Shoveling Smoke

I officially have the Archives Special Project. Now all that's left is red tape. It'll be an interesting way to earn two hours worth of credit.

The Mississippi Archives have been relocated to a new building in downtown Jackson. It's named after William Winters, a former governor of the state. It's architecture is profoundly austere. On the outside, it appears to be a throwback to the old Greek temples- lots and lots of granite. On the inside, it resembles a large British aristocratic library. Dark, warm woods create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

Libraries make me happy. Knowing that our society still decides to put more money toward making better and bigger libraries makes me happier still.

The fellow I met with seemed to share my passion for all things old- his eyes twinkled as he mentioned his past military service, and how he was looking forward to preserving and categorizing National Guard documentation from over one hundred years ago. He also introduced me to various individuals I'd be working with in the Department.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the project will be working with the VERY old documents- the ones that are so fragile, they're falling apart. I'll have to wear cotton gloves and operate in a near-freezing room, in order to protect the integrity of the documents. Basically, a much less exciting version of Indiana Jones. But a version nonetheless.

Posted by Yorick on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 11:21 AM | Permalink