My name is Kevin Mercier and I am a sophomore aspiring historian at the University of Central Florida. I am currently pursuing a major in my main interest of history as well as a minor in theatre and a certificate in German studies. I have long had an interest in the past, especially American and Central European history in the 18th century. I have become very fascinated by public history through my studies, and plan to pursue a career in that field. My interest in Central European history has led me to study German, though I am still extremely early in my fluency journey.
This spring semester, I am lucky to have an internship with Dr. Rosalind Beiler’s “People, Religion, Information Networks, and Travel” (PRINT) Project. Working on this collaborative project mapping and cataloguing connections of European religious minorities using letters from the 17th and 18th centuries will allow me to practice and gain skills and valuable experience.
Working on a project such as this will allow me to practice many skills I have learned in the classroom. I will have to use the meticulous citation methods I have learned as well as other standards that are taught to me by my superiors while cataloguing sources. To interpret certain documents, I may also have to conduct outside research for additional context as I have done in all my history classes. For compiling metadata, I will have to use the historical reading and reasoning skills I have gained to synthesize and condense content into a way where it is useful. Metadata cannot simply be buzzwords but must relate to the actual content and meaning of a source so that it can be useful.
There will also be specific valuable skills I will gain from this project that as of now are completely foreign to me. I am going to become proficient in Endnote and Linked Open Data through my work on this project. I will also learn transcription skills in both English and German. I have almost no experience with transcription, so will have to learn the meticulous method and strategies the project workers use to make letters easily readable. The team I will be working on is focused on German Pietists, so I will almost certainly become much better at German through my readings and transcriptions.
Along with history specific skills, I will also be able to gain professional and life experience. Through balancing my school with the internship, I hope to become better at time management. I also hope to learn collaborative strategies for future projects I may work on through my work with colleagues. Lastly, this internship will look great on my CV and resume as it will show how I have applied my interests and historical skills to a specific project.
This internship is sure to be a valuable step on my professional journey, and I look forward to reflecting on my work through this weekly blog!