“Concordia College Archives, this is Nate”. If you’ve ever called the Archives, this is usually what you hear. Well, that’s because I spend a lot of time in the Concordia College Archives. I’ve worked here since I was a sophomore, and have put in my fair share of hours labeling, doing data entry, helping folks get the resources they need, and more! If you e-mail the archives, you’ll probably get a response from me too! I’m currently a senior at Concordia with a major in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. I’m originally from Billings, Montana, and travel back very often. The Archives has been one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. Not only have I been able to refine various clerical skills but I’ve learned so much about Concordia College, its community, and our traditions. This has helped me to build strong relationships with professors, alumni, and people in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Like I said, I love my job. One of my first projects I was assigned was to reorder and restore the Archives vinyl collection. While doing this, I discovered a recording of the Concordia Concert Choir singing “Beautiful Savior” by F. Melius Christiansen that was recorded in 1939! The best thing about it was how pristine and beautiful that recording sounded and to see the tradition almost completely unchanged. As of late, I find myself accessioning the donations our patrons give to us. One of the more recent cool donations was that of a Khodynka Cup of Sorrows. This was a toasting mug given out to over a million Russians to commemorate the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896. It’s called the cup of sorrows because there was a rumor among the common folk that the cup had a gold coin in it. Due to the confusion many were trampled on that day. The cup bears the cyphers of Nicholas and Alexandra surrounded by a geometric pattern with the Romanov eagle on the opposite side. It was so cool to hold something in my hands that impacted so many people. Had it not been for archives like ours and others around the world, the preservation of things like this would simply not be possible. I am ever thankful for my colleagues and my boss, the Archivist, Lisa Sjoberg. Every day in the Archives is filled with laughter, learning, and love. I’m so grateful to be a part of something so important and greater than myself. Comments are closed.
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September 2018
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