Madeline at the Smithsonian

Madeline Priest joined the Libraries for a two-month internship this summer. A senior and history major at Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y. Priest applied for an internship because of her long fascination with the Smithsonian. A northern Virginia resident who hails from Fairfax, VA., Priest has visited all of the museums several times since her childhood. Her stint with the Libraries will also fulfill Elmira College’s unique requirement of 240 hours in a career-related internship before graduation.

This summer, Priest collaborated with Lilla Vekerdy and Kirsten van der Veen of the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, which is located in the National Museum of American History, on various projects. She also worked with metadata librarian Doug Dunlop at the National Museum of Natural History on assignments such as the Libraries' Ackermann project, digitization of a 19th century British journal featuring politics, fashion, interior design and travel.

Priest is a member of several notable organizations on the Elmira College campus, such as Amnesty International, choir, and the history club. Her favorite movie is Spinal Tap and her favorite television show is Freaks and Geeks.—Liz O'Brien

photo by Liz O'Brien