You Want to Be an Archivist: Requiem for a Dream

Here is a wonderful video about the reality, well sort of reality, of the archives profession and being an archivist. If you view life through the lens of "tough love" and think being an archivist would be the best thing ever, you'll love this eye-opening production.

Why you shouldn't become an archivist by Rebecca Goldman and Amy Schindler

Even with the non-stop dreary funniness provided in this clip, being an archivist is wonderful.

Archives Renovation: A Brave New World

The College and Lutheran Church Archives has been, for the most part, in its current location since the opening of the second Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library in late 1972. During that last thirty-eight years many items have been collected. Thousands of acid-free boxes serve as home to the unique documents, photographs, recordings, and numerous other miscellaneous materials created by and about the college and those who have called Gustavus home.

In an effort to improve the facility and gain additional storage space, Jeff Jenson and Michelle Twait applied for a Minnesota Historical & Cultural Grant made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Their application was successful. By mixing the award with money from the library and an archives endowment, archivally appropriate shelving will be installed. As a result, the entire space was emptied. With the room being bare for the first time in nearly forty years, the space is undergoing a much needed cleaning and painting with the help of physical plant staff.

The archives will remain open during this tumultuous upheaval. This is being done because it is the primary mission of the College and Lutheran Church Archives to make materials "available for use and study." Information access will continue, but minor delays may occur.

To learn more about the College and Lutheran Church Archives please contact Jeff Jenson or visit the website.

Armistice Day Blizzard at Gustavus

Today is the anniversary of the Armistice Day Blizzard of November 1940. The Monday started much like today with unseasonably warm temperatures that had climbed to the low 60s during the afternoon. However, the weather changed quickly and temperatures dropped by 40 degrees over the next several hours. A large and powerful winter storm rolled across the Midwest bringing strong winds, sleet, and snow.

In Minnesota, forty-nine people died as a result of the storm. Most of the dead were duck hunters. There were no deaths at Gustavus, but the storm hit campus hard. According to an account in the Gustavian Weekly, many faculty couldn't get down the bluffside to return to their homes, and students, lacking proper winter attire, were donning wild combinations of clothes in their efforts to keep warm. Let us hope that the rain forecast for this evening does not turn to snow.