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My name
is Miranda Clinton. I am a junior history major from North Carolina Central
University and I have the opportunity of interning with the conservation
division at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC for eight weeks. My love
for reading, continual participation in my libraries, and learning new things
is what spurred me into the interest of library science and library
conservation.
Coming up
from North Carolina, DC is huge step from the bustling people to the steady
sounds of the street. It is fun finding my way around, both in the city and in
the library and I am slowly getting the hang of it.
On my
first day in the conservation lab, I was greeted with open arms and smiling
faces. The entire division is kind and the atmosphere of the work space is very
comforting.
My first
project was helping the paper conservators in a lining removal and wet
treatment of the “clown poster”, a poster from 1856 for a circus with five
clowns on it. It was a fun experience being able to practice my hand skills in
treating the paper with enzymes and washing the posters.
I also
had the opportunity to attend digitization meetings, with other divisions, with
a conservation representative, and take trips with the conservation team to the
Geppi Entertainment Museum, the Library of Congress Cabin Branch warehouse and
the Landover warehouse. Both the meetings and the Geppi Museum trip were great
examples to see how the conservation division works with other divisions to
plan for future projects and to ensure that materials are handled properly. The
trips to the warehouses gave me insight into how supplies and collections are
sorted and stored.
