National Archives Interns Share Their Stories....
Sponsored Internships
University of Michigan - 2006
As part of a University of Michigan-sponsored internship, the National Archives hosted three student interns from the School of Information at the University of Michigan through a program called Alternative Spring Break (ASB). The interns - Nancy Jacobson, Tammy Pettinato, and Allison Zaleski - all experienced working in areas related to their graduate studies.
Nancy Jacobson was assigned to the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), where she worked to define impediments to the declassification of special media. Learn about ISOO
Tammy Pettinato was assigned to the Presidential Libraries, where she gathered
information to help prepare for public events and exhibits.
Visit the Presidential Libraries
Allison Zaleski was assigned to the Office of General Counsel, where she helped inventory electronic records and
assisted in researching legal literature.
Learn More about the Office of General Counsel
In addition to learning from their tasks, the interns had the opportunity to interact with National Archives staff and learn about the benefits of working for the National Archives.
Analisa Archer, chief of Workforce Strategy and Staffing Services, observed that programs such as ASB provide a benefit both to students and to the National Archives:
"For students, it is a way to experience firsthand what it is like to work on archival issues at the national level," she said. "For the National Archives, it is an opportunity to gain new insights and ideas from students who will comprise the next generation of information professionals."
In feedback provided after the internship, Tammy Pettinato wrote:
"I hadn't really thought about a career in archives before coming to the National Archives, but now I think it is something I would consider. . . . [B]eing at NARA gave me a sense of doing work that really matters."
