The three library/Leahy collection interns from left to right: Kathleen Messier, Melanie Mason, Katie DiPalma
Earlier this summer, four interns joined the archivists responsible for cataloging Senator Patrick Leahy’s collection of documents, papers, posters, recordings and more from his 48 years in office. The acquisition of Leahy’s collection in 2023 kickstarted a five-year project funded by a $2.5 million Preservation Partnership Grant from the United States Senate Historical Office. The goal: to prepare the Leahy collection for public access and make it accessible for research.
In a large secure room on the lower level of Howe Library, interns spent the summer organizing and reorganizing some of these materials. Each day, they performed preservation measures which included buffering news clippings and photocopying documents printed on unstable fax paper; they inventoried in a spreadsheet multimedia including VHS and cassettes; and they generally kept the collection safe and undamaged, said Katie DiPalma, a senior from Natick, Massachusetts majoring in psychology and history.
Taking inventory of the collection nearly every day led to some favorite finds that taught the students more about Leahy. “I love seeing the campaign bumper stickers, since they are something I like to collect myself. I always wish I could keep them,” said Melanie Mason, a junior from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts majoring in history and political science. Mason also loved to see Leahy’s written exchanges with Vermont constituents. “It’s easy to think of history as this big idea but the correspondence allow us to read about the different thoughts of random, everyday people,” she said.
DiPalma agreed: “I like to see the letters from the people of Vermont, especially the ones from the people who have been helped by his office. There are a lot of thank-you letters but also a lot of angry ones.”
Kathleen Messier, a graduate student at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, worked on a print communications series including speeches, statements, and mailings. Messier has been the archivist for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington for nine years. After discovering the internship through a listserv, she was interested in working with a new kind of collection to enhance her archival experience.
The archivists working on the Leahy collection are from left to right: Sally Blanchard O'Brien, Erica Donnis, Shir Bach
Leading the team of interns was the group of archivists hired on a five-year term to manage the collection. Sally Blanchard-O’Brien, Erica Donnis, and Shir Bach provided guidance and mentorship to the interns. “They’ve been great about giving us very clear directions on how to move forward in nearly any scenario that might come up,” said DiPalma.
Mason shared the inspiration she felt in seeing how passionate the archivists were about their work. “I feel empowered to take on the role because of them. I took this internship on without knowing anything about archiving. They’ve taught me so much,” she added.
The appreciation for the good work was reciprocated, too. Blanchard-O’Brien shared, “I’ve been so impressed with the interns, not only with their stellar work on the project, but also with their ambitious coursework and personal projects. We, and the UVM community, are lucky to have such hardworking and passionate students.”
Donnis added, “We're so pleased to be able to offer paid internships throughout our five-year grant project. It's a win-win situation: our interns are getting real-world experiential learning opportunities while performing critical work on the collection for us.”
Messier shared her appreciation for the archivists as role models in the information services. “Everyone’s goal in that field is to grant access and empower.”
Looking to the future, all three interns agreed that working with the UVM Libraries this summer has shaped future plans. Clementine Finn, a rising junior studying English and studio art, took the internship to try out library work in hopes of attending graduate school for a master’s in library science after UVM.
DiPalma became more interested in working with archives or in a special collections environment. She appreciated the opportunity to learn more about a career in the history field that is outside of a traditional classroom. Mason decided to lean toward more research and writing in the future.
Messier acknowledged that getting experience first and her schooling later was a unique approach. "I started at the diocese nine years ago after someone told me I was organized,” she said. “As a graduate student, I am now preparing my job to be validated by a master's degree, something nearly every archivist is required to have.”
As the interns closed out their summer, they expressed their excitement to come back to visit UVM Libraries in years to come to hear about Leahy’s collection. “Even though we are only on year two of a five-year archival project,” Mason said, “it’s nice to know that my work will be a part of UVM’s Special Collections forever.”
Campaign posters are among the items in the collection of items from Patrick Leahy's political career, and an example of the items being cataloged by archivists and interns. Pictured above: A photograph of a Patrick Leahy campaign poster from 1974. The poster was displayed at an event hosted by the UVM Foundation last April. Photo credit: Rowan Elleman