Send In The SWAT: A First Year's Experience

It's hard to believe that it has been well over a month since the Museum Studies program's SWAT team investigated the grounds of the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society in Vineland, New Jersey. As a first year graduate student and student the M.A. Historic Preservation program, I was interested in getting my feet wet on such an interesting and intense experience. On January 7th, I joined the first group of students traveling to Vineland.

Books, books, and, oh! More books! Primarily from the 1800s, these tomes were pulled out of the second floor work room.

For the most part, I spent two days of my week there cataloging, moving, and constantly agog at the sheer number of books housed within the society. Climbing up and down staircases and determining what books were a priority over others occupied me for two days and other students for a much longer time (Unbelievable work, everyone!). The above photograph shows a mere portion of the collection that was set aside to be sorted through. The result of moving all these books, however, provided a new-found space for Vineland staff and patrons to work and do research on the second level.

I spent another portion of my week working on Vineland's ever growing clothing collection. I was lucky to work with (and be taught) by Ph.D. student, Nicole Belolan, who had previous experience in cataloging and housing clothing and textiles. We sifted our way through dresses, shoes, and even swimwear. With Professor Grier, we sorted through various boxes in the basement that contained even more clothing including children's Christening gowns and flapper dresses. Unfortunately while some of the clothing was either too brittle or worn to preserve, Vineland still remains in possession of a vibrant and extensive clothing collection. Together, Nicole and I rehoused various garments, making sure to stuff sleeves and chests with acid-free tissue paper so that the garments retained form with less creasing.

Various uniforms await a thorough cleaning from dust and debris.

While the first week may have been the end of my first SWAT adventure, I am definitely planning on participating again next year! The work was fast paced, always moving which held my interest and geared me towards thinking more on the spot. I also enjoyed working with Vineland's fantastic collection and it's interesting objects and finds. Of course, the SWAT team gave me more experience in the realm of collections and collections management. In the meanwhile, until SWAT 2014, you can find me at LancasterHistory.org during this upcoming summer as an interpretive intern. Thanks again for the fantastic experience!

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To learn more about the SWAT experience, please view the report located here.
Article written and contributed by:
Emily Miller
emmiller@udel.edu