Week 2: Training

Another week has passed, and it has been filled with immersive training and dipping into some of my first moments of hands-on practice in preparation for the tasks I will need to complete during the summer. This includes, but is not limited to, the History Harvest and the DeBary file I have been assigned starting this week. These first two weeks have focused on metadata, from learning the basics of its purpose to the types of sheets that will be worked on and becoming familiar with the transcription process according to RICHES. These training materials are vital because while I have previous experience with transcription, each organization has a particular way of approaching each step and establishing specific formatting.

While attending the first portion of the workshop held on Thursday, I met Geoff Cravero during the metadata training session, introducing the type of information input into the spreadsheet. Some of this was not covered in the brochure I completed for last week's assignment, as it had a lot of general knowledge to cover, including the process and importance of oral history. One of the most interesting aspects of his presentation was the Dublin Core elements, and RICHES added their own types to the list, including GeoChrons. This allows us to pinpoint the artifact's coordinates and approximate period. I find that adding more to the list is better than identifying fewer elements for an entire item.

In the second half of Thursday's training, the group did an interactive practice of a metadata sheet for a random object of our choice. I naturally went for a piece of memorabilia to go with the history theme. I grabbed the porcelain plate my grandmother gave me, which had a picture of Princess Diana. I quickly realized that filling out forms from scratch would involve a little bit of research for context or any other information about when they may have been produced. This will transcend the practice run, and I anticipate taking a little extra time to research History Harvest oral histories and collection artifacts I will spend my time working with. For my first try at the exercise, it went over better than I thought. Still, I noticed that I had some parts to improve based on observing the other intern's work, and I was extremely impressed with how everyone else completed theirs; it ultimately helped me compare my work to their strong points. I was able to address them while I presented my sheet, where I lacked more physical details in areas like the 'identification of people in the photograph.' The most important lesson from their comments regarding the training is that I should not be afraid to add more information or details about the item, rather than keeping it vague.

After the training, I had time to browse the file assigned to me for my metadata sheets and work on items from donor Ronald E. Muse, who contributed to the DeBary History Harvest from Summer 2024, with most, if not all, artifacts consisting of photographs. As the days go by, I am increasingly eager to jump right into this project and click through the files to get a sense of DeBary's history. Some of my following steps leading up to the group's next meeting will focus on the transcription part of the workshop and begin transcribing Curtis Rayam's interview. My work is picking up while making connections with others who strive for the same goals, and it has been inspiring to continue on this path.