Me and nearly every other student at SI ( The School of Information at the University of Michigan) tend to define themselves first very simply. What year they are and what they specialize in.

Hi my name is Hanna, I am a second year and my specialization's are first and foremost Preservation of Information and secondly Archives and Records Management.

But what does that mean? It mean I have a passion for the physical preservation of objects in ANY setting and dabble in the digital preservation. Beyond that? I have a passion for ephemera, yarn, photography, sewing and as cheesy as it may be... helping.

My current position at the University of Michigan is working for the map library, which helps me fulfill most of my passions. Dealing with our amazing collection of maps, assisting patrons in their hunt for unique information, and helping preserve maps that would not be usable in the future if not for my interference is what fills my work hours and makes my days there interesting.

My reason initial reason for being on crowdrise is to help my school program out with an awesome cause. ASB, What is ASB you ask? well..

Every School of Information student hears about Alternative Spring Break (ASB) if not before then during orientation. Someone always raves about their experience to the new kids on the block about it, how amazing it was to work in such an alive city at an amazing institution. It was not hard to be sold on the idea and it was something I began to look forward to as soon as the semester begain. Once sign up time arrived I knew I would be swamped with homework the week of ASB, but I also knew there was no way I was missing out on an experience like this. Off to New York and the Paley Center for Media, and this year I was able to go to DC and work at the Smithsonian's American History Museum in thier archive!

Would it be cheesy to call this a once in a life time experience? Because it was, both times. The days spent at the Paley Center seeing the digitization selection process and the process itself from beginning to end was eye opening. Being able to peruse through their rich collection of media was amazing, and made me decide anyone who lived close enough to visit regularly was lucky. The evenings? They were filled with visits to museums, stores, and sights with classmates as companionship, making this a truly unique experience.

This year I worked with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History at their Archives Center. I was able to help complete the work needed on the Pullman Glass plate negatives collection, which was of the pullman train cars. Beyond inserting data into the archivist tool kit, we were able to learn how to properly house the broken glass plate negatives so others could one day use them, and avoid more damage. The evenings in D.C were also filled with visits to Muesuems, but monuments as well.

I was extremely lucky to have been able to participate in this program twice and meet so many wonderfull people and make important new connections, It would be amazing if you could contribute and help other students do the same!