Tuesday, September 10, 2013

A Brief Introduction

            My name is Erin Shipley and I am a second year MA student at Temple University studying history and concentrating in public history. As an undergrad at the University of Pittsburgh I majored in history and completed two internships in archives. The first internship, describing and digitizing photographs at the University of Pittsburgh Archives Center, convinced me that I wanted to pursue a career in the field of history.
            At my second internship, I worked with the education officer at the City of Westminster Archives Centre in London, England. It was here, working on a project to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Blitz, that I realized historic research—and all of the documents and objects filling the archives—should be shared with the public. I became excited about the field of public history and jumped at the chance to continue my education in history in a more creative way.

            During my first year in grad school at Temple, my coursework and internship at a local house museum allowed me to discover what I hope to do with my degree. My passion is in the research and, further, figuring out how to best tell a story through that research in an interesting and meaningful way. After I graduate, I hope to find a career where I am able to use my research skills to connect people to topics I believe are important and interesting.

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