Meeting of Minds

Hi all, it’s Retz again.

While I have been mostly in the archives at the mill, I did resurface from beneath the piles of files. During the week, I had a meeting with the director concerning what to do with the files. The meeting took place at the mansion in Auburn Heights. The grounds there are beautiful and breathtaking. Auburn Heights has the largest collection of operating steam cars and there’s even a steam train on the site!

After the meeting, we decided that for the duration of the summer, after the appraisal process, I will double check records recommended for disposal, so records that important records are not accidentally discarded. Working with the Historic Site Manager, I will help determine the importance of the collection, its long-term value for research and historical purpose. In essence, this means determining which records will interest the present and the future generation.

Auburn Heights plans send out to scan older records, ledgers, and documents in a more delicate state that they will keep in the collection, after I have prepped them for scanning. Scanning the documents will provide longevity to the collection and will open up the material to a wider audience. After the documents come back from scanning, I will check the files back in. I will also construct a temporary finding aid for the collection. This finding aid will help locate files and folders quickly until the records are stored in a permanent location.

Back at the mill site, I always encounter something interesting. Last week, I discovered a bird’s nest inside the archives. This week I spotted a herring. The mill is located next to a creek and one day I saw the awesome creature gliding above the water, with its huge wings spanned out. Wonder what I’ll discover next week!