Now that the end of the semester is upon us, my time as an intern at the IUP Libraries is almost over. I graduate from IUP at the end of next semester and there are many things that I think about. Most of all, I ask myself if I will be ready to be in the “real world” or not. I still do not have all the answers, but my time as an intern at the IUP Libraries has helped me develop skills that I can use towards my future career and endeavors. It has given me opportunities to work in a more professional setting than I have previously experienced, I learned how to write a blog and improved my writing and researching skills.

For my internship, I wrote a series of entries for the Library blog (Banned Book Week, IUP: A History, Pennsylvania and the Coal Mines, and Abraham Lincoln: A Wonderful Collection), I was allowed to choose the topic of each blog post, research the topic, and then compose each blog post and submit them for review prior to publication. I then create a Facebook post and tweet to announce the new post. For each blog post, I picked the topic from what is available in the IUP Libraries’ Special Collections. I also went to the Banned Book Week event and wrote a blog post on it before the event, to advertise the event and let people know a little more back story on the event and why it’s important to read banned books.

My time as an intern was very eye-opening. I learned how to write in a different style that I had no background with, and it solidified the fact that I wanted to work in a University setting. I am very excited to enter the next phase of my life, but I will always remember my time as an intern at the IUP Libraries.

Most people know who Abraham Lincoln was and know of the great things he accomplished during his lifetime. Of course, if you were not raised in the United States, you probably might only know that he was a President of the United States and wore a tall hat. For those who were raised here, or did more research on him, you know that he is one of our most famous Presidents, governing the country during the civil war and championing the ending of slavery in the United States.

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most interesting of the past Presidents of the United States as well as one of the most iconic. President Lincoln was a politician and lawyer before his time as the 16^th President of the United States. He served as President from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. President Lincoln was the first United States President to be assassinated, and it was a very hard and terrible experience for our country. The country was still divided from the Civil War – a division that was only emphasized when a Confederate supporter, John Wilkes Booth, shot President Lincoln during a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. Though President Lincoln lived for a short while afterwards, Booth’s attack ultimately resulted in his death.

There are many people who love to collect memorabilia of past Presidents, especially President Lincoln. At Stapleton Library, thanks to the donations of Dr. Earl J. and Ann S. Hunt from Johnstown, PA, we have the Abraham Lincoln Collection at the IUP Special Collections and University Archives, Manuscript Group 136. Some of the items we have in our collection is: brochures, pamphlets, papers, coins, plates, busts of Abraham Lincoln, A Civil War presidential pardon (handwritten), and many more items!

If you want more information or would like to explore our special collections, come over to the library and check it out!