New Crew on Deck!

It’s been quite some time since our Special Collections has created a post and today is the day we decided to change that fact.

We have a new crew of interns on deck for the Fall 2024 semester. In the remainder of the blog post, we will profile each intern and include some of their own words about how they found their way into UNC Asheville’s Ramsey Library’s Special Collections.

First up is our Bill and Alice Hart Fall 2024 Scholarship intern, James Mimken:

James is an English Literature major who plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Library Science. His parents are both teachers, so he grew up spending much of his time in libraries. His father worked in the Spruce Pine School System, so James hails from Mitchell County. James was interested in applying for the Bill and Alice Hart Scholarship partially due to the resources in the collection which relate to the environmental effects of mining in Mitchell County. He hopes to gain a better understanding of this subject by working with the Hart Collection, along with obtaining hands-on experience in archival work and preservation. James is currently working with a new acquisition involving one of Asheville’s most well-known literary figures and which will be unveiled next month. James is hoping to make a positive impact during his time in Special Collections and pay that positivity forward to future library and archives researchers.

I hate the thought of any information being lost, so the act of preservation is important to me- James Mimken

We expect you will make a great impact, James, and we are happy to have you working with us!

Next up, we have our Center for Jewish Studies intern, Richard Bollinger:

Richard is a Psychology major who has previously studied Networking Technology. He is from the East Asheville area, another Western North Carolina native. Richard interns at the Center for Jewish Studies at UNC Asheville and his internship with Special Collections is specifically focused on Jewish collections. He is currently working on processing the Lipinsky Collection, records which document the life of Dr. E. Frank Edwinn and his wife, Jo-Ann Lipinsky Edwinn. Richard is looking forward to continuing to work with this collection, in order to present a more comprehensive history of this area and it’s connections with global art and culture.

If the work I do helps people better appreciate the legacy of art, faith, and service they have left behind, then I consider my time in the Special Collections & University Archives well-spent- Richard Bollinger 

We expect that your time in the Archives will be very well-spent, Richard, and we are glad to have you working with us!

Finally, we have a returning intern to our ranks this Fall, in the form of Ambrose Satterwhite:

Ambrose found their way to UNC Asheville because of the strong liberal arts curriculum, the unique campus, and the offering of Ancient Mediterranean Studies (Classics) and Religious Studies, of which they are double majoring in currently. They plan to attend graduate school for a degree in Information Sciences upon graduating from UNC Asheville, although they are still contemplating becoming an archivist or librarian as well. Ambrose discovered the Archives through their first-year honors seminar class last year, in which their class focused on using primary source materials from the Archives to research the Appalachian Trail and the French Broad River. Ambrose completed their first internship in the Archives in Spring 2024 and they decided to return for another round of the “archival kool-aid” this Fall. Ambrose is currently working their way through processing the Asheville Citizen-Times Photograph Collection- a colossal collection of photos documenting the Asheville area from the late 1800s through the first part of the 21st century. A self-professed fantasy enthusiast, their favorite book series is The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

What I ultimately hope to gain from working here is not just limited to experience in my desired field, but also a deeper understanding of the Asheville area and what it means to be the steward of these pieces of North Carolina history- Ambrose Satterwhite

Ambrose, we’ve no doubt that whatever you choose to do, you will excel! We are so glad you chose to do another year interning with us!

Here’s to new learning opportunities in the archives for our undergraduate students for the Fall of 2024! Cheers to the new crew on deck!