This summer I am working as an intern at the Historical
Society of Washington, D.C. (HSW). I began the internship on May 26 and have
worked most Tuesdays through Fridays since then. I share intern duties with a
student from George Washington University who is working on her Master’s in
Archaeology. Neither of us is an archivist or a librarian, so we are both
learning quite a bit about the workings of a research library. The Research Services
Librarian left on maternity leave at the beginning of July; as a result, we
interns are discovering all of the skills and knowledge that are required to
serve researchers and the general public at a city historical society by jumping
right in. I have I become more familiar with the standards of archival
practice through pulling and re-shelving items for research requests, preparing research guides, and responding to inquiries. I have also built up muscles hauling Hollinger boxes and emptying
dehumidifiers. In a small organization like HSW, everyone has to pitch in.
A privately run organization which was formed in 1894 and
called the Columbia Historical Society until 1989, the Historical Society of
Washington, D.C. has recently come through a tumultuous time of financial challenges
and public outreach adjustments. In
2003, HSW opened a City Museum in the newly-renovated 100-year-old Carnegie
Library at Mount Vernon Square. Within
two years, the exhibits closed; although the innovatively designed galleries
were intended to interpret the “place-based history” of the capital city for
local, national, and international visitors, the museum was unable to attract a
large enough audience to sustain the necessary expenses and staff.[1]
The Society continued to operate in the historic building, renting out the
former exhibit space for special events while operating the research library
and archive. Like many historical societies throughout the country, the HSW had
wrestled throughout its tenure with maintaining its relevancy in an evolving
cultural landscape while also remaining solvent, a condition that is
complicated by its position as the home of the federal government and national
museums.[2]
In 2011, HSW closed its doors temporarily because, despite a 99-year lease of
the Carnegie Library from the District of Columbia for one dollar a year, the
organization could no longer afford to maintain the grand building. Later that
year, HSW was able to negotiate an agreement with the Washington Convention and
Sports Authority, now known as EventsDC, which took over maintenance of the
property and the exclusive rights to the space as an events venue; the
Historical Society reopened in 2012.[3]
HSW now controls a small portion of the upper levels of the building, including
office space, the research library, and two exhibit halls. Because of the recent difficulties, the staff of HSW are ever mindful of building positive relationships with the local community.
From its inception, an important role of the Society has
been the publication of historical research. In the early days of the Columbia
Historical Society, the creation and sharing of scholarship among members was
the main function of the group.[4]
Today, HSW publishes the peer-reviewed journal, Washington History; its contributors often use the collections and
archives of the HSW to produce their work. For instance, Jessica French, a
Public History Ph.D. student at Middle Tennessee University, contributed
“’Practical Club Work’: The Women’s Bindery Union and Twentieth Century Reform
in Washington, D.C.” to the most recent volume; the article includes her
research of the District of Columbia Federation of Women’s Clubs Records housed
in the HSW archives to chronicle the story of Washington women in the labor
movement.[5]
Anne McDonough, the Library and Collections
Director at HSW (and the intern coordinator), explained to me that historians
often do not fully appreciate that their scholarship begins with the work of
the archivists who are responsible not only for preserving collections but for
knowing the contents thoroughly in order to assist researchers. According to
Anne, it is deeply satisfying to archivists to see their collections put to use
and interpreted.
I have enjoyed learning about the mechanics of accessioning,
storing, retrieving, and researching collections held in archives. This deeper
understanding will surely help me become a better researcher. The work on my
internship has also made clear to me that my career path will not likely
include work as a collections director or research librarian. It would not be
enough for me to acquire collections with the hope that a researcher will use
them someday. My satisfaction comes from the interpretation of the historical
artifacts. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to put my public history
skills to work as well this summer, which I will discuss in my next post.
[1]
Barbara Franco, “The Challenge of a City Museum for Washington, D.C.” Washington History 15, no. 1
(Spring/Summer 2003),6, 19; Franco was the President and CEO of the City Museum
and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.; Trescott, Jacqueline, “City
Museum to Close Its Galleries,” Washington
Post, 9 Oct 2004, A1.
[2]
Franco, 6-7, 12, 15-17.
[3]
John Mueller, “New Hope Emerges for the Historical Society,” Greater Greater Washington, 9 Sept 2011,
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/11922/new-hope-emerges-for-the-historical-society/
; EventsDC, “Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square,” http://www.dcconvention.com/Venues/CarnegieLibrary/OurHistory.aspx
; Franco, 9.
[4]
Franco, 6.
[5]
Jessica R. French, “’Practical Club Work’: The Women’s Bindery Union and
Twentieth Century Reform in Washington, D.C.,” Washington History 27, no. 1 (Spring 2015), 37-49.
