I graduated with a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in May 2014. My focus is archives and special collections. In 2006, I received an MA in Political Science also from UH Mānoa. Most recently, I was the Archives Assistant at the ‘Iolani School Archives. I am currently looking for a position as an archivist. This portfolio contains examples of my work, projects, as well as my curriculum vitae.
The work of archivists is important and fraught with challenges. We must provide access to researchers in the best possible manner while preserving and protecting the material for the researchers of the future. I believe we should think of the researcher throughout the process of archiving, from appraisal to creating finding aids; we should ensure that metadata is thorough so that the records can be accessed and used. This work is essential to providing materials necessary for history to be written.
We need to consider what’s involved throughout the process of archiving. Who decides what is archived and what is archivable? Why are those decisions made? Which groups or interests decide what is worthy of remembrance or what may be assigned to oblivion? It is an incredible responsibility that we must consider in our work. As Derrida says in Archive Fever, the archive is not a question of the past as much as it is a question of the future and “the question of a response, of a promise and of a responsibility for tomorrow”. Archivists have a duty to work toward a more diverse and representative archive; one that will allow for fuller, more accurate histories to be written.
Valancy Rasmussen Gaddy
Valancy Rasmussen 