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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 on May 04, 2007 at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
Housing in Ann Arbor
This entry is rather belated, but here goes:
Housing in Ann Arbor is not too hard to find since it is a college town. There are many housing options and it really all depends on your personal preferences. If you want to live alone, you are going to have to pay more money than if you have roommates. Personally, I moved to Michigan from New York and did not know anyone in the area at all. Living with other students (both SI'ers) was a good way to not feel homesick and to have others to socialize with at the beginning of the year. I was also lucky enough to have roommates who turned into great friends!
Another issue that will affect your price range is how close/far from campus you choose to live. The general rule is the closer to campus you are the higher your rent is. For reference, I currently live in an apartment in a house a block away from Main Street and 3 blocks west of the Farmer's Market. This is about a 20 minute walk to West Hall. My rent is lower than places that are only a 10 minute walk, but I enjoy the walk through downtown. Living by Main Street also exposes me to the rest that Ann Arbor has to offer.
Popular areas for graduate students are Kerrytown and the Old West Side. Kerrytown is North of the general downtown area and contains student apartments/houses. There are some undergrads, but the majority of the area is residential and quiet. The Old West Side has more single family homes and a little farther away from West Hall, but still a very nice area.
A good thing to keep in mind is the buses are free with your student ID (both campus buses as well as Ann Arbor city buses.) If you decide to live farther away or out of town, you can park your car in a number of commuter lots and jump on a bus to central campus. Next year I will be living in an apartment complex farther away from my current location. The rent is cheaper, the apartment much larger, and there is a city bus just steps away that stops a few blocks from West Hall.
Overall, just remember that there are many options to choose from. Also, if you have not found housing yet, no need to freak out. I did not find housing until the beginning of June and I know many other students who easily found suitable housing throughout the summer.
SI will also be setting up a new students online web forum in the next few weeks. Among other things, this will be a good way to get in contact with current and entering SI students to find potential roommates and housing opportunities.
Let me know if you have any housing specific questions!
Posted by cassch on May 03, 2007 at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)
