Posted 2:01 p.m. Thursday, May 6, 2021
Meet Digital Collections Student Worker Avery Lettenberger
Digital Collections would not be able to get by without the help of awesome student workers. One student worker who has put in a great deal of work scanning materials for the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC) collection, even in the midst of the pandemic, is Avery Lettenberger. Keep reading to learn more about him!
What's your major and year?
I am a senior studying aquatic biology.
How long have you been working on the UMRCC material?
I started late October in 2019.
What research interests do you have?
I have two different research projects going on at the moment. One is for undergrad research here involving Slimy Sculpin and how varying substrates in cold water streams impacts their energy use. So, on the science side I enjoy researching fish ecology and behavior. On the more historical side, I have started collecting and digitizing maps for the Brice Prairie Conservation Association. Learning about the changes in land use history from these has been quite interesting as well.
What potential benefits do you see for other researchers and yourself in making the UMRCC materials available online?
I think it's simply just beneficial to have it be able to be found digitally instead of sitting on a shelf and not ever get looked at in many years (some were obviously not opened for a long time, and that could be judged by a dust induced sneeze attack). I personally stumbled across a paper that gave me some ideas for my undergraduate research, so I definitely know there is a lot of material that many others can use.
What has been your favorite part about working with the UMRCC materials?
Since this is all material that has influenced the field I hope to go into, it’s really cool to see how things have progressed through the many decades the collection covers.
Any other thoughts to add?
I think that this has been a great opportunity, and I’ve developed new skills. In the past couple years, this project really made me appreciate the historical preservation that our libraries take on and am glad to be a part of that.