Join us as we celebrate the arrival of Molly Campbell, the new Digital Archivist! I took a little time to interview our newest addition to the team to introduce her to Around the D.
Molly Campbell
You’re just beginning to get to know Davidson’s Archives & Special Collections–what’s your background in archival work?
I first became interested in archives when I was an undergraduate student studying public history at James Madison University. I was lucky enough at that time to acquire a summer internship at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, DE. Over the course of that summer I really fell in love with archives and decided to pursue a MA in History to further my knowledge of the field. Once I had obtained my MA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst it was fairly apparent that I was also going to need a Master in Library Science (MLS) in order to better understand archives, so I did just that at the University of Maryland, College Park. After graduation I worked in the archives of The Lawrenceville School, which is a boarding school in Lawrenceville, NJ. At Lawrenceville I had the chance to work on a number of exciting projects, including working with students and faculty.
What about the Digital Archivist position interested you?
The position interested me for a number of reasons. I think initially the title “Digital Archivist” attracted me because I am particularly interested in working with and managing electronic records. Thanks to the proliferation of digital technology our society is producing a massive amount of data that archivists are trying to collect, organize, preserve, and make accessible. I want to be part of that movement to preserve digital records and this will be a fantastic opportunity to do just that. Davidson is currently producing a large amount of digital material and I hope that I can help collect that information so future students, faculty, and staff can easily access it. I am also excited to make our print and a/v collections more easily accessible through digitization initiatives.
Are there any projects you’re particularly passionate about introducing to Davidson?
I have a number of ideas relating to projects that I think would be exciting to introduce to Davidson, but for the time being I am going to try and better understand what this particular community values and how the Archives & Special Collections can better serve it. I would really like to take the time to learn how people currently utilize the materials in Archives & Special Collections to see what projects would best serve our userbase.
A welcome party was held in the Library for Molly on Wednesday, April 4!
You haven’t been here long yet, but what has been your most memorable or surprising experience at Davidson thus far?
I was pleasantly surprised how welcoming everyone has been since I arrived. The most memorable experience thus far was when a group of the Library staff surprised me with a welcome song set to the tune of “Hello, Dolly.” It was great and certainly very memorable!
What are three things you want Davidson’s community to know about you?
More than anything else I would like the community to know that I am excited to be here and am ready to hit the ground running! I am excited to begin meeting students, staff, and faculty across campus and would like to hear how they envision Archives & Special Collections best serving them. Please feel free to drop me a line anytime!
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