Introduction

Per reading the "23 Things for Archivists," this blog will focus on exploring new and emerging technologies that would be useful for digitizing historical items, but also look at promotion ideas for sharing special collections with the general public.

To introduce myself:

My name is Sarah Kaplan, and I am a soon-to-be graduating senior at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. I have worked at Alden Library (Ohio University Libraries) since June 2010, and have found the experience extremely rewarding. For the last year, I have worked in Digital Initiatives under the direction of Janet Carleton to digitize items from the Archives department. While I have worked here, I have also created graphics and PR for Digital Initiatives and the Alden Library Smart Phone Application.

It is my hope, that with this blog, I will not only keep adding to my educational experience, but also entice future Bobcats to apply for a position within Digital Initiatives (positions are available through student employment, PACE, or Federal Work Study).

While I spent the first few years of college in the School of Visual Communication studying publication design and photography, I switched my major to a Bachelor of Specialized Studies degree in Multimedia and History in the spring of 2010. While I am still very much passionate about visual communication, the Specialized Studies major is a much better fit for my personality. The B.S.S. allows me to explore 300-400 upper level classes from any department in the university, which I would not have been able to take otherwise. The B.S.S. made it possible for me to combine my previous degree with other interests, such as the history of baseball, the history of Judaism, Japanese culture, the sports industry, art, recreation, and plant biology among many others. Having such a vivid curiosity for a multitude of interests and a broad spectrum of topics to choose from can be a gift, but also a bane when trying to choose a direction to follow.

Working at Digital Initiatives, as the Collections Access Assistant, has given me a more defined outlook on what it means to be a visual communicator. Not only are you creating work to be enjoyed in the present, but some day that work will define the past. Besides creating graphics, I scan documents, photographs, and 35mm negatives for library patrons. Through these items, I have been able to glimpse fibers of the past such as university history (buildings and people), individuals who have impacted the university or community, works of art to be enjoyed, or fashion and hair statements to chuckle about profusely.

I hope to keep this blog updated over the summer as I complete each task in the 23 challenge, while continuing my work at Digital Initiatives. My summer is also made up of working for the Southern Ohio Copperheads baseball team, taking my Tier 3 Alternative Agriculture class, and a drawing course in the School of Art.

Signing off for now,
Sarah