Student Spotlight: Kathryn Hurst, Digital Program Digitization Assistant

The Special Collections Research Center blog series "Student Spotlight" features student employees who contribute to the work of the SCRC. Guest author Kathryn Hurst, class of 2025, is a graduate student in the School of Library and Information Science at NC Central University, working towards her Master of Library Science. Kathryn has worked as a Digital Program Digitization Graduate Assistant on the Expanded Extending Cooperative Extension History project in SCRC since January 2025.

Please describe in a sentence or two the work that you do in the Special Collections Research Center.

I am helping to digitize and record metadata for agricultural extension materials in a variety of formats, including negatives, photographs, news clippings, and documents. This is part of the Expanded Extending Extension (3x) grant funded digitization project.

What has been most interesting to you about your work?  What new things have you learned? Have you made any surprising discoveries?

It has been really interesting to work with a variety of materials and learn the different ways they are digitized, as well as what types of metadata are needed according to the material type. I have also enjoyed learning more about North Carolina history through working with the materials. Specifically, learning about what the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service does and how it has changed over time. It has been fun to see old photographs of 4-H programs and Home Demonstration work, from interior design to canning and preservation, along with things like recipes and community building initiatives.

If you met someone who was unfamiliar with archives and special collections, what would you want them to know? What should new researchers know about the work you do?

I would like people to know that archives and special collections are important for preserving materials and making them available so that history can be understood more fully. For the 3x project, North Carolina’s history of agricultural extension is being digitized, which aids in capturing a local cultural context that could otherwise be lost or forgotten. I also think it is important to know that archives and special collections are not only for scholars and researchers but can be used by anyone for a variety of purposes. Particularly now that more materials are being digitized and published online, the accessibility of archives and special collections is improving and is no longer limited to in-person visits to the library or reading rooms.

What are you studying, and what do you hope to do in your future career?  Has your work in the SCRC changed how you look at your studies or your future career plans in any way?

I am concentrating on both academic and public libraries. My work in the SCRC has helped me to realize that I would like to learn more about archival practices within libraries, and I have started taking elective courses within archives and records management. My career goals have also shifted towards working within library technical services, rather than in public services.