Mental Heath Association of Maryland Internship #1

This summer I interned at the Mental Health Association of Maryland (MHAMD). The MHAMD is an organization which is over 100 years old and is the second oldest mental health organization in the country. Dating back to the early 1910’s the organization has many archives. As the MHAMD is focused more on mental health care than history, their archive was in a bit of a mess. I was hired to help them organize their archive. There were a few problems when I first came into the archive to assess what was there. First all the papers, some of which were fragile document from the 1910’s, were wrapped in office depot brand plastic wrap and in unsafe folders, stacked in file cabinets. The archive was actually in a small office behind the kitchen. When I first started working many people stumbled into the archive assuming it was a supply closet. While most of the files were ordered chronologically, there were at least 2 to 3 paper copies of every original document stored with the original. They wanted to make sure the archives would be easy to access for researchers, but inadvertently put the preservation of the originals in jeopardy.  Upon starting work at MHAMD I was given my own office, which I didn’t use often since I was in the archive so much. One of the first things I did was print proper signs for the door to the archives and set in place some general rules for staff to follow in order to maintain the safety of the archives. There were about five file cabinets with four drawers each for me to organize and preserve for the summer. I had a lot of work cut out for me but was very excited to help save the important documents for such a historical and impact organization. Attached pictures are of my office and signs for the office.