We are able to balance the restrictions on our professional staff
time by liberal use of graduate students from the Public History
program on campus. They bring to the work an awareness of the
historical and cultural significance of the collections, a desire to gain
skills that are highly relevant to their discipline and a facility with the
technology involved. Because many of these students will enter
careers in history museums or archives they also make ideal liaisons
to local historical agencies. Our graduate students have been
supported primarily by small grants received in support of specific
collections, as discussed below. We have supplemented this labor
force with an undergraduate scholarship student from the Electronic
Media Department, at no cost to the Library, and by utilizing students
employed at the Microtext service desk for projects that can be done
when they are not busy with patrons.