Rolande Duprey

At the outset, I wanted to find an internship doing something within corporate records management. I felt that I needed to know more about this aspect of archival work, and started ?shopping? for an internship with a corporation in Connecticut, near where I live. Unfortunately, nothing turned up.

I decided to apply for an internship with the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut.? The University Archivist, Betsy Pittman, is also the Records Management Liaison Officer. In addition, UConn is going through some big changes. Offices and departments are closing or moving. Records need to be taken care of.

Like most archivists, Ms. Pittman is very busy. Training the UConn staff to read the records schedules and fill in the forms takes time. I was able to help by creating online tutorials that did this job for her.

First, I created diagrams that traced the decisions staff made regarding records. These diagrams were based on the state?s records retention schedules as well as the basic criteria behind records management, such as keeping the ?copy of record?. The diagrams were delivered as PDFs.

Having had some experience in videography, I was able to extend my knowledge by learning Jing, Snaggit, and Camtasia. In creating the storyboards for the online tutorial videos, I realized I needed more than screencasting techniques. I needed to video some real life pieces. Because I would be pulling from a variety of sources in creating the videos, the audio track needed to be developed differently.

For the first ? and most challenging ? video, I did a ?rough cut? and recorded Ms. Pittman narrating to the video. We did a couple of passes and I was able to splice the best pieces together. The content of the other tutorials was much simpler, and I did audio myself.

I also created PDFs that complimented the videos. People whose learning styles are more reading/writing could use the PDFs, while those that are more audio/visual could watch the videos. The videos, PDFs, and the diagrams that help navigate the general schedules can be found at: http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/asc/rm/tutorials.htm.

I was lucky in finding this work that benefitted both the institution and my ambitions. Surprisingly, it dovetailed with my abilities as it helped to extend my skills. In creating the tutorials I solidified my knowledge of the laws and mandates in ways that classwork does not. As with any tutorial project, it deepens and broadens your knowledge of the topic.

I did not fully understand the nature of this ?capstone? internship when I first began searching for an institution in which to do one. I feel that this ?capstone? has ?vaulted? me into using many of the skills soaked up in classes these past two years. I will always be grateful for this. Ms. Pittman gave me the opportunity to develop skills and display my expertise. Her generosity in this single action cannot be exaggerated.