*Post written by Matthew Darnell, student assistant of the University Archives and Special Collections.

I am Matthew Darnell. I am a History and German major. I have worked for the University of Southern Indiana University Archives and Special Collection for three years. My job in archives is to scan photos, record documents, and to assist our patrons. Before I began my job at the archives, like many people, I was unsure what the archives really is. At first, I believed archives was only used for school documents. After working here, I have seen archives has a wide range of resources: documents, photos, correspondences, and artifacts from Civil War to the Vietnam War. One of my favorite artifacts here is a German World War I helmet.

It is interesting to see objects from fifty to hundreds years ago. I believe more professors and students should make use of archives, especially for 100 level classes in English, Communications, and History. There are many primary documents students could use for their papers. Professors should encourage their students to come to archives to see what we offer them.