I don't like "goodbye". It doesn't sit well with me. I prefer the terms like "farewell" or "tschüss", German for "see you later", because they imply continuity, whereas "goodbye" seems terminal. Tomorrow, August 31, 2011, I will say farewell to the Congregational Library, when my tenure as Archives Assistant ends. This is not the end. This marks new beginnings for me and for the Congregational Library. This 1893 photograph of Pilgrim Congregational Church, Dorchester, Boston, Mass., serves as a fitting reminder. The photograph shows a throng gathered in the rain to watch the laying of the cornerstone for the new church structure.

I have worked at the Congregational Library since May 2010, after holding an internship at the library the previous fall. My accomplishments at the Congregational Library were greatly affected by my other jobs and my education at Simmons College, where I earned a M.A. in History and a M.S. in Archival Science, much as my roles at the Congregational Library will affect future jobs. I started at the Congregational Library by creating a framework for the library to continue cataloging the artifact and realia collections, such as objects collected by S. Brainerd Pratt. I have also worked on processing archival records. To aid future processors working on manuscript and archival collections, I created ways for staff to use Describing Archives: A Content Standard, an archival descriptive standard, at the library.
I have cataloged and digitized scores of images from the Image Collection, of which many are Congregational churches and Congregational clergy. Cataloging and digitizing images, by far, was how I spent most of my time. There are currently more than 1,300 Image Collection records in the online database, of which many were cataloged by my predecessors. There are new access mechanisms for finding and viewing these images. More than 150 images are on the Congregational Library Flickr page. The Congregational Library also has 55 records in the Digital Commonwealth system.
I am extremely lucky to have worked at the Congregational Library because my colleagues are warm professionals. What has made this job worthwhile is seeing how much you care for the topics that you are researching. I take pride in knowing that I have been able to work with you all to preserve and perpetuate the memory of Congregationalism, or the other topics in which you are interested. Please continue your work by following this blog, making use of the Records Management brochures, and by contacting the library with your questions. Sari Mauro will join the staff of the Congregational Library. I now say “tschüss” because I know that Sari will be a great asset to you and to the library.
--Abraham
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