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Anna Speth reveals the day-to-day life of a Salzburg Global Seminar library intern
Salzburg Global Seminar is joining the Archives Month by giving our very own archivist a chance to tell a little bit more about her work. The current library intern Anna Speth started her internship in September, and she is already well-versed in the secrets of the Max Reinhardt Library.
“In honor of Archives Month in the US, I figured I’d give a little background about the library and archive here at SGS. Interning at Salzburg Global Seminar is very special to me because it reflects the reasons I wanted to be an archivist in the first place.
In a nutshell, archivists keep the record of human history. I know we’re often portrayed as squirreling away ancient books and scrolls to protect them from damage and careless hands, but that’s not what we do! We preserve historical documents because we want people to use them. My professional mission is ensuring that people truly examine history, because we must learn from past experiences to inform decisions about the future. What better place to do that than Salzburg Global Seminar?
But how exactly does one intern manage this lofty goal? Well, day to day I oversee all of the operations of the library. Everyday looks different, as a lot is going on behind the scenes of the Max Reinhardt library. I’m transitioning our book collection database from an old interface to a new, internet-friendly one, inspired by social media. This will give users much more robust search capabilities and hopefully will result linking the library catalog to the SGS website, giving our library some well-deserved recognition.
The library is also in active use, which means that I spend a good chunk of time reshelving books, working on the periodical display, assisting with research, and analyzing the way people use the library – always hoping to make improvements.
The archive has a lot happening as well. In the near future, we will be placing the bulk of our collection at the archives of a major US University so that it can be open to scholars for research. Archival documents require a very particular environment (cold and low humidity) to ensure longevity, and that’s always hard to maintain in a historical building like Schloss Leopoldskron. By placing our records in a University research library with staff experienced in working with international scholars, we will be able to preserve our history for many generations to come. Once the collection is transferred and catalogued, our archives will be open to the public, and usable to those interested in Salzburg Global’s history and legacy. On my end, that means making sure that the archives are completely organized and ready to go. It’s like packing 350 cubic feet of luggage for an international trip.
We are keeping some things here in Salzburg, such as photographs from the past sessions. That’s where I’m creating my own personal project for my internship. I’ve worked with historic photographs in previous jobs, so I’ve decided to tackle indexing the photograph collection here. Let me tell you, we’ve got pictures stored in every corner, both physically in the buildings and virtually in our digital storage. I hope to come up with a way to make these organized and easy to use for all staff members here at Salzburg Global Seminar.
But even with my busy days, I spend much of my time in disbelief that I get to work somewhere like the Max Reinhardt Library. I like to wander through the library in the morning, when the sunlight hits just right, and appreciate the history and the knowledge housed within its walls.”
Anna is currently working as the library intern in the Max Reinhardt Library in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg Global Seminar is now accepting applications for the 2018 internships. In addition to the library, we’re looking for people to assist our Program, Development and Communications teams. The deadline for Salzburg-based internships is Friday, October 20. Find out more here.