Anna Wada '11

As an intern at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum archives, I was assigned a small collection to process from beginning to end - drawing up a plan, organizing the files, preserving items, digitizing them, creating the finding aid, and cataloguing (I described the collection on the Smithsonian Collections Blog, posted August 18, 2010). I also helped with other minor projects, such as assisting researchers and locating public art photographed in a past exhibit.  In addition to gaining a sense of the professional workflow as an archivist, I was also able to meet other aspiring interns with diverse interests, even within the museum field. My second internship was for the World Digital Library (WDL), a joint project by the Library of Congress and UNESCO. The project endeavors to collect digitized cultural heritage items from around the world, and upload them on a single website. I was amazed by the scope of global partnerships they had, as well as the diverse background of the materials that was being collected. My primary responsibility here was to help build their Japanese prints collection, and edit metadata for upcoming items. I believe what made this summer truly invaluable was that everyone I met seemed passionate about their respective fields, and were all happy to share their experiences and advice. I found the digital library and museum work engaging throughout, and I am glad I was able to partake in so many different aspects of these fields in one summer. I sincerely appreciate MCAN for making these experiences possible! Watch the video.