Emma Eubank joined the Medical Center Archives as an Intern in August 2023. Emma left in March of this year to begin her career in libraries and archives. Before she left, we asked her a few questions about herself, her time at the Archives, and her career goals. Her answers are below. 
School, degree, and expected graduation date?
UNC at Chapel Hill SILS program; MSLS with Archives and Records Management concentration with the expected graduation date of August 2025
What did you do during your internship?
The Duke University Medical Center Archives (DUMCA) offers graduate interns the opportunity to do a little of everything. During my two years with DUMCA, I processed diverse accessions to the collections; developed processing workflows for born-digital and digital surrogate files; handled content restricted by HIPAA and personnel privacy policies; helped plan and install exhibits in the Medical Center Library; assisted in transfer meetings; and learned how to use the records management system AXAEM.
What did you learn during your internship, and how do you think it will impact your future positions in Archives?
During my two years with DUMCA, I participated in every step of processing an archival accession, from acquisition to description. The skills relevant to that workflow (handling diverse material types; creating an inventory; integrating materials into an existing collection/a previous organizational method; maintaining original order; collaboratively designing a workflow; creating a description standard; recording processing actions; etc) are foundational skills for any job in archival preservation and access. Also, sharing a space with DUMCA’s processing contractor, Adonna Thompson, gave me the opportunity to observe these skills applied to a large collection of active interest to a community.
Tell us about your new job.
I will be working as a full-time contractor with LAC Federal for the Library of Congress, in their Collections Management department. I will be creating and reviewing the MARC records of newly-acquired books and serials. This contract is part of a larger LoC initiative called the Inspection of Production Lots Program; this decades-long project maintains the quality of MARC records to minimize the loss of LoC items as they move items from the LoC stacks to off-site storage around the city. I will be working in a team of 10 contracted individuals and handling all types of materials collected by the LoC.
What are you looking forward to once your start your new position?
Because the bulk of my work experience is with archival materials, I am looking forward to learning more about a different function of the library. Although I may return to archival work later in my career, I am excited to witness how the largest library in the world manages its quantity of items. I am also excited to be living in DC and thus be near the many public and private libraries in the city.
What are your career goals?
My work with archival materials and library collections has revolved around project management. Whichever content I choose to pursue, I hope to serve in roles in which I manage the description and housing of materials in ways that will be useful for other staff and future patrons. I hope to stay in the DC area, whether that means staying with a federal repository or moving to another type (academic or private).
Any final comments?
Although I am very excited to start this chapter of my life, I am sad to be leaving DUMCA and the Triangle area. Working with you all over the past two years has provided me with the environment to grow professionally and be ready to take on my first full-time position. I hope everyone has a great summer!