The Claremont Center for Engagement with Primary Sources (CCEPS) program promotes connections between students, primary sources, and research activity through directed, hands-on experience with original special collections by providing professional archival training to graduate and undergraduate students at The Claremont Colleges. Fellows write weekly entries for the “Out of the Box” blog to share their experiences and discoveries. Here are some comments from CCEPS Fellows for this year:
“This fellowship has been an eye opening experience and I have gained vital archival knowledge which will come in handy in the future.” – Natalie Rocha, Claremont Graduate University, working on the Roland Jackson Papers, Summer 2017.
“I have a great sense of accomplishment, and my experience with the CCEPS fellowship taught me many valuable skills I can take with me into the future, but it also allowed me the opportunity to informally meet the wonderful ladies of the Woman’s Club of Claremont.” – Therasa Topete, Claremont Graduate University, working on the Woman’s Club of Claremont Records, Fall 2017/Spring 2018.
“As an aspiring historian, when I first saw primary sources such as the collection, I was inclined to invent stories for the items. However, I gradually learned that as an archivist, I had to assume the innocence of the items, and let future researchers give them meanings. This ‘post-modern’ mentality had been refreshing in the sense that metanarratives were forbidden and fragments were celebrated.” – Marcus Liu, Pomona College, working on the Norman and Anne Yao Family Papers, Spring 2018.
“The survey honestly has been taking longer than expected because I cannot help but stop and read every letter. Eliot’s letters at times deeply move me and at other times make me laugh out loud as if he and I share an inside joke.” – Zoey Ryu, Claremont McKenna College, working on the Ruth George Collection of T.S. Eliot, Spring 2018.