Hi all!

I'm brand new and thought I'd introduce myself and offer my expertise. I'm a mom with two young kids who are probably gorging on candy as I type this. Did I mention that my husband is a full time stay-at-home parent? And today is the day after Halloween?

I have a Master's in Library Science with a Specialization in Archives Management. I've worked on collections housed at the Library of Congress, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I was also the Image Researcher at American Girl for about 6 years.

If you have any questions about how to preserve photos, letters, artwork, rare books, wedding gowns, quilts, etc. etc. etc. please drop me a line. In most cases I can answer the question off the top of my head, and I never charge for these kinds of queries. I publish a free montly eZine called "Ask the Archivist" so (with your permission, of course) your question might even end up in print!

Warmly,
Sally

Hi Sally. What an interesting background you have. Welcome to BWS.

Hi Sally!

Welcome to the forum! Your job sounds so interesting!

There is alot of wonderful women that post to this website.

I learn something new everyday.

Please enjoy!

Teresa

Welcome, how old are your kiddies?

We have dear friends who live in Madison. Great city for families!

How nice is must be to have a full-time stay at home dad. What is the ages of your children.

Your job sounds so intersting, imagine you run across something new all the time.

Nice to meet you, know you will feel right at home here.

Welcome! Have you ever worked with family trees?

Welcome Sally,
I am new here also. Just jump right in the water is fine.
Nice to meet you.

A hearty and warm welcome Sally. Wow, just when you think you've heard about all kinds of professions, a new one pops up...interesting!

Hi Sally, thanks for joining us and offering your expertise. You'll like it here.

Welcome Sally......like the other gals said, I find your background and your work VERY interesting! It must be very rewarding to "preserve history" - whether it's personal or more "global", it's making sure that something is available to see, feel, read, enjoyed by future generations. How cool is that?!

Hope you enjoy getting to know everyone here - it's a really wonderful group of women with a lot to offer....

Hey Sally,

Believe it or not I have a girlfriend who does similiar work. She worked in Boston for decades and is now employed with the Smithsonian.

She travels and does workshops and advises other museums how to preserve.

She "dies" when she sees how I keep my valuables. It is good knowledge to have.

Welcome to the forums.

Lynn

Welcome Sally.

Welcome Sally! I know you will enjoy it here!

All,

Thank you for making me feel so welcome! I feel so fortunate to have found this cyberhome. If only the entire world could be run this way, eh?

My kids are 4 and 2. Watching them grow up has been such an amazing experience already. Not that it's easy...as many of you know.

My friend Jane (now an empty nester) had this sage advice, which I turn to when things get really tough: "The days may be long but the years fly by so fast."

And, yes -- we are all very lucky that my husband Joe is a stay-at-home parent. He is a treasure. Neither of us would consider living anywhere but Madison.

Last night I was at an event where everyone introduced themselves to the group. I heard similar comments about how neat my work is, and you know what? IT'S TRUE! I have the greatest job in the world!

Here's my unsolicited Public Service Announcement for the coming holiday season:

This year, why not grab some of your bags, boxes and albums of family photos and enjoy them together? You can reminisce and have fun. Heck, you might get some new infomration which will help you to label those mystery photos. I guarantee that if you do this the stories will start flowing. One of my favorite tricks is to set up a digital video camera on a tripod and just let it roll.

OK. Gotta run. But thanks again for the warm welcome!

Fondly,

-Sally

Sally, when my MIL was alive, one of our favorite things to do at her home was go through old pictures. The kids loved seeing the pictures of Dad as a kid. Now they are all in our attic. I need a year to go through all of them!

Tell us mroe about American Girl. My daughter loved those dolls and books. ANother collection that's in the attic!

My grandson, 3 years, loves to look at pictures. About 1 year ago we found a picture of his dad when he was 16 and covered head to toe in mud (helping people out of the muddy parking lot after an airshow). He picked it up and just stared at it for a few seconds and finally he said, "Daddy needs a bath." He finally set it down and later that day he was looking for the picture and he said "Where's my dirty daddy picture?" LOL LOL My grandson is a real neat-freak, and I think he was disturbed by the mud. he-he. I love being a grandma!

Oh, yea, I laminated that picture, gave it to him and he keeps it in his little backpack.

Daisygirl

Daisy, sweet story.

Sally J. welcome to the site. Your profession sounds interesting. Gone to check out your E zine.
chick