Hands-On Learning Experience
A note from the Librarian:
Over the summer, the CCHC Library was lucky enough to host five interns who helped us with a myriad of duties. Each intern had a unique set of skills, and they accomplished much during their time here. Their invaluable work made the CCHC Library collections more accessible to our members and patrons. They helped us inventory and catalog materials, digitized photos and scrapbooks, created finding aids, and backed up some of our born-digital collections. They also began work on preserving the thousands of rare newspapers, of which CCHC is the only holder.
One of the student leads on the newspaper project was Kyle McElvey, who not only participated in the newspaper digitization, he helped build the workstation and wrote the training manual for others who follow after him. Below is Kyle’s account of the amazing work he did for us this summer.
– Wyatt Young, Librarian
“During my time at the Chester County Historical Center (CCHC) this summer, I worked on a variety of projects. One of my tasks was assisting in the creation of a new filing system for documents and other correspondence in the library vault. The goal was to make these resources easier to access and more organized for future use. I also compiled detailed guides and inventories for different collections, which helps both researchers and the public by providing clear overviews and item information for CCHC’s collections.
However, my primary project was setting up and launching a digitization system for physical documents and photographs, particularly focusing on fragile 19th-century newspapers from the local area. I worked on constructing and enhancing the digitization station to improve image quality and ensure the digital archives accurately represent the original materials. This involved using tools like the Library of Congress filing and naming system and experimenting with camera settings, such as image size, focus points, light warmth, and interval timing for shooting. All these tweaks contributed to better resolution and quality in our digitized materials.
With this new digitization system up and running, I also had the privilege of teaching some of the other volunteers and interns how to use the station, providing hands-on practice and creating guidelines to help them get started.
Working with these older documents, especially the newspaper digitization project, was incredibly interesting and insightful. I found myself reading stories from as far back as 1813 or 1857 and getting a glimpse of the different writing styles and current events of the time, like battles and war stories from the War of 1812. Local stories were also fascinating, offering a revealing look into the past and how Chester County has changed over the years. Working alongside the CCHC senior volunteers as part of community outreach and education was a valuable experience, allowing me to learn from their knowledge and personality, which is something you don’t always get in other fields.
Overall, my internship at the Chester County Historical Center was a unique experience, one that many history students might not have the chance to have. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to the practice of history and also learn new skills of managing digital collections.”
-Kyle Mckelvey, Library Intern