{"id":7414,"date":"2018-04-11T10:58:48","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T14:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7414"},"modified":"2018-04-11T10:58:48","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T14:58:48","slug":"mahogani-harper-my-experience-as-a-student-assistant-at-special-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7414","title":{"rendered":"Mahogani Harper: My Experience as a Student Assistant at Special Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Music, Theatre, and Spoken Word Sound Recordings, Collection #C0130, Box 3, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n

Working at the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) as a student assistant has been a unique and enjoyable experience. I\u2019ve met people from many groups and departments at Mason while working at the front desk, and have encountered books that were older than my great grandmother while working in the stacks. My position as student assistant was extremely simple and yet has still provided me with many, many valuable skills.<\/p>\n

While at SCRC, I completed basic receptionist tasks while also retrieving all varieties of materials for\u00a0 researchers, which I\u2019d say was the primary basis of my position as a student assistant. Outside of receptionist tasks, I regularly helped draft text and take pictures for social media posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as well as writing a few piece for this blog. As a communication major, making these posts really helped me build up essential skills for working with social media in a professional setting. I completed other tasks as requested by my supervisor, but researchers were always the priority when they were present. The other tasks I completed included some preservation, such as covering book jackets with Mylar, shelving both new and old materials, preparing books for cataloging, and occasionally photocopying for researchers. There was a bit of learning curve for a few of the tasks, but just like with learning anything new, practice makes perfect.<\/p>\n

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Japanese invasion of Manchuria photograph collection, Collection #C0200, Box 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n

Prior to working here, my expectation was that the materials I would retrieve for patrons and researchers would primarily, and possibly only, be rare books \u2013 I was extremely wrong. I have shelved and retrieved many manuscript collections and<\/em> rare books during my time here and yet it feels as if I\u2019ve only seen the tip of the ice berg in the amount of material SCRC has to offer here at Mason. The collections I have found to be the most interesting additions to SCRC have been the \u2018Guide to the Music, Theatre, and Spoken Word Sound Recordings collection 1949-1986<\/a>\u2019 and the \u2018Guide to the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria photograph collection, 1923-1933<\/a>.\u2019 I really enjoyed these collections because they were about subjects that truly interested me and included materials that I did not expect SCRC to have (i.e. photographs, LP phonographs). Even with the collections I have grown to enjoy, I still feel there are even more unique and interesting undiscovered materials currently at SCRC.<\/p>\n

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Music, Theatre, and Spoken Word Sound Recordings, Collection #C0130, Box1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Japanese invasion of Manchuria photograph collection, Collection #C0200, Box 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Being a student assistant at the Special Collections Research Center was actually my first ever on-campus job, and honestly I wouldn\u2019t have wanted it to be anywhere else. The SCRC is a hidden gem in the Fenwick Library and it\u2019s definitely an experience that I will treasure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working at the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) as a student assistant has been a unique and enjoyable experience. I\u2019ve met people from many groups and departments at Mason while working at the front desk, and have encountered books that were older than my great grandmother while working in the stacks. My position as student […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[272,198,5],"tags":[602,97,219,57,572,504],"class_list":["post-7414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gmu-fairfax-campus","category-photography-collections","category-scrc-interest","tag-employment","tag-gmu","tag-mason","tag-photography","tag-scrc","tag-students"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/C0130B3-1-of-2.jpg?fit=3333%2C2920&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1VA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9427,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9427","url_meta":{"origin":7414,"position":0},"title":"The Franklin Library Collection at Special Collections Research Center","author":"admin","date":"February 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0This post was written by Colleen Gerrity, Research Services Assistant in SCRC. Special Collections Research Center at George Mason University is the home to a plethora of classic literature and unique literary treasures. Sometimes, the literary classics are made to be unique treasures due to their exquisite design and rarity.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/stacks-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9226,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9226","url_meta":{"origin":7414,"position":1},"title":"One Final Appraisal","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"June 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She recently earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/grad.png?fit=1015%2C459&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/grad.png?fit=1015%2C459&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/grad.png?fit=1015%2C459&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/grad.png?fit=1015%2C459&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7559,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7559","url_meta":{"origin":7414,"position":2},"title":"Student Reflections – Jimmy Luong","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Jimmy Luong, Processing Student Assistant. Hello, I am a freshman at George Mason University working on my degree as a government major with potentially a focus on international security. I first found out about the Special Collections Research Center when touring the Fenwick Library and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/20180507_125706.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/20180507_125706.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/20180507_125706.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/20180507_125706.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/20180507_125706.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7108,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7108","url_meta":{"origin":7414,"position":3},"title":"Intern With SCRC in Spring 2018!","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"December 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Special Collections Research Center is offering three internships for the Spring 2018 semester in Digitization, Exhibits, and Transcription for GMU and non-GMU students alike. If you'd like practical experience in special collections, archives, and\/or digitization, one of these internships may be ideal for you or someone you know. Details on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Collections"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Collections","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=557"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_0868-e1512399764673.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_0868-e1512399764673.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_0868-e1512399764673.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_0868-e1512399764673.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5515,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5515","url_meta":{"origin":7414,"position":4},"title":"War Photography in “From Tintypes to .TIFFs” Exhibit","author":"admin","date":"March 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In addition to its timeline of photographic processes, the Special Collection Research Center (SCRC)\u2019s \u201cFrom Tintypes to .TIFFs: Life through the Lens\u201d exhibit explores particularly interesting photographic collections in our holdings. Photographs from one of the collections highlighted, the Military Assistance Group, Vietnam (MACV) Team 58 collection by 1st Lieutenant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digitization"","block_context":{"text":"Digitization","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=558"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/C0196B01P39_004.png?fit=1200%2C927&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/C0196B01P39_004.png?fit=1200%2C927&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/C0196B01P39_004.png?fit=1200%2C927&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/C0196B01P39_004.png?fit=1200%2C927&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/C0196B01P39_004.png?fit=1200%2C927&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10891,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10891","url_meta":{"origin":7414,"position":5},"title":"New Finding Aid – Vergil Dykstra slide collection","author":"Meghan Glasbrenner","date":"April 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 When you have a new collection that contains over 760 individual photographic slides you have to dedicate a full new findings aids blog to it! 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