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This past summer, I had the pleasure of working as a Lynk-funded archival assistant at the ���챬�� . For many years, I have been passionate about working in archives, and I was enthused about being able to work with a history so close to my heart: the history of the College!

At my tiny desk in the Archives, I felt like a grizzled detective about to crack a case. I had all the clues: a personnel folder, a departmental record and, if I was lucky, a headshot. To uncover the story hidden in these clues was up to me. Archival work and detective work are far more similar than I ever anticipated. You need to pull the threads of information that weave through history and find hidden clues.

My work primarily involved curating a case for the exhibit, “.”

I focused on pre–World War II histories, examining early individuals and the circumstances that shaped the international student experience. While this may not be the norm with other archival projects, I was given the topic of the exhibit at the beginning of the summer and conducted intensive research with a predetermined goal of curating the exhibit.

My incredible supervisors and coworkers often worked both physically and metaphorically in parallel to me, swapping helpful leads or tracing students' lives as they intersected with our individual projects. My day-to-day was largely self-managed research, either utilizing our imposing stack of physical records or searching our online databases for scanned copies. Information often felt like it was on a boom-and-bust cycle, where some days I would find hundreds of photographs of precisely what I was looking for; or, more often, I would see nothing more than a name. That’s the reality of historiographical work: You must confront how much of the past we just don’t have. As a result, it often felt like the case had run cold. (Pro tip: If you are looking for a way to positively impact future Mount Holyokers, donate your college scrapbook to the Archives. Future student researchers thank you in advance.)

I was unwavering (if occasionally frustrated) because I had an incredible network of support (both professionally and personally). So, I came home each day, enthused by the piece of the past I had untangled that afternoon. I was amazed by the collective action of students and administrators during turbulent times. The varied histories of international students at Mount Holyoke took shape through solidarity, alienation and turbulence. I believe Barbara Passe ’41, a refugee student from Germany, characterized this eloquently:

“For someone who had come from a Europe preparing for war, who had been deprived of physical and spiritual [sic], who had known persecution, fear and unhappiness, Mount Holyoke seemed like a world of unreality, remote from the actual struggle and conflict of the day. Later, I learned that this was not true; the very fact of my being there proved the contrary. But I believe that this feeling was the primary barrier between me and the College.”

During the summer, I also had the incredible privilege to tour various archives throughout the Pioneer Valley. It was incredibly illuminating to see the minutiae of museum/archival work, especially when grounding our work to appeal to different audiences. And I even discovered a rare manuscript from my favorite author, Arthur Conan Doyle, in the College Archives! As a Holmesian scholar, I could not have asked for a more exciting discovery.

While archival and detective work may seem dissonant, this summer taught me that archival work is a continuous storytelling effort. We have characters and clues, but it is our job to convey an authentic narrative. I could see myself continuing to work on similar puzzles well into the future. The work of uncovering the truths of the past is never over, and this case can’t be solved. But it is an honor to be part of telling the story.