Author: Lauren Shuty
Lauren Shuty, Museum Studies Intern at the Jonas Salk Legacy Collections - Spring 2024
When starting this internship at the Public Health Building on Pitt’s campus I was a little weary and embarrassed. I did not know much about Jonas Salk, even though I am from Pittsburgh, but I was eager to learn as much as I could about the position and the history and importance of this collection. There were rooms filled with unopened boxes from the ‘50s and ‘60s, I immediately felt transported with every box I opened and cataloged. Some of my favorite finds were cartoons and advertisements that wrapped the glassware. It was like a scavenger hunt, carefully pealing back the delicate paper looking for dates to figure out when the glassware met its fate of being stored for decades.
This was my first real experience cataloging objects, and I enjoyed my time doing it. As a busy college student, it was a great opportunity to take a break, tune out, and catalog. I learned about a lot of different glass objects and their importance to Salk’s studies and eventually creating the polio vaccine. I felt like I was part of history, making his collection more accessible for other people interested in his work.
Aside from my work cataloging his glassware, I also spent some time scanning documents from his studies and lectures. I tried with the time given to absorb as much information as I could. With a position like this, I feel like I was able to truly absorb academic information. I never originally had an interest in working on science-related archives and catalogs, but the more time I spent in the Public Health building, the more I became well-rounded as a person. My time working with the collections reinforced my ideas about the importance of vaccines and fundraising for medicine and science.
Aside from the physical and virtual cataloging I had done, I had also sat in on a few meetings with the Jonas Salk Legacy Collections team. Coming from my History of Art and Architecture and Museum Studies background, I felt a little out of place, but the team was welcoming with open arms, and valued the work I was doing. Attending the meetings was important to my personal development during my time with them. Making sure we were on schedule and emphasizing the importance of our work was gratifying and motivational. I am very thankful for this opportunity to work with amazing people and learn more about my city and college’s history which I will cherish forever.