This fall, Loyola senior and LNDL Student Advisory Board member Rylee Miller interned in LNDL’s Archives and Special Collections. We recently caught up with her to find out more about her experience:
What have you worked on in the archives this semester?
This past semester I have been working with a collection of papal coins, seals, and medals ranging from the 800s to the 20th century. I started by entering data on the collection into our online database, but my main focus of the semester was to create an exhibit display for the archives.
What have been the most interesting or surprising aspects of your work?
I think the most surprising aspect is that the part I enjoyed most was cataloguing the collection. It’s very repetitive work and some might find that boring, but I really enjoyed getting to handle the collection and organize it in our online database.
Are there connections between your work with this collection and courses you have taken at Loyola?
Over the summer, I took an art history course in Italy with Dr. Boeye and Dr. Scalenghe. In this class, we talked a lot about the different characteristics in artwork from the Baroque period. One aspect of the papal coins is how they showcase the changing artistry, particularly with the Baroque movement. It was very helpful to have that background knowledge when researching. I also visited a few of the sites that are important to this exhibit while I was in Italy.
I would recommend an archives internship to students who…
The archives is a great spot for students who are interested in library science and history. It’s also great for students who have good attention to detail and are creative.