Student Spotlight: Grace Midha, Special Collections Circulation Assistant

The Special Collections Research Center blog series "Student Spotlight" features student employees who contribute to the work of the SCRC. Guest author Grace Midha, class of 2024, is a NC State undergraduate student earning a degree in English Literature and Political Science. Grace has worked as a Circulation Assistant for the Special Collections Research Center since July 2023. 

Please describe in a sentence or two the work that you do in the Special Collections Research Center.

As a Circulation Assistant in Special Collections, my responsibilities include retrieving and reshelving archival materials, packing up materials for transit, assisting with research projects, and processing archival collections.

What has been most interesting to you about your work?  What new things have you learned? Have you made any surprising discoveries?

I have always been fascinated with old magazines, postcards, yearbooks, books, and letters and have been collecting them over the years! One of my favorite things about working at the SCRC has been coming across hidden treasures from the past. These help give me a better understanding as to what life might have been like for people who lived in different times than me and whose lives were very different from my own. I particularly enjoy coming across university history! I once saw a map of campus from the sixties and It was crazy to me to see how much things have changed from then to now. 

If you met someone who was unfamiliar with archives and special collections, what would you want them to know? What should new researchers know about the work you do?

I would want them to know that archives are meant to be accessed and shared! You don’t have to be doing research to explore archives. One thing I love to do is look through NC State’s digital collections— especially digitized editions of the Technician and the Historical State Timelines. (I am currently doing research for the Department of Performing Arts and Technology timeline by looking into the history of NC State’s Dance Program.) When I tell people on campus that I work with the SCRC so many of them are unaware that it exists. This makes me sad because the SCRC has so many great resources and interesting materials to look through. I would encourage everyone to engage with archives even if it's just to see what they can learn and discover!  

What are you studying, and what do you hope to do in your future career?  Has your work in the SCRC changed how you look at your studies or your future career plans in any way?

I am studying English literature and Political Science! I am currently applying to graduate school and am hoping to pursue a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science after I graduate this spring. My work in the SCRC has definitely confirmed my interest in archival work and my decision to apply to graduate school in hopes of pursuing a degree in Library Science. Although this is an option that was always in the back of my mind, it was only after I started working with the SCRC and seeing what archivists do on a daily basis that I became sure it is something that I am interested in pursuing.