Photo by Jessica Maloney,
UNH Human Resources

For some, the thought of the University Archives might conjure romantic images of dusty shelves overflowing with moldering, ancient manuscripts and priceless artifacts. Some might imagine the Archives to be the terrain of elite scholars devoting months, if not years, of their lives sequestered away, poring over materials in the muted, subterranean world of historical artifact.

As a University Archivist and Assistant Professor for the past four years, Elizabeth Slomba would be the first to tell you that romantic images of the Archives are far from accurate; that it is not a glamorous, or theatrical setting, and for good purpose. In fact, she'd likely tell you that the value of the Archives is in their ability to organize, preserve and make accessible a vast array of materials. Thus, the Archives are housed in the lower level of the Dimond Library, in a brightly lit, well organized space filled with carefully catalogued and preserved collections. The materials are kept in high-tech shelving units that make efficient use of the space by collapsing in when not in use. They can be expanded and accessed through the touch of a button. Elizabeth would also tell you that you'd be far more likely to see current UNH students with their UNH alumnus parent(s), poring over the yearbooks from their parent's era than to see the prototypically single-minded, reclusive scholar.

Technological advancements, such as the maintenance of electronic records and digital photography, which have made it easier for people to capture information, have assisted archivists in giving access to materials to a wider audience, and have also sped up the demand for services. As Elizabeth notes, these advancements have also made it possible for her department to provide services for remote users. In her role as Archivist, Elizabeth's main responsibilities include the "acquisition, description, preservation and reference for the institutional archives of UNH." The archive materials are a diverse aggregate that includes, amongst other things, photographs, memorabilia and documents. Elizabeth's job is to acquire materials, to screen through them for issues that may pose conservation problems, to describe them in detailed listings of collections, and to preserve them with appropriate storage. She also helps direct researchers to relevant materials.

Elizabeth's interest in archival work began when she took on a summer job while pursuing a Master's degree in Latin and Greek. She worked in a university library shelving rare books, and later, working on the preservation of manuscripts. Upon completion of her degree, she went on to pursue her Master of Library Science degree. Elizabeth tends toward the view that history need not be ancient to be interesting. What she finds interesting are collections, such as that of Student Affairs, that include a wide variety of sources and materials that allow a researcher to formulate a multi-dimensional perspective on what community life was like and how it has changed over time. Having previously worked in other academic institutions, Elizabeth has found that the sense of community here at UNH is what makes it a particularly enjoyable place to work. She states that what she finds most satisfying about her position is "sharing the history of UNH with the community."