Profile: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archivist Specializes as Detective, Preservationist for Love Library

From The Daily Nebraskan:

A document that requests a sick leave and another requesting promotion — both complete with Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature — lay on the table. To their right was a letter from Albert Einstein to show his support for Hermann Broch’s Nobel Prize nomination in literature. On the left is a sheet of Willa Cather’s last handwritten manuscript before her death, complete with pencil scratches and edit marks.
The finds aren’t in a prestigious museum. Each one is in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Archives & Special Collections, in the basement of Love Library South. They don’t have a count on the collection, but if all laid out, the archives would span 3.1 miles, equaling more than 54 football fields. That’s from Love Library to the College of Law, according to the archives’ website.
Peterson Brink, assistant archivist for the university, makes sure each document not only maintains good shape, but also has its story told. Coming from a family of teachers and fueled by a love of history, Brink found his way into the archivist post where he now cares for unique texts and often plays the role of document detective.

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Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Libraries, News