Purpose of Project

The purpose of this project is to introduce you to the work that we do as archivists. Every person, family, or organization, has a history -- taking care of that history so that it is saved and can be studied by anyone who is interested is what we do. We want you to become archivists for a week -- to learn about the history of their family or community organization, to find materials that tell stories about that history, and to understand how to save that history. You will tour an archives and see where we work. When the project is completed, we will display some of the items you find during your work as archivists in an exhibit in your high school and at the Yale Library and will invite you and your families to a reception to open the exhibit.

Above all, we want this to be a fun, learning experience for you. We will teach you new skills during this project and you will learn about things that have happened in the past that affect who you are. When it is over you will have had first-hand experience being an archivist and finding and preserving family or community history that might otherwise have been lost.


Christine Weideman
Carrie S. Beinecke Director of Manuscripts and Archives