Photo credit: Mark Stehle
WHO HE IS: Senior archivist, Penn Museum
YEARS AT PENN: 20
WHAT HE DOES: “In a nutshell, we at the archives collect the administrative records of the Museum, as well as all of the records of the research and expeditions of the Museum,” Pezzati says. The archives collection includes everything from letters and field notes to photographs and maps to motion picture films.
HOW MUCH STUFF?: A lot. According to Pezzati, the Museum archives are home to 750,000 photographs, images and prints, 2,000 linear feet of records and thousands of drawings and other plans. “And there are always lots of new materials coming in,” he says.
DIGITAL REVOLUTION? NOT QUITE: “The paperless office that was predicted in the 1980s is completely incorrect,” Pezzati says. “In fact, it’s just the opposite. There’s more paper today than ever before. … But the job has changed because of the digital revolution. Now we have to do everything we did before, but do it twice—digitize it.”
ALWAYS INTERESTING: “I enjoy the job because it’s varied, multifaceted. You get to look at good stuff all the time—this amazing collection. You never get bored.”
