A blog post by Kathryn Graham, Conservation Archivist

Who Am I?

I have lived in Columbia my whole life, though my parents moved here from New England the year before I was born. I did have one branch of my family that spent time in South Carolina over two hundred years ago, and my late husband’s family was primarily from South Carolina for many generations. So, when I became interested in genealogy in the late 1990s, I spent a lot of time here at SCDAH as a researcher. It was through that hobby that I decided to pursue archives as a career. I received my B.A. in history from the University of South Carolina in 2004 and enrolled in their dual master’s program in public history and library science with a concentration in archives, graduating in 2007. During my education, I worked at the South Caroliniana Library, primarily processing manuscript collections, and interned at the university’s conservation lab. After graduating, I continued to work at SCL before pausing my career to homeschool my three children, a rewarding and challenging experience. I reentered the workforce in 2022, helping the Pinckney Papers Projects wrap up their final year and then joined the staff of SCDAH, where my love of archives initially began!

What is your job?

I am the conservation archivist here at SCDAH. In that capacity, I spend time in our lab conserving documents and books, monitor the climate in our storage facility, maintain our disaster plan, and provide consultation to the public and government agencies on preservation and conservation issues. I also get to experience a wider range of archival work: processing, accessioning, and cataloging incoming materials; providing reference services to patrons in our research room; and helping with exhibit preparation.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I enjoy the fact that I get to keep history alive and help ensure that the documents that our ancestors created, and those that we are creating today, will continue to be available for researchers to consult for years to come.

Who is your favorite historical figure or time period?

I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite historical figure or time period. What interests me about history is what it can tell us about ourselves; about where we came from, where we are now, and where we might go in the future. And for that, no one person or period of history takes precedence.