Staff Profile: Megan Siu, Archives Assistant

          Hi, my name is Megan Siu and I am the Archives Assistant at Musée Héritage Museum.

Megan looking through some of the Weiller and Williams records

  How I ended up here is a bit of an interesting story. (The slightly more long-winded version can be found on my own blog, Megscellany http://bit.ly/1zByrSo!)...
   I was initially involved with Musée Héritage Museum in early September 2014 as a volunteer. After earning my Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Western Ontario in London, and after moving back to my hometown of Edmonton, I was looking for experience in the field. Through some connections, I ended up meeting Jennifer, who was finishing her archival placement at Musée Héritage Museum. In turn, I also met Vino, who you all know and love as the Archivist here. They started me on two projects from the get-go - helping with the information files on St. Albert’s civic history, and the museum’s collection management database. Even after the first month, I felt as though the museum staff had adopted me into their extended family.

Near the end of February, I was offered the opportunity to take on a brand new project - processing a large donation from Weiller & Williams (W&W Co. Ltd.). It has been amazing even just to read the various typewritten correspondence between the late president of W&W Co. Ltd., Mr. Leland S. Williams and his employees, family members, and friends, and reliving those moments of his past. The collection includes various records and objects relating to the company’s business operations, Mr. Williams’ dabbling in horseracing, the Williams family history, and more. I can’t wait to see it in a future exhibition after it has all been processed! It will be a bit of a wait, but it will be worthwhile, I am certain.

Being a part of the Musée Héritage Museum family, you end up doing a number of things outside of your job description. For instance, I’ve painted walls, created “flippy panels”, arranged display cases, dressed mannequins, and even tried my teeth at birch bark biting. My days spent here have been anything but typical, but I am loving every bit of it. Next month, I will be representing Musée Héritage Museum in the poster session at the Special Libraries Association Annual Conference in Boston! I can’t wait to see what else the museum has in store for me!

Megan helping with the install of our Francophone Alberta exhibition