1) My first initial impressions about working in the University Archives were not too great. I wasn’t sure about what this would exactly entail or how grueling this project would be. However, after we did the tour at the library, I actually got excited about doing this project because it allows us to research what we want and plus, we’re in charge of how to accomplish this research. I do expect, however, that this archival project will require me to put in a lot of work and that once I really dive in it, I may end up finding things which will alter the direction of my project. This is one thing I know I’ll have to deal with because I like starting off knowing what I want but with projects like these, you never know what surprising information may pop up which can change the plan of the overall project. Overall, I know it’ll be an interesting experience even with all the work i”ll have to put in.
2) My first topic is on the “Berkey Creamery.” I really want to learn why and how it became such a popular touristic destination at Penn State. I know that it is the largest university creamery which means that the building itself has expanded over a couple of years. However was the location of the creamery ever changed? Has it always been located where the food science building is? And if so, is this because of strategic reasons? If you notice, the creamery is close to the Beaver Stadium and one of the largest dorm areas(East halls)—this would bring a lot of money especially during football seasons or when it’s warm on campus.
My second topic has to do with the history of the “Medical Global Brigades” Penn State chapter. “Global Brigades,” overall, is the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. Penn State offers seven brigades group(e.g. medical, water, human rights,,etc) and I would like to find out what makes this newly created chapter stand out among other service oriented organizations on campus. This second idea is a little more vague than the first one and it can be interesting…but I’m not sure what to really look for with this idea.