Archival Crush. It’s a real thing, look it up.
Actually, never mind, Google won’t return a hit, but all archivists have one. Society of American Archivists president Kathleen Roe talks about her crush (although she calls her an archival neighbor), Genevieve Hankins-Hawke, an African-American nurse, widow and mother during World War II, whose papers she processed more than 25 years ago but whose story still remains with her.
That is the great thing about archives. The human stories.
In honor of American Archives Month, I would like to share with you some of my archival crushes. Individuals I have “met” throughout my archival career whose names and stories have remained with me and whose experiences have become a part of my own.
Pompey Ducklegs (Obviously, I’m using the term person loosely in this case, but who could forget that name or those stubby legs.)
Alice Mary Baldwin – Dean of Duke University’s Woman’s College.
Eleanore Pettersen – First woman in New Jersey to open her own architectural office.
I’m a fairly new addition to the Local History and Genealogy Archives at The Urbana Free Library, arriving via Duke University and Virginia Tech, but I have already discovered some crush worthy individuals in our collections. First on my list is Bernice Fiske, children’s librarian at The Urbana Free Library from 1927-1972.
The Archives is hosting a number of events throughout October. We hope that you will stop by for one or all of them and let us know – ‘Who you have met on your journey through archival records.’
SB