Thursday, 31 May, was my first day at the shiny new job. I’ve decided that my title is Archives Consultant. It sounds better than the whole “temporary-part-time” thing. It was just a made-up title, anyway, so I might as well make up a new, improved one, right? The MSPCA has funds set aside to pay for a consultant to help them develop a plan to organize and preserve their archival materials, and to survey the contents of the collection. This information will then be used to seek further funding in order to develop an archives program for the institution. I am the first step in that process. Ten years ago, someone started to organize things, but not much of it is accessible at the moment.

It’s my job to help the grant writer convince the funding agencies that the materials in the collection are important and need to be saved. They document not only the history of the MSPCA, but also Boston and the U.S., especially the social movements of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Preservation isn’t cheap, but it doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive, either. I will come up with a plan that includes short-term and long-term actions for preservation, starting with stabilizing the environment. I mentioned that the first step is to get some air conditioning up here (top most floor, next to the elevator machine room), not just for my comfort, but for the collection’s sake. When I came in yesterday morning, they were being installed, though I still have to turn them off when I’m not there.

Despite being distracted by the whole car situation, I managed to have a wonderful first day on Thursday. This is the first job I’ve ever had where I wasn’t ill and anxious on the first day. I actually have confidence, am able to speak intelligently about things I know about. I may be green in this profession, but it’s amazing to finally be able to demonstrate some sort of expertise. I don’t know everything that I’ll need to know to make every decision, but I know who to talk to help me find out what I need to know.

All of those internships and experiences are paying off. I know just enough to start putting things into practice, and to start crafting a career. It’s a great feeling. I’ll stop there, because I’m sure to start gushing and to get all Rah-Rah Cheerleader about archives. As my career continues, I’m sure I’ll stumble through difficult spots, but right now, things are pretty great: the end of my formal education is within sight, and I’m taking the first steps into my chosen profession.

Speaking of school, the first of my last three courses begins this Saturday. It’s a very short course: 5 meetings to occur over a span of 15 days.