Lauren Weingart ('12) at the Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library

After my May 2012 graduation, I was itching to explore a career interest in library science. I was extremely fortunate to be hired by the Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library as a Digital Projects Processor, a grant-funded position in which I learned much of the digitization process. Working with local World War II-era materials, I did everything from scanning, to cataloging, to research, and many steps in between. The position has allowed me to learn valuable skills and given me an insider’s view of some of the daily operations at the center of Evansville’s Five-Star library system. It has been a wonderful learning experience, and I have enjoyed every step of this project. I gain a great deal of satisfaction from the knowledge that I have assisted the library in making its materials more accessible to the public and easier to use for researchers.

Lauren at the scanner.

During my time at the library, I have digitized thousands of World War II-era photographs, newsletters, and posters. I have also had the opportunity to research Evansville’s war industries, and in April I will be speaking about the experiences of Evansville’s African-American community during the World War II. Those interested in perusing the Evansville in World War II Digital Archive can find the collection here. History enthusiasts who will be in the Evansville area in March and April are invited to attend Central Library’s WWII Speaker Series, lectures organized to celebrate the Evansville in World War II Digital Archive going online. The line-up can be found here. I hope that the faculty, alumni, and students of the Department of Archaeology and Art History will consider attending these lectures. I will be presenting my research, “’This is Our War’: Evansville’s African-American Community and the Second World War” on April 23. Other upcoming speakers include local history author Harold Morgan and USI’s Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Jennifer Greene. I hope to see some familiar faces in the crowd!

One of the images in the collection.