Thanks to the Friends of the Michigan Tech Library, we have been able to host a summer intern again this year. Ryan Welle has been a wonderful addition to the team and has been instrumental to summer research support services and collections processing. He’s been gaining experience in public service, collections support and research. If you wish to learn more about what Ryan has been up to so far, please read his update report below.
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It’s hard to believe that I am already on my third week here at the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections. Time has been going by so fast, and I am really earning a lot of valuable experience. In the short time that I have been here, I have been able to help patrons at the reference desk, pull and re-shelve collections, learn how to navigate Archivists’ Toolkit, fulfill research requests, and work on processing a collection.
Some of the reference help that I have been able to provide is helping patrons with their genealogical research, by providing and assisting patrons with plat maps, the extensive employee records from the major copper mining firms in the area, Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, Quincy Mining Company, and Copper Range Mining Company, using the microfilm readers to look at newspapers from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and helping navigate HeritageQuest to find US Census records. I also enjoy the opportunity to use the state records collections that are housed here, particularly the naturalization records for Gogebic and Keweenaw counties.
I have also had the opportunity to gain valuable experience processing a collection when I am not at the reference desk. The collection that I am working on is the Carl Patterson papers, and it has been like a giant puzzle to find the main themes and put the pieces together. I am happy to say, however, that the picture is getting more and more clear every time I see it. The focus of the collection is quite different than what I anticipated at the start, but the focus turns out to be something that will add to the holdings in a very valuable way, which is a pleasant surprise.
On a more personal note, I would like to thank the rest of the staff for being so welcoming and answering all of the questions that I have. It truly is a pleasure to be in the archives. They have really been very kind and strive to make this experience great. I have even gotten some recommendations for things in the area to see and experience. I have taken some of the suggestions and have really been enjoying my time exploring the beautiful nature in the area. I have hiked on several different trails and found some of the waterfalls in the area to be spectacular. I especially enjoyed my trip to see the Hungarian Falls and had some great photo opportunities while I was there. I can not wait to see what other treasures I can find during my time here in the UP over the next couple weeks.