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Flash Floods!
I am writing from New Orleans where I started a short 3 week internship on Monday. Severe thunderstorms over the past 24 hours led to flash flooding throughout the city. The streets outside the archives were flooded with about a foot of water for most of the afternoon. (the water has since receded)
I'm working at the Newcomb Archives at the Newcomb College Center for the Education of Women at Tulane University. I found the position through networking with SI alums and luckily it comes with a stipend!
I'm processing a 60 box collection of Coralie Davis, a New Orleans native who attended Newcomb College in the 1940s and was very involved with the New Orleans social scene, society balls, and the U.S. Daughters of 1812. I've never processed a collection so large and am learning much about the process. The archives are also experimenting with the Archivist Toolkit, which has been good to see in practice instead of just theory. Also, I am really learning a great deal about disaster recovery. Talking about it in theory in class just does not compare to hearing first hand experiences.
The archives were flooded with 18 inches of water by Hurricane Katrina. Staff were not allowed near the building for 3 weeks as the collections stood in water in a building without power, and lots of mold growing. The disaster recovery company did not keep good records of what was sent out to be restored, so they are not completely sure if everything has returned. From what they know, they just got the last boxes back on the shelves last week. The walls of the library and archive were completely redone and the archives got new shelving and of course revamped their disaster plan.
It's going to be a fast three weeks! I've never been to New Orleans before and I'm looking forward to seeing the city this weekend. Hopefully I will find something just as wonderful for the rest of the summer.
Enjoy the weekend!
Posted by cassch at May 4, 2007 05:43 PM
